Bryant Bell from Oakley, California, clinched his fourth consecutive victory in the Ocean Speedway Western Midget Racing series on Friday night, successfully fending off Logan Mitchell of Santa Cruz to secure the 20-lap feature. This recent triumph elevates Bell’s tally to five wins out of his last six WMR events. With a visit to Bell’s home track at Antioch Speedway scheduled for Saturday night, the reigning champion continues to lead the charge into the 2024 racing season.
The evening’s action at Ocean Speedway kicked off with Logan Mitchell and Anthony Bruno from San Jose each winning an eight-lap heat race. Southern California competitors Adam Weisberg from Santa Clarita and Todd Hawse from Moorpark then lined up in front for the main event.
Weisberg dominated the opening 17 laps on a freshly prepped fast track at Ocean Speedway. He was closely pursued by Bryant Bell, Anthony Bruno, and Logan Mitchell—all previous winners within the WMR series—creating an intense atmosphere for Weisberg as he sought his first WMR victory.
Bruno attempted an inside pass on Bell for second place in turn three but lost traction, which allowed Mitchell to take over third position on lap 15.
Unfortunately for Weisberg, his shot at a maiden WMR win ended abruptly when his No. 15 Stealth Chassis encountered mechanical issues and billowed smoke. This set up an exciting three-lap sprint between Bell and Mitchell.
Navigating those final laps, Bell skillfully outmaneuvered Mitchell on the dirt track of Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds to claim victory, with Mitchell finishing second followed by Bruno in third place along with Josh Young from Roseville and Kyle Hawse from Las Vegas rounding out the top five.
“A shoutout goes to Adam for having such a strong run; keep your head up after that performance,” remarked Bell. “Thanks also to Tony Boscacci for putting so much effort into our preparation—the shop is where races are won.”
The Western Midget Racing series will continue Saturday night at Antioch Speedway alongside Hunt Magnetos Wingless Sprint Cars events. To learn more visit www.WesternMidgetRacing.com.
RESULTS: Ocean Speedway July 26, 2024
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 09-Bryant Bell[3]; 2. 96X-Logan Mitchell[5]; 3. 9-Anthony Bruno[4]; 4. 57-Josh Young[11]; 5. 20-Kyle Hawse[6];
6.18-Todd Hawse[2];
7.15-Adam Weisberg[1];
8.68-Marvin Mitchell[8];
9.
2ND-Terry Nichols[9];
10.(DNS)96XX-Nathan Moore
DQ: ONE9-Adrianna DeMartini [7]
Heat Race Results:
