PERRIS, California — Scott Dobson, of Newbury Park, became the first 2009 NMRA-TQ Midget Series repeat feature winner during round seven Saturday in a 20-lap race on the Perris Auto Speedway clay quarter-mile track. He won round four at Bakersfield Speedway on April 4 and used the same No. 18 Guy Barber Stewart/Honda, the 2001 NMRA championship car. The TQ midgets were part of a seven series cavalcade of racing at The PAS that included four classes of stock cars, modifieds and California Lightning Sprints powered by motorcycle engines. Racers in Saturday action used both the half-mile and quarter mile clay ovals.
NMRA opened this season on March 7 at The PAS and Chuck West became the first point race winner of 2009. Dobson finished third in that race. Dobson, the 2006 NMRA-TQ rookie of the year, won his first NMRA feature in the 2008 season opener at Bakersfield Speedway. He scored his second victory that season in round nine, also at Bakersfield Speedway. He won his third TQ main event this year in round four on April 4 at the same Bakersfield third-mile clay track. His fourth career victory Saturday was his first at a track other than Bakersfield. He started seventh and led the final four laps (17-20).
Two prior 2009 feature winners led the first 16 laps. Pole starter Ron Ahrendt paced the first four laps in his Ellis/Honda. Fourth starter Kenny Wiley led laps 5-16 in his self-built chassis with Honda power before settling for second place. West Evans started and finished third in his Stealth/Kawasaki. Richard Ortega, Jr (from 6th) and 2009 co-rookie of the year Anthony Lopiccolo (from 5th) finished fourth and fifth respectively. Bruce Hiroshima, Scott Niven, Ahrendt and Dave Lambert were the only other finishers and all ran 20 laps. Rookie Amanda Thomas and Steve Parke dropped out during lap 14.
A pair of six-lap heat races went to Wiley and Evans, who both started from the outside front row position in the six and five-car lineups. Dobson's 60 points earned Saturday at Perris enabled him to climb for second to first in 2009 point standings. Former point leader Hiroshima dropped into a second place tie with Ortega and now trails Dobson by ten points (386-376) after seven of 17 scheduled races. Barber now leads the car owner points by ten points (407-397) over Ortega's No. 8. The next NMRA race will be the fifth annual Ron Otto Memorial event at the third-mile clay Santa Maria Speedway on Saturday, June 13.
Summary:
Heat 1: Kenny Wiley, Bruce Hiroshima, Richard Ortega, Jr., Scott Niven, Steve Parke, Dave Lambert.
Heat 2: West Evans, Anthony Lopiccolo, Scott Dobson, Ron Ahrendt, Amanda Thomas.
Main: Dobson, Wiley, Evans, Ortega, Lopiccolo, Hiroshima, Niven, Ahrendt, Lambert, Thomas, Parke.
POINT STANDINGS
Drivers Car Owner
1 Scott Dobson 386 1 No. 18 Guy Barber 407
2 Bruce Hiroshima 376 2 “ 8 Richard Ortega, Jr. 397
2 Richard Ortega, Jr 376 3 “ 5 Bruce Hiroshima 395
4 Anthony Lopiccolo 362 4 “ 21 Paul Lopiccolo 383
5 West Evans 355 5 “ 36 West Evans 376
6 Kenny Wiley 309 6 “ 96 Kenny Wiley 327
7 Scott Niven 293 7 “ 66 Scott Niven 301
8 Dave Lambert 259 8 “ 55 Dave Lambert 281
9 Amanda Thomas ® 248 9 “ 40 Ed Thomas 269
10 Jimmy Dodson 225 10 “ 6 Jimmy Dodson 240
