BRYANT BELL TAKES OVER POINTS LEAD WITH OCEAN SPEEDWAY WMR WIN
WATSONVILLE, CALIFORNIA (August 12, 2023) – Bryant Bell of Oakley won his first Ocean Speedway Western Midget Racing win on Friday night, winning his fourth feature of the WMR season and taking over the points lead in a big night for the driver of the No. 09 for Toyota Walnut Creek and Boscacci Racing.
Bell and his rookie teammate Adrianna DeMartini of Brentwood split the eight-lap heat races in Watsonville. They shared the front row for the 20-lap main event.
Surprise, Ariz.’s Drake Edwards used the outside line to quickly charge from sixth to third at the drop of the green flag. DeMartini and Bell raced side-by-side for the lead with DeMartini leading lap one before Bell led lap two. Edwards swooped past them both to lead lap three.
Bell followed Edwards on the high line as they charged ahead of the field. Bell then drove underneath Edwards to retake the lead on lap nine. The leaders then approached lapped traffic by lap 14. Edwards used the traffic as a pick to execute a crossover in turn two but it was nullified. Incoming points leader Logan Mitchell of Santa Cruz flipped hard in turns three and four. He was able to walk away from a battered No. 96x Boss Chassis.
Bell never relinquished the lead on the way to his sixth-career WMR win and the points lead. Edwards finished second followed by DeMartini, Lodi’s Nate Wait, and two-time defending champion Blake Bower of Brentwood.
Western Midget Racing competes on Saturday night August 12 at Marysville Raceway. They will be joined by 360 Sprint Cars, Crate Sprints, and more. For more information visit www.WesternMidgetRacing.com
RESULTS: Ocean Speedway August 11, 2023
A Feature 1 (20 Laps): 1. 09-Bryant Bell[1]; 2. 4R-Drake Edwards[6]; 3. 19-Adrianna DeMartini[2]; 4. 35W-Nate Wait[4]; 5. 9-Blake Bower[3]; 6. 7-Greg Dennett[10]; 7. 3-Jerry Kobza[9]; 8. 68X-Gene Sigal[12]; 9. 15-Adam Weisberg[5]; 10. 68-Marvin Mitchell[7]; 11. 96X-Logan Mitchell[8]; 12. 66-Darin Horton[11]; 13. (DNS) 54-Anthony Bruno
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 09-Bryant Bell[1]; 2. 9-Blake Bower[5]; 3. 15-Adam Weisberg[3]; 4. 68-Marvin Mitchell[4]; 5. 3-Jerry Kobza[6]; 6. 66-Darin Horton[2]; 7. (DNS) 54-Anthony Bruno
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 19-Adrianna DeMartini[2]; 2. 35W-Nate Wait[1]; 3. 4R-Drake Edwards[3]; 4. 96X-Logan Mitchell[6]; 5. 7-Greg Dennett[4]; 6. 68X-Gene Sigal[5]
2023 WMR Schedule – Subject to Change
2.4 Adobe Mountain Speedway – Winner: Dustin Cormany
3.18 Mohave Valley Raceway – Winner: Drake Edwards
3.31 Ocean Speedway – RAIN
4.1 Antioch Speedway – RAIN
4.29 Ventura Raceway – Winner: Bryant Bell
5.12 Ocean Speedway – Winner: Blake Bower
5.13 Petaluma Speedway – Winner: Bryant Bell
6.9 Ocean Speedway – Winner: Blake Bower
6.10 Petaluma Speedway – Winner: Bryant Bell
6.17 Ventura Raceway *Wagsdash* Winner: Drake Edwards
7.14 Ocean Speedway *Howard Kaeding Classic* Winner: Drake Edwards
7.15 Ocean Speedway *Howard Kaeding Classic* Winner: Blake Bower
7.28 Ocean Speedway Winner: Blake Bower
7.29 Antioch Speedway Winner: Drake Edwards
8.11 Ocean Speedway Winner: Bryant Bell
8.12 Marysville Raceway
9.2 Bakersfield Speedway
9.30 Mohave Valley Raceway
10.21 Ventura Raceway