Michael Faccinto and Ronnie Gardner finished 1-2 in last year’s USAC Western States Midget feature at Petaluma (Calif.) Speedway. They will continue their 2016 series point battle when the series returns to Petaluma July 16.
After his victory in last Saturday’s race at Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds in Hanford, Calif., Gardner holds a 32-point lead over Faccinto in the latest series standings.
Gardner, of Corona, Calif. led all 30 laps to win Saturday night’s feature race in Hanford. Driving the Baldozier Racing/Esslinger Engineering Stewart/Esslinger, he was trailed at the checkered flag by fast qualifier Faccinto, Cody Swanson, Courtney Crone and Frankie Guerrini.
The win was Gardner’s fourth in five races this season. His only defeat came at the hands of Faccinto at Bakersfield (Calif.) Speedway on June 4.