NAMARS: Fike Wins Season Final, Westfall Season Champ
27 October 1998
A.J. FIKE CAPS NAMARS SEASON; WESTFALL NEW NAMARS CHAMP By LES MESZAROS DEGRAFF, OH – Seventeen year old A.J. Fike, of Galesburg, IL, brought the NAMARS Auto Value midget season to an end Sunday afternoon by winning the 30 lap feature in convincing fashion. Fike took over on lap 15 and pulled away from the field driving the Fike Motorsports Hawk/Esslinger. This was Fike's second win this season. At the drop of the green, it was Kevin Besecker jumping into the lead with Fike right on his rear bumper. Besecker clung to the inside of the track while Fike kept looking to the outside. Not only was Besecker holding off Fike but also held off bunches of midgets right behind Fike. There were at least 8 midgets jammed up behind Besecker and Fike all looking to move up. Fike pulled up along side Besecker on lap 12. Unbelievably the racing got even closer as Fike was really applying the pressure. Despite a very heroic effort, Fike finally took the lead on lap 15 as he got by Besecker on the outside at the start-finish line. Fike managed to pull away briefly but a caution on lap 19 put Besecker back on Fike's rear bumper. When the green waved again Besecker challenged Fike but to no avail as Fike resumed the lead. The longer the race stayed green the faster Fike seemed to get and he lengthened his lead and came home a convincing winner. Besecker managed to hold off the rest of the field to finish second followed by A.J. Davis, NAMARS champion Matt Westfall fourth and Aaron Fike fifth. Matt Westfall set fast time with a lap 13.06 seconds. Heat race victories went to Wayne Chinn, Kevin Besecker and T.R. Barker. Matt Westfall won the Semi-feature. There were 35 midgets in the pits. New NAMARS champion Matt Westfall succeeds three time champion, midget legend, Mel Kenyon. Mel was in the pits but he had his son Brice driving his car. Mack McClellan has both of his teams up for sale and his two top- notch drivers Nick Fornoro and Kevin Besecker are with out rides for next season. Hopefully these competitors will be back on the circuit next year. The summary: Qualifications: 1. Matt Westfall, Jack Hammons, 54, 13.06; 2. Jim Sawyer, Sawyer, 59, 13.08; 3. Dave Baumgartner, J.B. Motorsports, 98, 13.11; 4. Aaron Fike, Fike Motorsports, 8, 13.13; 5. Kevin Newton, Steve Newton, 14, 13.14; 6. Nick Fornoro, McClellan Motorsports, 2, 13.20; 7. Barry Reed, Reed, 16, 13.26; 8. Larry Gibson, Dick Myers, 5, 13.27; 9. A.J. Davis, Margaret Owen, 28, 13.29; 10. Brice Kenyon, 3K Racing, 61, 13.30; 11. Kevin Besecker, McClellan Motorsports, 3, 13.37; 12. A.J. Fike, Fike Motorsports, 69, 13.38; 13. David Thompson, Klaus Weaver, 38, 13.45; 14. Bob Nock, Nock, 51, 13.47; 15. J.D. Turner, Bruce Turner, 53, 13.50; 16. Wayne Chinn, Chinn Motorsports, 71, 13.52; 17. Mark Boice, Team Boice Racing, 4, 13.56; 18. Don Moore, Moore Family, 55, 13.63; 19. Joe Mershon, No Limit Racing, 70, 13.64; 20. Rich Corson, Corson, 10, 13.76; 21. Rick Harrell, Rick Harrell, 1, 13.81; 22. Phil Rutledge, Rutledge, 97, 13.84; 23. Brad Kuhn, Bob Crowe & Dave Palmer, 24, 13.87; 24. Ike Beasley, Beasley, 71, 14.03; 25. Gary Harrell, Harrell, 4, 14..06; 26. Toby Alfrey, Alfrey, 82, 14.10; 27. T.R. Barker, Jim Baumgartner, 9B, 14.17; 28. Rick Vaughn, Eddie Griffith, 41X, 14.37; 29. Marc Longworth, Jim Sawyer, 9L, 14.58; 30. Brian Martin, Martin, 93, 14.65; 31. Jay Mason, Mason, 4M, 14.71; 32. Dick St. John, Eddie Griffith, 41, NT; 33. Pat Wilda, Wilda, 55, NT; 34. Doug Helmke, Helmke, 62, NT; 35. John Sluss, Sluss, 28, NT. First Heat (8 laps): Chinn, A. Fike, Mershon, Reed, Thompson, G. Harrell, Rutledge, Vaughn, Mason, Westfall. Second Heat (8 laps): Besecker, Gibson, Corson, Boice, Nock, Newton, Sawyer, Kuhn, Longworth, Alfrey. Third Heat (8 laps): Barker, R. Harrell, Davis, Moore, Beasley, Turner, A.J. Fike, Baumgartner, Martin, Fornoro. Semi-feature (10 laps): Westfall, Sawyer, Baumgartner, Newton, A.J. Fike, Nock, Turner, Thompson, Beasley, G. Harrell, Kuhn, Longworth, Martin, Vaughn, Mason. Feature (30 laps) (Finishing position, starting position, name, hometown): 1. (1) A.J. Fike, Galesburg, IL 2. (2) Kevin Besecker, Greenville, OH 3. (3) A.J. Davis, Spartanburg, SC 4. (10) Matt Westfall, Ludlow Falls, OH 5. (7) A. Fike, Galesburg, IL 6. (4) Larry Gibson, Richwood, OH 7. (14) Wayne Chinn, Tipp City, OH 8. (23) T.R. Barker, Toledo, OH 9. (13) J.D. Turner, Cincinnati, OH 10. (17) Joe Mershon, Indianapolis, IN 11. (5) Barry Reed, Indianapolis, IN 12. (11) David Thompson, Minooka, IL 13. (22) Gary Harrell, Temperance, MI 14. (19) Rick Harrell, Temperance, MI 15. (21) Ike Beasley, West Bloomfield, MI 16. (6) Kevin Newton, Terra Haute, IN 17. (16) Don Moore, Hamilton, OH 18. (18) Rich Corson, Markham, IL 19. (15) Mark Boice, Noblesville, IN 20. (9) Jim Sawyer, Hamilton, OH 21. (24) Marc Longworth, Trenton, OH 22. (12) Bob Nock, Jamestown, OH 23. (25) Brian Martin, Fort Wayne, IN 24. (8) Dave Baumgartner, Ottawa Lake, MI 25. (20) Brad Kuhn, Danville, IN Top Ten Points: 1) Matt Westfall 1443 2) A.J. Fike 1342 3) Nick Fornoro 1337 4) Kevin Besecker 1244 5) A.J. Davis 1137 6) Kevin Newton 1111 7) Jason Setser 1015 8) Larry Gibson 994 9) Wayne Chinn 965 10) Jim Sawyer 907 # # #
