The dates are filled and the BCRA members are looking forward to the 2002 season. The midget and vintage divisions have their schedule finalized while the midget lite division awaits the return of John Soares Jr. from campaigning his race team in Australia to finalize the Antioch and Petaluma dates.
    The midgets will campaign a 20-race schedule on 12 different tracks. Ten of the races are co-sanctioned with USAC Western States. This season all five Stockton "99" Speedway races will be co-sanctioned. The season begins with two co-sanctioned races, Saturday, April 6 at the Madera Speedway with Stockton "99" on tap the next afternoon.
       BCRA made every effort to space open weekends throughout the season, so as not to run too many consecutive weekends, such as last season with its 12-week run.
  The first off weekend follows the opening weekend. Then its to the Placerville Speedway on April 20 for the first of two races that will feature all three BCRA midget divisions; midget, midget lite and vintage. The next weekend the midgets run at the Orland Speedway. One week off, then its the Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka, followed by the annual Vukovich Classic at Madera (co-USAC) and Stockton "99" Speedway. On June 1 BCRA runs the Shasta Speedway in Anderson.
    Following an off-week, BCRA returns to the Reno-Fernley Speedway in Nevada on June 15. The following Friday its Watsonville Speedway, then June 29 back to Stockton. The Fourth of July weekend (July 6) the midgets are hosted at the Lakeport Speedway.
       One of BCRA's biggest events is set for July 13 at the Placerville Speedway, where again all three divisions compete along with the annual Jack London Bash picnic and Hall of Fame ceremonies at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds facility.
    Friday, July 19, its back to Watsonville, followed on the 27th at Stockton and then a three week layoff.
        August 24th BCRA travels to Santa Maria for a co-sanctioned event, then returns to Stockton and another two week layoff.
        The annual Harvest Classic at Madera is on Sept. 21 and is a co-sanctioned event. The following Saturday is Chowchilla, then one week off and the last race of the season at the Kings Speedway in Hanford, a co-sanction.
      BCRA is working hard to make the Sept. 28 event at the Chowchilla Speedway a "signature" event. Dubbed the "Johnny Boyd 100", the midgets will go for a twin 50-lapper on the quarter mile dirt oval with a $4-$5,000 purse and at least $1,000 to win. Additionally, both the midget lites and vintage midgets will be a part of the BCRA program. Sponsorship for this event is being sought.
MIDGET LITE: The midget lite schedule has not been finalized, awaiting approval of dates at Antioch and Petaluma. Dates at Placerville, Marysville and Chowchilla are firm.
     VINTAGE: The vintage division has eleven firm dates and two tentative. The division will join the midgets and lites at both Placerville races, April 20 and July 13. They will run with the BCRA midgets at Orland, Shasta and Reno-Fernley. The BCRA vintage will join USAC at Hanford on May 11 and at the BCRA/USAC race at Madera on May 18.
        The vintage cars will make their first appearance at the High Dessert Speedway in Susanville on August 31 and will run the Vallejo II track twice (May 25 and August 24).
       A number of vintage members travel to Oregon to run with the Golden Wheels on Sept. 13 and 14.
  The two tentative events are at the Carson City track, tentatively set for June 29 and July 27.
CHILI BOWL: Several BCRA cars and drivers, including defending BCRA champion Floyd Alvis and 2000 champ Glenn Carson, were set to compete in the 16th Annual Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Oklahoma on January 9-12. Other BCRA cars include three from the Jack Walker stable and the Greg Haynes machine. Last year BCRA held the live closed circuit TV broadcast of the final night in Lodi and looked forward to the 2002 edition, but the promotion decided not to use closed circuit this year. The event is being shot by ESPN and will be shown on ESPN-2 on January 19 from 5-7 p.m. (Eastern time)....check your TV listings!

        IN MEMORY OF BERT MORELAND: BCRA Hall of Fame member Bert Moreland passed away in early December. Bert drove midgets with BCRA beginning in 1946 and was seriously injured in 1950 when he flipped over the wall at the Contra Costa Speedway. Prior to his injury, he won two main events in 1947, placing 14th in points. He placed 19th in '48 out of 131 drivers and the following year again scored two feature wins and placed 12th. Along with other BCRA competitors, Bert raced at the famed Gilmore Speedway in Southern California. His accident in 1950 paralyzed him from the waist down and he spent the rest of his life in a wheel chair.
       The goodness of his fellow competitors came to the fore after the accident. Many midget and hard top drivers built Bert's home on property in Santa Clara. This is where his two sons, John and Lester were born and raised.
    As soon as Bert became mobile, Bob Barkhimer put him to work at the pit gate at Cal Stock races. This continued when Barky, along with Margo Burke, created Bob Barkhimer Associates with more than 20 race tracks in California. Eventually Bert became manager of the Watsonville Speedway and continued his association when Ken Clapp and Burke purchased BBA from Barky and created CARS, Inc. After he retired from CARS, Inc., Bert worked the back pit gate for John Soares at Petaluma before final retirement.
        A few years ago, with the passing of his wife Gay, he sold his Santa Clara home and moved to Ripon to be with his son John.
     I remember as a youngster in 1949 riding as a passenger with Bert and my father, towing a midget to race at Fortuna. As we were taking one of the many turns through the coastal mountains, all of a sudden I saw a wheel pass us and bounce up the steep hillside. It was the left wheel from the midget trailer. Bert and dad secured it back onto the trailer and we were on our way.
        A long and distinguished career....Bert Moreland will be missed.