CADEN SARALE GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE AT PETALUMA
PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 23, 2023… Leading all 30-laps, Caden Sarale of Stockton, California earned the first USAC Western States Midget victory of his career at Petaluma Speedway. Making his first start in the Graunstadt Enterprises #14J T&T Trucking / Gary Silva Ranches Spike, Sarale became the 191st winning driver with the series over fast qualifier Brody Fuson, Cade Lewis, C.J. Sarna, and Randi Pankratz.
Before claiming the $1,500-to-win “Sammy Bahr Feature,” Sarale qualified third overall and finished second to Fuson after a last corner pass in his heat race. Slated to start third in the main event, Caden moved to the front row after pole sitter Ron Hazelton encountered a mechanical issue. Once the green flag waved, Sarale grabbed the early lead and began to set a blistering pace at the Sonoma Marin Fairgrounds. Masterfully slicing his way through traffic, Caden was not to be denied for the Saturday night victory as Fuson narrowed the gap. Despite running a limited schedule, Sarale climbed to ninth in the point chase after joining the winner’s list at Petaluma.
Bakersfield, California’s Brody Fuson topped the Woodland Auto Display qualifying charts with a time of 14.415 seconds over the modest 10-car field. Driving Rusty Carlile’s #51 RPM Motorsports / Van Meter Motorsports Spike, Fuson used a late race pass to claim the 10-lap Jordan Hanni Well Drilling First Heat Race. Starting fifth, Brody earned the night’s Ebbco Offroad Hard Charger Award after finishing second in the main event. While trying to chase down Sarale, Fuson posted a time of 13.896 on the twelfth circuit that was under Ronnie Gardner’s 2013 track record of 14.200 seconds. Heading to the August 5th series debut at Antioch, Brody extended his advantage to 62 points over the competition.
Cade Lewis of Bakersfield, California raced to victory in the 10-lap Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters Second Heat Race. Piloting Dean Alexander’s #5K Wireless 101 / Mobil 1 Spike, Lewis was second quick in time trials and scored third in the main event. In his first full year in USAC Western States competition, the young driver ranks second in the chase for the championship.
Two “lucky pill draw awards” were available at Petaluma that were claimed by Floyd Alvis and Ben Covich. Alvis earned the Saldana Racing Products Award, was seventh quick in time trials, ran third in his heat race, and scored sixth in the feature aboard the Champion Automotive #18 Interstate Batteries Stealth. Covich claimed the BR Motorsports / Wilwood Disc Brakes Award and scored ninth the main event in his #65 Spike with help from Dean Alexander. Covich left Petaluma as the new rookie point leader.
On Saturday, August 5th, the USAC Western States Midget Series will make their series debut at Antioch Speedway. For more event information, visit antiochspeedway.com.
The USAC Western States Midget Series thanks BR Motorsports, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Ebbco Offroad, Esslinger Engineering, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing, Graunstadt Enterprises, High Tech Performance, Hoosier Racing Tires, Hot Head Competition Engine Heaters, Jordan Hanni Well Drilling, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Steve Lafond / Tear-Off Heaven Fotos, Wilwood Disc Brakes, Wireless 101, and Woodland Auto Display for their support.
For more information on the USAC Western States Midget Series, visit usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC Western States Midget Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES RACE RESULTS: July 22, 2023 – Petaluma Speedway - Petaluma, California
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Brody Fuson, 51, Carlile-14.515; 2. Cade Lewis, 5K, Alexander-14.695; 3. Caden Sarale, 14J, Graunstadt-14.753; 4. C.J. Sarna, 20, Sarna-15.055; 5. Randi Pankratz, 8, Pankratz-15.262; 6. Ron Hazelton, 15, Hazelton-15.838; 7. Floyd Alvis, 18, Champion-16.740; 8. Marvin Mitchell, 78, Mitchell-NT; 9. Ben Covich, 65, Covich-NT; 10. Kevin Gray, 7L, Gray-NT.
JORDAN HANNI WELL DRILLING FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Fuson, 2. Sarale, 3. Alvis, 4. Gray. NT.
HOT HEAD COMPETITION ENGINE HEATERS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Lewis, 2. Sarna, 3. Hazelton. NT.
SAMMY BAHR FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Caden Sarale (3), 2. Brody Fuson (5), 3. Cade Lewis (4), 4. C.J. Sarna (2), 5. Randi Pankratz (7), 6. Floyd Alvis (6), 7. Marvin Mitchell (8), 8. Ron Hazelton (1), 9. Ben Covich (10), 10. Kevin Gray (9). NT.
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Sarale.
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS LUCKY PILL DRAW: Floyd Alvis.
BR MOTORSPORTS / WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY PILL DRAW: Ben Covich.
EBBCO OFFROAD HARD CHARGER: Brody Fuson (5th to 2nd)
NEW USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-555, 2-Cade Lewis-493, 3-Ben Worth-363, 4-Ron Hazelton-357, 5-C.J. Sarna-328, 6-Randi Pankratz-305, 7-Blake Bower-255, 8-Ben Covich-225, 9-Caden Sarale-223, 10-Steve Paden-220.
NEW WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TOP QUALIFIER POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-38, 2-Cade Lewis-22, 3-Caden Sarale-12, 4-C.J. Sarna-11, 5-Ben Worth-8, 6-Blake Bower-7, --Randi Pankratz-7, 8-Jake Andreotti-6, --Robby Josett-6, 10-David Gasper-5, --Michael Faccinto-5.
NEW SAMMY BAHR FEATURE POINTS: 1-Brody Fuson-466, 2-Cade Lewis-427, 3-Ron Hazelton-328, 4-Ben Worth-321, 5-C.J. Sarna-288, 6-Randi Pankratz-276, 7-Blake Bower-223, 8-Ben Covich-216, 9-Steve Paden-199, 10-Caden Sarale-192.
NEW PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Cade Lewis-30, 2-Brody Fuson-23, 3-Ron Hazelton-18, 4-Ben Covich-11, 5-Steve Paden-7, --David Gasper-7, --Robby Josett-7, 8-Marvin Mitchell-5, 9-Jake Andreotti-4, --Bryan Drollinger-4, --Garrett Twitty-4, --C.J. Sarna-4.
NEXT USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET RACE: August 5 – Antioch Speedway – Antioch, California