BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Taking advantage of a late restart, Chase Johnson took command of the final three laps to score the $1,200 victory at Bakersfield Speedway.
For Johnson, the 30-lap triumph was the second USAC Western States Midget Series win of his career. Driving the Six8 Motorsports No. 68 Rockwell Security Stewart, the fast qualifier finished ahead of Davey Ray, Austin Liggett, Shannon McQueen and hard charger Max Adams.
Ray led the first 24 circuits before Liggett caught the veteran driver and powered to the lead. Once out front, Liggett began to extend his advantage until young Brody Fuson flipped after tangling with another car.
On the restart, Liggett quickly faced heavy pressure from Ray and Johnson in the first corners. Once the battle sorted out, Johnson emerged with the top spot and was not to be denied on this night.
Johnson began the night by setting the top mark in Woodland Auto Display Qualifying with a time of 12.803 over the 20-car roster.
The finish:
Feature (30 laps): 1. Chase Johnson (6), 2. Davey Ray (1), 3. Austin Liggett (4), 4. Shannon McQueen (5), 5. Max Adams (13), 6. David Prickett (2), 7. Troy Rutherford (8), 8. Blake Bower (9), 9. Troy Morris III (11), 10. Ron Hazelton (18), 11. Brody Fuson (7), 12. Dylan Ito (17), 13. Kyle Beilman (20), 14. Ben Worth (3), 15. C.J. Sarna (14), 16. Colby Johnson (12), 17. Terry Nichols (15), 18. Jarrett Soares (16), 19. Jake Vermeer (19), 20. Maria Cofer (10). NT