MIKE BLACK WINS NMRA-TQ MIDGET BAKERSFIELD FINALE SEPT. 29, 2012
By noderel:
Bakersfield, CA., Sept. 29 – Mike Black, a 22-year old second year driver from Taft, won the ninth and final NMRA-TQ Midget Series event of the season Saturday night. Historic post-WW II Bakersfield Speedway, a third-mile banked clay track that hosted all but one race in the series this year, was the setting for the season finale. NMRA TQs were part of a multi-series program at the Kern County oval. Black, the 2011 NMRA rookie of the year, won his second career TQ main event in the Brian Baker Racing, Dennis Hart-built No. 14 Honda. He won his first feature on August 4 at the Bakersfield track.
Outside front row starter Don Kiefer led the first lap. Then third starter Black led lap 2 before yielding the point to eighth starter Chuck West. Black led lap 4. Then West paced laps 5-14. On lap 15 West flipped in the fourth turn without injury, but his No. 38 Stealth/Suzuki was sidelined. Black took the lead for the third time and stayed in front from lap 15 to the lap 20 checkered flag.
West Evans, from seventh grid position, finished second in his own No. 36 Spike/Bob Wirth Suzuki. Sixth starter Anthony Lopiccolo placed third in the No. 21 Stewart/Honda owned by his father Paul. Scott Dobson started and finished fourth in his own Stewart/Honda. Kenny Wiley started and finished fifth in his own car. Kiefer and pole starter Dave Lambert were the only other finishers and all drivers completed 20 laps. West and non-starter Adam Baker rounded out the field. The pair of eight lap heat races went to front row starters Lambert and Black. All drivers completed eight laps.
The 2012 TQ driver champion is West, from Clovis, for the fifth time since NMRA reformed in 2002. He and runner-up Evans, his first cousin and car owner since 2002, finished the nine race season tied with 542 points. The NASCAR Sprint Cup 2011 season ended with former USAC open-wheel drivers and winners Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards tied in points after the ten Chase to the Cup “playoff” races. That title was decided based on the tie-breaking format of most main event victories, giving Stewart the driving championship.
Similarly, West won the 2012 NMRA-TQ driving crown by virtue of total feature triumphs. He had four to a pair by Evans. So “hired hand” West beat his “boss” Evans. Both drivers averaged 60.22 points per event. Fifteen drivers and 15 cars earned 2012 NMRA points.
Statistics (P 1-2):
Points Races Top 5s Top 10s Heat Wins Feature Wins
1 West 542 9 8 9 4 4
2 Evans 542 9 9 9 3 2
The West Evans No. 38 Stealth/Suzuki won the NMRA Series car owner championship for the fifth time in 11 years. The NMRA Series championship awards dinner will be held in Moorpark at a date to be determined later this year.
In other series competing at Bakersfield Saturday, former CRA/SCRA sprint car driver/feature winner Bobby Michnowicz, of Lomita, won his sixth 2012 winged California Lightning Sprint (CLS) main event in the last nine races. He passed 2011 CLS rookie of the year Steve Limon on the last lap in the final turn. After 14 races this year, Michnowicz, 48, increased his CLS point lead to 80 points. His other victories have come at tracks in Perris and Ventura. Mini dwarf cars, modifieds and hobby stock cars also raced Saturday.
Summary:
Heat 1 – Dave Lambert, Anthony Lopiccolo, Chuck West, Scott Dobson, Adam Baker.
Heat 2 – Mike Black, Kenny Wiley, West Evans, Don Kiefer.
Feature – Black, Evans, Lopiccolo, Dobson, Wiley, Kiefer, Lambert, West, Baker.
FINAL POINT STANDINGS:
Drivers Car Owners
1 Chuck West 542 1 No. 38 West Evans 523
2 West Evans 542 2 No. 36 West Evans 505
3 Mike Black 453 3 No. 14 Brian Baker 411
4 Don Kiefer 432 4 No. 9 Don Kiefer 408
5 Kenny Wiley 387 5 No. 96 Kenny Wiley 352
6 Scott Dobson 360 6 No. 18 Scott Dobson 324
7 Adam Baker 326 7 No. 17 Brian Baker 308
8 Anthony Lopiccolo 297 8 No. 21 Paul Lopiccolo 250
9 Dave Lambert 270 9 No. 55 Dave Lambert 237
10 Bruce Hiroshima 204` 10 No. 20 Bruce Hiroshima 216