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By Robert Haugh
Brian Gard won the opening night of the Bay Cities Racing Association
midget portion of the Tachi Open Wheel Invitational held at
Kings Speedway in Hanford, CA. (M&M Photo)
Piloting Mark Borghesani’s #57 Spike/Brayton Ford, Clovis’ Brian
Gard captured his third DMS Race Products BCRA Midget series feature of 2007
winning the 25-lap feature at the lightning-fast 3/8-mile King’s Speedway,
claiming the winning laurels of the opening night of the two-day Tachi Open
Wheel Invitational on Friday, September 28.
Starting eleventh on the grid of the stellar field, Gard worked his way forward,
moving up one spot on the opening circuit, then another on the second, then
another on the fourth, fifth and sixth laps, leaping him to fifth by Lap 7.
Now trailing early race leader Alfred Galedrige Jr., Justin Grant, Kevin Morris
and two-time reigning BCRA John Sarale, Gard was rocketing his way forward in
Borghesani’s #57.
After Galedrige retired, Gard catapulted by Sarale’s #32 Sarale Farms Stealth/Riolo
Ford, moving into third on the 13th round. Gard quickly displaced Morris,
trailing only 16-year-old Grant in Dave Thurston’s #17 Spike/Esslinger.
Intently pressuring Grant, Gard diced his way ahead of Grant on Lap 17 en route
to leading the final eight laps and taking the checkers first. Meanwhile, Sarale
and Grant, the two leading dirt drivers of 2007 were dicing back-and-forth
continuously, battling for second place and the BCRA dirt driver’s championship.
Both having placed third in their respective Heats, Grant maintained a mere
seven-point lead over Sarale in the 2007 BCRA Dirt driver’s championship
entering the feature. During the exciting last five laps, Grant and Sarale
battled valiantly and fiercely, exchanging second place over a half-dozen times
over the last several laps as Gard stretched to a commanding four-second lead.
At the checkers, the veteran Sarale eked by Grant, who clinched the overall BCRA
driving championship by virtue of his third-place run and his already distancing
points lead over his followers.
Following Sarale and Grant in fourth several car lengths back was tenth-starting
Michelle Decker of Guthrie, Oklahoma driving the Shannon McQueen Racing #7m
Spike/Esslinger and 19-year-old leading BCRA rookie Kevin Morris in father Del’s
#17k Spike/Esslinger rounding out the Top five.
Rounding out the Top Ten were recent Madera race victor Dallen McKenney of
Clovis aboard his #88 TCR/Goewens Mopar, Pete Davis wheeling his #00 Beast/Esslinger,
1999 BCRA champion Matt Streeter manning his #14jr Spike/Pink Ford, Allan
Ballard in his #54 Spike/Fontana and Kody Swanson driving the #27d Blackwell
Motorsports Stealth/Gaerte.
Rounding out the cars finishing the race on the lead lap was Sacramento’s Ralph
Cortez in the Cortez-Walker Bay Muffler #31 Stealth/Esslinger and current BCRA
Midget Lites points leader Doug Nunes aboard the Blackwell Motorsports #27b
Stealth/Gaerte in his first-ever Midget start.
Starting from outside the fourth row in the #27d Blackwell mount, young Kody
Swanson claimed the 12-lap B-main over Cortez, Jimmy Voitel in his #2 and
younger brother Tanner in the Blackwell Motorsports #27c Stealth/Gaerte.
Gard claimed Heat 3 over Decker, Grant, Davis and Morris.
16-year-old Michael Faccinto of Hanford claimed Heat 2 aboard the Gary Scelzi
Racing #41 Beast/Mopar over Ballard, Streeter, Travis Berryhill aboard the
Berryhill Racing #11 Stealth/L.J.’s Gaerte and Galedrige.
Shannon McQueen dominatingly claimed Heat 1 in her #7 Spike/Esslinger over
McKenney, Sarale, Fresno’s David Prickett aboard the Neverlift Motorsports #15
Stealth/Van Dyne and 7-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis aboard the #18 Champion
Automotive Stealth/Esslinger.
Gard’s prior 2007 BCRA feature wins came at the season opener in March at King’s
and at Petaluma in August.
Grant’s third-place clinched him the overall driving championship.
Summary:
Main event, 25 laps, 12:38.181 (start position)
1. Brian Gard (11)
2. John Sarale (7)
3. Justin Grant (5)
4. Michelle Decker (10)
5. Kevin Morris (2)
6. Dallen McKenney (13)
7. Pete Davis (3)
8. Matt Streeter (9)
9. Allan Ballard (8)
10. Kody Swanson (16)
11. Ralph Cortez (15)
12. Doug Nunes (18)
13. Floyd Alvis -1 lap (4)
14. Rick Faeth -1 lap (21)
15. David Prickett (6)
16. Michael Faccinto (14)
17. Steve Roza (19)
18. Alfred Galeridge Jr. (1)
19. Jimmy Voitel (17)
20. Shannon McQueen (12)
21. Tanner Swanson (22)
22. Darrin Bolton (20)
23. Travis Berryhill – DNS
Lap leaders: Galeridge 1-11, Grant 13-16, Gard 17-25
B-Main, 8:00.809 (start position)
1. Kody Swanson (8)
2. Ralph Cortez (3)
3. Jimmy Voitel (7)
4. Tanner Swanson (4)
5. Doug Nunes (1)
6. Scott Nail (5)
7. Rick Faeth (9)
8. Steve Roza (6)
9. Dave Stoltz (2)
Heat 1, 2:21.842
1. Shannon McQueen
2. Dallen McKenney
3. John Sarale
4. David Prickett
5. Floyd Alvis
6. Ralph Cortez
7. Steve Roza
8. Darrin Bolton
Heat 2, 5:45.996
1. Michael Faccinto
2. Allan Ballard
3. Matt Streeter
4. Travis Berryhill
5. Alfred Galeridge, Jr.
6. Doug Nunes
7. Scott Nail
Heat 3, 6:35.541
1. Brian Gard
2. Michelle Decker
3. Justin Grant
4. Pete Davis
5. Kevin Morris
6. Tanner Swanson
7. Steve Dickenson
8. Kody Swanson
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