Flock shakes and rolls to 50^th career USAC midget win – By Bobby Gerould – Oildale, CA. 04/16/05 - …50 wins in a series of any kind is an accomplishment reserved for a select group of racers. Saturday night at Bakersfield Speedway, Robby Flock of Murrieta, CA. won his 50^th USAC Western States Midget feature with a patient yet determined drive in Mike Sala’s potent #79. Flock passed Jerome Rodela on the back chute on lap 21 of 29 to claim a shortened race of attrition. Due to time constraints, and after seven caution flags, the feature was cut by one lap.

"This is awesome!" said Flock post-race. "To win my 50^th in the 50^th year of USAC racing is excellent. I give credit to ‘Biggie’ (crew chief, Steve Watt); he was right on all night. Everything he said was going to happen, happened."

Rodela made a slick move in turn three to slide past front row starters, Flock and Garrett Hansen to lead lap one of the scheduled 30 lap feature. At the 15 lap mark, Rodela had extended his lead to a full straightaway over Flock and Hansen on the hard surface. Ryan Kaplan appeared to be the first driver to ‘find the rubber’ that was being laid down as he charged into third on lap 16. Two circuits later, a caution for Matt Mitchell who spun to avoid a sideways Hansen, set up the lead change.

Flock used the restart to close in on Rodela. He then passed the race long leader. "I was running a different line than Jerome", explained Flock. "I was saving my tires, and just kind of running’ the bottom and then we closed up so quickly, I got my elbows up, and said ‘we might have a shot at him’."

Thomas Meseraull passed Rodela on lap 23 to take the runner-up spot. Kaplan finished third followed by Rick Hendrix who rebounded from a lap seven tangle to overtake Steven Paden in the waning stages of the event. Paden completed the top-five.

Paden paced time-trials with a 13.677 clocking. Kaplan, Shannon McQueen, and Steve Koster were heat race winners. Meseraull won a shortened semi-main. The event was cut after seven laps when rookie Brad Galedridge needed medical assistance following a turn one tangle. The car of Dallen McKenney hit Galedridge squarely in the left side of the cockpit. Galedrige was complaining of knee pain. Following the event, the 2004 Ford Focus California North Champion said he was "fine", and that he expected to race next Saturday in Ventura.

The entertaining Ford Focus 20-lapper was claimed by Bobby Michnowicz. He held off Alex Harris, and Chase Barber on the final lap as the three raced deep in traffic into turn one. Harris clipped Michnowicz coming off turn two sending Harris’ #54 into a broadside. Barber held on for second, and the podium finishers were completed by Robbie Whitchurch.

Midget Heat One: 1. Kaplan, 2. Rodela, 3. Paden, 4. Pierovich, 5. Everhart, 6. E. Pace, 7. Hansen, 8. Graves, 9. Galedridge

Midget Heat Two: 1. Koster, 2. Hendrix, 3. Pankratz, 4. Rahe, 5. Voitel, 6. R. Pace, 7. D’Arcy, 8. McKenney, 9. Lakatos

Midget Heat Three: 1. McQueen, 2. Mitchell, 3. Flock, 4. Christian, 5. Sarale, 6. Brown, 7. Rodriguez, 8. Meseraull, 9. Dennett.

Semi Main – 10 Laps – Top 8 transfer to A-Main – 1. Meseraull, 2. Brown, 3. Hansen, 4. R. Pace, 5. Rodriguez, 6. Graves, 7. D’Arcy, 8. Dennett, 9. Lakatos, 10. E. Pace, 11. Galedridge, 12. Voitel, 13. McKenney, 14. Sarale, 15. Everhart.

FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Robby Flock, 2. Thomas Meseraull, 3. Ryan

Kaplan, 4. Rick Hendrix, 5. Steve Paden, 6. Jerome Rodela, 7. Shannon

McQueen, 8. Scott Pierovich, 9. Steve Koster, Jr., 10. Garrett Hansen, 11. Chris D’Arcy, 12. Johnny Rodriguez, 13. Tyler Brown, 14. Nick Mitchell, 15. Greg Dennett, 16. Chris Rahe, 17. Wally Pankratz, 18. Ryan Pace, 19. Stephen Graves, 20. Jimmy Christian. NT

-----------------------------

**McKenney flipped during the second heat.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-20 Rodela, Laps 21-30 Flock.

Ford Focus entrants: (no qualifying) 91 – Chase Barber, 53 – Cameron Veach, 32 – Randi Pankratz, 11 – Jake Vail, 72 – John Isreal, 63 – Chris Veach, 82 – Robbie Whitchurch, 7 – Bobby Owens, 39 – Cal Smith, 59 – Jet Davison, 17 – Audra Sasselli, 21 – Bobby Michnowicz, 5 – Bret Engstrom, 67 – Keith Janca, 2 – Mike Collins, 44 – Nick Carlson, 14 – J.R. Tremino, 54 – Alex Harris, 74 – JR Williams, 01 – Todd Carroll

Focus Heat One – 1. Vail, 2. Barber, 3. Chris Veach, 4. Bobby Owens, 5. Cameron Veach, 6. Pankratz, 7. Isreal

Focus Heat Two - 1. Smith, 2. Michnowicz, 3. Davison, 4. Saselli, 5. Engstrom, 6. Janca, 7. Collins

Focus Heat Three – 1. Harris, 2. Carroll, 3. Whitchurch, 4. Carlson, 5. Williams, 6. Tremino

Ford Focus Main Event: 1. Michnowicz, 2. Barber, 3. Whitchurch, 4. Smith, 5. Vail, 6. Chris Veach, 7. Engstrom, 8. Sasselli, 9. Pankratz, 10. Janca, 11. Williams, 12. Cameron Veach, 13. Davison, 14. Harris, 15. Carroll, 16. Isreal, 17. Collins, 18. Tremino, 19. Carlson, 20. Owens.

Notes:

• Champion Johnny Rodriguez did not take a qualifying lap due to a broken birdcage on his new #30. Rodriguez made repairs and started scratch in the final heat.
• Dallen McKenney flipped while leading the second heat. He went too high in turn three and hit the wall. McKenney brought out a backup car for the start of the semi-main.