VENTURA, Calif. — Western Midget Racing champion Bryant Bell outlasted series runner-up Logan Mitchell to claim round three of the WMR at Ventura Raceway on Saturday night. Bell became the third different winner of the season as well.
Bell and Mitchell were separated by just four points at the end the 2023 championship and came into Saturday’s races separated by the same margin.
Bell and Mitchell then split the night’s heat races and lined up second and third respectively in the 20-lap feature.
Bell and his Boscacci Racing teammate Anthony Bruno used the outside line to charge past polesitter Gary DeWitt at the start of the main event. Bell paced Bruno, who won the season opener at Ventura Raceway, in a tight battle. Mitchell slid past DeWitt for third on lap seven and quickly reeled the top two.
Bruno tried to get around Bell on a few occasions, including a dive inside in turn one, to no avail. Bruno finally got a run on the outside in turn three but the leaders banged wheels. Bruno flipped side over side to end his race early on lap 16.
Bell drove ahead of Mitchell on the drop of the green flag on the restart. On the final lap, Mitchell made his move on the outside. Bell and Mitchell went across the finish line side-by-side, with Bell winning by just a few inches. DeWitt finished third followed by Nate Wait and Todd Hawse.
Feature Finish (20 Laps)
1. 09-Bryant Bell[2]; 2. 96X-Logan Mitchell[3]; 3. 48-Gary DeWitt[1]; 4. 35W-Nate Wait[9]; 5. 31-Todd Hawse[7]; 6. 20-Kyle Hawse[6]; 7. 15-Adam Weisberg[11]; 8. 68-Marvin Mitchell[10]; 9. 57-Ray Richards[8]; 10. 9-Anthony Bruno[4]; 11. 3-Terry Nichols[5]; 12. (DNS) 1-Nick Velasquez[12]