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Midget Racing News From Around the World
Pickens to Return to Pavement
Plenty of speculation is going on back in NZ as to exactly what has happened to Michael Pickens pavement racing aspirations. Several Pickens supporters have been asking just when the current NZ Midget Champion will return to pavement racing. Before leaving NZ for the USA, Pickens supporters contributed to a fundraising event - “Pickens 4 NASCAR” - that raised more than $50,000 on the premise the money raised was to go towards Pickens gaining pavement rides on his 2007 USA racing campaign.
Because the 2007 USA Midget racing calendar is now about exhausted, Pickens will return to do some more Late Model pavement racing before he returns home to NZ. With not much pavement racing experience and because of his age, the rising 25 year old deciding to try to kick-start his NASCAR dream this late in the season will almost certainly end up being a case of too little too late. Over the past 3 months, with Pickens electing to concentrate more on dirt racing rather than pavement, the NASCAR dream that Pickens supporters held, and contributed towards him achieve, now looks likely to end up being just that, a dream.
Plenty of speculation is going on back in NZ as to exactly what has happened to Michael Pickens pavement racing aspirations. Several Pickens supporters have been asking just when the current NZ Midget Champion will return to pavement racing. Before leaving NZ for the USA, Pickens supporters contributed to a fundraising event - “Pickens 4 NASCAR” - that raised more than $50,000 on the premise the money raised was to go towards Pickens gaining pavement rides on his 2007 USA racing campaign.
Because the 2007 USA Midget racing calendar is now about exhausted, Pickens will return to do some more Late Model pavement racing before he returns home to NZ. With not much pavement racing experience and because of his age, the rising 25 year old deciding to try to kick-start his NASCAR dream this late in the season will almost certainly end up being a case of too little too late. Over the past 3 months, with Pickens electing to concentrate more on dirt racing rather than pavement, the NASCAR dream that Pickens supporters held, and contributed towards him achieve, now looks likely to end up being just that, a dream.
Guess Who..............
Time of the year for Kiwi race fans to start the usual game of ‘guess who the American drivers are who will be racing in NZ this coming summer’.
midgetracingnews.com doesn’t have a list of drivers who will be racing at Western Springs next January/February and do know that Springs Promotion as yet, haven’t a confirmed list of drivers who will be heading our way
Some of the names being thrown around as possible ‘contenders’ to make up the USA team include - Jerry Coons Jnr, Darren Hagen, Ricky Stenhouse, Brad Kuhn, Dave Darland, Brady Bacon, Brad Loyet, Levi Jones and Scott Hatton.
Hopefully, like last season we will see six USA drivers make the trip to NZ, any six of the above drivers would make a formidable USA team.
With Internet reports suggesting that Brad Loyet will be racing a Geoff Harper owned car at Western Springs this summer, Springs Promotions may only require 5 drivers from the above list.
Word around town is that a couple of Australian Midget drivers might also contest the International Midget Series at Western Springs next season. Two names mentioned have been Mark Brown and Adam Clarke. With the NZ Series events seemingly not clashing with any major Aussie events, maybe it’s timely for a couple of Aussies to return to race at Western Springs?
Time of the year for Kiwi race fans to start the usual game of ‘guess who the American drivers are who will be racing in NZ this coming summer’.
midgetracingnews.com doesn’t have a list of drivers who will be racing at Western Springs next January/February and do know that Springs Promotion as yet, haven’t a confirmed list of drivers who will be heading our way
Some of the names being thrown around as possible ‘contenders’ to make up the USA team include - Jerry Coons Jnr, Darren Hagen, Ricky Stenhouse, Brad Kuhn, Dave Darland, Brady Bacon, Brad Loyet, Levi Jones and Scott Hatton.
Hopefully, like last season we will see six USA drivers make the trip to NZ, any six of the above drivers would make a formidable USA team.
With Internet reports suggesting that Brad Loyet will be racing a Geoff Harper owned car at Western Springs this summer, Springs Promotions may only require 5 drivers from the above list.
Word around town is that a couple of Australian Midget drivers might also contest the International Midget Series at Western Springs next season. Two names mentioned have been Mark Brown and Adam Clarke. With the NZ Series events seemingly not clashing with any major Aussie events, maybe it’s timely for a couple of Aussies to return to race at Western Springs?
Chilli Bowl 2008
Aussie Mark Brown made his Chili Bowl debut earlier this year and has recently announced his intentions to contest the event again next January.
Brown will drive the Stealth/Mopar car, the same car he piloted in last year Januarys event, that is still in the USA. Accompanying Brown in Tulsa will be fellow Aussies Brett Morris and long time Brown sponsor Brad Dent, Rondalee Metal Fabrication owner Brad Dent.
Word from the USA also has it that Kiwi Michael Pickens will soon be offered a top drive at next years Chili Bowl January 8-12 event. Pickens made his Chili Bowl debut in 2005, finishing 6th and picking up the Rookie of the Year award.
Aussie Mark Brown made his Chili Bowl debut earlier this year and has recently announced his intentions to contest the event again next January.
Brown will drive the Stealth/Mopar car, the same car he piloted in last year Januarys event, that is still in the USA. Accompanying Brown in Tulsa will be fellow Aussies Brett Morris and long time Brown sponsor Brad Dent, Rondalee Metal Fabrication owner Brad Dent.
Word from the USA also has it that Kiwi Michael Pickens will soon be offered a top drive at next years Chili Bowl January 8-12 event. Pickens made his Chili Bowl debut in 2005, finishing 6th and picking up the Rookie of the Year award.
Check this kid out!
In the racing game we often hear stories about youngsters whose attitudes suck, ultimately they end up being the sucker and they end up on a fast track to nowhere.
If the attitude theory is correct, any young driver might want to read the following inspiring story sent in by John Lee from Florida. John is the proud Dad and Prime Sponsor of 9-year old Carter Lee. Good luck Carter!
Fast track to his dream
A driven 9-year-old boy is using go-cart racing as the first step toward a career at the pinnacle of NASCAR racing, the Nextel Cup. He understands how the business works also, spending time away from the track chasing down sponsors to support him.
FULL STORY
In the racing game we often hear stories about youngsters whose attitudes suck, ultimately they end up being the sucker and they end up on a fast track to nowhere.
If the attitude theory is correct, any young driver might want to read the following inspiring story sent in by John Lee from Florida. John is the proud Dad and Prime Sponsor of 9-year old Carter Lee. Good luck Carter!
Fast track to his dream
A driven 9-year-old boy is using go-cart racing as the first step toward a career at the pinnacle of NASCAR racing, the Nextel Cup. He understands how the business works also, spending time away from the track chasing down sponsors to support him.
FULL STORY
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PRUETT PASSES AWAY AT HIS ARIZONA HOME
By DICK JORDAN
USAC
Alex Pruett, 20, of Carefree, Ariz., who impressed USAC
participants and officials with his infectious smile, cooperative attitude and courteous
demeanor on his way to second place in the 2007 USAC Regional Midget Series
standings, succumbed to a diabetic coma at his Arizona home Saturday night.
After a 2004 season of Sprint car racing in Indiana which
included 27 feature starts, Pruett's Midget racing career started at the 2005 Chili
Bowl in Tulsa, Okla. where he qualified for the Friday night "A-Main." He made
his USAC debut at Beaver Dam, Wisc. and competed in additional races at
Indianapolis, Ind., Milwaukee, Wisc. and Columbus, Ohio..
In 2006 Pruett ranked 20th in the USAC Regional Midget Series
with a fourth and a fifth at New Castle, Ind. and a fifth at Anderson, Ind. He
also competed in National Midget races at Phoenix International Raceway and
Columbus, Ohio. In Western Midget competition he finished fourth at Ventura,
Calif. and 11th at Ventura, Calif.
This year he compiled 17 "top-10" finishes on his way to second
in the Regional Midget points. That included victories at Mansfield (Ohio)
Motorsports Park August 10 and Mount Lawn Speedway in New Castle, Ind. August 26 and three seconds and three thirds. In the last four Regional Midget event he started he was on the "podium" every time. He also finished 10th in the
National Midget race at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway September 15.
Alex will certainly be missed and served as an attitude model for
participants in all of USAC's series.
By DICK JORDAN
USAC
Alex Pruett, 20, of Carefree, Ariz., who impressed USAC
participants and officials with his infectious smile, cooperative attitude and courteous
demeanor on his way to second place in the 2007 USAC Regional Midget Series
standings, succumbed to a diabetic coma at his Arizona home Saturday night.
After a 2004 season of Sprint car racing in Indiana which
included 27 feature starts, Pruett's Midget racing career started at the 2005 Chili
Bowl in Tulsa, Okla. where he qualified for the Friday night "A-Main." He made
his USAC debut at Beaver Dam, Wisc. and competed in additional races at
Indianapolis, Ind., Milwaukee, Wisc. and Columbus, Ohio..
In 2006 Pruett ranked 20th in the USAC Regional Midget Series
with a fourth and a fifth at New Castle, Ind. and a fifth at Anderson, Ind. He
also competed in National Midget races at Phoenix International Raceway and
Columbus, Ohio. In Western Midget competition he finished fourth at Ventura,
Calif. and 11th at Ventura, Calif.
This year he compiled 17 "top-10" finishes on his way to second
in the Regional Midget points. That included victories at Mansfield (Ohio)
Motorsports Park August 10 and Mount Lawn Speedway in New Castle, Ind. August 26 and three seconds and three thirds. In the last four Regional Midget event he started he was on the "podium" every time. He also finished 10th in the
National Midget race at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway September 15.
Alex will certainly be missed and served as an attitude model for
participants in all of USAC's series.