Dallen McKenney Masters BCRA Midgets at 36th Annual Harvest Classic

By Robert Haugh

Top three finishers in the 36th Annual "Harvest Classic" held at Madera Speedway in the
Bay Cities Racing Association 30 lap midget A-Main event were first time pavement winner
Dallen McKenney (center), California young guns Shane Golobic (right) and Michael Faccinto
raced second and third. (Mark Sublett Photo)

Thrilling the local crowd, Clovis’ Dallen McKenney squeezed his #88 Beast/Goewens Mopar by Shane Golobic on the final lap en route to claiming his first DMS Race Products BCRA Midget triumph at the lightning-fast 1/3-mile Madera Speedway on Saturday, September 15.

Vaulting to the lead on Lap 1 from his inside second row starting position, Fremont’s Shane Golobic wheeled the Walker Motorsports-Bay Muffler #10 Beast/Esslinger to a near straightaway lead by Lap 23. His wide lead over the locals --- McKenney and 16-year-old fast-timer Michael Faccinto of Hanford was alleviated when the race’s only scored caution unfurled on lap 23, brought forth by a spin by Idaho’s Stuart Birkinbine in his #02.

Delighting his hometown crowd, Faccinto had meticulously charged from 14th to third in the #41 Gary Scelzi Enterprises/Village Tire Beast/Mopar before entering into an amazing and climatic three-car dice with Golobic and McKenney for the top spot. Dicing for the Harvest Classic win, the trio raced side-to-side over the final three laps, culminating in an amazing near photo finish, enthralling the packed crowd.

Following the trio to the checkers were Justin Melton of Flower Mound, Texas in the DMS Race Products #31d Beast/Esslinger and Michael Binswanger is his #63 DMS Race Products-prepared Beast/Stanton Mopar rounding out the Top Five.

Following the lead five to the line were 15-year old Chad Boat of Arizona in legendary father Billy’s #30b Gerhardt/Esslinger, 18-year-old Laura Poorter of Holland in the #60 Western Speed Racing Gerhardt/Esslinger, Chad Nichols behind-the-wheel of his own #17n Beast/Esslinger, “Lakeport Lightning” Eric Mostin in father Mike’s #12 Beast/Mopar and Alfred Galeridge Jr., in his #26 Beast/Mopar rounding out the Top 10.

16-year-old BCRA points leader Justin Grant battled a myriad of mechanical gremlins all evening, finally putting the gremlins aside, coasting to a 13th-place finish, maintaining his near 150-point lead over 7-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis who crossed the checkers 15th, one lap down in the #18 Champion Automotive Stealth/Van Dyne, holding his second-place points position over Sacramento’s Ralphie “The Racer” Cortez who claimed 11th aboard his #31 Shores-Cortez Beast/Sesco-Mopar.

After battling a severely loose car early in the evening, two-time reigning BCRA champion John Sarale, the previous week’s BCRA feature winner fell victim to brake failure in warm-ups for Heat 1, backing the #32 Sarale Farms Beast/Riolo/Chevy into the Turn 3 wall, ending his evening and pavement season.

Ridgefield, Washington’s Paul Zimmerly claimed the four-lap Dash win in the DMS Race Products #11d Beast/Esslinger over Faccinto, Tim Skoglund in the #2j and Boat.

Melton claimed Heat 3 over McKenney, Zimmerly, Boat and Nichols.

19-year-old BCRA rookie Kevin Morris claimed Heat 2 in father Del’s #17k Beast/Esslinger over Golobic, Birkinbine, Colorado’s Levi Roberts aboard former BCRA car owner champion Terry Caves’ #2c Lightning/Mopar and Fresno’s David Prickett aboard the Neverlift Motorsports #15 Stealth/Van Dyne.

BCRA rookie Nick Foster, Jr., claimed the triumph in Heat 1 in Jim Fowler’s #61f Beast/Gaerte over, Galeridge, Daniel Bedford in his #03, Grant and Alvis.

Faccinto toppled the stellar 24-car DMS Race Products field in qualifying, setting the mark at 14.110.

The BCRA Midgets trek to the 3/8-mile Shasta Raceway park oval on September 22 taking part in the annual Pop Porter memorial race. Visit www.bcraracing.com for more information on the BCRA Midgets.

Summary:
Main event 30 Laps (start), 12:58.628
1. Dallen McKenney (8)
2. Shane Golobic (3)
3. Michael Faccinto (14)
4. Justin Melton (13)
5. Michael Binswanger (5)
6. Chad Boat (11)
7. Laura Poorter (10)
8. Chad Nichols (9)
9. Eric Mostin (4)
10. Alfred Galeridge Jr. (15)
11. Ralph Cortez (1)
12. David Prickett (16)
13. Justin Grant (23)
14. Stuart Birkinbine (2)
15. Floyd Alvis (19)
16. Bill Lindsey (18)
17. Joe Lindsey (22)
18. Nick Foster Jr. (21)
19. Tim Skoglund (12)
20. Kevin Morris (15)
21. Paul Zimmerly, DNS
22. Daniel Bedford, DNS
23. Levi Roberts, DNS
24. John Sarale, DNS

Trophy Dash (4 laps), 1:37.560
1. Paul Zimmerly
2. Michael Faccinto
3. Tim Skoglund
4. Chad Boat

Heat 3 (8 laps), 1:54.992
1. Melton
2. McKenney
3. Zimmerly
4. Boat
5. Nichols
6. Faccinto
7. Poorter
8. Skoglund

Heat 2 (8 laps), 4:16.727
1. Morris
2. Golobic
3. Birkinbine
4. Roberts
5. Prickett
6. Binswanger
7. Cortez
8. Mostin

Heat 1 (8 laps), 2:01.451
1. Foster
2. Galeridge
3. Bedford
4. Grant
5. Alvis
6. B. Lindsey
7. J. Lindsey
8. Sarale – DNS

Qualifications
1. 41, Michael Faccinto, 14.110
2. 11d, Paul Zimmerly, 14.117
3. 2j, Tim Skoglund, 14.199
4. 30b, Chad Boat, 14. 14.209
5. 60, Laura Poorter, 14.286
6. 17n, Chad Nichols, 14.292
7. 88, Dallen McKenney, 14.301
8. 31d, Justin Melton, 14.400
9. 2c, Levi Roberts, 14.4426
10. 63, Mike Binswanger, 14.563
11. 12, Eric Mostin, 14.565
12. 10, Shane Golobic, 14.600
13 02, Stuart Birkinbine, 14.602
14. 31, Ralph Cortez, 14.603
15. 17k, Kevin Morris, 14.604
16. 15, David Prickett, 14.641
17. 26, Al Galedridge, 14.705
18. 32, John Sarale, 14.728
19. 87x, Bill Lindsey, 14.779
20. 18, Floyd Alvis, 14.885
21. 03, Daniel Bedford, 14.906
22. 61f, Nick Foster, 14.980
23. 87, Joe Lindsey, 15.539
24. 30, Justin Grant, 16.737