NMRA-TQ Midgets Santa Maria Main to Lopiccolo
By noderel:
Santa Maria, CA, Aug. 3 – Anthony Lopiccolo started fifth and led the final 18 laps of a 20-lap NMRA-TQ Midget Series main event at the third-mile semi-banked clay Santa Maria Speedway. He drove the No. 21 car owned by his father Paul. It is a Rick Stewart chassis with a 750cc Honda engine. His second TQ victory of 2013 came five months after he won the March 16 season opener at Route 66 Motorplex in Victorville. The part-time racer has run in five of the nine NMRA events this season and ranks seventh in driver points.
West Evans started third in a nine-car field and led the first two laps. His cousin Chuck West came from sixth in the Evans Motorsports No. 38 Stealth/Suzuki and finished second. Kenny Wiley started seventh and placed third in his self-built chassis with Honda power. Evans earned fourth in his own Spike/Suzuki. Scott Niven finished fifth after starting fourth. Don Kiefer came from ninth to score sixth place, with Dave Lambert seventh and also on the lead lap. Rookie Britt Grissom dropped out on lap 11 and rookie Chris Thomas did not start after having pole position.
West won the first of two eight-lap heat races after starting fourth. Second starter Niven won the second heat race. All drivers finished every lap in the heats. All nine TQs present posted qualifying times in the 16 second bracket. Grissom was fastest at 16.099. C. Thomas set the ninth quickest time of 16.634, so the spread was only 0.535 between the fastest and slowest drivers. The NMRA-TQ track record, set by Jimmy May in 2004, is 14.820.
The next NMRA-TQ race will be held Saturday, August 24 at Bakersfield Speedway. The tentative 15 race schedule will conclude Saturday, October 26 at Santa Maria Speedway.
Summary:
Fast Time – Britt Grissom, No. 43, 16.099.
Heat 1 - 8 laps: Chuck West, West Evans, Grissom, Chris Thomas, Don Kiefer.
Heat 2 – 8 laps: Scott Niven, Anthony Lopiccolo, Kenny Wiley, Don Lambert.
Main 20 laps: Lopiccolo, West, Wiley, Evans, Niven, Kiefer, Lambert, Grissom, Thomas.
POINT STANDINGS:
Drivers Car Owners
1 W. Evans 526 1 W. Evans No. 36 553
2 C. West 480 2 W. Evans No. 38 504
3 K. Wiley 464 3 K. Wiley 488
4 D.Kiefer 453 4 D. Kiefer 480
5 B. Grissom ® 403 5 B. Grissom 427
6 D. Lambert 327 6 D. Lambert 348
7 A. Lopiccolo 300 7 P. Lopiccolo 315
8 M. Black 298 8 M. Black 268
9 S. Niven 251 9 S. Niven 266
10 C. Thomas ® 233 10 Ed Thomas 248