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By Robert Haugh
Top 3 after the 30 lap Bay Cities Racing Association "Vukovich
Classic" Midget main event at Madera Speedway on Saturday, April
28th. Justin Grant (C) scored his first win over 2nd place finisher
Shannon McQueen (L) and Michael Faccinto third (R) (M&M Photo)
16-year-old “Future Legend” Justin Grant of Ione masterfully chauffeured the #30
Tim Grant Beast/Esslinger with precision and swiftness capturing the DMS Race
Products BCRA Midgets series checkered flags Saturday at the lightning-fast
1/3-mile Madera Speedway.
Starting from the pole, Grant darted into the lead, never looking back, leading
the race wire-to-wire for 30 laps. Piloting the nine-year-old Beast chassis,
Esslinger-powered mount with veteran-like patience and precision, Grant toppled
a stellar 25-car field, claiming his first BCRA feature victory at the Vukovich
Classic on Saturday, April 28.
“I could tell from the engine sounds I was pulling away a little … we ran the
last nine laps under green, and I knew I was pulling away. There was more in the
car if I had to use it, but I just paced myself the last five laps. This
9-year-old beast chassis just keeps on ticking, and the Esslinger felt better
than ever. Before I really got a chance to think about it, I'd won my first
Midget main event. It feels really great and all the hard work is paying off,”
said the jubilant “Future Legend” of BCRA, Justin Grant.
“This was the biggest win of my career. I knew we were fast, and I really like
the Madera track. The car was really fast in the heat race, and felt great. I
was really excited about the main event. I new we had great chance to win the
deal, the rest was up to me.”
Grant states he ran the first five laps of the main pretty hard, getting his
marks down, then settling into a smoother rhythm. “I could see on the scoreboard
that the Western Speed car was in second. I just kept telling myself to run my
race, and stay smooth.”
Prior to the main event, Grant's father Tim alerted Justin that Mel Abrew called
from the hospital saying that Eddie Abrew was doing fine. “He took a wild ride
earlier in the evening, and I was really concerned for him. I knew racing came
first for me, but he was on my mind a lot while I was preparing for the main.”
“I need to thank Dave and Wendy Thurston for their support. Without them we
would not be running dirt this summer, and we've teamed up on asphalt as well in
my car. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the year, and can't wait to
get back on dirt in June,” says a humbled and thankful Grant.
Following Grant to the checkers, nearly three seconds back was Bakersfield's
Shannon McQueen in her #7 Stealth/Esslinger and sixth-starting 16-year-old
Michael Faccinto wheeling the #41 Gary Scelzi Enterprises/Village Tire Beast/Mopar.
Hometown ace Dallen McKenney kept fans on their toes, capturing a fourth-place
finish in his #88 Beast/Goewens Mopar. McKenney, a Fresno resident emerged
victorious in the Trophy Dash, leading wire-to-wire from the pole.
Rounding out the Top 5 was Alamo's Scott Pierovich, piloting the #35 Lance
Pierovich Gerhardt/Bob Wirth Mopar entry. Trailing them to the checkers was
Western Speed Racing's Laura Poorter in the #60 Western Speed machine,
Sacramento's Ralphie “The Racer” Cortez in the #31 Shores-Cortez Beast/Sesco-Mopar,
Travis Berryhill in the Spirit of American Canyon #11 Stealth/Fontana, rookie
Kevin Morris in the #17k Del Morris Beast/Esslinger and Dan Parker of Oakdale
rounding out the Top 10 in his #38 Stewart/Van Dyne.
“Lakeport Lightning” Eric Mostin claimed 11th in the #12 Mike Mostin Beast/Mopar
followed by BCRA's 7-time champion “Ageless Wonder” Floyd Alvis in the #18
Champion Automotive Stealth/Van Dyne, rookie Shane Golobic in the Walker
Motorsports #10 Beast/Esslinger and San Jose's Dan Gundo in his #6 Stealth/Gaerte
rounding out the cars running on the lead lap. 2002 BCRA car owner and
third-place driver Bill Lindsey claimed 15th, one lap down in the #61 Jim Fowler
Beast/Esslinger.
Making his BCRA pavement Midget debut, Nick Foster Jr., felt the wrath of
mechanical gremlins, scratching after hot laps in the #3 Rick Faeth
Stealth/Chevy V4.
Lindsey claimed the accident-shortened B-main over Alvis, Gundo, Mike Donaldson,
and Lee Yetter. The “Manteca Missile” Eddie Abrew was taken to the Fresno Trauma
Center for observation and was released after a checkup after the B-main
accident.
Abrew claimed the First Heat race over Donaldson, Alvis and Gundo.
Berryhill won the second eight-lap Heat race over Cortez, Parker and David
Prickett.
McQueen claimed third eight-lapper over Grant, McKenney and Garratt Boyden.
McKenney triumphed in the four-lap Trophy Dash over Faccinto, Pierovich and
Boyden.
Boyden outpaced the stellar 25-car field with fast time of 14.009, just one one
hundredth of a second from breaking into the 13-second mark, also setting the
fastest lap by a Midget this year at Madera Speedway.
Grant, leading the DMS Race Products BCRA Midgets series 2007 points coming into
the Vukovich Classic cushioned his early-season points lead, maintaining
distance on Alvis, Prickett, Morris, McKenney, Lindsey, Cortez and others vying
for the 2007 DMS Race Products BCRA Midget series championship honors.
Grant's 261 points extends his lead to 29 points over Alvis, with Prickett and
Morris tied 41 tallies behind Grant. McKenney's strong run vaulted him to fifth
in points with 168 points with Lindsey resting in sixth just six markers behind
McKenney. Cortez sits another three tallies back with 159 points.
Berryhill, struggling early in the 2007 DMS Race Products BCRA Midget series has
overcome early-season setbacks with a strong showing at the Vukovich Classic in
his #11 Stealth/Fontana. After winning Heat Race 2 from the second row,
Berryhill maneuvered his way from 14th in the main event to a highly respectable
eight-place finish. The hard-charging Berryhill now rests 13th in the series
points with 106 points.
The 2007 DMS Race Products BCRA Midget series ventures to Redwood Acres Raceway
in Eureka for a double-points race on Saturday May 19. Visit www.bcraracing.com
for more information on the BCRA Midgets.
Summary:
Main Event (30 laps)
1. Justin Grant 22:39:00
2. Shannon McQueen
3. Michael Faccinto
4. Dallen McKenney
5. Scott Pierovich
6. Laura Poorter
7. Ralph Cortez
8. Travis Berryhill
9. Kevin Morris
10. Dan Parker
11. Floyd Alvis
12. Eric Mostin
13. Shane Golobic
14. Dan Gundo
15. Bill Lindsey (-1 lap)
16. David Prickett (13 laps, incident)
17. Alfred Galedridge Jr. (13 laps, incident)
18. Garratt Boyden (12 laps)
19. Levi Roberts (12 laps)
20. Mike Donaldson (12 laps)
21. Lee Yetter (8 laps)
B-Main (Halted after 2 laps, accident)
1.Bill Lindsey
2. Floyd Alvis
3. Dan Gundo
4. Mike Donaldson
5. Lee Yetter
6. Eddie Abrew
7. Chad Nichols
Heat 3 (8 laps):
1. Shannon McQueen 1:54.936
2. Justin Grant
3. Dallen McKenney
4. Garratt Boyden
5. Laura Poorter
6. Scott Pierovich
7. Michael Faccinto
8. Kevin Morris
Heat 2 (8 laps):
1. Travis Berryhill 1:58.884
2. Ralph Cortez
3. Dan Parker
4. David Prickett
5. Alfred Galeridge
6. Shane Golobic
7. Eric Mostin
8. Levi Roberts
Heat 1 (8 laps):
1. Eddie Abrew 1:56.597
2. Mike Donaldson
3. Floyd Alvis
4. Dan Gundo
5. Lee Yetter
6. Bill Lindsey
7. Chad Nichols
8. Pete Davis (NS)
Dash (4 laps):
1. Dallen McKenney 57.788
2. Michael Faccinto
3. Scott Pierovich
4. Garratt Boyden
Qualifications:
1. Garratt Boyden 14.009
2. Scott Pierovich 14.050
3. Michael Faccinto 14.056
4. Dallen McKenny 14.133
5. Kevin Morris14.210
6. Laura Poorter 14.239
7. Shannon McQueen 14.306
8. Justin Grant 14.359
9. David Prickett 14.366
10. Alfred Galeridge 14.386
11. Eric Mostin 14.389
12. Ralph Cortez 14.555
13. Dan Parker 14.573
14. Travis Berryhill 14.584
15. Shane Golobic 14.626
16. Levi Roberts 14.633
17. Bill Lindsey 14.698
18. Floyd Alvis 14.792
19. Dan Gundo 14.824
20. Mike Donaldson 14.834
21. Chad Nichols 14.996
22. Lee Yetter 15.610
23. Eddie Abrew 16.291
24. Pete Davis NT
25. Nick Foster Jr. SCRATCH
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