MICHAEL FACCINTO WINS SANTA MARIA RETURN
By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 15, 2022… Leading all 30-laps, Michael Faccinto (Hanford, California) topped last Saturday’s USAC Western States Midget main event at Santa Maria Raceway. Driving the Graunstadt Enterprises’ #14J T&T Trucking / Gary Silva Ranches Spike, the 2018 champion and current point leader made the $2,000 Wireless 101 and Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters feature his third win of the campaign. Ben Worth, fast qualifier Chase Johnson, Brody Fuson, and A.J. Bender chased Faccinto to the checkered flags.
For Faccinto, his twelfth career victory moves him to into a tie for thirteenth on the series win list with 1996 Champion Jay Drake and 1984 Champion Tommy White. Michael opened his night by qualifying sixth overall, winning the 10-lap Ammonia Refrigeration Service Second Heat Race, and starting the main event on the pole position. Faccinto heads to the August 27th event at Ventura with a 98-point advantage.
Chase Johnson (Penngrove, California) returned to USAC Western States Midget action and earned his second Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of the season. Racing Keith Ford’s #73X Walker Performance Filtration / Sun Valley AG Transport entry, Johnson posted a time of 14.193 seconds over the 15-car roster. The versatile driver ran second to A.J. Bender in his heat race and finished third in the main event. In limited starts, Chase left Santa Maria ranked sixteenth in the point chase.
A.J. Bender (San Diego, California) raced to victory in the 10-lap Jordan Hanni Well Drilling First Heat Race. Piloting the LKK Racing #1X Josh Ford Motorsports / Rod End Supply Triple X, Bender was fifth quick in time trials and scored fifth in the main event. Last year’s Turkey Night Grand Prix Sprint Car winner has climbed to fifth in points and ranks second in the rookie standings.
Making the first USAC Western States Midget start of his career, Brandon Wiley (Santa Maria, California) earned the night’s Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award with a seventh place run from fourteenth. Driving Matt Streeter’s #14JR T&T Trucking / Gary Silva Ranches Spike, the 2017 USAC West Coast Sprint Car Rookie of the Year had mechanical issues that resulted in qualifying fourteenth and scoring seventh in his heat race. Wiley left his hometown track ranked forty-third in the championship standings.
Rookie contender Caden Sarale (Stockton, California) earned Santa Maria’s Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award” with a thirteenth place finish in the main event. Racing his #32 Tel-Tac / Sarale Trucking CS9, the second generation driver was tenth quick in time trials and finished fourth in his heat race. Caden heads to the Ventura County Fairgrounds sitting eighth in the point chase.
The USAC Western States Midgets will return to action on Saturday, August 27th, at Ventura Raceway in Ventura, California. The tenth point race will also showcase the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars.
The USAC Western States Midget Series thanks Ammonia Refrigeration Service, AMSOIL, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Elk Grove Ford, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing.com, High Tech Performance, Jordan Hanni Well Drilling, Hoosier Racing Tire, Rod End Supply, ROW Signs and Graphics, Saldana Racing Products, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Wireless 101, and Woodland Auto Display for their support.
For more information on the series, visit usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC Western States Midget Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 13, 2022 – Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, California
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Chase Johnson, 73X, Ford-14.193; 2. Jake Andreotti, 00, Davis-14.445; 3. T.J. Smith, Six8-14.521; 4. Ben Worth, 5K, Alexander-14.568; 5. A.J. Bender, 1X, LKK-14.607; 6. Michael Faccinto, 14J, Graunstadt-14.609; 7. Daniel Whitley, 3F, Finkenbinder-14.908; 8. Brody Fuson, 51, Carlile-15.082; 9. Cade Lewis, 73, Ford-15.094; 10. Caden Sarale, 32, Sarale-15.339; 11. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-15.386; 12. C.J. Sarna, 20, Sarna-15.441; 13. Travis Buckley, 7NZ, Buckley-NT; 14. Brandon Wiley, 14JR, Streeter-NT; 15. Jake Hodges, 4, Hodges-NT.
JORDAN HANNI WELL DRILLING FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bender, 2. Johnson, 3. Smith, 4. Lewis, 5. Hix, 6. Hodges, 7. Whitley, 8. Buckley. NT.
AMMONIA REFRIGERATION SERVICE SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1.Faccinto, 2. Worth, 3. Andreotti, 4. Sarale, 5. Fuson, 6. Sarna, 7. Wiley. NT.
WIRELESS 101 & HOT HEAD COMPETITION ENGINE HEATERS FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Michael Faccinto (1), 2. Ben Worth (3), 3. Chase Johnson (6), 4. Brody Fuson (8), 5. A.J. Bender (2), 6. T.J. Smith (4), 7. Brandon Wiley (14), 8. Cade Lewis (9), 9. Travis Buckley (13), 10. Daniel Whitley (7), 11. Jake Andreotti (5), 12. C.J. Sarna (12), 13. Caden Sarale (10), 14. Steve Hix (11). NT.
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**Hodges flipped during hotlaps.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Faccinto
ROD END SUPPLY HARD CHARGER: Brandon Wiley (14th to 7th)
WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Caden Sarale
NEW USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Michael Faccinto-629, 2-Brody Fuson-531, 3-Ben Worth-526, 4-Travis Buckley-489, 5-A.J. Bender-450, 6-Blake Bower-445, 7-Jake Andreotti-439, 8-Caden Sarale-345, 9-Michael Snider-292, 10-C.J. Sarna-286.
TOP QUALIFIER POINTS: 1-Michael Faccinto-32, 2-Ben Worth-28, 3-Jake Andreotti-17, 4-Shane Golobic-12, --Blake Bower-12, --Chase Johnson-12, 7-Brody Fuson-10, 8-Mitchel Moles-6, --Travis Buckley-6, 10-Austin Liggett-5, --Robby Josett-5, --Colton Raudman-5, --Caden Sarale-5.
PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Travis Buckley-24, 2-Brody Fuson-21, 3-A.J. Bender-20, 4-Caden Sarale-18, --Michael Faccinto-18, --Danika Jo Parker-18, 7-Randi Pankratz-15, 8-Thomas Esberg-15, 9-Anthony Esberg-14, 10-Ben Wiesz-12, --Jake Andreotti-12, --Chase Johnson-12.
NEXT USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET RACE: August 27 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California
