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Santa Maria, CA., Jul. 22 - Bruce Hiroshima
enjoyed winning his first NMRA-TQ Midget main event so much a week
earlier at Bakersfield that he duplicated the feat Saturday at the
banked, third-mile clay Santa Maria Speedway. The 43-year old 2004
NMRA-TQ Series rookie of the year led the final 12 laps of a 25-lap
feature in his Rick Stewart chassis with Honda power. He passed
Steve Parke, who led the first 13 laps. The winner jumped from sixth
to fourth in current point standings, only nine points behind third
place and 18-points from second. His car climbed from fifth in
owner's points to fourth as well.
Parke, a 57-year old veteran TQ-owner/driver,
finished a career-best second and moved to seventh place in points
after five of 12 scheduled races. He drove the No. 55 Dave Lambert
Dennis Hart chassis with Honda power for the first time instead of
his own No. 59 Stewart/Honda. The winning car is usually driven by
Lambert's son Steve, the 2003-04 NMRA driving champion.
Current point leader Chuck West, the 2002 NMRA
driving champion, finished third in the West Evans Spike/Suzuki. The
one-time 2006 main event winner leads current point standings
319-282 over two-time winner Chris Hedge. Kenny Wiley and Ron
Ahrendt completed the top five. Michael Bliffen, West Evans, rookie
Richard Marshall, Richard Ortega, Jr and rookie Scott Dobson rounded
out the top ten.
Retired Los Angeles police officer Ron Ahrendt
set fast time of 15.658 in a 12-car field. He edged Wiley's 15.785.
Parke and Hiroshima won the pair of eight-lap, six-car heat
races. The next NMRA-TQ race will be held Wednesday evening, August
2 at the fifth-mile clay Ventura Raceway during the annual
Ventura County Fair.
Summary:
Fast Time: Ron Ahrendt, Ahrendt 87, 15.658.
Heat 1: Steve Parke, Chuck West, Chris Hedge,
Michael Bliffen, Richard
Marshall, Ahrendt.
Heat 2: Bruce Hiroshima, West Evans, Kenny Wiley,
Scott Dobson, Richard
Ortega, Jr., Jeff Marshall.
Main: Hiroshima, Parke, West, Wiley, Ahrendt,
Bliffen, Evans, R.
Marshall, Ortega, Dobson, Hedge, DNS- J. Marshall.
POINT STANDINGS:
Drivers
Car Owners
1 Chuck West 319
1 # 38 West Evans 331
2 Chris Hedge 282
2 # 98 Hedge & Hendrix 294
3 Ron Ahrendt 273
3 # 87 Judi Ahrendt 284
4 Bruce Hiroshima 264
4 # 5 Bruce Hiroshima 276
5 Kenny Wiley 258
5 # 3 Michael Bliffen 268
6 Michael Bliffen 256
6 # 21 Paul Lopiccolo 267
7 Steve Parke 241
7 # 18 Guy Barber 221
8 Scott Dobson (R) 209
8 # 36 West Evans 216
9 West Evans 204
9 # 8 Richard Marshall 170
10 Jeff Marshall (R) 158
10 # 9 Jeff Marshall 169
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