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USAC: MCI Worldcom Wester Midgets Resume this weekend at Stockton & Madera

9 March 1999

Back-to-back races on paved ovals highlight this weekend's resumption of the 1999 MCI WorldCom USAC "Western" Midget Car campaign. Races are slated this Saturday and Sunday nights at Stockton and Madera, Calif. respectively, with 30-lap features on tap each night.

The weekend features USAC's return to Stockton for the first time in 30 years! The 1/4-mile paved oval last witnessed USAC racing in 1969 when Hank Butcher won a 50-lapper there. Jimmy Davies, who won USAC's National Midget Car title in 1960-61-62, won a 50-lap race at Stockton Speedway in 1961 and Cliff Spalding won a 100-lapper there in 1959. George Benson holds the 1-lap track record of 14.75 seconds, set in 1969.

Defending series champion Rick Hendrix of Simi Valley, Calif. will be out to improve on his 26th-place point ranking this season. He failed to finish the only previous event this year, at Phoenix, Ariz. in February. He'll face the defending BCRA Midget Champion Terry Tarditi of Lodi, Calif. in the two events co-sanctioned by USAC and BCRA. Hendrix fared the better of the two in last year's only Madera appearance, Hendrix finishing sixth and Tarditi seventh.

Sleepy Tripp of Costa Mesa, Calif. captured last year's Madera outing, the 101st victory of his record-setting USAC "Western" Midget Car career.

Indy Racing League veteran Davey Hamilton, Washington's spectacular Casey Kahne, 1998 USAC "Western" Midget Car runnerup Bryan Stanfill and others are expected to challenge Hendrix and Tarditi in the two races. Drivers will be aiming at Pat Bliss' 1-lap track record of 13.800 seconds at Madera and will surely erase Benson's record at Stockton.

Defending USAC National Midget Car champion Jason Leffler of Long Beach, Calif. is atop the early "Western" Midget Car standings after his victory at Phoenix in February.

MCI WORLDCOM WESTERN MIDGET CAR STANDINGS

1. Jason Leffler 38
2. Ryan Newman 29
3. Dave Steele 27
4. Ricky Shelton 27
5. Dave Darland 19
6. Tracy Hines 19
7. Andy Michner 15
8. Kasey Kahne 13
9. Steve Barth 11
10. Jimmy Sills 11