Gard Snags Petaluma Victory

By Robert Haugh

Fast-timer Brian Gard methodically picked off a dozen competitors from his 13th starting spot, capturing his second DMS Race Products BCRA Midget series feature win of 2007 at the speedy 3/8-mile Petaluma Speedway on Saturday, August 18, wheeling the Mark Borghesani #57 Spike/Mopar to the checkers first.

BCRA hardcharger Travis Berryhill, of nearby American Canyon meticulously raced his way from his 12th starting spot up to third while Gard stormed to fifth by Lap 12 when Rick Faeth brought out a caution spinning in Turn 2 in his #3 Stealth/Chevy V4.

Following the brief caution, Pierovich, chauffeuring the Lance Pierovich #35 Stealth/Mopar led former BCRA car owner champion and early race leader Cameron Beard aboard his #19b Stealth/Fontana, Berryhill aboard the Berryhill Racing Inc. #11 Stealth/Gaerte, 7-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis aboard the #18 Champion Automotive 'Green Beret' Stealth/Esslinger, Gard, polesitter Ralphie "The Racer" Cortez in the #31 Cortez-Walker Stealth/Esslinger, Pete Davis aboard his #00 Beast/Esslinger and two-time reigning BCRA champion John Sarale aboard the #32 Sarale Farms Stealth/Riolo Chevy.

Following the restart, Pierovich continued to lead with Berryhill moving into second dropping Beard to third, but only for a brief period before Alfred Galeridge, Jr. spun aboard his #26x Spike/Mopar on Lap 14.

Coming out of Turn 2 on the Lap 14 restart, Berryhill made contact with Beard, sending his mount soaring into the evening skies, ending his hopes at winning in front of a local crowd. Berryhill was uninjured.

At the drop of the fresh restart, Pierovich led over Beard, Alvis, Gard, Cortez, Davis and Sarale. As Pierovich pulled away and distanced the field, Beard slowed to a stop on the backstretch, ending his fantastic run in his Special Things Remembered Sheet Metal sponsored #19b Stealth/Fontana.

At the same time as Beard's misfortune, Faeth pulled to a halt exiting the track on the frontstretch. Faeth, who severely damaged his front end in his Heat race was thrashing with his crew and neighboring crews in getting a new front end in the car in time for the feature. Unfortunately for Faeth, contact with another car and the burm once again damaged his front end, ending his evening prematurely.

On the ensuing restart, Pierovich once again pulled away from the field as Gard moved to second, Sarale to third, and Davis to fourth, dropping Alvis to fifth. Having jumped two consecutive single-file restarts, Davis was black-flagged on lap 20 while running a strong fourth-place. Not obeying the official’s command, scoring was halted for Davis on Lap 20, relegating him to a 15th-place finish. Meanwhile, Alvis, BCRA’s ‘Ageless Wonder’ pulled to the infield believing that the black flag was being displayed to him.

With Alvis dropping out, Pierovich continued leading over a hard-charging Gard and Sarale, with Davis (who was no longer being scored), Cortez, rookie Cole Peard in his #18x Stealth/Fontana, BCRA points leader Justin Grant aboard the #17 Thurston Spike/Esslinger and BCRA rookie Kevin Morris aboard father Del’s #17k Spike/Esslinger closely pursuing the leaders.

Heavily pressuring Pierovich, Gard intensely pursued Pierovich, when entering Turn 3 on the 25th circuit, lapped car Steve Dickenson made heavy contact with Pierovich, sending Pierovich into a wild airborne foray. Pierovich was uninjured, however, with curfew rapidly approaching and the 360 Sprint Car and BCRA Vintage Midget mains still to run, officials threw the yellow-checkers following the flip, shortening the BCRA Midgets main by six laps to 24 laps.

Reverting back to last completed lap, Gard took the winner’s laurels over Sarale, Cortez, Peard, Grant, Morris, Danny Parker aboard Bob Roza’s #20 Beast/Esslinger, Bill Lindsey aboard Stu Donaldson’s #8 Stealth/Pontiac, Steve Dickenson aboard his #99s Edmunds/Pontiac and Galeridge rounding out the Top 10. Pierovich was scored eleventh.

Doug DeWitt was scored 12th in his #11d Stealth/Fontana and Oregon’s Rich Gentes in 13th in his #12 Predator/Pontiac, both one lap down, running at the finish. Alvis was scored 14th.

1999 BCRA champion Matt Streeter brought out an early caution out in his #14JR Spike/Ed Pink Ford after spinning in Turn 2 on Lap 11.

Ralphie “The Racer” Cortez continued his recent swing of positive momentum, coming home third aboard the #31 Cortez/Walker Motorsports Stealth/Esslinger, capturing his second straight Top 6 dirt finish, catapulting himself in the championship points race, surpassing David Prickett who missed the evening’s program, while closing in on second-place Alvis and points leader Grant.

Grant’s Top five run stretches his championship lead over Alvis, Cortez, Morris and Prickett.

Sarale’s second-place run marks his fourth runner-up spot of the season, being eluded victory thus far in 2007. Gard joins Chris Rahe as the only two-time BCRA feature winners of 2007.

Chris D’Arcy failed to start the feature after discovering an oil leak in the Walker Motorsports/Bay Muffler #10 Stealth/Esslinger during his Heat Race.

Dickenson claimed Heat 1 over DeWitt, Lindsey, Parker and Gentes, marking the Oregonian’s first BCRA Heat race win.

Grant captured Heat 2 over Beard, Pierovich, Peard and Cortez.

Sarale claimed Heat 3 over Berryhill, Dave Stoltz, Davis and Gard.

Gard toppled the stellar 22-car field in qualifying, setting fast time at 14.661, with Berryhill, Galeridge, Streeter and Sarale close behind, all breaking into the 14-second bracket.

In lieu of time constraints, Trophy Dashes were dropped from the evening’s racing program.

This was the first time in nearly a decade that the Midgets have competed at Petaluma Speedway, and the first time ins several years the all three BCRA divisions, the Midgets, Midget Lites and Vintage division compete don the same evening’s racing program.

The 2007 DMS Race Products BCRA Midget series continues its season this Saturday, August 25 at the 3/8-mile King’s Speedway in Hanford.

Visit www.bcraracing.com for additional information on the BCRA Midgets.

Summary:

Feature (24 laps, shortened by curfew/crash):
1. Brian Gard
2. John Sarale
3. Ralph Cortez
4. Cole Peard
5. Justin Grant
6. Kevin Morris
7. Danny Parker
8. Bill Lindsey
9. Steve Dickenson
10. Alfred Galeridge, Jr.
11. Scott Pierovich
12. Doug DeWitt
13. Rich Gentes
14. Floyd Alvis
15. Pete Davis
16. Cameron Beard
17. Rick Faeth
18. Travis Berryhill
19. Dave Stoltz
20. Matt Streeter
21. Davey Krohn
22. Chris D'Arcy, DNS

Heat 1:
1. Steve Dickenson
2. Doug DeWitt
3. Bill Lindsey
4. Danny Parker
5. Rich Gentes
6. Davey Krohn
7. Rick Faeth

Heat 2:
1. Justin Grant
2. Cameron Beard
3. Scott Pierovich
4. Cole Peard
5. Ralph Cortez
6. Floyd Alvis
7. Kevin Morris

Heat 3:
1. John Sarale
2. Travis Berryhill
3. Dave Stoltz
4. Pete Davis
5. Brian Gard
6. Alfred Galeridge, Jr.
7. Matt Streeter
8. Chris D'Arcy

Qualifying:
1. Brian Gard, 14.661, 57, Borghesani Spike/Mopar
2. Travis Berryhill, 14.752, 11, Berryhill Stealth/Gaerte
3. Alfred Galeridge, Jr., 14.846, 26x, Galeridge Spike/Mopar
4. Matt Streeter, 14.975, 14JR, Streeter Spike/Ed Pink Ford
5. John Sarale, 14.994, 32, Sarale Farms Stealth/Riolo/Chevy
6. Chris D'Arcy, 15.062, 10, Walker Stealth/Esslinger
7. Dave Stoltz, 15.141, 77, Stoltz Pacific Flyer/Buick V6
8. Pete Davis, 15.162, 00, Davis Beast/Esslinger
9. Kevin Morris, 15.207, 17k, Del Morris Spike/Esslinger
10. Scott Pierovich, 15.270, Pierovich Stealth/Mopar
11. Cole Peard, 15.281, 18x, Peard Stealth/Fontana
12. Floyd Alvis, 15.294, 18, Alvis Stealth/Esslinger
13. Cameron Beard, 15.295, 19b, Beard Stealth/Fontana
14. Ralph Cortez, 15.348, 31, Cortez-Walker Stealth/Esslinger
15. Justin Grant, 15.395, 17, Thurston Spike/Esslinger
16. Danny Parker, 15.648, 20, Bob Roza Beast/Esslinger
17. Rick Faeth, 15.699, 3, Faeth Stealth/Chevy V4
18. Doug DeWitt, 15.712, 11d, DeWitt Stealth/Fontana
19. Bill Lindsey, 15.930, 8, Stu Donaldson Stealth/Pontiac
20. Steve Dickenson, 16.057, 99s, Dickenson Edmunds/Pontiac
21. Rich Gentes, 16.440, 12, Gentes Predator/Pontiac
22. Davey Krohn, 20.469, 69, Krohn Gambler/Gaerte