WESTERN MIDGETS AT PETALUMA SATURDAY;

GARDNER WINS VENTURA 30-LAPPER

Petaluma (Calif.) Speedway is this Saturday night’s venue for the Honda USAC Western Midget Series, hosting the 2nd "John Soares Classic,"  but it remains to be seen if anybody can unseat Ronnie Gardner at the head of the pack after Gardner scored his eighth feature victory of the 2013 campaign last Saturday night at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway.

Gardner has raced off to a 190-point lead over Jake Swanson in the latest points entering the Petaluma race. When the series last visited the 3/8-mile dirt Petaluma oval Gardner was the winner!

Gardner, of Norco, Calif., captured the 30-lap Ventura feature in his Baldozier Racing/Esslinger Engineering Stewart. He passed Cody Swanson on lap 13 and led the final 18 laps to beat Jake Swanson, David Prickett, Cory Kruseman and Trey Marcham.