Three-time BCRA Champ Glenn Carson Wins Antioch BCRA Midget Race

By Robert Haugh

Glenn Carson (26) passes Scott Nail (8) en route to winning the BCRA Midget main event at Antioch Speedway (M&M Photo)

Glenn Carson and crew in victory lane after winning the BCRA Midget main event at Antioch Speedway (M&M Photo)

Three-time BCRA champion Glenn Carson utilized wryly veteran skill, poise and patience in overcoming an attrition-deprived Bay Cities Racing Association Midget field on Saturday, July 26 at Antioch Speedway at the Contra Costa County Fairgrounds in Antioch, CA.

Manning Doug Bock’s #26 Spike/Esslinger, Carson inherited the race lead from two-time BCRA champion John Sarale when Sarale spun his #32 Sarale Farms/Early Bird Produce Special Stealth/Riolo Chevy in Turn 4 on lap 27.

In an ominous preview of what was to come, Pete Davis, Matt Streeter and David Prickett were involved in a Turn 4 incident before completing the first lap. With no serious damage, all returned and started rear of the field.

Having worked Dave and Wendy Thurston’s Racingforourtroops.com #17 Spike/Esslinger to second from his eleventh starting position by Lap 4, 2007 BCRA Midget champion Justin Grant’s race to the front came to a dramatic and fastidious end.

Entering Turn 3 on lap 7, Grant spun, getting airborne, collecting 16-year-old Britton Bock aboard his own #62 TCR/Esslinger, 1999 BCRA champion Matt Streeter aboard his #14jr Spike/Ed Pink Ford and Jimmy Christian aboard his #16 Stealth/Riolo-Chevy on the initial lap 7 restart. A second, related incident in the high groove collected Pleasanton’s Pete Davis aboard his Hothead Engine Heaters #00 Stealth/Esslinger, Scott Nail aboard Stu Donaldson’s #8x Stealth/Pontiac and Lafayette’s Todd Miller aboard his #9 Stealth/Esslinger, collecting seven cars in total.

Following the lengthy cleanup of the multiple-car mess, the Lap 7 restart saw Sarale rocketing ahead of the attrition depleted field followed by polesitter Nick Foster, Jr. aboard Jim Fowler’s #24 Beast/Esslinger, Carson, seven-time BCRA champion “Ageless Wonder” Floyd Alvis aboard the #18 Champion Automotive “Green Beret” Stealth/Esslinger and Danny Parker aboard Bob Roza’s #20 Beast/Esslinger. Without completing another lap, pre-race points leader Nail spun, ending his evening. During he caution period, Davis returned to the track. The original Lap 7 restart came when Dave Stoltz spun his #77 Pacific Flyer/Range Rover V6 in Turn 4.

With Sarale pulling away upon the restart, Davis began charging from the back, moving up to sixth by lap 15. Wryly veteran Carson picked off Foster for second on lap 16.

Rocketing ahead of the field, Sarale’s straightaway lead over Carson diminished when Davis and Parker spun on Lap 23 while battling for the fifth position. Davis dropped out while Parker continued.

The Lap 23 restart saw Sarale powering ahead once again, but with Carson keeping pace with Christian, the July 2005 Antioch race winner, charging from seventh to third by lap 27. However, just as the evening’s Midget main event was set for a three-lap duel of three prowess veterans in Sarale, Carson, Christian and the young lion Foster, Sarale’s mount experienced a chassis hiccup, causing him to spin near the burm of Turn 3 on lap 28.

With the clock already tipping over the 11 p.m. curfew, track officials waved dual yellow checkers, calling the race two laps premature with Carson picking up his first victory in eight years, running Lap 28 under caution, claiming the triumph over Foster, Christian, Alvis, Stoltz, Parker and Prickett, all running at the finish, with Sarale scored in eighth.

Carson’s victory, however, was partly bittersweet, as car owner Doug Bock’s grandson Britton was taken to a local hospital following the races, treated for an apparent dislocated shoulder as well as forearm and wrist soreness. After having X-rays taken and further observation, 16-year-old Britton suffered no broken bones or serious injuries resulting from the Lap 7 multiple-car melee.

Veteran Auburn Midgeteer Dave Stoltz claimed a thrilling Heat one victory aboard his #77 Pacific Flyer/Range Rover V6 over Sarale, Bock, Parker and 16-year-old Cole Peard aboard his #58 Twister F5/Fontana.

Pleasanton’s Davis won an exciting Heat 2 aboard his Hothead Engine Heaters #00 Stealth/Esslinger over Lafayette’s Todd Miller in his own #9 Stealth/Esslinger, 1999 BCRA champion Matt Streeter aboard his #14jr Spike/Ed Pink Ford, Christian and Grant.

A smooth and fast Antioch Speedway oval generated one of the fastest Antioch Speedway tracks in several years, giving way to a new track record in qualifications. Piloting Stu Donaldson’s #8x Stealth/Pontiac, Visalia’s Scott Nail blistered Joey Tynan’s 11-year-old non-wing Midget track record, clocking in at 13.535 seconds. Further showcasing the track’s quickness, the entire 16-car field was separated by a mere half second, with the Top 10 qualifiers all within three tenths of a second.

Foster’s second-place run, combined with his tenth-to-third place run at Madera last week vaults him to the top of the Midget point standings --- now tied with Nail for the top spot, with Floyd Alvis in third. Parker’s sixth-place run jumped him to sixth in points.

Two-time BCRA Midget Lite champion made his first BCRA Midget start of the year aboard father Ted’s #2 Spike/Esslinger. Hunting’s maiden 2008 BCRA Midget start was a letdown for the team and crew, dropping out of Heat 1 heavily smoking while running up front, then succumbed to mechanical woes very early in the feature event, setting for a DNF.

The BCRA Midgets take a one-week hiatus, returning to the Dirt at John Padjen’s speedy ¼-mile red clay Placerville Speedway on August 9. Prior to the evening’s racing action, the gorgeous El Dorado County Fairgrounds hosts BCRA’s Annual jack London Bash Picnic and Hall of Fame. For more information, visit www.bcraracing.com.

Summary:
Feature (starting position): 1. Glenn Carson (5), 2. Nick Foster, Jr. (1), 3. Jimmy Christian (10), 4. Floyd Alvis (8), 5. Dave Stoltz (16), 6. Danny Parker (14), 7. David Prickett (3), 8. John Sarale (2), 9. Pete Davis (7), 10. Matt Streeter (9), 11. Scott Nail (12), 12. Justin Grant (11), 13. Britton Bock (13), 14. Todd Miller (6), 15. Doug Hunting (15), 16. Cole Peard (4)

Lap leaders: 1-3 Nick Foster, Jr., 4-27 John Sarale, 28 Glenn Carson

Heat 2: 1. Pete Davis (3), 2. Todd Miller (2), 3. Matt Streeter (5), 4. Jimmy Christian (6), 5. Justin Grant (7), 6. Floyd Alvis (4), 7. Glenn Carson (1), 8. Scott Nail (8)

Heat 1: 1. Dave Stoltz (1), 2. John Sarale (6), 3. Britton Bock (4), 4. Danny Parker (3), 5. Cole Peard (8), 6. Nick Foster, Jr. (5), 7. David Prickett (7), 8. Doug Hunting (2)

Qualifications: 1. Scott Nail, 8x Donaldson, 13.535 (NTR); 2. Justin Grant, 17 Thurston 13.653; 3. Jimmy Christian, 16 Christian, 13.660; 4. Matt Streeter, 14jr Streeter, 13.693; 5. Floyd Alvis, 18 Alvis, 13.738; 6. Pete Davis, 00 Davis, 13.828; 7. Todd Miller, 9 Miller, 13.844; 8. Glenn Carson, 26 Bock, 13.855; 9. Cole Peard, 58 Peard, 13.890; 10. David Prickett, 15 Neverlift Motorsports, 13.893; 11. John Sarale, 32 Sarale, 13.900; 12. Nick Foster, Jr., 24 Fowler, 13.960; 13. Britton Bock, 62 Bock, 13.963; 14. Danny Parker, 20 Roza, 14.015; 15. Doug Hunting, 2 Hunting, 14.015; 16. Dave Stoltz, 77 Stoltz, 14.053