Madera Race Report

Indy Racing League veteran Davey Hamilton of Boise, Ida. captured Saturday night's 30-lap USAC Western Sprint Car feature at the Madera (Calif.) Speedway. The win was his second in the 1999 series to go along with his two victories in the MCI WorldCom Western Midget Car series. The Western Sprint Cars will share the spotlight with the MCI WorldCom TQ Midget Cars this Saturday night in a "doubleheader" program at the Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway. A 20-lap TQ race on the 1/3-mile pavement precedes the 30-lap Sprint race on the 1/2-mile. Hamilton passed defending Western Sprint Car Champion Jeff Gardner on the sixth lap and led the rest of the way in the Bob Consani machine to beat Gardner, Tony Hunt, Rick Williams and Pat Quinn to the checkered flag. Series point leader Bud Kaeding finished ninth and continues to lead the standings going into Saturday night's program at Irwindale where he has dominated the 1999 competition, winning all four previous feature events. Hamilton was also the fastest qualifier at Madera and won his heat race. Williams also won a heat race and Todd Ellison won the semi. Williams trails Kaeding by 114 points in the new series standings. Greg Edenholm of Aguoro, Calif. leads the MCI WorldCom TQ Midget standings going into the Irwindale events. He is 29 points ahead of Josh Wise, who has won three times this year at Irwindale. Edenholm also won at Irwindale in June.

WESTERN SPRINT CAR STANDINGS

1.      Bud Kaeding     779             6.      Todd Ellison    468
2.      Rick Williams   665             7.      Tom Stansberry  461
3.      Rick Hendrix    650             8.      Dave Fitzgerald 427
4.      Bobby McMahan   625             9.      Jeff Gardner    416
5.      Tony Hunt       518             10.     Curtis Brown    388

MCI WORLDCOM TQ MIDGET CAR STANDINGS

1.      Greg Edenholm   344             6.      West Evans      208
2.      Josh Wise       315             7.      Todd Hunsaker   166
3.      Randi Pankratz  265             8.      Jim Styer       151
4.      Walt Johnson    245             9.      Ron Wade        135
5.      Gene Godepski   227             10.     Steve Lambert   129