ROBBY JOSETT SHINES IN VENTURA RETURN

In just his fourth start of the season, Robby Josett (Santa Clarita, California) led all 30-laps to claim last Saturday’s feature win at Ventura Raceway. For Josett, the $1,000 USAC Western States Midget victory was the fourth win of his career. Fast qualifier Ronnie Gardner, Cory Elliott, Cody Swanson, and Michael Faccinto followed Robby to the checkered flags.

Racing his #2 RL & Sons Construction / Justice Brothers Spike, Robby Josett started on the outside of the front row. Shaking free from polesitter Josh Lakatos and Ronnie Gardner, Josett managed to earn his first win of 2016. Earlier in the program, Robby qualified eleventh out of twenty-five racers and scored third in his heat race. Heading to Bakersfield on November 19th, Josett is fifteenth in the point chase with three top-10 finishes.

Charging from sixth, Ronnie Gardner (Corona, California) pressured Josett for the top spot but had to settle for second. Driving the Six8 Motorsports’ #68 Baldozier Racing / Esslinger Engineering Stewart, Gardner posted his fourth Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and ran second to Alex Schutte in his heat race. Ronnie left Ventura with a 121-point lead on the strength of five main event wins, eight heat race victories, two Keizer Aluminum Wheels / Rod End Supply Hard Charger Awards, hard charger awards, twelve top-10 finishes, and 106 feature laps led.

Cory Elliott (Bakersfield, California) started eighth and sliced his way to third at Ventura Raceway. Piloting the family owned #11E FK Indy / Oilwize Spike, Elliott was eighth fast in time trials and won the 8-lap DJ Safety Heat Race #2. Last season’s Rookie of the Year is currently third in the point standings with five heat race victories, ten top-10 finishes, and 24 feature laps led to his credit.

Cody Swanson (Corona, California) had a solid night with his fourth place run at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. Racing the family owned #71S Marcie Campbell Realtor / Advanced Racing Suspension Spike, Swanson qualified fourth overall and claimed third in his heat race. To date, the former VRA Champion is sixth in points with one feature win, one Keizer Aluminum Wheels / Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award, seven top-10 finishes, and six feature laps led on the year.

Michael Faccinto (Hanford, California) scored fifth in the prelude to the Turkey Night Grand Prix. Driving the MF Motorsports’ #35F OSV / Lucas Oil Spike, Faccinto was fifth quick in time trials and ran second to Cory Elliott in his heat race. Michael left Ventura ranks second in the point chase with two feature wins, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, two heat race victories, eleven top-10 finishes, and 67 feature laps led on the season.

Tyler Dolacki (Fresno, California) earned the night’s Keizer Aluminum Wheels / Rod End Supply “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with an eleventh place run from twentieth. Piloting the family owned #18 Simpson Race Products Stealth, Dolacki qualified seventeenth overall and ran seventh in his heat race. The young driver is tenth in the standings with one Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main win, three Keizer Aluminum Wheels / Rod End Supply Hard Charger Awards, and five top-10 finishes.

Alex Schutte (Redding, California) won the night’s 8-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. Racing the Schutte / McElwee #28 Zito Vault / Proficio Spike, Schutte was seventh fast in time trials and scored twentieth in the feature after a hard crash. At press time, the 2010 Champion is twelfth in points with two feature wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, two heat race victories, one Keizer Aluminum Wheels / Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award, four top-10 finishes, and 56 feature laps led.

Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Alabama) raced to victory in the Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Heat Race #3. Driving Keith Ford’s #73 Walker Filtration Systems / King Racing Products TCR, Thomas qualified twelfth overall and placed nineteenth in the main event after an early exit.

**LANCE JENNINGS – USAC MEDIA

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USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES RACE RESULTS: October 29, 2016 – Ventura, California – Ventura  Raceway

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Ronnie Gardner, 68, Six8-12.039; 2. Robert Dalby, 4D, Dalby-12.042; 3. Josh Lakatos, 6K, Kruseman-12.155; 4. Cody Swanson, 71S, Swanson-12.213; 5. Michael Faccinto, 35F, MF-12.325; 6. Cory Kruseman, 21K, Kruseman-12.347; 7. Alex Schutte, 28, Schutte/McElwee-12.348; 8. Cory Elliott, 11E, Elliott-12.363; 9. Courtney Crone, 25, Rodela-12.365; 10. Maria Cofer, 57, Cofer-12.391; 11. Robby Josett, 2, Josett-12.431; 12. Kevin Thomas Jr., 73, Ford-12.451; 13. Jake Swanson, 17, Swanson-12.482; 14. Danny Ebberts, 5, Van Dyne-12.496; 15. Kyle Smith, 55, Smith-12.513; 16. Frankie Guerrini, 63, Guerrini-12.517; 17. Tyler Dolacki, 18, Dolacki-12.647; 18. Jake Hagopian, 14, Hagopian-12.670; 19. Randi Pankratz, 8, Pankratz-12.730; 20. Terry Nichols, 1P, Nichols-12.943; 21. Ron Hazelton, 15, Hazelton-13.005; 22. Nate Wait, 35W, MF-13.125; 23. Tyler Seavey, 88, Arata-13.265; 24. Brennan Rogers, 20, Rogers- NT; 25. Austen Figueroa, 49JR, Bach-NT.

EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Schutte, 2. Gardner, 3. C.Swanson, 4. J.Swanson, 5. Pankratz, 6. Cofer, 7. Wait, 8. Guerrini. NT

DJ SAFETY SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Elliott, 2. Faccinto, 3. Josett, 4. Dalby, 5. Ebberts, 6. Nichols, 7. Dolacki, 8. Seavey. NT

BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Thomas, 2. Crone, 3. Lakatos, 4. Kruseman, 5. Smith, 6. Hagopian, 7. Hazelton, 8. Rogers. NT

LIGHT UP THE WORLD BEVERAGES FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Robby Josett, 2. Ronnie Gardner, 3. Cory Elliott, 4. Cody Swanson, 5. Michael Faccinto, 6. Josh Lakatos, 7. Danny Ebberts, 8. Randi Pankratz, 9. Courtney Crone, 10. Jake Hagopian, 11. Tyler Dolacki, 12. Maria Cofer, 13. Kyle Smith, 14. Robert Dalby, 15. Nate Wait, 16. Tyler Seavey, 17. Cory Kruseman, 18. Terry Nichols, 19. Kevin Thomas Jr., 20. Alex Schutte, 21. Jake Swanson, 22. Ron Hazelton, 23. Brennan Rogers. NT

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**Guerrini flipped during the first heat. J.Swanson, Schutte, Thomas, and Nichols flipped during the feature

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Josett

KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS/ROD END SUPPLY HARD CHARGER: Tyler Dolacki (20th to 11th)

NEW USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Gardner-922, 2-Faccinto-801, 3-Elliott-717, 4-Guerrini-676, 5-Crone-620, 6-C.Swanson-564, 7-Pankratz-531, 8-Cofer-523, 9-Dalby-521, 10-Dolacki-420.

NEXT USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET RACES: November 19 – Bakersfield (CA) Speedway