RUSSELL RIPS COMPETITION AT RENO-FERNLEY MIDGETS

By Floyd Busby

FERNLEY, NV., JUNE 12: Rob Russell battled to the lead on the 26th lap to stake claim to the 30-lap Bay Cities Racing Association Midget feature at the Reno-Fernley Raceway.

Driving the pristine Frank Guerrini Jr. Stealth/Gaerte Ford, the fast qualifier began his surge from the 12th starting position on the 3/8-mile dirt oval in the high desert of Nevada.

Rick Faeth kicked off the fast-paced race, leading from his pole position aboard his TCR/CanDo V4 as Brian Gard jumped from fifth to hold second on the first circuit. Pete Davis held third in his Beast/Esslinger with John Sarale's Early Bird Produce Stealth/Ford close behind.

On the second lap Greg Dennett charged from his sixth starting position to claim third as Davis dropped two positions with Thomas Meseraull bringing the Mertl Stealth/Esslinger into striking range in sixth.

Faeth, producing an outstanding effort, began to open space between himself and his pursuers through the opening laps until Gard and his Borghesani Beast/Gaerte Chevy found traction on the dry-slick surface and began reeling in the leader. On the ninth circuit rookie Gard shot under Faeth exiting turn-two to take the lead down the backstretch, with Sarale now up to third over Dennett and Meseraull. Meseraull displaced Dennett on the tenth lap to claim fourth.

The top four held close quarters over the next three laps as quick rookie Scott Pierovich entered the fray aboard the Lance Pierovich Stealth/Brayton Chevy. Dennett, experiencing problems dropped to eighth as Russell and Greg Nelson swept by.

Meseraull outdueled Sarale to claim third on the 13th round then challenged Faeth for position, taking over the second spot at the halfway point. Russell was now riding fourth, when on the 17th lap Dennett was tapped by another car and spun into the turn-four infield bringing out the caution flag.

At the green it was Gard over Meseraull, Faeth, Russell Pierovich and a fast-approaching Shannon McQueen. Charging into the first turn Nelson braked, only to have the pedal descend to the floor. The TNT Motorsports TCR/V4 struck the left rear of Sarale's machine and climbed completely over the roll cage, flipping, then hitting the concrete wall nearly head-on to bring out the red flag. Nelson was uninjured, but the car's frontal area was demolished. Sarale was able to restart, but had to pit in the work area for a new right rear tire and proceeded to the rear of the field.

Upon the second restart Russell dispelled Faeth for third.

Over the next several laps Russell pressured Meseraull. McQueen entered the battle, jumping her TCR/Esslinger two positions to claim fourth as Pierovich displaced Davis for fifth. Russell made good his efforts over Meseraull to claim second on the 21st lap. On the same lap while exiting the second turn Dennett's 3D Racing Beast/Wirth Chevy was clipped, sending him into Faeth, with the early leader losing two positions, dropping to seventh. Sarale pitted on the 25th lap.

Russell began pressuring the leading Gard, pulling alongside several times. On the 26th lap his efforts were rewarded as he charged into the lead.

As the pack raced to the checkered flag Pierovich edged McQueen to claim fourth as she wrestled ill handling with a bound-up left front shock.

Russell, who won this race last season, took the win over Gard, Meseraull, Pierovich, McQueen, Dennett, Davis, Faeth and Tim Joyce.

Russell topped the 17 qualifiers at 17.14. During qualifying rookie Michael Hubert III lost the steering in the Aloise
Construction Eagle/Chevy as he was setting up for the third turn at full speed. The car shot off the edge of the track, clipped a track electric cart and rammed into the hay bales at a right-front angle, then overturned. Hubert received a bruised knee in the instantaneous stop and the car was badly damaged. The crew spent the rest of the evening making repairs and he was able to start the feature at the rear, but dropped out near the end of the race with severe vibration problems. Defending champion Floyd Alvis, experiencing undetectable engine problems all evening, dropped out after seven laps.

Davis won the caution-filled first heat race over Faeth and Floyd Alvis. Sarale took a much quicker ten-lap second heat over McQueen and Russell.

BCRA's vintage division provided the fans with an exhibition run.The BCRA Midgets make their first of three appearances at the Santa Maria Speedway on June 19, then move to the Watsonville Speedway on Friday, June 25.

SUMMARY:

QUAL.: 1. Rob Russell, #63 Guerrini 17.14; 2. Shannon McQueen, #7 McQueen 17.77; 3. Thomas Meseraull, #9 Mertl 17.96; 4. Greg Nelson, #17 TNT 18.07; 5. Greg Dennett, #47 Dennett 18.14; 6. John Sarale, #32 Sarale 18.17; 7. Scott Pierovich, #35 Pierovich 18.19; 8. Tim Joyce, #99 Segur 18.33; 9. Brian Gard, #57 Borghesani 18.33; 10. Floyd Alvis, #18 Alvis 18.37; 11. Pete Davis, #00 Davis 18. 59; 12. Joe Lindsey, #23X Lindsey 18.84; 13. Rick Faeth, #91 Faeth 18.97; 14. Steve Dickenson, #99S 19.49; 15. Michael Hubert III, #56 Hubert N/T; 16. Mike Donaldson, #87 Donaldson N/T; 17. Victor Mencarini, #85 Mosekian N/T.

HEAT-1: Davis, Faeth, Alvis, Lindsey, Gard, Mencarini.
HEAT-2: Sarale, McQueen, Russell, Pierovich, Nelson, Dennett, Meseraull, Dickenson.

MAIN: Rob Russell, Brian Gard, Thomas Meseraull, Scott Pierovich, Shannon McQueen, Greg Dennett, Pete Davis, Rick Faeth, Tim Joyce, Joe Lindsey, John Sarale, Michael Hubert III, Greg Nelson, Floyd Alvis, Victor Mencarini.

NOTES:
This is the sixth time that the BCRA Midgets have run at Reno-Fernley. It is the first time that any cars have been
upside-down (Hubert & Nelson).  Victor Mencarini, BCRA driving champion in 1985 and 1986, "came out of retirement". Victor's last Midget race was in 1993. He drove the Mike Mosekian Fontana/CanDo which made it's debut on the circuit. John Sarale's Early Bird Produce team, headed by his father Bob, lost 500 acres of tomato plants when the dike broke recently in the delta and flooded the area. Brian Gard was fresh from his high school graduation in
Kelseyville the previous evening. Steve Dickenson drove all the way from Corvallis, Oregon only to experience a valve keeper/spring malfunction during qualifying on his "fresh" engine. Steve is a professor of Civil Engineering at Oregon State University.  Thomas Meseraull, with five second-place finishes plus the third at Reno-Fernley, continues to hold the point lead.