MESERAULL D.Q. GIVES SARALE LAKEPORT MIDGET WIN

LAKEPORT, CA. JULY 1: Thomas Meseraull crossed the line first and happily accepted the winner's laurels in the Bay Cities Racing Association feature at the Lakeport Speedway, then was disqualified at the post-race tech inspection. The D.Q. gave the win to runnerup John Sarale.
Visiting from his new home base in Avon, Indiana, the 2004 BCRA champion borrowed the Walker/Beast Esslinger to join his old competitors for the 18th Annual Kelseyville Lumber Deake Lyndall Memorial Classic on the quarter-mile paved oval. Scrambling to get the car ready with the aid of a friend, the rear tire width was not checked, and sure enough, a one-and-one-half inch over-width changed his elation to sorrow.
Defending BCRA midget champion Sarale, placing second to Meseraull in his Sarale Farms Beast/Chevy, was declared the winner.
Meseraull's drive from eighth starting to the perceived win was impressive. Seven-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis grabbed the initial lead from the pole over Gary Dickenson with Meseraull up to sixth on the first lap as three-time champion Glenn Carson, Brian Gard and Sarale chased the leaders.
On the third circuit Sarale moved to third with Meseraull now up to fourth at the expense of Carson and Gard with Travis Berryhill also passing Gard for sixth.
Meseraull found the outside groove to his liking as he snapped by both Sarale and Dickenson to hold second at the end of the fifth round. One lap later and another outside pass in turn-four over Alvis put Meseraull into the lead as Sarale maneuvered past Dickenson for third. Berryhill was now up to fifth.
From this point Meseraull began opening his lead. Sarale worked on Alvis for four laps before making an outside pass exiting the fourth turn to hold second as Berryhill picked of Dickenson for fourth.
On the 12th lap Berryhill attempted an outside pass of Alvis as they raced through turn-one. Contact was made and the left front torsion bar on the Alvis Stealth/VanDyne broke, putting the veteran in the DNF column as he slowed to a stop to bring out the yellow flag.
At the resumption, Berryhill's "Spirit of American Canyon"
Stealth/Fontana challenged Sarale for second, but was unable to make the pass. Gard at this point began gaining momentum in the Arata Bros. Stealth/Chevy and he moved into the fourth slot, only to retire with a blown engine on the 27th lap.
Rookie Justin Grant, making his very first start in a full midget, caught up with the pack after breaking free from his battle for position at the rear. The emancipated youngster quickly closed the large gap and became part of the top-ten pack. His fine run ended on the 27th lap when Ralph Cortez spun in turn-two and the officials called Grant in for dropping oil, though it was thought later that Gard's car had oiled the track.
At the green Meseraull again pulled away from Sarale and Berryhill. The top three positions remained the same to the 30-lap checkered flag with Dickenson bringing up fourth over Carson, Eddie Abrew, David Prickett and Cortez with Mike Donaldson down one lap.
Meseraull out-qualified the field at 12.070. Prickett looked to be on his way to his first trophy dash victory, when on the second lap just past the finish line the rear axle snapped on the right side of his Stealth/VanDyne, lurching him into the air and turn-one wall.
Hard work by the crew and parts from the Eric and Mike Mostin team, that was out for the night with a broken universal joint, returned Prickett to start the feature in the rear. Berryhill won the dash over Sarale. Ralph Cortez won his first career heat race over Dickenson and Donaldson. Gard took the second 10-lapper ahead of Berryhill and Sarale.
Floyd Alvis displayed the checkered flag in a memorial lap in remembrance of the late Bob Barkhimer.
The BCRA midgets join with the USAC midgets for a joint sanction at the Stockton "99" Speedway on July 8, the final appearance of the midgets on the 60-year old track before its demolition.

SUMMARY:
QUAL.: 1. Thomas Meseraull, #10 Walker 12.070; 2. John Sarale, #32 Sarale 12.206; 3. Travis Berryhill, #11 Berryhill 12.213; 4. David Prickett, #15 Prickett 12.302; 5. Brian Gard, #88 Arata 12.336; 6. Eddie Abrew, #25 Abrew 12.456; 7. Justin Grand, #30 Grant 12.458; 8. Glenn Carson, #26 Bock 12.512; 9. Gary Dickenson, #8 Dickenson 12.540; 10. Floyd Alvis, #18 Alvis 12.750; 11. Ralph Cortez, #31 Cortez 12.756; 12. Mike Donaldson, #87 Donaldson 12.790; 13. Rick Faeth, #3 Faeth N/T; 14. Eric Mostin, #12 Mostin N/T.
TROPHY DASH: Berryhill, Sarale, Prickett, Meseraull.
HEAT-1: Cortez, Dickenson, Donaldson, Carson, Alvis, Grant.
HEAT-2: Gard, Berryhill, Sarale, Abrew, Meseraull, Prickett N/S.
MAIN: 1. John Sarale, 2. Travis Berryhill, 3. Gary Dickenson, 4. Glenn Carson, 5. Eddie Abrew, 6. Davis Prickett, 7. Ralph Cortez, 8. Mike Donaldson, 9. Brian Gard, 10. Justin Grant, 11. Floyd Alvis, (Thomas Meseraull - DQ).