Quinton Crye Wins First Midget Feature at Placerville

By Robert Haugh

Quintin Crye and crew in victory lane after winning the Bay Cities Racing Association Midget main event at Placerville Speedway

Manning the Lucas Oil/Incredisoles Glen Crye Racing #15 Stealth/Brayton Ford, 19-year-old Quinton Crye outdueled a stellar Bay Cities Racing Association Midget field on Saturday, May 31, capturing his first career Midget victory.

Chauffeuring his mount with veteran-like poise, Crye earned the win over multi-time BCRA feature winner Jimmy Christian aboard the Walker-Racing Bay Muffler #10 Stealth/Esslinger, 17-year-old reigning BCRA champion Justin Grant of nearby Ione aboard the #17 TNT RaceSports Dave & Wendy Thurston RacingforourTroops.com Spike/Esslinger, Bud Kaeding aboard Mike Sala’s #19s Spike/Bob Wirth Mopar and three-time BCRA champion Glenn Carson aboard Doug Bock’s #26 Spike/Esslinger rounding out the Top five.

Battling from his inside-sixth-row (11th) starting position, Crye valiantly made his way through the pack, eventually overtaking Christian in Turn 3 on lap 27 in heavy traffic, leading the final four laps en route to claiming his first-ever Midget victory.

After getting beneath the rim-riding Christian, Crye maintained a smooth and steady lead with Christian, Grant, Kaeding and Carson putting on a spectacular show dicing back-and-forth for the Top five positions --- the trio swapping positions two through five over the final five laps.

Though Kaeding was smooth and fast in the always-strong Sala mount, he couldn't surpass reigning BCRA champ Grant after an intensely contested battle for third and fourth place.

Making his inaugural BCRA Midget appearance, 15-year-old Kyle Larson impressed many, charging from his outside seventh-row (14th) starting spot to claim sixth-place in only his second-career Midget start (’08 Chili Bowl was his first appearance in a Midget --- in the same Blackwell mount) aboard Cliff Blackwell’s #27b Stealth/Gaerte.

Chauffeuring Bob Roza’s #20 Beast/Esslinger, Danny Parker led the first nine laps of the 30-lap feature before Christian and others caught him in slower traffic. Parker scored a seventh-place finish with points leader Scott Nail claiming eighth aboard Stu Donaldson’s #8x Stealth/Pontiac with Todd Miller capturing ninth aboard his #9 Stealth/Esslinger and 15-year-old BCRA rookie Britton Bock rounding out the Top Ten in his own #62 TCR/Pontiac.

The near capacity-crowd enjoyed a thrilling battle throughout the pack during the exciting 30-lap Midget feature. There were no flips or red flags thrown for the Midgets with only minimal caution periods for small tangle-ups.

Nick Foster, Jr. spun the #24 Jim Fowler Beast/Esslinger on Lap 8. At the same time, seven-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis exited the race with an expired engine in the #18 Champion Automotive “Green Beret” Stealth/Esslinger.

Foster spun again on Lap 27 and retired due to the two-spin rule. 1999 BCRA champion Matt Streeter and Oregon’s Steve Dickenson aboard his #99s Edmunds/Pontiac came together on Lap 27, both exiting the race due to excessive damage.

Christian claimed Heat 1 aboard the Walker Racing-Bay Muffler #10 Stealth/Esslinger over Carson, Streeter aboard his own #14jr Spike/Ed Pink Ford, Pete Davis in his #00 Hothead Engine Heaters Stealth/Esslinger and 15-year-old Larson aboard the Blackwell Motorsports #27b Stealth/Gaerte.

Grant claimed Heat 2 over pointsleader Nail, Crye, Kaeding and Auburn’s Dave Stoltz aboard his #77 Pacific Flyer/Range Rover V6.

Qualifications were not held and lineups were determined by pill draw and points average.

Through seven races, Scott Nail leads the BCRA Midget points (526) over Nick Foster, Jr. (481), Floyd Alvis (446), Kyle Dickerson (349), Kevin Morris (340), Midget Lite grad “Nitro” Nick Chivello (327), Dallen McKenney (295), Justin Grant (371), Mike Donaldson (266) and Ralph Cortez (253).

The BCRA Midgets now trek to the pavement at Lakeport Speedway in Lakeport this Saturday, June 7, then return two weeks later to Placerville Speedway on June 21.

Visit www.bcraracing.com for more information on the Bay Cities Racing Association.

Summary:
Main Event 30 Laps (start position in parentheses) NT

1. Quinton Crye (11)
2. Jimmy Christian (4)
3. Justin Grant (9)
4. Bud Kaeding (13)
5. Glenn Carson (2)
6. Kyle Larson (14)
7. Danny Parker (1)
8. Scott Nail (5)
9. Todd Miller (3)
10. Britton Bock (19)
11. Rick Young (17)
12. Matt Streeter (10)
13. Pete Davis (12)
14. Nick Foster, Jr. (18)
15. Steve Dickenson (15)
16. John Taylor (16)
17. Floyd Alvis (6)
18. Dave Stoltz (7)
19. Cole Peard (8)

Lap Leaders: Parker 1-9, Christian 10-26, Crye 27-30

Heat 1: 1. Jimmy Christian (4), 2. Glenn Carson (3), 3. Matt Streeter (9), 4. Pete Davis (8), 5. Kyle Larson (10), 6. Floyd Alvis (5), 7. Cole Peard (6), 8. Steve Dickenson (2), 9. Rick Young (9), 10. Britton Bock (1) Time 2.09.42

Heat 2: 1. Justin Grant (6), 2. Scott Nail (4), 3. Quinton Crye (7), 4. Bud Kaeding (9), 5. Dave Stoltz (5), 6. Danny Parker (1), 7. Todd Miller (3), 8. John Taylor (8), 9. Nick Foster, Jr. (2) Time 2:07.93