TOP ROOKIE, TOP GUN: BOWER SKATES TO USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET TITLE
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (October 26, 2021)………Popping the cork on the champagne and celebrating the spoils of a victory is the goal for every individual who straps or crews on a racecar.
Despite not reaching victory lane as a race winner throughout the 13-race tour, Blake Bower’s consistency put him in prime position in the season finale the reap the ultimate reward.
And, when you get the chance to do just that right off the bat, it’s imperative to seize the opportunity.
Blake Bower did exactly that during the 2021 USAC Western States Midget season, carrying two banners at the conclusion of a year’s worth of work – Rookie of the Year and the series champion.
It’d been a good 13 years since a driver captured both honors simultaneously within a single season – Nic Faas in 2008. And, though the 20-year-old from Brentwood, Calif. didn’t tally a win, he took heed of the championship fight with five races remaining in his Tony Boscacci-owned No. 9, then promptly fended off fellow Rookie Brody Fuson by 70 markers to claim the title.
Bower became the first USAC Western States Midget champ without a victory since Shannon McQueen in 2012. In fact, he’s the seventh overall to do it, joining Wally Pankratz (2000), Steve Paden (2003), Johnny Rodriguez (2004), Jerome Rodela (2006), Alex Schutte (2010) and McQueen (2012).
Runner-up Fuson (Bakersfield, Calif.) finished second overall in the standings on the strength of the first two victories of his career with the series at Petaluma and Hanford aboard the Rusty Carlile-owned No. 51.
Chase Johnson (Penngrove, Calif.) put five-time series entrant champion Six8 Motorsports back in victory lane for the first time in three years in the opener at Bakersfield in March, then followed up with another “w” in July at Merced. Likewise, Austin Liggett (Tracy, Calif.) won twice and led the most laps in the series (58) with scores at both Tulare and Placerville.
Jake Andreotti (Castro Valley, Calif.), Colby Johnson (Penngrove, Calif.), Mitchel Moles (Fresno, Calif.) and Hayden Williams (Auckland, N.Z.) became first-time USAC Western States Midget feature victors with triumphs at Ventura, Merced, Hanford and Ventura, respectively. Williams’ win was the first for a driver from outside of the U.S.A. since Mike Figliomeni won at Perris in 2000.
Returning to victory lane this season were Maria Cofer (Macdoel, Calif.) in May at Petaluma, plus Ben Worth (Coalinga, Calif.) in June at Ventura, as well as Michael Faccinto (Hanford, Calif.) in the finale at his home track of Hanford in October. For Faccinto, it was his first win with the series since his championship season of 2018.
Tony Boscacci (Mountain View, Calif.) became a first-time series entrant champion in 2021. Meanwhile, Bower led all drivers with nine top-fives and 12 top-tens, three more than his closest competition in each category. Likewise, Bower’s five heat race wins led all. He and Fuson were also the lone drivers to start all 13 feature events while Chase Johnson sped to a series-high three fast qualifying times.
==========================
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET DRIVER POINT STANDINGS:
POS. PTS. DRIVER, HOMETOWN
1 862 Blake Bower (R), Brentwood, Calif.
2 792 Brody Fuson (R), Bakersfield, Calif.
3 662 C.J. Sarna, Palm Desert, Calif.
4 549 Austin Liggett, Tracy, Calif.
5 471 Ben Worth, Coalinga, Calif.
6 418 Shannon McQueen, Bakersfield, Calif.
7 400 Ron Hazelton, Chatsworth, Calif.
8 392 Jarrett Soares (R), Discovery Bay, Calif.
9 386 David Prickett, Fresno, Calif.
10 286 Dylan Ito, Ventura, Calif.
11 282 Maria Cofer, Macdoel, Calif.
12 223 Terry Nichols, Delano, Calif.
13 212 Randi Pankratz, Atascadero, Calif.
14 205 Mitchel Moles, Fresno, Calif.
15 202 Robby Josett, Costa Mesa, Calif.
16 190 Kyle Beilman, Mar Vista, Calif.
17 117 Mike Leach Jr., Foothill Ranch, Calif.
18 116 Colton Raudman (R), Cottonwood, Calif.
19 113 Alex Schutte, Redding, Calif.
20 86 Joey Bishop, Camarillo, Calif.
21 80 Hayden Williams, Auckland, N.Z.
22 79 Logan Seavey, Sutter, Calif.
23 75 Ryan Bernal, Hollister, Calif.
24 75 Travis Buckley (R), Auckland, N.Z.
25 58 Beau Lemire, Camino, Calif.
26 55 Ashlyn Rodriguez, Granite Bay, Calif.
27 50 Ronnie Gardner, Corona, Calif.
28 50 Sparky Howard, Santa Rosa, Calif.
29 50 Troy Morris III, Bakersfield, Calif.
30 49 Ben Wiesz (R), Colfax, Calif.
31 46 Kenny Welch (R), Boise, Idaho
32 36 Kaleb Montgomery, Templeton, Calif.
33 27 Jake Vermeer, Bakersfield, Calif.
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET ENTRANT POINT STANDINGS:
1 862 Tony Boscacci, Mountain View, Calif. (#9)
2 712 Rusty Carlile, Bakersfield, Calif. (#51)
3 662 C.J. Sarna, Brea, Calif. (#20)
4 592 Dean Alexander, Visalia, Calif. (#5K)
5 549 Tim Liggett, Tracy, Calif. (#83)
6 439 Keith Ford, Oxnard, Calif. (#73)
7 418 McQueen Racing, Tehachapi, Calif. (#7)
8 392 Steven Soares, Discovery Bay, Calif. (#12)
9 314 Nichols/Peckfelder, Delano, Calif. (#1NP)
10 285 Del Morris, Ripon, Calif. (#17K)
11 282 Johnny Cofer, Macdoel, Calif. (#57)
12 242 LKK Racing, Atascadero, Calif. (#1x)
13 231 BSL Racing, Auckland, N.Z. (#7NZ)
14 198 Six8 Motorsports, Burbank, Calif. (#68)
15 160 Keith Ford, Oxnard, Calif. (#73B)
16 159 Marcie Campbell, Norco, Calif. (#7J)
17 146 Del Morris, Ripon, Calif. (#71R)
18 117 Mike Leach Sr., Foothill Ranch, Calif. (#33p)
19 81 Nichols/Peckfelder, Delano, Calif. (#1p)
20 80 BSL Racing, Auckland, N.Z. (#1NZ)
21 79 Tom Malloy, El Monte, Calif. (#25)
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET FEATURE WINNERS:
Mar 27: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA
WINNER: Chase Johnson (Six8 Motorsports #68)
Apr 10: Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds - Hanford, CA
WINNER: Mitchel Moles (Matt Wood Racing #07w)
Apr 17: Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA
WINNER: Austin Liggett (Tim Liggett #83)
May 15: Petaluma Speedway - Petaluma, CA
WINNER: Maria Cofer (Johnny Cofer #57)
Jun 5: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA
WINNER: Ben Worth (Dean Alexander #5G)
Jul 9: Merced Speedway - Merced, CA
WINNER: Chase Johnson (Keith Ford #73)
Jul 10: Placerville Speedway - Placerville, CA
WINNER: Austin Liggett (Tim Liggett #83)
Jul 31: Petaluma Speedway - Petaluma, CA
WINNER: Brody Fuson (Rusty Carlile #51)
Aug 7: Merced Speedway - Merced, CA
WINNER: Colby Johnson (Del Morris #17K)
Sep 11: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA
WINNER: Hayden Williams (BSL Racing #1NZ)
Oct 9: Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds - Hanford, CA
WINNER: Brody Fuson (Rusty Carlile #51)
Oct 16: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA
WINNER: Jake Andreotti (Pete Davis #00)
Oct 29: Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds - Hanford, CA
WINNER: Michael Faccinto (Marcie Campbell #7J)
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET FEATURE WINS:
2-Brody Fuson, Chase Johnson & Austin Liggett
1-Jake Andreotti, Maria Cofer, Michael Faccinto, Colby Johnson, Mitchel Moles, Hayden Williams & Ben Worth
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET FEATURE LAPS LED:
58-Austin Liggett
41-Brody Fuson
30-Hayden Williams & Ben Worth
28-Mitchel Moles
27-Jake Andreotti
26-Blake Bower & Maria Cofer
24-Davey Ray
21-Chase Johnson
9-Tony Gomes
6-Colby Johnson
4-Michael Faccinto, Frankie Guerrini & Colton Raudman
3-Mike Leach Jr. & Shannon McQueen
2-David Prickett
1-Dylan Ito & Matt Streeter
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET TOP-5 FEATURE FINISHES:
9-Blake Bower
6-Brody Fuson
5-Chase Johnson & Austin Liggett
4-Jake Andreotti, Shannon McQueen & C.J. Sarna
3-Ben Worth
2-Maria Cofer, Michael Faccinto, Robby Josett, Kyle Mentch & Mitchel Moles
1-Max Adams, Jade Avedisian, Ryan Bernal, Travis Buckley, Shane Golobic, Frankie Guerrini, Dylan Ito, Colby Johnson, Matt Mitchell, Colton Raudman, Davey Ray, Caden Sarale, Logan Seavey, Jarrett Soares & Hayden Williams
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET TOP-10 FEATURE FINISHES:
12-Blake Bower
9-Brody Fuson
8-C.J. Sarna
7-Austin Liggett
6-Chase Johnson, Shannon McQueen, David Prickett & Ben Worth
4-Jake Andreotti, Ron Hazelton & Colby Johnson
3-Maria Cofer, Robby Josett, Kyle Mentch, Mitchel Moles, Terry Nichols & Jarrett Soares
2-Kyle Beilman, Michael Faccinto, Tony Gomes, Dylan Ito, Randi Pankratz, Troy Rutherford & Alex Schutte
1-Max Adams, Floyd Alvis, Jade Avedisian, Ryan Bernal, Travis Buckley, Thomas Esberg, Shane Golobic, Frankie Guerrini, Sparky Howard, Beau Lemire, Matt Mitchell, Troy Morris III, Colton Raudman, Davey Ray, Ashlyn Rodriguez, Gage Rucker, Caden Sarale, Logan Seavey, Matt Streeter, Kenny Welch, Ben Wiesz & Hayden Williams
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET FEATURE STARTS:
13-Blake Bower & Brody Fuson
12-C.J. Sarna
9-Ron Hazelton
8-Austin Liggett, Jarrett Soares & Ben Worth
7-Shannon McQueen & David Prickett
6-Dylan Ito, Chase Johnson & Colby Johnson
5-Maria Cofer, Terry Nichols & Randi Pankratz
4-Jake Andreotti, Kyle Beilman & Tony Gomes
3-Robby Josett, Mike Leach Jr., Kyle Mentch, Mitchel Moles & Troy Rutherford
2-Joey Bishop, Dylan Bloomfield, Michael Faccinto, Matt Mitchell, Colton Raudman, Caden Sarale & Alex Schutte
1-Max Adams, Floyd Alvis, Jade Avedisian, Ryan Bernal, Travis Buckley, Robert Carson, Thomas Esberg, Ronnie Gardner, Shane Golobic, Frankie Guerrini, Sparky Howard, Beau Lemire, Kaleb Montgomery, Troy Morris III, Davey Ray, Ashlyn Rodriguez, Gage Rucker, Logan Seavey, Michael Snider, Matt Streeter, Jake Vermeer, Kenny Welch, Ben Wiesz & Hayden Williams
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
3-Chase Johnson
2-Austin Liggett
1-Blake Bower, Michael Faccinto, Colby Johnson, Mitchel Moles, Logan Seavey & Ben Worth
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET HEAT RACE WINS:
5-Blake Bower
4-C.J. Sarna
3-Brody Fuson
2-Jake Andreotti, Maria Cofer, Colby Johnson, Robby Josett & Mitchel Moles
1-Ryan Bernal, Dylan Ito, Austin Liggett, Troy Rutherford, Hayden Williams & Ben Worth
2021 USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET QUALIFYING RACE WINS:
1-Maria Cofer & Brody Fuson
ALL-TIME USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET FEATURE WINS: (FULL POINTS EVENTS)
104-Sleepy Tripp
51-Robby Flock
41-Billy Boat
23-Ronnie Gardner
18-Wally Pankratz
17-Page Jones & Rusty Rasmussen
16-P.J. Jones & Jason Leffler
14-Garrett Hansen
13-Jay Drake, Jimmy Sills & Tony Stewart
12-Tommy White
11-Josh Wise
10-Johnny Cofer, Jerry Coons Jr., Dave Darland, Cory Kruseman & Ron Shuman
9-Bobby East, Michael Faccinto, Kasey Kahne, Dave Steele & Rich Vogler
8-Tracy Hines, Michael Lewis, Steve Paden, Alex Schutte & Danny Stratton
7-Rico Abreu, Christopher Bell, Stan Fox, Rick Hendrix, Chad Nichols & Kody Swanson
6-Bryan Clauson, Shane Golobic, Johnathon Henry, Kyle Larson, Ken Nichols, Brad Noffsinger & Dave Strickland Jr.
5-Tommy Astone, Bob Davison, Ronnie Day, Robert Dolacki, Davey Hamilton, Tony Hunt, Robby Josett, Brad Kuhn & J.J. Yeley
4-Tyler Brown, Hank Butcher, Nick Chivello, Marc DeBeaumont, Nic Faas, Josh Ford, Chuck Gurney, Darren Hagen, Jordan Hermansader, Ryan Kaplan, Austin Liggett, Frank Pedregon, Chris Rahe, Keith Rauch, Jerome Rodela, Johnny Rodriguez, Shane Scully, Ricky Shelton, Tanner Swanson, Brad Sweet & Billy Wease
3-Brady Bacon, Ryan Bernal, Bobby Boone, Mario Bringetto Jr., Robert Dalby, Danny Ebberts, Jeff Gordon, Scott Hansen, Alex Harris, Chase Johnson, Trey Marcham, Thomas Meseraull, Ryan Newman, Johnny Parsons, Scott Pierovich, Troy Rutherford, John Starks, Tanner Thorson & Chuck West
2-Floyd Alvis, Alex Bowman, Rick Bussell, Maria Cofer, Cory Elliott, Tony Elliott, Terry Farrar, Mike Figliomeni, Brody Fuson, Damion Gardner, Bobby Grewohl, Dennis Hart, Darryl Haugh, Jeff Heywood, Gary Howard, R.J. Johnson, Josh Lakatos, Evan Margeson, Danny McKnight, Matt Mitchell, Rory Price, Stevie Reeves, Bobby Santos, Darin Snider, Michael Snider, Bryan Stanfill, Cody Swanson, Jake Swanson & Ben Worth
1-Jake Andreotti, Mike Appio, Caleb Armstrong, Donnie Beechler, Wayne Bennet, Pat Bliss, Chad Boat Garrett Boyden, Greg Bragg, Larry Brown, Keith Chrisco, Michelle Decker, Larry Derwin, Kevin Doty, Dan Drinan, Dale Durbin, Tommie Estes Jr., Duane Feduska, Billy Felts Jr., A.J. Fike, Joe Gaerte, Russ Gamester, Brian Gard, Cody Gerhardt, Rick Gerhardt, Frankie Guerrini, Jac Haudenschild, Lloyd Hemman, Nathan High, Rick Hood, Kenny Irwin Jr., A.J. Johnson, Colby Johnson, Jim Keene, Steve Knepper, Brad Loyet, Carson Macedo, Dallen McKenney, Shannon McQueen, Lealand McSpadden, Jeff Meyer, Andy Michner, Mitchel Moles, Brian Olson, Kevin Olson, Aaron Pollock, David Prickett, Davey Ray, C.J. Sarna, Gio Scelzi, Zach Schiff, Ryan Scott, Logan Seavey, Jeremy Sherman, Graham Standring, Chase Stockon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Matt Streeter, Sammy Swindell, Kevin Thomas Jr., Richard Vander Weerd, Eric Wilkins, Hayden Williams, Rip Williams & Paul Zimmerly
ALL-TIME USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET FEATURE WINS: (NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENTS)
1-Rico Abreu, Christopher Bell, Bobby East, Kyle Larson, Danny McKnight & Brad Sweet
USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET DRIVER CHAMPIONS:
1983: Sleepy Tripp
1984: Tommy White
1985: Sleepy Tripp
1986: Robby Flock
1987: Sleepy Tripp
1988: Sleepy Tripp
1989: Robby Flock
1990: Sleepy Tripp
1991: Sleepy Tripp
1992: Sleepy Tripp
1993: Robby Flock
1994: Johnny Cofer
1995: Billy Boat
1996: Jay Drake
1997: Ricky Shelton
1998: Rick Hendrix
1999: Marc DeBeaumont
2000: Wally Pankratz
2001: Danny Ebberts
2002: Robby Flock
2003: Steve Paden
2004: Johnny Rodriguez
2005: Jerome Rodela
2006: Jerome Rodela
2007: Johnny Rodriguez
2008: Nic Faas
2009: Garrett Hansen
2010: Alex Schutte
2011: Cory Kruseman
2012: Shannon McQueen (Overall), Chad Nichols (Pavement) & David Prickett (Dirt)
2013: Ronnie Gardner (Overall), Chad Nichols (Pavement) & Ronnie Gardner (Dirt)
2014: Ronnie Gardner (Overall), Chad Nichols (Pavement) & Ronnie Gardner (Dirt)
2015: Ronnie Gardner
2016: Ronnie Gardner
2017: Ronnie Gardner
2018: Michael Faccinto
2019: Robert Dalby
2020: None
2021: Blake Bower
USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET ROOKIES OF THE YEAR:
1983: George & Gary Zarounian #67wc
1984: Joe Binter #12wc
1985: George & Gary Zarounian #67wc
1986: William Mayhew #16wc
1987: George & Gary Zarounian #67ws
1988: George & Gary Zarounian #67ws
1989: Daniel & Lore McAlister #32wc
1990: DL Motorsports #3
1991: Sleepy Tripp-DL Motorsports #1ws
1992: George & Gary Zarounian #1ws
1993: Rich & Carol Hart #24ws
1994: Dwaine Esslinger #57
1995: John Lawson #15
1996: Steve Beneto #96
1997: William Shelton #75
1998: Rick Hendrix-Anthony Porto #12
1999: Richard Sewell-Jim DeBeaumont #11
2000: Wally Pankratz #8
2001: Thomas Ebberts-Vince Schlachter #14
2002: Jeff Pinkston #63
2003: Richard Farrier #0
2004: Johnny Rodriguez #30
2005: Mike Sala #79
2006: Bret Barber #91
2007: J.W. Mitchell Motorsports #87
2008: Western Speed Racing #40
2009: Jerome Rodela #25
2010: Jerome Rodela #25
2011: Neverlift Motorsports #15
2012: Mason Cook #10
2013: Six8 Motorsports #68
2014: Six8 Motorsports #68
2015: Six8 Motorsports #68
2016: Six8 Motorsports #68
2017: Six8 Motorsports #68
2018: Sean Dodenhoff #9D
2019: Mitch Elliott #11E
2020: None
2021: Tony Boscacci #9
USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET ROOKIES OF THE YEAR:
1986: P.J. Jones
1987: Terry Farrar
1988: Larry Derwin
1989: Dennis Hart
1990: George Ito
1991: John Kaiser & Andy Pierce
1992: Jason Jonkman
1993: Jay Drake
1994: John Sarna
1995: Jeremy Sherman
1996: Scott Hansen
1997: Ricky Shelton
1998: Bryan Stanfill
1999: Alex Harris
2000: Josh Wise
2001: Danny Stratton
2002: Van Knill
2003: Garrett Hansen
2004: Matt Mitchell
2005: Bradley Galedrige
2006: Chase Barber
2007: C.J. Sarna & Quintin Crye
2008: Nic Faas
2009: Alex Schutte
2010: Cody Swanson
2011: Connor Kassik & Chris Ennis
2012: Nick Chivello
2013: Trey Marcham
2014: Jarid Blondel
2015: Cory Elliott
2016: Courtney Crone
2017: Mason Daniel
2018: Kyle Beilman & Daniel Anderson
2019: Ben Worth
2020: None
2021: Blake Bower
