WM: Ventura racap, Tucson preview

FLOCK'S LEAD DOWN TO 31 AS RODELA TAKES VENTURA
WESTERN MIDGETS AT TUCSON OCTOBER 29

Robby Flock of Murrieta, Calif. saw his series point lead sliced to just 31 points Saturday night at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway but he'll have an opportunity to increase it Oct. 29 when the series returns to USA Race Park in Tucson, Ariz.

Jerome Rodela of El Monte, Calif. now trails Flock by 31 points after winning the 30-lap Ventura feature in his Barnes Systems/Impact Racing TCR/VanDyne. He passed Flock on lap 13 and led the rest of the way to beat Danny Ebberts, Wally Pankratz, Tyler Brown and Flock. Rodela was also the fastest qualifier and a heat race winner.

The Ventura race served as "Wally Pankratz Night," a salute to the 2000 Western Midget Champion who has started more than 450 feature events.

Flock finished third in the June 25 Tucson Midget debut, won by Garrett Hansen, who is sixth in the series standings. Rodela did not compete in the June 25 Tucson race, but Ebberts, Saturday's Ventura runner-up, was also the runner-up in the June Tucson feature.

Among USAC Western Midget vets with USA Race Park experience is Damion Gardner, the USAC/CRA Sprint Car point leader who finished seventh at Ventura. He finished second in the Jan. 1 and Oct. 8 Tucson Sprint races at the new facility. Jerry Coons Jr. also has a third and sixth in Tucson Sprint competition, while Cory Kruseman won the Oct. 8 USAC/CRA Sprint race there.

USAC WESTERN MIDGET CAR SERIES STANDINGS
1.-Robby Flock-727
2.-Jerome Rodela-696
3.-Tyler Brown-595
4.-Ryan Kaplan-508
5.-Stephen Graves-469
6.-Garrett Hansen-459
7.-Dallen McKenney-428
8.-Scott Pierovich-428
9.-Brad Galedrige-408
10.-Shannon McQueen-387

-usac-