Source: Robert Haugh
Date: 09/26/2007

The famed Bay Cities Racing Association DMS Race Products 2007 Midget series will be concluding its 69th season of racing this Friday and Saturday, September 28 and 29, partaking in the inaugural two-day spectacular Tachi Open Wheel Invitational at the smooth and fast 3/8-mile King's Speedway in Hanford.

Among the stellar list of entries is a host of local Midget chauffeurs including Kingsburg's brother combination Kody and Tanner Swanson piloting the Blackwell Motorsports #27 Stealth/Gaerte mounts, Fresno's Steve Roza aboard Bob Roza's #20 Beast/Esslinger, Fresno's David Prickett campaigning the Neverlift Motorsports #15 Stealth/Van Dyne as well as expected entries by Hanford's Jared Little in his own #23 Stinger Mopar, 16-year-old Michael Faccinto of Hanford aboard the Gary Scelzi Racing #41 Beast/Mopar and most recent BCRA feature winner Dallen McKenney of Clovis in his #88 TCR/Goewens Mopar. Also joining this talented group of locals will be BCRA Midget Lite points leader Doug Nunes of Kingsburg driving a third Blackwell Motorsports #27 Stealth/Gaerte.

Other stellar weekend entries will include 16-year-old BCRA points leader Justin Grant wheeling the #17 Thurston Spike/Esslinger, 1999 BCRA champion Matt Streeter aboard his #14JR Spike/Pink Ford, Ralphie “The Racer” Cortez in the #31 Cortez/Walker Motorsports Stealth/Esslinger, 7-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis, 'The Ageless Wonder' piloting his #18 Champion Automotive Stealth/Esslinger 'Green Beret,' reigning two-time BCRA champion John Sarale chauffeuring the Sarale Farms #32 Stealth/Riolo Ford, 19-year-old BCRA Midget rookie Kevin Morris driving father Del's #17k Spike Esslinger, Travis Berryhill aboard the Berryhill racing #11 Stealth/LJ's Gaerte, Alfred “Shark” Galedridge Jr. aboard his father's #26 Beast/Stanton Mopar, Rick Faeth aboard his #3 Stealth/Chevy V4 and Scott Nail aboard Stu Donaldson's #87 Stealth/Pontiac.

Adding additional incentives to drivers racing both nights, BCRA and sponsors are offering an additional $1,000 bonus to Friday night's main event winner if they also win on Saturday night, totaling over $3,000 for anyone who wins both Friday and Saturday's main events.

Also enticing those competing both nights is the unique format where the Top Four finishers from Friday night are guaranteed starting spots in Saturday night's main event.

Entries competing on just Friday include Tehachapi's Shannon McQueen in her own #7 Spike/Esslinger and Guthrie, Oklahoma's Michelle Decker in McQueen's #7m Spike/Esslinger, as well as 17-year-old Darrin Bolton, who will be making his return to racing after sustaining a compression fracture in his vertebrae racing a Sprint Car earlier this year. Bolton, the 2006 BCRA co-rookie of the year, will be manning the Bolton Racing #XX Stewart/Mopar.

BCRA rookie Cole Peard will be competing on Saturday only in his #18x Twister/Fontana.

Other expected weekend entries include Pete Davis in his #00 Beast/Esslinger, former BCRA car owner champion Cameron Beard aboard his #19b Stealth/Fontana, Dave Stoltz in his #77 Pacific Flyer/Buick V6 and Todd Miller aboard Larry Mertl's #9 Stealth/Esslinger.

Clovis' Brian Gard, Placentia's Chris Rahe and Chico's Ryan Kaplan have emerged victors in three prior BCRA appearances at King's this year. Gard won at King's in March, Rahe on August 4 and Kaplan on August 25. None of the three are expected to be competing this weekend.

Through 15 races, Grant holds a commanding 151 point lead over Alvis, Cortez, Prickett, Morris, Sarale, Lindsey, Berryhill, Faeth and Faccinto in the overall driver's points battle heading into this weekend's races. The battle for fourth is the tightest race, with Prickett narrowly leading Morris by three tallies. Cortez rests third, 62 markers behind 7-time titlist Alvis while maintaining nearly 150 points on Prickett and Morris.

In the owner's points race, Alvis' #18 Champion Automotive “Green Beret” leads Cortez' #31 by 67 tallies with Prickett's Neverlift Motorsports #15 sitting third another 145 points back, with Del Morris' #17k two tallies behind, with two-time reigning BCRA champion John Sarale resting in fifth. The battle between Prickett and Morris for third is tight, with just two tallies separating them.

Grant narrowly leads the Dirt driver's points race over Sarale by seven points with Morris and Alvis tied for third another 31 back.

Dave Thurston's #17 Spike/Esslinger is leading the dirt car owner's race by 28 markers over Alvis and Morris tied for second with Bob Roza's #20 sitting fourth over Prickett, Cortez and Sarale.

Joining the Midgets at the inaugural Tachi Open Wheel Invitational will be 410 Winged Sprints, 360 Winged Sprints and 360 Non-wing Sprints on Saturday, creating a spectacular open-wheel weekend at the speedy 3/8-mile King's Speedway in Hanford.

Visit www.bcraracing.com for information on BCRA Midgets and www.KingsSpeedway.net for additional information on King's Speedway and the inaugural Tachi Open Wheel Invitational.

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