COTTLE TAKES INDIANA MIDGET WEEK TITLE DRAKE & RAY SCORE, RODRIGUEZ WINS "HUT 100"

AUGUST 22, 2005

TRI-CITY WEDNESDAY, "HALL OF FAME CLASSIC" SATURDAY;
COTTLE TAKES INDIANA MIDGET WEEK TITLE
DRAKE & RAY SCORE, RODRIGUEZ WINS "HUT 100"

             Josh Wise continues to lead the USAC National Midget Series 
standings after posting "top-10" finishes in two of last week's three 
"Indiana Midget Week" events. He takes a 66-point lead over Jerry Coons, 
Jr. into Wednesday night's USAC Midget/Sprint "doubleheader" at Tri-City 
Speedway in Granite City, Ill. The Midgets compete Saturday night in the 
"Hall of Fame Classic" at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wis. Both 
features this week are 30-lappers, with the Midgets competing on Granite 
City's 1/4-mile as opposed to the Sprints, which will race on Granite 
City's 1/2 mile.
             Jay Drake, Davey Ray and Johnny Rodriguez captured "Indiana 
Midget Week' feature victories last week but Shane Cottle of Kokomo, Ind. 
parlayed a trio of "top-10" finishes into the series championship.
             Drake, of Val Verde, Calif., led all 30 laps to win Thursday 
night's race at the Lawrenceburg Speedway in the Keith Kunz Motorsports 
Vital Express/Fontana Automotive Bullet/Fontana. Ray, of Davenport, Iowa, 
piloted the same car to victory Friday at Gas City I-69 Speedway, beating 
Cottle, Michael Pickens, Brad Kuhn and Coons.
             Rodriguez, of Elk Grove, Calif., earned the initial Midget 
victory of his career Saturday night in the 54th Clabber Girl" Hut Hundred" 
at the Terre Haute Action Track. Starting third in the three-abreast field, 
the 2004 USAC Western Midget Series Champion led the first 81 laps, then 
ran second to Ray until lap 95 when he regained the lead on a restart. He 
led to the finish in his Esslinger Power/ART Enterprise Beast/Esslinger to 
beat Ray, Cottle, Wise and Tracy Hines. Danny Stratton was the fastest 
Terre Haute qualifier but flipped on lap three and failed to finish.
             Saturday's "Hall of Fame Classic" at Sun Prairie opens 
"induction" weekend at the famed oval which hosts the National Midget Auto 
Racing Hall of Fame. Induction ceremonies are slated Sunday for new 
inductees Floyd Alvis, Danny Caruthers, Vic Edelbrock and Crocky Wright.

USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CAR SERIES STANDINGS

1.-Josh Wise-759
2.-Jerry Coons, Jr.-693
3.-Brad Kuhn-538
4.-Teddy Beach-492
5.-Ron Gregory-479
6.-Tom Hessert III-474
7.-Bobby East-429
8.-Cole Carter-414
9.-Darren Hagen-404
10.-Jay Drake-394

"INDIANA MIDGET WEEK" FINAL STANDINGS

1.-Shane Cottle-162
2.-Johnny Rodriguez-134
3.-Brad Kuhn-134
4.-Josh Wise-132
5.-Brian Gerster-126
6.-Davey Ray-125
7.-Jerry Coons, Jr.-119
8.-Darren Jenkins-115
9.-Darren Hagen-88
10.-Tracy Hines-85