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SWEET LEADS MIDGETS TO TEXAS

Brad Sweet of Grass Valley, Calif. is the leader in points as the USAC Mopar National Midget Car Series heads to Texas for back-to-back pavement races.

Sweet won the series opener at Phoenix, Ariz. in February and added a fourth-place at Perris, Calif. a week later and leads Darren Hagen of Riverside, Calif. by eight points. Hagen scored "top-10" finishes in all three February races, including a victory at Perris. Two-time USAC Mopar National Champion Jerry Coons Jr. currently ranks fifth in the standings after winning at Las Vegas. Nev.

The "Lloyd Ruby Classic" at Red River Speedway in Wichita Falls Friday kicks off the two-night extravaganza, honoring the Indianapolis 500 legend who makes Wichita Falls his home. Ruby is a member of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame and an 18-time participant in the "500," finishing third in 1964. It's been 40 years since Lee Kunzman won USAC's last race in Wichita Falls!

The "Allstate Texas Racefest" at Thunder Hill Raceway in Kyle, Texas on Saturday night concludes the weekend activities. Dave Steele won USAC's last Texas race at Kyle in 2006.

Feature events at both the 1/4-mile paved Wichita Falls and 3/8-mile paved Kyle ovals will be 50 laps.

Sweet, Hagen and Coons will all be trying to build on successful starts to the 2009 season, while others will be trying to surpass them in the standings with good Texas showings.

Chad Boat of Phoenix, Ariz., last year's "Rookie of the Year," is third in the standings and became the youngest winner in USAC National Sprint Car history last year at the age of 16!

Brad Kuhn of Avon, Ind. is fourth in the current standings and finished no worse than seventh in the three February outings, while Tony Stewart racing's Tracy Hines, who lost last year's title by a single point, is sixth in the points after a second-place finish at Perris.

One driver to watch is Cole Whitt, of Alpine, Calif., the defending series champion, failed to crack the "top-10" in his first two 2009 starts but grabbed a third at Perris. He remains out of the "top-10" in the points entering the Texas races.

-credit: --USAC--