Gard Topples BCRA Field in 2007 BCRA Season Opener

By Robert Haugh

Talented driver Brian Gard from Kelseyville won the season opening Bay Cities Racing Association Midget
main event held at Kings Speedway in Hanford, CA. (mmracingphotos.com)

Fresno’s Brian Gard toppled a talented field of BCRA entries on Saturday evening, March 24th at the 3/8-mile King’s Speedway in Hanford, wheeling the Mark Borghesani #57 Spike/Brayton Ford.

Following Gard to the checkers was veteran West-Coast Midget campaigner Robby Flock in the #19w Mike Sala Stealth/Bob Wirth Chevy, BCRA rookie Kevin Morris in the #17k Spike/Esslinger, Todd Miller in the #9 Larry Mertl Stealth/Esslinger, Pete Davis in his #00 Stealth/Esslinger, David Prickett in the #15 Neverlift Motorsports #15 Stealth/Arias, 17-year-old Justin Grant in the Thurston #17 Spike/Esslinger in his first-ever Dirt Midget race and 7-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis in the #18 Champion Automotive Stealth/Esslinger.

After spinning in Turn 2 and tipping over, Alvis brought out the only main event caution flag mid-way through the race. Alvis continued, finishing ninth in a field depleted my mechanical woes.

Ralphie “The Racer” Cortez won his first BCRA dirt heat race in the Walker Motorsports #31 Stealth/Esslinger in Heat Race #1 over Grant, Alvis, Roza and Prickett. Coming to the white flag Tanner Swanson flipped in Turn 1 as he challenged Cortez for the lead in the #27d Blackwell Motorsports Stealth/Gaerte, emerging unscathed, however ending the evening for the car.

Unfortunately for Cortez and the #31 Walker team, their evening was halted by an internal mechanical gremlin.

Todd Miller won Heat #2 in the Larry Mertl #9 Stealth/Esslinger over 2-time reigning BCRA champion John Sarale in the #19t Mike Sala Spike/Bob Wirth Mopar, Cameron Beard, Pete Davis, Flock and Morris.

Flock topped the stellar field of BCRA Midgets in qualifying, followed by teammate Troy Rutherford, Gard, Cameron Beard and Sarale as the fastest qualifiers.

BCRA returns to Kings Speedway three more times, August 4th, August 25 and September 28-29 for the season concluding two-day event.

BCRA treks North to the splendid and smooth 3/8-mile Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson, opening the pavement portion of the BCRA schedule next Saturday, March 31st.

Following Shasta, the BCRA Midgets venture back to dirt into the Sierra Nevada foothills for the first of three races at John Padjen’s ¼-mile Placerville Speedway at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds on April 14th.

Visit www.bcraracing.com for additional information on the BCRA Midgets and www.shastaracewaypark.org for information on Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson, California. Visit www.kingsspeedway.net for more information about Kings Speedway in Hanford.

Summary:
Qualifications:
1. Robby Flock, #19w Sala
2. Troy Rutherford, #19s Sala
3. Brian Gard, #57 Borghesani
4. Cameron Beard, #19b Beard
5. John Sarale, #19t Sala
6. Kevin Morris, #17k Morris
7- Todd Miller, #9 Mertl
8- Pete Davis, #00 Davis
9- Floyd Alvis, #18 Alvis
10- Tanner Swanson, #27d Blackwell
11- David Prickett, #15 Prickett
12- Steve Roza, #20 Roza
13- Justin Grant, #17 Thurston
14- Ralph Cortez, #31 Walker
15- Travis Berry Hill, #11 Berryhill
16- Rick Faeth, #3 Faeth
17- Bill Lindsey, #87 Donaldson
18- Dallen McKenney, #88 McKenney NT
19- Jared Little, #23 Little NT

Heat 1: #31 Cortez, #17 Grant, #18 Alvis, #20 Roza, #15 Prickett, #87 Lindsey, #23 Little, #27d Swanson, #11 Berryhill

Heat 2: #9 Miller, #19t Sarale, #19b Beard, #00 Davis, #19w Flock, #17k Morris, #88 McKenney, 19s Rutherford-DNS

Main 25 laps:
1. Gard, 2. Flock, 3. Kevin Morris, 4. Todd Miller, 5. Pete Davis, 6. Prickett, 7. Grant, 8. Alvis, 9. McKenney, 10. Beard, 11. Sarale, 12. Little, 13. Roza, 14. Lindsey, 15. Rutherford, 16. Cortez-DNS, 17. Berryhill-DNS Time 14 minutes