Beyond BCRA: BCRA Alum Making Waves in the Racing World

By Robert Haugh

With the amazing amount of BCRA owners and drivers having gone on to success at bigger levels in the wider gamut of racing, its no wonder that a plethora of BCRA Midget and Midget Lite alumni have been making waves throughout the racing world. BCRA alum include Indy 500 car owner champion George Bignotti and a myriad of well-known racers, names such as Vukovich, Agabashian, Baldwin, Boyd, Foland, Butcher, and a host of others coming through BCRA before finding greater success.

Several former and current BCRA Midget and Midget Lite chauffeurs are fostering success beyond BCRA recently, including USAC Midget wins, 360 and 410 Winged and non-wing wins, Spec Sprint wins and more.

At the end of each month, we’ll capture some of the highlights from the month of former and current BCRA stars.

Here are just a few highlights from April and May:

• BCRA Midget hardcharger Scott Pierovich of Alamo wheeled the #35 Lance Pierovich Stealth/Mopar to Fast Time and a 2nd place feature finish on May 26 at the USAC-Western States Midget race at USA Race Park in Tuscon, Arizona

• BCRA Midget racer Garrett Hansen claimed the USAC-Western States feature at Ventura Raceway on 5/19 aboard the #70 Gary Hansen Beast/Fontana. Hansen toppled a field including past Chili Bowl winner Cory Kruseman and West Coast Midget ace Robby Flock, who was piloting on of the #19 Mike Sala Eagle/Mopars.

• BCRA Midget Lite ace Scott Kinney of Citrus Heights won the 360 Sprint Car feature race at Placerville Speedway on May 19 behind-the-wheel of his #25k Sprint Car. In four races, Kinney has two Top Fives and four Top Tens, resting eighth in the series points, having only started four of the five races.

• Midget Lite alum, Richard Bailey placed 8th in the 360 Winged Sprint Car A-main after starting 15th on 5/27 at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. He was also 18th quick in the 47-car field. Kinney also finished 3rd in 360 Sprint Car action at Petaluma Speedway on May 19.

• 1999 BCRA Midget champion Matt Streeter took the winner’s honors on May 12 at Kings Speedway in USAC-Western States Midget competition in Hanford aboard his #14jr Spike/Pink Ford. Fellow BCRA driver Shannon McQueen placed third in her #7 TCR/Esslinger.

Streeter is third in the Silver Dollar Speedway Wingless 360 Spec Sprint Car series point standings with two A-main wins, three Top Fives and six Top Tens, plus a B-main and three Heat race wins. Streeter won features on 3/30 and 5/26. Streeter drives the #24 Mark Orth Sprint Car.

• DMS Race Products placed second with Washington’s Paul Zimmerly driving the #11d Beast/Esslinger at the Fred Gerhardt Open Wheel Classic on April 14 at Madera Speedway. Scott Pierovich placed sixth.

• Scott Pierovich claimed second in the #35 Lance Pierovich Stealth/Mopar, while BCRA main-event winner Brian Gard claimed fourth aboard the #57 Mark Borgheshani Stealth/Mopar at the USAC–Western States Midget race at Ventura Raceway on April 7. Troy Rutherford won the feature aboard the Mike Sala #79 Eagle/Mopar and Robby Flock placed third in the #19 Sala Stealth/Chevy. The field included former Chili Bowl winner Cory Kruseman.

• Fellow Midget Lite grad Brad Sweet of Grass Valley has become a top runner in the Sprint Car competition as well. Sweet is ninth is the 410 Sprint Car series points at Silver Dollar Speedway, despite having only started seven of the eight races thus far. He has amassed one Fast Time, three Top Fives, Five Top Tens and a B-race victory.

If you have any additions to the list, feel free to E-mail Robert Haugh at checkered2154@aol.com.