USAC: Hamilton, Ercse take 'Western' features
11 July 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
SPRINT CARS VISIT MERIDIAN SPEEDWAY SATURDAY NIGHT
Davey Hamilton returns to his "home" track this Saturday night as the point leader in the USAC Western Sprint Car Series. The only driver to have started every Indy Racing Northern Light Series event, Hamilton, who now calls Las Vegas, Nev. home, is originally from Boise, Ida., the site of Saturday night's race at Meridian Speedway.
Hamilton won Saturday night's 40-lap feature at Silver State Raceway in Carson City, Nev. in the Consani Special, leading all the way to beat Mike Boat, Todd Ellison, fast qualifier Tony Hunt and Brian Stanfill. The win was Davey's fifth this season. Hunt posted night's fastest qualifying time and heats went to Burney Lamar, Amy Barnes and Stanfill. Kevin Kierce won the semi.
J.J. Ercse of Bellflower, Calif. scored his second USAC MCI WorldCom TQ Midget Car victory of the 2000 campaign at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway, leading all but the opening lap of Saturday night's 20-lap race on the track's 1/3-mile paved oval. He passed Rick Hendrix on lap two and was trailed by Hendrix at the checkered flag. Gene Godepski, Todd Hunsaker and Randi Pankratz rounded out the "top-five" at the finish.
Ercse vaulted past Walt Johnson into the TQ Midget Car series point lead with his win. He leads Johnson by 22 points going into a July 22 race at the Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway. Ercse and Johnson won Saturday night's heat races at Irwindale.
The August 12 USAC Western Sprint Car/MCI WorldCom Western Midget Car "doubleheader" at the Stockton 99 Speedway in Stockton, Calif. has been cancelled.
USAC WESTERN SPRINT CAR SERIES STANDINGS
1. Davey Hamilton 567
2. Todd Ellison 554
3. Tony Hunt 514
4. Jeff Gardner 495
5. Burney Lamar 490
6. Mike Boat 476
7. Kevin Kierce 410
8. Amy Barnes 317
9. Jimmy Sills 305
10. Troy Cline 280
USAC MCI WORLDCOM TQ MIDGET CAR SERIES STANDINGS
1. J.J. Ercse 398
2. Walt Johnson 376
3. Todd Hunsaker 356
4. Greg Edenholm 353
5. West Evans 322
6. Ron Wade 312
7. Gene Godepski 238
8. Steve Parke 233
9. Steve Lambert 225
10. Steve Davis 221
Text provided by Dick Jordan
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