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Jumping into the potent Burkhart Racing entry, Danny Stratton led the
final 19 laps as the Arizona Midgets raced 20 straight green flag laps to
open the 2006 season at Prescott Valley Raceway Saturday night. The event
did start with a flip by C J Sarna, then ran all green with heat winner
Stratton winning ahead of John Sarna, Darrin Bolton and Chad Boat. Taking
the lead at the midway point, Dean Riggs posted another Arizona Outlaw
Dwarf Car 15 lap feature win. Jim Ward got around early leader Shawn
Arnold to place second. Jerry Clements paced the final 8 laps to capture
the mini stock feature over Doug Clements and 2005 champion Ray Bramlet.
The lady mini stocks will be racing for points for the first time in 2006
and heat winner Cheyenne Pontin led all ten laps for the feature win ahead
of Linda Bruner and Becky Kellogg. Improvements to the track over the
winter included a wider race track, new grandstands, improved lighting for
the track and added lighting in the pit area. A large crowd turned out on
a cold, windy night.
Because they allow 13 year old drivers, the Arizona midget racing scene is
drawing interest with the outlaw kart racers in Northern California and
Princeton CA star Mason Moore was the first to compete tonight. The
midgets had a 17 car turnout and J Sarna was the dash winner over Mike
Welker and Lonnie Oliver. Stratton beat Bolton and Jeff Perry in heat 1.
The Prescott based Norbury team took the other two heat race wins. Paul
Norbury beat young Chad Boat in heat 2 and Bugs Norbury won heat 3 over
Steven Sussex and Moore. C Boat had raced with the ASA Speed Trucks in
California the previous weekend and wasn’t allowed to run his wingless 360
sprint car in Tucson tonight because they had a 16 year old driver limit.
USAC star Tyler Brown was also on hand and ran fourth in heat 3. The
feature action went red on the first start attempt when C Sarna got
upsidedown in turn 2. He was unhurt and finished the race. With 20
straight green flag laps, Perry led the opening lap before Stratton took
command. The leaders didn’t get into lapped traffic until lap 12. J Sarna
ran second ahead of Bolton, Boat, the winner’s teammate Dustin Burkhart, P
Norbury, Perry, Moore and B Norbury. C Sarna was 10th and Brown 11th.
Fourteen outlaw dwarf cars were split into a pair of heat races and Scott
Winger won the first ahead of Arnold and Riggs. Melvin Spaght outraced Dan
Yirku and Jim Ward in heat 2. Winger led the first five laps of their
feature action before spinning for a yellow flag. Arnold was the new
leader and veteran Jerry Larrabee flipped for a lap 8 red flag in turn 4.
He also was unhurt. Riggs passed Arnold at the midway mark and won the
feature race ahead of Ward, Arnold, Fred Donaldson, Canyon promoter Jeff
Stafford, Jeff Adams, Ken Young, Bobby Saunders and Spaght. Riggs didn’t
get into lapped traffic until the final 3 laps.
Fifteen mini stocks reported and J Clements had a perfect night as he won
heat 1 over Bramlet and 2005 point runnerup Kent Ewart. Joseph McKown won
heat 2 over Rob Butcher and D Clements. A ten car inversion for the main
event allowed Shane Slay to pace the opening lap of the feature. Bramlet
took over on lap 2. The red flag fell on lap 5 as Steve Bruner blew in a
ball of flames. He also was unhurt. Ewart spun with a flat tire for a lap
9 yellow. With 8 laps to go, J Clements took the lead from Bramlet and
stayed out front for the win. Bramlet and McKown had tangled, sending both
into the infield. D Clements also got by for second and Bramlet recovered
to finish third ahead of Bill Keeling, Slay, Brad Auringer and Chris
Thompson. Ewart was 8th ahead of McKown.
Pontin won the 7 car lady mini stock heat race over Kellogg and Liz
Jewell. She wheels the McKown car and started lapping cars on lap 4 of her
ten lap feature win. L Bruner was second in the feature ahead of Kellogg
and Cathie Crippen. Kellogg drives the Bramlet car. Jewell ran fifth ahead
of Lisa Williams and Amy Edwards.
Racing will happen weekly through the end of September. On April 22, the
IMCA Modifieds, Super Stocks, Hobby Stocks and new limited sprint cars all
make their 2006 debuts.
Summary Lady Mini Stock Heat-Cheyenne Pontin, Becky Kellogg, Liz Jewell,
Lisa Williams, Linda Bruner. Main-Pontin, L Bruner, Kellogg, Cathie
Crippen, Jewell, L Williams, Amy Edwards. Mini Stock Heat 1-Jerry
Clements, Ray Bramlet, Kent Ewart, Jason Parks, Shane Slay. Heat 2-Joseph
McKown, Rob Butcher, Doug Clements, Steve Bruner, Bill Keeling. Main-J
Clements, D Clements, Bramlet, Keeling, Slay, Brad Auringer, Chris
Thompson, Ewart, McKown, S Bruner, Harley Miner, Bernie Williams, Parks,
James Kelly, Butcher. Dwarf Car Heat 1-Scott Winger, Shawn Arnold, Dean
Riggs, Jerry Larrabee, John Saunders. Heat 2-Melvin Spaght, Dan Yirku, Jim
Ward, Ken Young, Bobby Saunders. Main-Riggs, Ward, Arnold, Fred Donaldson,
Jeff Stafford, Jeff Adams, Young, B Saunders, Spaght, J Saunders, Paul
Ross, Larrabee, Yirku, Winger. Midget Dash-John Sarna, Mike Welker, Lonnie
Oliver, Bugs Norbury. Heat 1-Danny Stratton, Darrin Bolton, Jeff Perry,
Dustin Burkhart, Dale Daly. Heat 2-Paul Norbury, Chad Boat, Welker,
Oliver, C J Sarna. Heat 3-B Norbury, Steven Sussex, Mason Moore, Tyler
Brown. Main-Stratton, J Sarna, Bolton, Boat, Burkhart, P Norbury, Perry,
Moore, B Norbury, C Sarna, Brown, Dean Daly, Welker, Sussex, Oliver, Dale
Daly.
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