NASCAR Veteran Shane Hmiel Hauls in Gold at Shasta in Midget Debut

By Robert Haugh

North Carolina’s Sane Hmiel toppled a stellar BCRA Midget field on Saturday evening, March 28th at the beautiful 3/8-mile Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson, Ca, wheeling the #21 DMS Race Products Beast/Esslinger, earning his first BCRA feature triumph in his first-ever open-wheel start.

Following the NASCAR veteran checkers was 2007 WMRA Champ Evan Margeson of Washington aboard the Harold Beale #50 Beast/Ed Pink Ford, fellow Washingtonian Mark Atkinson aboard the #23 Beast/Esslinger, Travis Berryhill aboard his own #11 Berryhill racing “Spirit of American Canyon” #11 Stealth/Esslinger and 15-year-old BCRA rookie Kyle Dickerson aboard Grandfather Harold Dickerson’s #11k Beast/Ed Pink Ford.

Hmiel, a former NASCAR Busch and Craftsman truck star wrestled the lead away from Atkinson on Lap 27, leading the final there laps en route to bringing the checkers home for the DMS Race Products crew. Hmiel meticulously worked his way through the stellar Midget field from his 11th starting spot, moving into the Top five by Lap 10.

Following the Lead five to the checkers was a pair of Stu Donaldson mounts --- multiple-time BCRA victor Scott Nail aboard Donaldon’s #8x Stealth/Pontiac and Mike Donaldson in the #8 Stu Donaldson Stealth/Gaerte, with Sacramento's Ralphie “The Racer” Cortez falling to eighth in the final lap in the #31 Shores-Cortez Beast/Sesco-Mopar after spinning while aiming to make a pass for fourth place.

Alaska’s Cameron McGahan placed ninth aboard the #11d DMS Race Products Beast/Esslinger with polesitter and two-time BCRA champion John Sarale coming home tenth aboard the Arata Racing #88 Stealth/Pontiac.

Chad Nichols took the winner’s laurels in the Trophy Dash aboard his #17 Beast/Esslinger, sporting a fresh orange paint scheme, leading wire-to-wire over Hmiel, McGahan and Margeson.

Margeson outpaced the stellar field of BCRA Midgets in qualifying setting fast time at 14.913, the lone driver breaking the 15-second barrier.

2007 BCRA Mechanic-of-the-Year Nick Foster, Jr. claimed Heat One from the outside pole in the #24 Jim Fowler Beast/Esslinger over Cortez, Sarale, Nail and Washingtonian Kerstin Stautny aboard her #9 Beast/Esslinger.

2007 BCRA Johnny Boyd Rookie-of-the-Year Kevin Morris claimed Heat 2 aboard father Del’s #17k Beast/Esslinger over Berryhill, Atkinson, Dickerson and Midget Lite grad “Nitro” Nick Chivello aboard the #27b Beast/Esslinger.

Chad Nichols led Heat 3 wire-to-wire over Hmiel, Margeson, McGahan and Shane Golobic aboard the Walker-Bay Muffler #10 Beast/Esslinger.

2007 Midget victor Golobic suffered from two blown-engines over the course of the weekend. The team yanked the Esslinger engine from the Walker-Bay Muffler #10 Dirt mount, failing to make Saturday’s qualifications, but tagged the rear of Heat 3, before losing a second engine in the Main event.

The BCRA Midget Series continues on Saturday, April 5 at the speedy 1/3-mile Madera Speedway, then ventures to dirt, powering into the Sierra Nevada foothills for the first of three races at John Padjen’s beautiful ¼-mile Placerville Speedway at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds on April 12th.

Visit www.bcraracing.com for additional information on the BCRA Midgets.

Summary:
Qualifying:
1. #50 Evan Margeson, Tacoma WA 14.913
2. #21 Shane Hmiel, Huntersville NC 15.065
3. #11d Cameron McGahan, Kenai, Alaska 15.397
4. #17 Chad Nichols, Colma 15.531
5 #26 Alfred Galedrige Jr., Los Altos 15.578
6. #23 Mark Atkinson, Kirkland WA 15.598
7. #27b Nick Chivello, Manteca 15.646
8. #11 Travis Berryhill, American Canyon 15.694
9. #17k Kevin Morris, Ripon 15.702
10. #11k Kyle Dickerson, Manteca 15.752
11. #31 Ralph Cortez, Sacramento 15.829
12. #88 John Sarale, Stockton 16.029
13. #8x Scott Nail, Visalia 16.098
14. #24 Nick Foster, Jr., San Jose 16.269
15. #8 Mike Donaldson, Pleasant Hill 16.431
16. #9 Kerstin Stautny, Bothell, WA 16.880
17. #10 Shane Golobic, Fremont NT
18. #20 Floyd Alvis, San Carlos Scratch

Dash: Nichols (1), Hmiel (3), McGahan (2), Margeson (4)

Heat 1: Foster (2), Cortez (5), Sarale (4), Nail (3), Stautny (6), Donaldson (1) Foster

Heat 2: Morris (1), Berryhill (2), Atkinson (3), Dickerson (5), Chivello (6), Galedrige (4)

Heat 3: Nichols (1), Hmiel (3), Margeson (4), McGahan (2), Golobic (5) Nichols wire-to-wire

Main (30 Laps --- Start position in parentheses)
1. Shane Hmiel (11)
2. Evan Margeson (12)
3. Mark Atkinson (7)
4. Travis Berryhill (5)
5. Kyle Dickerson (3)
6. Scott Nail (13)
7. Mike Donaldson (15)
8. Ralph Cortez (2)
9. Cameron McGehan (10)
10. John Sarale (1)
11. Nick Foster (14)
12. Kevin Morris (4)
13. Nick Chivello (6)
14. Kerstin Stautny (16)
15. Alfred Galedrige (8)
16. Shane Golobic (17)
17. Chad Nichols (9)

Lap Leaders: Cortez 1-4, Berryhill 5-6, Atkinson 7-27, Hmiel 28-30