LOS ANGELES, California — Rounds eight, nine and ten of the 17 race NMRA-TQ Midgets season took place on Saturday nights, June 13 and 20 at the third-mile clay Santa Maria Speedway and on July 25 at the third-mile clay Bakersfield Speedway. Those races started with Scott Dobson atop the driver point standings. Bruce Hiroshima and Richard Ortega, Jr. completed the top three in points. The series had raced at four different clay tracks in southern California and the series averaged 12 cars per event.
JUNE 13: The fifth annual Ron Otto Memorial race at Santa Maria took place at the track closest to the home of the late NMRA guiding light and official. There was a 12 car field. Ortega became the seventh different NMRA feature winner in race eight of 2009. He started sixth in his own Stealth/Kawasaki and led the final five laps of a 25-lap main event. Greg Edenholm started second, led the first 20 laps and finished second in one of his infrequent race starts. He drove his own No. 2 Dennis Hart-built chassis with Suzuki power. Kenny Wiley, Scott Dobson, West Evans, Anthony Lopiccolo, Bruce Hiroshima, Jimmy Dodson, Ron Ahrendt and Scott Niven completed the top ten and all of them ran 25 laps. Dave Lambert was down a lap and rookie Amanda Thomas did not complete a lap. Edenholm and Lopiccolo won the 8-lap heat races.
JUNE 20: NMRA teams returned a week later to Santa Maria Speedway with 11 cars and Ortega won another 25 lap main. He started seventh and led all but the first six laps. It was the third NMRA feature victory of his five year TQ-midget career. Chuck West, lap 1-6 leader West Evans, Hiroshima, Wiley, Dobson, Niven, Dodson, Ahrendt, Lambert and Thomas completed the main event in that order. The first seven finishers completed 25 laps. C. West set the fastest qualifying time of 16.026 on his second of two qualification laps. Ortega added to his series point lead.
JULY 25: Round 10 was the fourth NMRA race of the year at Bakersfield Speedway. Ten TQ teams were present. J. Dodson, the NMRA 2008 co-rookie of the year, started second and led all 25 laps in his own car. He also won the March 28 TQ feature at Ventura. Wiley, the 2007 NMRA champion, started fifth and finished second. S. Dobson, Evans, Ortega, Ahrendt, Hiroshima, Niven, Lambert and Edenholm were the other top ten finishers in the order listed. The first seven drivers ran 25 laps, with eighth place a lap down. Wiley and Edenholm won the two 8-lap heat races.
As August began, 2005 NMRA rookie of the year Ortega led both the driver and car owner point standings. His 563 driver points were 13 more than S. Dobson's 550. Hiroshima had 522, Evans 515 and Wiley 482. Ortega's No. 8 car had 593 points to 580 for Guy Barber's No. 18, 549 for Hiroshima's No. 5, 545 for Evans No. 36 and 509 for Wiley's No. 96.
POINT STANDINGS (TOP 10 as of August 1):
Drivers Car Owners
1 Richard Ortega, Jr. 563 1 No 8 Richard Ortega, Jr. 593
2 Scott Dobson 550 2 No. 18 Guy Barber 580
3 Bruce Hiroshima 522 3 No. 5 Bruce Hiroshima 549
4 West Evans 515 4 No. 36 West Evans 545
5 Kenny Wiley 482 5 No. 96 Kenny Wiley 509
6 Anthony Lopiccolo 413 6 No. 21 Paul Lopiccolo 437
7 Scott Niven 402 7 No. 66 Scott Niven 429
8 Jimmy Dodson 375 8 No. 6 Jimmy Dodson 399
9 Dave Lambert 359 9 No. 55 Dave Lambert 390
10 Ron Ahrendt 339 10 No. 87 Ron Ahrendt 363
