Bakersfield Preview

DARLAND, NEWMAN, LEFFLER, DeBEAUMONT & SCULLY SHARE SPOTLIGHT WITH TQ MIDGET POINT DUEL AT BAKERSFIELD

USAC National Champions Dave Darland and Ryan Newman, two of the hottest open-wheel drivers in the United States, are among the early entries for the November 20 USAC racing program at the Bakersfield (Calif.) Speedway. Darland has had a phenomenal year, winning the "Belleville Midget Nationals" in Kansas, the "Hut Hundred" in Indiana and the "4-Crown Nationals" in Indiana in the MCI WorldCom Midget Cars, in addition to winning the 1999 USAC Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car Championship. He also won the "Tony Bettenhausen 100" Coors Light Silver Bullet race, the "Joe James/Pat O'Connor Classic" and "4-Crown Nationals" Sprint Car races and a feature during the "Summer Sizzle '99" Midget Car race in Indianapolis, the richest Midget car program of all time. Newman, the 1999 USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet Champion, won the "Night Before the 500" and "Mel Kenyon Classic" Midget Car races at Indianapolis Raceway Park, three Midget Car races at Winchester, Ind., one at Salem, Ind., one on the mile at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado and Silver Bullet races at Indianapolis Raceway Park and Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis. Between them, they account for 20 USAC feature wins this season. Darland will drive the familiar #9 Steve Lewis Ford/Wynn's/ASE/Performance Racing Industry machine, while Newman will drive the #4 Dave Calderwood MP Environmental Services Special. The 50-lap MCI WorldCom Midget Car feature climaxes what could be one of USAC's most memorable nights of racing this season. The USAC MCI WorldCom TQ Midget Cars share the program and both events will feature battles for seasonal point championships. Marc DeBeaumont of Clayton, Calif. enters the Bakersfield race with a 40-point lead over Shane Scully of Encino, Calif. in the MCI WorldCom Western Midget Cars, while Greg Edenholm of Agouro, Calif. trails Josh Wise of Riverside, Calif. by just 10 points in the TQ Midget ranks. A 20-lap feature concludes the TQ Midget action on the 1/3-mile Bakersfield dirt. Other top names to watch in the Bakersfield races are Jerry Coons, Jr. of Tucson, Ariz., 1998 USAC Sprint Car Champ Tony Elliott of Kokomo, Ind., Supermodified star Gene Lee Gibson of Richwood, Ohio, Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind., top National Midget Car "rookies" A.J. Fike of Galesburg, Ill. and Ed Carpenter of Indianapolis, plus a host of California hotshoes, including Bakersfield's own Bryan Stanfill and Larry Brown.

MCI WORLDCOM USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CAR STANDINGS (As of Nov. 15)

1.      Jason Leffler   498             6.      Dave Darland    216
2.      Ryan Newman     377             7.      Michael Lewis   209
3.      Jerry Coons,Jr. 361             8.      Brian Gerster   202
4.      Tracy Hines     242             9.      A.J. Fike       201
5.      Jay Drake       235             10.     Clay Klepper    182

MCI WORLDCOM WESTERN MIDGET CAR STANDINGS (As of Nov. 15)

1.      Marc DeBeaumont 525             6.      Jason Leffler   292
2.      Shane Scully    485             7.      Steve Paden     272
3.      Bobby Boone     460             8.      Clay Klepper    216
4.      Alex Harris     397             9.      Rick Hendrix    202
5.      Wally Pankratz  325             10.     Sleepy Tripp    194

MCI WORLDCOM TQ MIDGET CAR STANDINGS (As of Nov. 15)

1.      Josh Wise       377             6.      Gene Godepski   245
2.      Greg Edenholm   367             7.      Todd Hunsaker   194
3.      Walt Johnson    303             8.      Jim Styer       179
4.      Randi Pankratz  302             9.      Steve Lambert   146
5.      West Evans      259             10.     Ron Ahrendt     140