Chad Nichols wins again

at Stockton 99 Speedway

 

The Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) midgets took to the high-banked paved Stockton 99 Speedway on Saturday July 14^th for a program that also included the BCRA vintage division as well as the Gunslinger and the Northern California Modified Association (NCMA) sprint car divisions.

Chad Nichols set quick time in time in qualifying as the familiar #17N Shanonian Esslinger flirted with the magic 12-second speed barrier with a best lap of 13.018 seconds. Rookie Jesse Love in the 51 Fifty/Van Dyne Engineering #5 was just a tad slower and took second fastest honors with his 13.088 second lap. The third fastest qualifier was Mark Maliepaard in the #51 Fit & Finish Hot Rod Interiors/Bob Roza Motorsports Esslinger at 13.139 seconds, with David Goodwill in the DDS Racing #3G fourth at 13.197 seconds.

Ominously, however Goodwill’s engine began misfiring during his cool-down lap and when his car returned to the pits his crew was assisted by fellow competitors Tres Van Dyne and Cody Jessop to diagnose the malady. Cody Jessop qualified fifth in his family-owned Jessop Trucking #00, with Frankie Guerrini III in Bob Rosen’s Mr. Espresso sixth fastest, JR Williams in the J&J Fontana powered #74 seventh and nine-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis, victimized by a flattening right rear tire on his familiar green #18 midget, was the eighth fastest qualifier.

Unfortunately, Goodwill’s car continued to experience electrical problems as David was pushed off for the start of the first heat race, which left the race to the three cars of Love, Guerrini and Alvis. Jesse jumped into the lead at the start then he fought off Frankie’s early attempts to pass on the low side through turns three and four before he sped away. On his sixth lap Love recorded a flying lap of 13.21 seconds on his way to a dominant victory ahead of Guerrini and Alvis.    

The start of the second heat race featured Jessop and Maliepaard on the front row and after one aborted start attempt, Mark seized the advantage with Jessop in hot pursuit. On lap two, Nichols took the low road through turns three and four to take over second place from Cody, and the trio completed the eight-lap sprint in that order after JR Williams retired his #74 to the pit area on the fifth lap.

Chad Nichols drew the number four pill to set up a four-car invert for the lineup of the feature with David Goodwill scheduled for the pole position with Mark Maliepaard alongside and Love and Nichols in the second row. Unfortunately, Goodwill’s #3G continued to experience electrical problems and David exited the track before the green flag flew, and Jesse Love moved his blue #5 to the pole position. At the drop of the green flag, Maliepaard and Love raced side by side for the first lap before Maliepaard gained the advantage.

Unfortunately, amid the torrid action at the front of the field, Cody Jessop rolled his #00 midget into the infield after just one lap with an unknown mechanical failure. Nichols swept past Love to grab second place as JR Williams took his #74 to the pit area on the seventh lap which left Love in third place, Guerrini in fourth and Alvis in fifth place.  That running order remained static past the halfway point of the 30-lap feature until on lap 19, Maliepaard left the bottom side open through turns 3 and 4 and Nichols motored past into the lead.

Once in the lead Nichols quickly built up a substantial lead as Alvis pulled into the infield on lap 22. Chad held a 10-car advantage over Maliepaard at the drop of the checkered flag with Love in third and Guerrini in fourth place. Among the non-finishers, Alvis placed fifth, Williams sixth, Jessop seventh and the unfortunate schedule pole-sitter Goodwill in eighth position.

Following his BCRA feature win, Nichols jumped behind the wheel of Ted Finkenbinder’s #3F Gunslinger sprint car and edged out Jerry Kozba at the finish line to claim second place behind winner AJ Russell.  

Saturday July 21^st is the Jack London Bash Picnic and Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Sonoma Marin Fairgrounds in Petaluma California. The Bash starts at 10 AM with lunch catered by Lombardi’s BBQ served at noon and the induction ceremony set to begin at 1:30 PM. There is still time to make your reservations for $30 apiece by contacting thmlmm@comcast.net. Join us as we honor this year’s inductees – drivers Don Meacham and Chuck Stevenson, owner/drivers Rick Holbrook and John Mosekian and Midget Lite official Peggy Holbrook.    

After the bash ends at 3 PM, the action moves to the adjacent Petaluma Speedway for the Jack London Hall of Fame racing program co-sanctioned with the United States Auto Club (USAC) Western States Division. The dirt racing program is set to start with time trials at 6 PM followed by racing at 7 PM.

Mark your calendars for August 18 as the BCRA pavement midgets travel north to Ukiah Speedway for a race con-sanctioned with the Washington Midget Racing Association (WMRA). Early reports from our northern neighbors point to a large car count for an exciting race on the quarter-mile paved oval at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds.   

 

Maria Cofer claims her first

BCRA victory at Merced Speedway

On Saturday night April 21, The Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) dirt track midgets finally made their first appearance of the 2018 season following two earlier rained out dates. Two rookies made their BCRA dirt debut – Jackson Dukes in the #2 Shenanigans Motorsports entry and Jesse Love III in the #5 51-Fifty Energy Drinks Van Dyne Motorsports entry.

The entry list also included three veteran drivers who returned to race with the BCRA midgets after some time away – Jimmy Christian in Dave Thurston’s #11 machine, Rick Cook II in his father’s #7R midget and the ageless Marvin Mitchell in his own #78 entry.  

Defending BCRA series champion Maria Cofer topped qualifying in the #57 Cofer entry with a new track record reported, as she topped Cory Elliott in the Elliott Motorsports #11E, Michael Faccinto in Sean Dodenhoff’s #9D and David Prickett in his own #22Q. Sean Dodenhoff experienced oiling problems in his own #9 car and scratched for the night before time trials.

At the start of the first 6-car heat race, Robert Dalby in the #4D jumped in the lead as Cofer coasted into the infield with a rough running engine. As the field started the fourth lap Faccinto slipped by into the lead when Jimmy Christian rolled to a stop in turn two and the Thurston car caught fire.

The Merced Speedway safety crew responded quickly and got Christian out of the car, but the Thurston entry was finished for the night.  The lower legs of Jimmy’s uniform were scorched and after examination by the track EMT’s, Jimmy was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The club’s best wishes go out to Jimmy Christian for a quick recovery.  

When the first heat race resumed from the red flag stoppage, as the field rolled through turn four for the restart, Faccinto’s engine faltered and he dropped to the inside as Jesse Love grabbed the lead. Love was soon passed by Dalby as Faccinto’s #9D slowly coasted into the pit area with apparent ignition trouble. The results of the first heat race - Dalby and Love in first and second with JR Williams in third place as Faccinto, Christian and Cofer all failed to finish. 

Rick Cook II started on the pole for the second heat race and he held off David Prickett for the first lap with Cory Elliott in third. During the early laps Prickett and Elliott both passed Cook, with Marvin Mitchell settled in fourth place and Dukes in fifth. Elliott made several late moves but could not get past Prickett and the finishing order was Prickett, Elliott, Cook, Mitchell and Dukes.

In a throwback to earlier times, Merced Speedway Promoter Ed Parker offered the four fastest BCRA midgets from qualifying the chance to run a Trophy Dash and Bob Roza offered $100 to the winner. Unfortunately, Faccinto’s #9D still had engine problems after he pushed off and Michael retired to pits leaving just three cars on track. Over two fast and furious racing laps, Prickett topped Elliott and Cofer to claim his second victory of the evening.

Following the track’s Hobby Stock and Valley Sportsman feature races, the BCRA’s 30-lap feature was the finale of the evening’s racing. Once again, Faccinto and the #9D Dodenhoff car could not get going for the feature start and retired to the pit area before the start of the race. At the drop of the green flag, Maria Cofer jumped into the lead from her outside front row starting position with Prickett, Elliott and Dalby in hot pursuit. On the second lap, Elliott dispatched Prickett for second place as Maria began to pull away; by lap 6, she held a 6-car length lead over Elliott who was six car lengths ahead of the Dalby/Prickett battle for third place.

The caution flag flew and slowed the race action on lap 21 as Rick Cook II spun the #7R midget to a stop in turn four facing the wrong way. Under caution the track crew pushed Rick into the infield to join JR Williams as the race’s only retirements. On the restart, Cofer surged to a two-car length lead around the track’s top groove, as Dalby tried the bottom of the track and rocketed past Elliott on lap 23 and set his sights on the lead. Dalby stuck to the bottom of the track through turns three and four and crept closer and pulled alongside Cofer’s car at the start/finish line on several occasions.

Maria and her father and car owner John Cofer

celebrate in Merced's victory lane

author photo

On lap 26, with Dalby even closer than before, Maria moved her #57 midget down to the low line through turns three and four and blocked Dalby’s momentum. Maria held on over the final laps to claim her first career BCRA feature race victory by a single car-length over hard charger Robert Dalby, with Cory Elliott in third trailed by David Prickett, with Marvin Mitchell fifth, Jesse Love III sixth and Jackson Dukes the final finisher in seventh. Among the feature non-finishers, Rick Cook II placed eighth and JR Williams ninth with Michael Faccinto who failed to start listed in tenth place. 

Robert Dalby accepts his second place trophy

from Merced Speedway promoter Ed Parker

author photo

 

The 2018 season for the BCRA mighty midgets continues May 5 with a big night of racing for the Vukovich Classic at the 1/3-mile asphalt Madera Speedway along with the BCRA vintage midget division, the NCMA Sprints, Madera’s own CSS/360 Super Modifieds class, Legends of Kearney Bowl, Senior Open Vintage Super Modifieds, California Hard Tops, the USAC Western US Pavement Midgets, and the Legends of the Pacific.

The BCRA midgets will return to the dirt on May 26 at the Stockton Dirt Track along with the Hunt Magneto Wingless Sprint Car Series and the winged ‘Sprint Car 360 Open’ which will pay $5,000 to the winner.