Washington Midget Racing Association

May 8: After suffering a relapse, Jim Crews was back in the hospital. He now has been moved to Tacoma Lutheran Home, room 702, where he will be for at least a couple of weeks. You can call him there at 253 752-7112 or call Dee at 253 752-0971.

He is anxious to see any of his racing friends. YouMay 6: Atkinson Wins in Second Start

It has been more than twenty years since a rookie won a feature event in the Washington Midget Racing Association. Mark Atkinson, in the Atkinson Racing Beast/Esslinger took full advantage of his pole position to do just that Saturday at South Sound Speedway in only his second ever WMRA start and fourth ever full midget feature. “My arms are tired, I was really holding on.” stated Atkinson after the race. (more)

May 3: Rookie Mark Atkinson won the South Sound feature from the pole position followed closely by Evan Margeson and Spence Gatrell. More details soon.

April 28: The WMRA now has a new online store up and running! Now available are a variety of 2008 WMRA shirts and sweaters as well as coffee mugs, clocks, mousepads and more! Click here or on the new 'Merchandise' link on the left. Thanks to Daniel Shields at Crosstown Media for all the great artwork.

April 28: Dolan Lannan has a few pictures up from the first WMRA race of the season. Click here or on the 'Photo Gallery' link on the left to view them. Thanks Dolan!

April 28: Brea Lopez got some great publicity as she was quoted in a Seattle PI story recently. Click here to read the story.

April 12: Tony Seidelman won his second ever WMRA feature with Brea Lopez second. Evan Margeson was third, rookie Mark Atkinson fourth and Darren Linder fifth. A story will follow soon.

April 10: Jim Crews is resting after a nearly ten hour quadruple bypass surgery on April 9. He is at Tacoma General Hospital but will not be able to receive visitors for a couple of days.

April 9: There will be a practice this Friday, April 11, from 3:00pm to dark at South Sound Speedway. The cost is $20 for drivers and $15 for everyone else. The pit gate opens at 1:30pm on race day, April 12.

April 7: We are sorry to report that WMRA Gold Card member, Jim Crews is in Tacoma General Hospital awaiting a quadruple bypass. You can call Dee Crews at 253 752-0971 or send cards to 824 So. Huson, Tacoma, WA 98405. Get well soon, Jim.

March 25: The WMRA racing season is now only about two weeks away. If you are a car owner or driver, make sure to supply Dolan Lannan with the information on your car. Dolan supplies this information to the announcers so be sure to include information on your sponsors. You can call Dolan at 360 681-2313 or email him at dolan@olypen.com. And be sure to get your membership applications in. No one will be allowed to race or practice at any WMRA race without a signed, paid for membership. Click here for an application form and send it to: WMRA, 18524 190th St SW, DuPont, Wa 98327.

March 9: The new and improved WMRA Message board is (finally) up and running. Click here or go to the link on the left to check it out. As in the past, you will not be required to register to use the board. Unlike before, each message will be reviewed by a moderator before being posted to the board. Posts that are knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane or threatening will not be posted. Post will be allowed or denied solely on the WMRA monitor's discretion. The new board currently has three 'Classified' forums and three other forums. Forums may be added or deleted in the future. For comments or questions regarding the new Message Board, email Ken Ferris at racerken@aol.com.

February 26: In an effort to encourage more participation, the WMRA membership has voted to reinstate a Division II for the 2008 season. Click here to read the rules for Division II.

February 18: Here is a new idea. What if the WMRA earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can! GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the organization its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Amazon, Target, Gap, Best Buy, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com or click on the logo above and be sure to enter 'Washington Midget Racing Association' as the organization you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!

February 14: Everyone who received over $600 from WMRA in 2007 will receive a 1099 form for their taxes. These forms will arrive in the mail on or before February 20.

February 12: As some of you may have noticed, the 'Classifieds' section of the WMRA website is not working. We are aware of this and will get it up and working as soon as we can. Thank you for your patience.

February 5: WMRA Gold Card member, Jim Crews will be inducted into the Tacoma-Pierce County Sports Hall of Fame on June fifth of this year, for his involvement with midget racing. Jim began his involvement with midget racing and the WMRA as a sponsor in 1958. Jim and his wife Dee (also a WMRA Gold Card member) have owned midgets and been involved with the WMRA for half a century. Congratulations to Jim for this well deserved recognition! Jim will be among some elite company. Other motor racers already inducted include Don McCloud, Tom Carstens, Leo Dobry, Dick and Wanda Boness, Bob Malley, Pat Austin and Pete Lovely. Click here for a complete list of inductees.

January 31: The next meeting for the Washington Midget Racing Association will hold a general meeting on Tuesday, February 12 at the Fife City Bar and Grill The address there is 3025 Pacific Highway South in Fife, (duh!). It is about one block off the freeway at exit 136. Click here for a map. The Board will meet at 6:00 with the general meeting to follow at 7:00.

January 20: The 2008 WMRA racing schedule is below. Although these dates are considered firm, there may be changes in the future which will be announced on this web site.

January 7: The WMRA membership application on the website has now been updated for 2008. The fee to be an associate member has been lowered to $30 from $50 to encourage more members. Click here to print an application or a minor release form.

December 5: Congratulations to Tony Seidelman for winning the dirt race in Salem, Oregon last saturday and to Doug Kammerzell for his third place finish!

November 22: Congratulations to WMRA Champion, Evan Margeson for his great drive to an eighth place finish at the Turkey Night Grand Prix! Spence Gatrell, Brea Lopez, Dallas Melby and Ben Petter also competed but were unable to transfer out of the last chance races. Snake Livernash ended up fourteenth in his first ever sprint car race.

November 4: The annual WMRA rules meeting will be on Tuesday, November 13 at the Fife City Bar and Grill. The board meeting will begin at 6:00pm with the general meeting to follow at 7:00. This is an hour earlier than usual to allow plenty of time to discuss and vote on any rule proposals. Please submit any rules proposals in writing to president Glen before the meeting. You can email them to: glenrace@hotmail.com or send them to 17320 Park Avenue, Spanaway, WA 98387. Rules that have been submitted in advance will be considered first. Rules proposed the night of the meeting will be considered afterwards if time allows.

WMRA has added a message board to propose and discuss rules for 2008. Click here to read, submit, or discuss rules proposals for the 2008 season.

October 31: The annual WMRA Awards Banquet was held on October 27. It took many volunteers and many hours to make it a success. Thanks to Jo Hinkle, Kathy Poffenberger, Sandy Ferris and Vicki Margeson for their help with the decorations. Thanks to Dolan Lannan for the great photos. You can check some of them out in the Photo Gallery. Board members Chris Melby and Randy Manners and Dick Voss each spent many hours helping. And thanks to all who helped at the event, speaker Chip Hanuer, Jo Hinkle, trophy girl Juli Gidlund, and especially to Tom Glithero who did a great job as the emcee. Many special awards were presented. Congratulations to all the winners! They were:

October 24: The WMRA is pleased to announce their officers for the 2008 season. They are:

The new Board of Directors is looking forward to the upcoming season. If you have any comments or questions, you can call Glen Seidelman at 253 535-5849 or email him at glenrace@hotmail.com.

October 22: What to do this Saturday night? You can see Korn for $42.50 per ticket or see the Seattle Symphony for $66. Lots of scary movies are on the tube including "Stephen King's It" and "The Exorcist". Or you can come on out to the 2007 WMRA Awards banquet. In addition to a great meal, a Chip Hanauer speech and lots of good friends, you will get to see Tom Glithero talking (okay, nothing new there) lots of old cars on display and Juli Gidlund in a blue dress. We also have nearly $2000 worth of door prizes to give away. All this and more for only $29.50 each. Email KenFerris at racerken@aol.com or call 253 606-5228 by Wednesday at noon to reserve your seat.

The banquet will begin at 6:00pm at the Fabulous Fifties Hall at 455 St. Helens in Tacoma. To get there, take exit #133, I-705 off of I-5 in Tacoma. Travel north on I-705 for about 1.3 miles and take the Stadium Way exit. Turn right at the end of the off-ramp onto (surprisingly) Stadium Way. Turn left at the next intersection, 4th St. Go up the hill about three blocks to St. Helens. Turn left. The banquet will be in an old car showroom on the left called USA of Yesteryear. Call 253 606-5228 if you need directions or more information.

October 13: There were eight nominees for the WMRA 2008 Board of Trustees. Traditionally the WMRA has had seven board members but the WMRA bylaws state that there can be up to ten board members. As the business of the association becomes more involved, the current WMRA board has voted to include all eight nominees onto the 2008 Board. So the new Board of Trustee members for the 2008 season are:

October 10: The 2007 WMRA Awards Banquet will be on Saturday evening, October 27 at the Fabulous Fifties Hall in Tacoma. Social hour will begin about 6:00pm with dinner at 7:00. This is an automobile oriented banquet hall that even has an old car museum that will be available. Juli Gidlund will be the trophy girl for the evening and Tom Glithero will be the emcee (tomatoes will be available). We are pleased to announce that Chip Hanauer will be our featured speaker for the evening. Mr. Hanauer is one of the most successful unlimited hydroplane drivers ever. A series of injuries forced him to retire and caused him to lose his voice for a few years. He is now a professional speaker and we are fortunate to be able to hear him speak on the topic "Lessons from the Fast Lane". Click here and here and here to read more about Mr. Hanauer.

Tickets are now available. They are only $29.50 each. Please send your requests and payment to WMRA, P.O. Box 731542, Puyallup, WA 98373. If you have any questions contact Randy Manners at 253-606-0698 or at manners5@comcast.net. There are still a few trophy sponsorships available. These are $45 to sponsor a trophy, or the deal of the new millennium, a trophy sponsorship and two tickets to the banquet for only $85. You can let Chris Melby know which of the WMRA top ten you would like to sponsor. Contact him at 206 510-1302 or at mrp1700@comcast.net.

October 7: The next WMRA meeting will be Tuesday, October 23. It will once again at the Fife City Bar and Grill. The address there is 3025 Pacific Highway South in Fife, (duh!). It is about one block off the freeway at exit 136. Click here for a map. At this meeting the ballots for the 2008 WMRA Board of Trustees will be tallied and the results will be announced. Potential rule changes for next season will also be discussed.

October 5: Winners of the DMS Raceproducts contingency awards should be receiving their certificates soon. President Ken was slow in getting DMS the names and addresses of the recent winners. Thanks for your patience.

October 4: The dirt midget race scheduled for this Saturday, October 6, at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Oregon has been cancelled due to wet conditions. Click here for more information.

October 1: Congratulations to former WMRA driver, Tony Berry, for winning the INSCA Sprint Car 2007 title! Click here to check out Tony and his list of 25 crew members.

September 30: Thanks to Loren Doolittle, the video of the 2007 WMRA Championship race is now available. Click here to view the video or go to Loren's website, www.nwracingvideos.com.

September 23: A message from Jim and Dee Crews: "We would like to thank everyone who had to do with our special night at South Sound. We had a good time seeing some of our past drivers and so many of our friends. As far as anything we have done for WMRA, we both have enjoyed everything we have done. We still would like to do anything we can for WMRA, it has been the love of our lives. Thank you so much."

September 22: The 2007 WMRA Awards Banquet will be on Saturday evening, October 27 at the Fabulous Fifties Hall in Tacoma. This is an automobile oriented banquet hall that even has an old car museum that will be available. Juli Gidlund will be the trophy girl for the evening and Tom Glithero will be the emcee (tomatoes will be available). We are pleased to announce that Chip Hanauer will be our featured speaker for the evening. Mr. Hanauer is one of the most successful unlimited hydroplane drivers ever. A series of injuries forced him to retire and caused him to lose his voice for a few years. He is now a professional speaker and we are fortunate to be able to hear him speak on the topic "Lessons from the Fast Lane". Click here and here and here to read more about Mr. Hanauer.

Tickets are $29.50 each and will be available soon. Or consider being a trophy sponsor. Trophy sponsorships are available for the top ten owners and drivers, as well as many special awards. Trophy sponsorship is $85 for a sponsorship and two tickets to the banquet or just $45 for a sponsorship only. Contact Randy Manners at 253 606-0698 or at manners5@comcast.net for tickets or sponsorship.

September 21: The final points for 2007 are now posted. Click here or the Points link on the left to view them. The final Contingency Awards are now also posted. Click here or the Contingency Awards link on the left to view these.

It took until the final turn of the final lap for Kenny Ferris in his familiar Mac Towing sponsored Beast/Pink Ford to retake the lead over Brad Curtis for his first win of the 2007 season, Saturday at South Sound Speedway in the championship race of the 2007 WMRA season. (More)

September 19: Thanks to photographer Ron Grey, there is a picture from our championship race on the national open wheel web site 'Hoseheads'. It features Jim and Dee Crews, former WMRA trophy girl Brianna Case and Kenny Ferris. Scroll down past the ads on the front page at www.hoseheads.com. And thanks to Ron Grey for submitting the photo.

September 17: Kenny Ferris made a last lap pass to beat new track record holder, Brad Curtis on Saturday to win the WMRA championship race for 2007. The dash was won by Curtis, the first heat by Kenny Burns, and the second heat by Ferris. A complete story will follow soon.

September 10: The first WMRA meeting of the off season will be Tuesday, September 18. Our former meeting rooms at the Emerald Queen have been filled with slot machines so this meeting will be just down the road at Fife City Bar and Grill. The address is 3025 Pacific Highway East, in Fife, It is on the old highway, right next to the freeway between exits 136 and 137, or click here for more information and a link to a map. The Board meeting will begin at 7:00pm and the general meeting is at 8:00. Call Ken Ferris at 253 964-2828 if you have any questions.

This meeting is one of the most important meetings of the year. We will discuss this season as well as potential rule changes for 2008. Nominations for the 2008 Board of Trustees will be accepted. So think about who you would like to see guiding the club next year and come submit your nominations.

September 9: Former WMRA driver Brian Olson was seriously injured Saturday night. He was leading a race in his Esslinger Beast when the throttle stuck. He is currently in the hospital with a broken arm and broken pelvis. We will report more details when they are available.

September 7: The WMRA Championship race on September 15 will be a tribute to Jim and Dee Crews. Jim and Dee are both WMRA Gold Card (lifetime) members. Jim and Dee sponsored and owned midgets from 1958 until 2000. In addition to that , Jim is a WMRA past president and served on the Board of Trustees for many, many years. Among other things, Dee Crews was responsible for all the WMRA banquets from 1974 until 2006! If you have a fond memory of Jim and Dee, it would be great to bring a card or note to the race or email racerken@aol.com and we will compile them.

September 5: The WMRA championship race will be Saturday, September 15 at South Sound Speedway. In the event of rain, there WILL be a raindate of the next day, September 16.

In an evening with some unusual events, the eleventh race of a twelve race season was run at Ephrata Raceway Park. In the end though, the result was not at all unusual for this season, with Evan Margeson, in the Harold and Verda Beal Beast/Ford emerging as the winner of the feature race. (More)

August 30: Time Out Pizza at 1095 Basin Street in Ephrata has agreed to stay open after our race Saturday in Ephrata. To get there go left when you leave the track on Highway 282. At the first light, highway 28, turn right and Time Out Pizza is about two blocks on the left. Everyone is welcome! Thanks to Cherie Stone for arranging this for WMRA.

August 27: Thanks to our great contingency sponsors, the WMRA has had quite a few contingency prize winners this season. Click here or on the new link on the left to view our sponsors and our award winners.

August 24: There will be an open practice at Ephrata Raceway Park on Friday, August 31, the night before the WMRA races there. The practice will begin at about 6:00pm.

August 21: Due to some forest fires last weekend, many of the employees at the Wenatchee track were called away. The promoter, Michelle, asked if our flagman, John Ball, would flag all the classes of cars Saturday. John not only flagged for the track, but he wouldn't accept any money from them. Michelle was very thankful for John's help and this improved WMRA's image with the promoter. Thank you John, for your help!

By Andrew Kunas

EAST WENATCHEE, Wash. – Evan Margeson’s run towards his first Washington Midget Racing Association championship continued Saturday when he completed a three-race season sweep of main events at the Wenatchee Valley Super Oval.

Carrying a strong 162-point lead over Brea Lopez going into the event, Margeson solidified it further with his seventh win in nine races this year. Only two events remain for the WMRA this season. (more)

August 18: Wenatchee Valley race results: Dallas Melby set fast time Saturday by a large margin with a 12.361. The B dash was won easily by Snake Livernash and the A dash was won by Tony Seidelman. Snake Livernash also won the B heat followed by Kenny Ferris and Brea Lopez. The A heat was won by Evan Margeson who drove around second place Seidelman. In the feature, Margeson drove around Ferris who was second, followed at the checkered by Livernash, Lopez and Melby. More details will be included soon in an Andrew Kunas story.

August 16: The WMRA is pleased to announce that the Special Olympics fundraiser raised over $1500 last Saturday! Thanks to the WMRA owners who donated almost $500 of their winnings to the cause. About $230 was raised in the pits and the remainder was collected in the grandstands. Thanks to Brianna Case, Juli Gidlund, Katie Reider Pam Gidlund , Jeremiah Hester, Brea Lopez, Snake Livernash, Spence Gatrell, Jo Hinkle, Tony Seidelman, Dallas Melby, Evan Margeson and Kenny Ferris for going through the pits and the grandstands collecting money in their helmets. A special thank you to Jo Hinkle for having the great idea of making thank you bags and then taking the time to make over 200 of them. And thanks to Butch Behn for donating 100 tickets to the Special Olympics and for allowing the time to collect in the grandstands on a busy night. The folks at the Dpecial Olympics really appreciate the efforts and the athletes and coaches had a great time.

August 13: The WMRA Board has decided to close the message board. Although there were many interesting comments, there were also many comments that were derogatory. As the only open midget forum in the nation, midget racers and fans from across the country read the message board. After speaking with many of these people, the Board found that the message board left a distorted view of how the club was doing. Many sponsors, potential sponsors, promoters and potential future WMRA participants were hesitant to be involved based on inaccuracies and uninformed opinions that they read on the message board.

The classified section of the board will remain open but it too will be shut down if it is used for other than the buying and selling of midget parts and related items.

The WMRA Board is very interested in the input of their members as well as fans, sponsors and anyone who has an interest in midget racing in the Northwest. All the Boards email and phone numbers are listed in the ‘Contacts’ link on the left column of the home page. Or click here to email all the board members, the race director and the business manager at once. Thank you for your understanding and we will see you at the races!

Andrew Kunas

TENINO, Wash. – The champ is back.

Reigning champion Spence Gatrell of Aurora, Ore. scored his first feature victory of the season in Saturday’s Washington Midget Racing Association event at South Sound Speedway. It’ll be his only win with the WMRA this season also, as he is leaving on Wednesday for school in Ohio.

Running only a partial schedule this season, Gatrell had struggled in his handful of appearances before getting things on track Saturday in the Steve Gatrell No. 8 Gaerte-powered Hawk. Gatrell started the 35-lap main event outside the second row and found himself in second after the start behind early leader Tony Seidelman. (more)

August 9: Jo Hinkle is putting together packages to give to those who are donating to the Special Olympics. These packages will include driver's handouts. If you would like your handouts included in the packages, be sure to bring them along on Saturday. There will be 200 packages or so.

August 7: This Saturday, August 11, will be the first ever WMRA Special Olympics benefit race. Some of the Special Olympics athletes as well as some of their coaches and trainers will be present. Volunteers will go through the pits and the stands to solicit donations. Thanks to Jo Hinkle, those who donate will receive a package with a snack, some racer's handouts and a thank you note from WMRA.

Owners who want to donate their winnings will be able to do so. Just tell Randy Manners at the 44 car (who does our payouts), that you would like to donate your winnings. Randy will make the payoff as usual but will send the Special Olympics of Washington the amounts donated by the owners. If you don't want to donate, that's okay too. Only Randy will know who donated and who didn't.

August 2: Due to an unforeseen tragedy, the Rory Price Memorial shirts were not available at the race last weekend. We hope to have them at a future race but these shirts are now available for $10 each from TJ Gibson (aka Paldini) at Ad Fab Ink. Out of the$10, $8 goes straight to a fund for Rory's two year old daughter, Taylor. TJ will even ship the shirts to you for $5 per order. You can call him at 425 883-8800 or email him at adfabink@yahoo.com. Please show your support of WMRA and Rory by buying some shirts. Thanks to TJ for his contribution!

Coming from his outside second row starting spot, Evan Margeson, in the Harold and Verda Beal Beast/Pink Ford took over the lead from pole sitter Snake Livernash on lap two and never looked back in the 35 lap WMRA main event Saturday. (More)

July 25: This Saturday is the second annual Rory Price Memorial race. Rory ran with WMRA for over twenty years, winning fourteen WMRA feature events. He was killed in a sprint car accident at Evergreen Speedway in March, 2006. A special thanks to Rory's father, Dard Price for adding $500 to the purse for this event. TJ Gibson will be tat the race with special Rory Price T-shirts for sale. These shirts are only $10 each and out of that $8 is going to a fund for Rory's daughter, Taylor.

Evan Margeson wheeled the HVB Beast/Ed Pink Ford to his fifth straight win of the 2007 WMRA season on a 100 degree plus evening at Wenatchee Valley Super Oval last Saturday. Starting from the eighth starting position Margeson passed a quick Dallas Melby on lap 23 to take a lead which he never relinquished. Dallas Melby in the Melby Blue Dot/Mopar was a strong second followed by visiting BCRA driver, John Sarale in Glen Seidelman’s Hawk/Esslinger. (More)

Evan Margeson continued his domination of the WMRA Saturday, coming from deep in the pack to win his fourth feature in a row in the Hi-Tech Collision sponsored event at South Sound Speedway. He was followed to the line by Tony Seidelman and Brad Curtis. (More)

June 21: The next WMRA race will be June 30 at South Sound. The folks at Hi-Tech Collision have agreed to add an extra $1000 to the purse. $500 will be presented to the winner and there will also be five $100 winners drawn randomly. About twenty Hi-Tech employees and friends will be on hand to enjoy the races.

June 20: The Special Olympics benefit scheduled for June 16 was cancelled at the last minute by the Special Olympics workers. Apparently they were unable to get enough participation they wanted due to the Father's Day weekend. Thanks to Butch Behn, the benefit has been rescheduled for the WMRA race at South Sound Speedway on August 11.

After passing Tony Seidelman on lap five, Evan Margeson in Harold and Verda Beal’s Beast\Pink Ford drove away from the rest of the field to capture his third WMRA feature in a row. A strong running Brea Lopez was second while Kenny Ferris garnered third at the second WMRA event of the year held at South Sound Speedway. (More)

June 9: The race in Ephrata has been called due to rain. The next race is next Saturday, June 16 at South Sound.

June 6: Thanks to Gail Guisinger, the points are now posted under the 'POINTS' link.

June 6: The race in Ephrata this weekend is in conjunction with the annual Sage and Sun festival. There is a practice this Friday evening, June 8. It will start about 6:00pm. The practice is for WMRA and the vintage racers only. Saturday morning will be the Sage and Sun parade. WMRA cars are welcome to be in the parade. You will need to be lined up by about 9:30 in the morning and you should be all done at 1:00pm or before. There is also a car show on Saturday morning. Contact Cherie Stone at 425 327-3233 for more information. The Time Out Pizza restaurant will once again stay open to feed the racers after the race on Saturday. Cherie Stone will be taking orders in the pits to phone in so there won't be much of a delay when you get to the restaurant.

May 10: After some advice and a lot of thought, the message board is going to be screened more closely in the future. The intent of the board is "....intended for general information, positive comments and constructive criticism." Although I usually enjoy reading the board and I occasionally (okay, maybe even frequently) agree with the comments, I have concluded that the the way the board has been used is detrimental to the club. Most people whom I have discussed the message board with, have been in favor of eliminating or at least restricting the board to registered users. In the past, I have been opposed to this because I feel it has been beneficial to get opinions from a variety of people. And also I feel a little bit of controversy generates more traffic to the web site. (Last month our site had over 183,000 hits and over 52,000 pages visited.)

Lately, although most posts have been positive, there have been an increasing amount of negative comments. At first I thought it would be best to just eliminate the negative comments, but I found this isn't practical for a couple of reasons. First, it is difficult to edit out only these comments since most responses, even if they are not negative, don't make sense unless the entire thread is visible. But mostly, my mamma didn't raise me to spend so much of my time babysitting the message board. So from now on, we are going to make a few changes. First, I have asked two others to help monitor the board. Between the three of us, any inappropriate comments will usually be removed fairly quickly. From now on, we will usually eliminate any thread that has negative comments and not take the time to edit the thread. But the biggest change will be that we will be less tolerant of negative comments in the future.

Thank you to the majority of you who have posted thoughtful and supportive comments.

If there are any concerns or questions regarding the club, please contact anyone on the WMRA Board. You can get email addresses and phone numbers in the CONTACTS link on the left. Or contact me, Ken Ferris at 253 964-2828 or at racerken@aol.com. Thanks for your understanding.

May 8: The Daily News in Longview did a nice story on Brea Lopez. Click here to read it.

May 6: Margeson Overtakes Seidelman at Stateline by Andrew Kunas

POST FALLS, Idaho - Tony Seidelman led every lap except one, and that one lap was the one that counted in the end.

Seidelman got loose on the final lap and Tacoma’s Evan Margeson took advantage, making the pass for the win in the Washington Midget Racing Association event at Stateline Speedway in northern Idaho.

Seidelman, out of Spanaway, Wash., had led from the start while Margeson steadily moved his way forward from his tenth starting position. After passing Ravensdale, Wash. driver Dallas Melby for second on lap 26 of the 35-lap event, Margeson closed in on Seidelman as time was running out. Seidelman, driving the Randy Manners owned Hawk with a Sage Chevy motor, got squirrelly coming out of turn two of the high-banked, ¼-mile asphalt oval, which allowed Margeson to get inside Seidelman on the backstretch, then shooting ahead going through the third turn to win it. More

May 4: Thanks to John Stone, Randy Manners and Kenny Ferris for taking their cars to the Hot Rod Cafe for the car show. And a special big thsnks to the Stone crew for organizing the show. The event was well received by everyone.

May 3: Thank you to Matt Stone and his crew for taking their car to the Golden wheels event the day after the first race. These extra efforts are really appreciated.

May 3: Below are the contingency awards for the April 28 race. Thanks to all the WMRA sponsors for their support.

Fastest Ford Evan Margeson $50 Super Gus Carlson

Fast Time Evan Margeson $200 Speed Mart

A Dash Winner Brad Curtis Gatorz Sunglasses

Main Event Winner Dallas Melby $50 Landrum Springs

Heat #1 Winner Darren Linder $50 Kreitz

Heat #2 Winner Brea Lopez $50 Keizer Wheels

5^th Place Tony Seidleman $50 Advanced Sprint Car

10^th Place Brad Curtis $50 Advanced Sprint Car

Promotional Dick Voss $50 Longacre

Random Drawings

Skeeter Flake $100 DMS

Kenny Ferris $25 SCR

Brea Lopez $50 Latus Harley Davidson

Matt Stone $50 All Composite

Darren Linder $25 Lynch Products

May 2: Listen to the cool radio ad from Stateline Speedway for the race this weekend. Click here to it out!

On a cool Saturday evening Dallas Melby in the family owned Mopar powered Blue Dot began the 2007 WMRA season the same way he ended 2006, with a feature win at South Sound Speedway. Evan Margeson was a close second, followed by Kenny Ferris, Brea Lopez and Tony Seidelman.

Fifteen cars were present with fourteen taking the green in qualifying as Randy Bauer developed motor problems in his first ride in the #4 Glen Seidelman entry. In another repeat of the 2006 WMRA finale, Evan Margeson, in the Harold and Verda Beal Beast/Pink Ford, began the event with fast time, 13.25, just narrowly missing the track record of 13.221 set last year by Brad Curtis. Two rookies were making their WMRA debut, Portland, Oregon’s Chris Peterson in the beautiful red Tom and Judy Maples #98 entry and Parker Kligerman, coming all the way from Westport, Connecticut to compete in their recently purchased former Tom Margeson Beast/Gaerte. More

April 27: As with most tracks, sixteen and seventeen year olds will need signed minor release forms to get in the pits at Stateline Speedway. If you need to fill out one of these in advance, you can request one from Seth at Stateline at: sandsseth@aol.com. There will be a practice at Stateline on May 3rd from 5:00 to dark and the annual car show at the Hot Rod Cafe in Post Falls will be on Friday evening beginning around 4:00. On race day gates will open around 1:00 with hot laps beginning at 3:00.

April 26: The first WMRA race of the season is this Saturday at South Sound Speedway. The back gates will open at 1:00 with practice beginning at 2:00, time trials at 5:00 and racing at 6:00. The weather forecast is good but if there is a rainout, remember that the race will be run Sunday. Gates will open at 10:00am with time trials at 1:00 and racing at 2:00.

April 24: The WMRA is happy to announce that Roger King has agreed to assist us at least our South Sound races this year with his quad. Roger will help push the cars in the pits and help get the cars running after any incidents on the track. This will really help the racers and improve the quality of the show, too. Welcome Roger and thanks!

April 23: If you have not made room reservations for race weekends ,be sure to do it soon. At some of the areas we race in, the hotels are filling fast and in some cases, all the rooms set aside for WMRA are already taken. Click here for 2007 hotel information.

April 22: WMRA is pleased to announce that Speedmart is returning as a WMRA sponsor for the 2007 season. Speedmart's Shawna Wilskey has stepped forward with a $200 certificate for the fast qualifier at each race at South Sound in 2007. In addition, they will award the top three in points at the South Sound races five percent of the money spent by the members throughout the season.

April 19: Thanks to the efforts of Chris Melby and especially TJ at Ad Fab Ink, we will have our new 2007 T shirts and hooded sweatshirts by our first race. The cost will be $15 for T shirts and $25 for the sweatshirts. The graphics are too big to print on children's sizes so the shirts will be available on all sizes from youth medium on up to XXXL. To buy these shirts, see Wendy Stone, who just had her sixteenth birthday and has agreed to sell these shirts for the WMRA. Contact Chris Melby at 425 432-1052 or at mrp1700@comcast.net with any questions.

April 19: Stateline Speedway has added an open practice on Thursday, May 3rd from 5:00pm to dark. The cost is $10 for car and driver and $5 for a pit pass.

April 18: Here are the open practice dates at each track that WMRA is running at this year. South Sound will be open every Thursday evening from 4:00pm to dusk. Wenatchee Valley is having open practice from 6:00pm to dusk on April 18th and 25th, and on May 4th. Ephrata is having an open practice from noon to 5:30pm on April 28 and from 6:00pm to dusk on May 3rd, 10th, and 24th. In addition they are having practice for midgets and the vintage open wheelers only, on June 8 and August 31, the Fridays before the WMRA races there. These are also 6:00pm to dusk. Stateline has no open practices scheduled at this time. Anyone attending any of these practice sessions will not be in violation of the "No private testing within five days of a race" rule. Contact the tracks for more information.

April 17: Some racers are having difficulties hearing the officials during the race. One solution is better ear pieces. Trackside Radios offer three kinds of earphones that may help. Click here for more information or call them at 888 661-RACE. Boostaroo makes a variety of small inline amplifiers to increase the volume. You can call them at 1 800 800-4354 or click here to view their web site.

April 16: Below are a few rule clarifications from Race Director Tom Glithero. If you have any questions you can call Tom at 206 683-9070.

Tire Rule Clarification

At the first WMRA sanctioned event in which a car participates, two new or used right rear tires may be registered.

After the first event, the car owner/driver can register one new or used right rear in which it participates. (A car has participated if it qualifies or starts a competitive event.)

If the event is rained out before the completion of qualifying, the registered tire for that event will carryover to the next WMRA sanctioned event in which the car competes.

At the first race contested on the 2007 WMRA schedule, cars will be allowed to use any used registered or unregistered tire in their heat race. After the heat race exception, only registered right rear tires will be allowed during qualifying, trophy dashes and all other competitive events.

Any exception to these rules will be at the discretion of the Race Director or Starter.

Testing Clarification

Private practice or testing during the 5 calendar days prior to a WMRA sanctioned event at the speedway contesting the event is prohibited.

Exception: Public practices, (Like the regularly scheduled practice at South Sound every Thursday) or WMRA scheduled practices or testing.

Any additional exceptions must be approved by the Race Director or Starter.

Teams who engage in unauthorized practice or testing will start in the back of the slowest main event in the next race in which the car competes.

April 16: Thanks to Tom Glithero, Dale Dupree and Jeff Johnson for performing safety inspections on the cars that were present on playday. Although the officials will strive to enforce all our rules, they have come up with a checklist for the basic safety rules. No cars will be able to compete until they comply with all the items on the checklist. Click here to view or print the checklist that our officials are using in 2007.

April 15: Thanks to those who attended the WMRA practice day. After bad weather forecasts all week, it was a very nice day. Dick Voss's ended up with a broken fuel pump, but the other four cars there seemed to run okay. They others who ran their cars were Darren Linder, Chris Petersen, Brea Lopez and Kenny Ferris. Although there weren't a whole lot of people there, they managed to down over sixty hamburgers and hot dogs. Thanks to Glen Seidelman for his help in organizing the event and to Dee Crews and Sandy Ferris for their help with the food. Thanks also to officials Jeff Johnson, Dale Dupree and Tom Glithero for their help, Dolan Lannan for taking pictures and to Jim Willis for pushing the cars around. Dolan already has some pictures on our Photos Page.

April 14: The weather forecast is slightly better for our playday event on the 15th. In addition to the things listed below, Nick Behn at Racecar Supply will be available for tires and other racing parts. They now have fuel available there too. The cost is $187 per barrel if you have an empty barrel to exchange.

April 9: The annual WMRA playday will be this Sunday, April 15, starting at noon. This will be a great time to test the cars before the season gets going on April 28. In addition to the on track practice, there will be a barbeque. The WMRA will provide hot dogs, hamburgers and buns. The rest of the meal will be potluck style so be sure to bring a side dish or dessert along if you can. We will also have a swapmeet, so be sure to drag out any parts you aren't using and try to get a few bucks for them. Tom Glithero and Dale Dupree will be there doing safety inspections on the cars. Remember, if the race on Saturday night, April 14 rains out, the playday will be cancelled so that the race can be run. Be sure to check the web site or call Ken Ferris at 253 964-2828 to check on the status. Big thanks to Glen Seidelman for making the arrangements for the playday.

April 5: The WMRA is pleased to announce that Andrew Kunas has agreed to help the WMRA with publicity this season. Andrew has an excellent and growing reputation as a motorsports writer in the Northwest and nationally. Among other duties, Andrew is the publicist for the NSCS dirt sprint series but Andrew will attend the may 5th Stateline race and the WMRA championship race on September 15, as well as other WMRA events when his schedule permits. Click on these links for some examples of Andrew's work: sample 1, sample 2, sample 3, sample 4. Andrew would like to hear from you with any information you would like in his press releases or stories. You can email Andrew at al_kunas@msn.com or call him at 360 907-5459.

April 3: The 2007 WMRA pocket schedules are now available. WMRA has 2000 full color schedules of much higher quality than previous pocket schedules. They are great to hand out to friends or to have available at sponsors or other places of business. If you would like some, call Dick Voss at 253 833-9645 or email him vossracer45@msn.com. Thanks to WMRA Gold Card Member Bill Petter and MAC Towing for supplying these schedules to us.

April 2: Crosstown Media, in Salem Oregon is offering a great deal on handout promo cards for the racers. Just provide them with pictures and they will make some great cards to hand out at the races, car shows, or anywhere. Click here to get the details, see a sample and check their prices which include $50 off through July 4. This is true one stop shopping. Just provide them with pictures and they will design and print your cards and even include free shipping. And they will be done and at your door within a week of when you approve their design. These are the same guys who designed the 2007 posters for the WMRA. If you have any questions or to place an order you can give Daniel a call at 503 585-1303.

March 30: The final general meeting before the season will be this coming Tuesday, April 3, at the Emerald Queen Casino in Fife. The address there is 5700 Pacific Highway. A board meeting will begin at 6:00 followed by the general meeting at 8:00. Among the meeting topics will be a discussion on the growing WMRA contingency program and some of the special events that WMRA will have this season. Tom Glithero will also be present with a new safety checklist that he will be filling out for each car this year. Copies of the checklist will be available as well as the new 2007 WMRA posters and our new pocket schedules.

March 26: A gathering for JJ Gidlund will be held this Wednesday, March 28 at the Gidlund home. It will begin at 11:00am and continue through the afternoon. All of JJ's racing friends are welcome to come. The address is 13806 SE 161st Pl., Renton, WA 98058. Cards can also be sent to this address. There will also be a memorial at JJ's high school next Monday, April 2. Contact John at 425 226-5118 for directions or with any questions.

March 24: We are sorry to report that WMRA member Jeremy "JJ" Gidlund died early today in a tragic car accident. JJ was a crew member on the #28 car. Our thoughts and prayers are with all JJs family and friends.

March 20: Our 2007 photo page is now set up. Click here or on the 'Photo Gallery' link on the left, to view a few pre season photos, courtesy of Dolan Lannan.

March 17: Thanks to Steve Gatrell, Dan Press, and Dick Voss for displaying their midgets at the Chehalis Wal-Mart show. The show was a big success. Thanks especially to Jo Hinkle and Brea Lopez for all the hard work they but in to make it happen. And another thank you to Brea for finding the WMRA board a great meeting place on one day's notice!

March 14: The WMRA race on June 16, at South Sound Speedway will be a benefit race for the Special Olympics of Washington. Butch Behn at South Sound Speedway has agreed to give 100 tickets for the Special Olympic athletes and their escorts. We hope to have a short ceremony for the athletes during the evening and to have the drivers go through the stands and pits to collect money for the Special Olympics. This is a new venture for the WMRA and the Special Olympics so there will be many questions and details to work out. The purse, the pit passes and the front gate will be the same as the other WMRA races at South Sound. Click here if you have any ideas or would like to volunteer to make this event a success for the WMRA and the Special Olympics.

March 13: WMRA would like to welcome Gary Lynch and Lynch Products as a contingency sponsor for 2007. Lynch Products will contribute a $25 certificate for each race in 2007. In addition to quality automotive chemicals, Gary Lynch is a dealer for HANS devices. For every HANS device that Lynch sells to WMRA members, Lynch Products will donate $25 to the WMRA. Click here to view the Lynch website and go to the Race Product link to read more on the HANS device or call Gary at 541 548-6178.

March 12: All the current WMRA drivers with their own websites now have them on our Links page. Click here or on the 'Links' on the left off this page.

March 12: All WMRA 2007 sponsors now have links on the left of this page and on our 'Links' page. Please support these sponsors and be sure to thank them for sponsoring the WMRA.

March 11: One of our contingency sponsors, DMS Race Products has a website that isn't listed below. It is www.dmsraceproducts.com.

March 11: The final general meeting before the season begins will be on Tuesday April 3, at the Emerald Queen in Fife. There will be a board meeting at 6:00pm and the general meeting will begin at 8:00pm.

March 9: The WMRA is having a car show at the Chehalis Wal-Mart on March 17 from noon to 4:00pm. The Wal-Mart is just west off I-5 at exit 79. There will be at least three cars there, as well as schedules and flyers. So come on down and support the club and have some fun. Thanks to Brea Lopez and Jo Hinkle for arranging the show!

March 9: Keizer Wheels has been added to our list of contingency sponsors below and Evan Funk has been added to our list of drivers below. Soon we will update our 'Links' page with all our new sponsors and our driver's links. Meanwhile be sure to support our sponsors who have been generous enough to support us.

March 8: Dolan Lannan is preparing the WMRA roster for the 2007 season. Click here to see the list of cars and owners he has compiled so far. If you intend to run with WMRA this year and you are not yet on the list or if you have any additional information (new sponsors, etc.), please let Dolan know. You can email him at dolan@olypen.com or call him at 360 681-2313. Thanks for your help, Dolan!

March 7: The WMRA is having their third annual pre-season Play Day and Swap Meet on Sunday, April 15 at South Sound Speedway, from noon to 5:00. The cost will be $20 for a car and driver and $15 for all others. More details will be posted after they are finalized.

March 7: The WMRA would like to thank our 2007 sponsors for their support. These businesses have come forward to support the WMRA. Please support these businesses when you can. Thanks also to Scott Livernash and Tom Glithero for their help in securing many of these sponsors. Below are some of these sponsors. We will be listing additional sponsors as the details are worked out.

Tami Ferris has (sort of) agreed to head up the WMRA contingency program in 2007. She will be sure the race cars have the stickers needed to be eligible for the contingencies, and she will award the prizes. In exchange, she will receive room and board throughout the season.

Keizer Wheels is sending the WMRA twenty $50 certificates for the 2007 season. They make quality midget wheels in all popular sizes and offsets. To see their wheels, go to www.keizerwheels.com or call them at 712 737-3053.

Longacre Racing is offering a $50 certificate for each race in 2007. They offer a wide variety of high quality racing products. Go to www.longacreracing.com to view their website or give them a call at 360 453-2030.

SCR Graphics, in Puyallup is contributing a $25 certificate each race toward any of their lettering. You can look at some of their work at their website, www.scrmotorsports.com or call them at 253 845-0771.

Ludwig Heimrath at All Composite will give a $50 certificate each race toward any products that he offers. All Composite makes carbon fiber and other composite pieces. They are in Spanaway. Their phone number is 253 847-5106.

Gatorz Sunglasses has donated a nice pair of sunglasses to the winner of each A dash this year. Check out their cool web site at www.Gatorz.com.

Latus Harley-Davidson, in Gladstone, Oregon has agreed to help WMRA with a $50 certificate each race toward any products in their store. In addition to motorcycles they have an extensive line of parts and apparel. They can be contacted a 877 468-7584 or see their website at www.latus-harley-davidson.com.

Landrum Springs has been building springs for race cars for many years. They are soon expanding their line to include more of the springs that midget racers are likely to use. They have agreed to off er a $50 product certificate for each race toward any of their products. You can view their website at www.LandrumSprings.com or call Jeff Fuller there at 574 353-7329.

Crosstown Media in Salem, Oregon has been kind enough to design some great posters for the WMRA this year. The folks at Crosstown Media are professional graphics designers. Check out their business and our new posters at www.crosstownmedia.biz or call Daniel at 503 585-1303.

Hi-Tech Collision will be sponsoring a WMRA race this year. They offer quality collision repair. Their address is 16822 Pacific Avenue in Spanaway. Check out their website, www.hi-techcollision.com or call them at 253 531-1226.

Kreitz Oval Track is an open wheel store in Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. They have a new midget department. For each race in 2007 they are donating a certificate worth $25 toward any purchase of $100 or more, or $50 toward any $200 or more purchase. These certificates can be used for anything they have in stock. You can check out their website at www.kreitzovaltrackparts.com or call them at 610 678-5325.

Once again ‘Super’ Gus Carlson is sponsoring the Blue Oval Award. $50 will go to the fastest qualifier that has a Ford engine. Gus doesn’t have a business but you can call him to thank him or just to chat at 253 581-9263.

Debeaumont Motorsports, in Pittsburg, California is offering a $100 product certificate for each race in 2007. Debeaumont Motorsports specializes in midget racing. They stock or can get everything you may need for your midget except motors and motor accessories. You can call them at 925 252-9378.

February 14: So far WMRA has at least seven new sponsors for 2007. These will be announced soon, after details are worked out.

February 2: 2007 WMRA Applications and Waivers are now available online. In addition, in 2007, everyone under eighteen who wishes to join WMRA will need to have their parents fill out a Minor Release Form. Click here or go to the Become a Member link on the left to get the details and access these forms.

February 2: WMRA has set aside hotel rooms for our races at Stateline Speedway, Wenatchee Valley Raceway, and Ephrata Raceway Park. Thanks to Sandra Lee Ferris for her help in getting these rooms set aside. To view these, click here or go to the Hotel link on the left.

February 1: The BCRA schedule has been released. Click here to view it. The race at Eureka is still on the schedule but it will be sanctioned by BCRA only.

January 29. Ben Petter and Tony Berry have been added to the drivers links below.

January 28: In 2007 all Saturday night races at South Sound Speedway will have a raindate on the next day. If it rains out on Saturday, we will run on Sunday. The back gate for these raindates will open at 10:am with qualifying at 1:00 and races at 2:00.

January 27: The link to Matt Stone's web site below was not correct. It has now been updated with the correct link.

January 22: For those that missed Brea's interview on the Carquest Gasoline Alley show here it is. Simply click on the link - it is audio only and should auto open in your Windows Media Player, or you can download it. At the very end of the interview the folks at Carquest Gasoline Alley give some Kudos to the WMRA and to some of our WMRA drivers in addition to Brea. Click on the: Brea Audio Interview.

January 21: Brea Lopez will be a guest on the Carquest Gasoline Alley show this Monday evening, January 22, at 8:05 East Coast Time, 5:05 West Coast time. To listen in please visit the following radio internet website: http://www.walncableradio.com/prod01.htm

January 20: The WMRA/BCRA race scheduled for Eureka on May 19 has been cancelled. BCRA and WMRA were not able to reach an agreement with the promoters. There is a possibility of another race being scheduled on that date.

January 17: WMRA Gold Card Member Jim Crews is turning 80 this Saturday, January 20. Cards can be sent to Jim at 824 So. Huson St., Tacoma, WA 98405 or give him a call at 253 752-0971.

January 16: As in 2006, radios will be required in 2007. WMRA has these radios for sale for $135 including earpieces. Contact Glen Seidelman at 253 535-5849 or email him at glenrace@hotmail.com to purchase one or for more information.

January 15: Transponders will be required this season at all races at South Sound Speedway. The transponders are different than the ones used at many of the west coast tracks. They are made by Westhold Corporation. They are for sale including a charger and case for $250, or you can rent them for $15 per race. Contact Race Car Supply at 360 858-1464.

January 12: WMRA is glad to announce our officials for the 2007 season. As stated before Tom Glithero will be our referee and John Ball will be our flagman. In addition Dale Dupree and Jeff Johnson will be helping in the pits and on the track. Kim Ostman, Lynne, Bennet and Ashley Ostman will be doing our lap checking. Gail Guisinger has agreed to keep track of the points for the season. Thanks to all our officials and volunteers for their help toward making 2007 another good year for WMRA.

January 11: WMRA still intends to update this website sometime soon. Meanwhile, please email Ken Ferris if you would like to update any information such as sponsors, crew members or accomplishments on your profile on the Drivers Page.

January 10: After much discussion, the WMRA Board and Race Director have decided on a clarification of rule 1408 under WMRA Car Construction Rules. The rule reads:

Exceptions will be for public practices (such as the Thursday night practices at South Sound) and WMRA sanctioned practices (like the Friday night practice before Roseburg last year). Exceptions must be approved in advance by the race director (Tom Glithero). Of course WMRA is substituted for USAC in the text of the rule. Contact any board member if you have any questions.

January 9: Last season WMRA had a misunderstanding with Yakima Speedway and our payout there. WMRA and Yakima Speedway have now resolved our differences and Yakima has paid the purse money owed. Thank you to Ted Pollack and Ron Bennett, from Yakima Speedway, for their cooperation.

January 8: The link for Inside Track Magazine below has been corrected. They can be found at www.InsideTrackMagazine.com

January 7: The 2007 schedule is now posted. Although the dates are firm, there is a chance of a change in the future. Any updates will be announces as soon as they are available. Click here or on the 'Schedule' link on the left.

December 26: Inside Track Magazine has been publishing stories related to racing in the Northwest since 1994. Earlier this year, after Racing Wheels Magazine ceased publication, the publisher of Inside Track began IT Weekly. In their final issue of 2006, a season wrap-up for WMRA was featured on the front page. Thanks to Jo Hinkle for writing a great story and getting it to IT Weekly. For a free subscription to Inside Track or a subscription to IT Weekly (20 issues for only $25), visit them at www.InsideTrackMagazine.com

December 18: We are very sorry to report that Dee Flake, Skeeter's mother, passed away yesterday. Dee lived in Lakewood. She has been involved with racing for over 40 years and was a familiar sight in the grandstands at the midget races. She will be sorely missed. Our condolences to her husband Bert, to Skeeter, and to all her many friends and family.

December 13: The 2007 WMRA rules are now posted. New rules are in bold and underlined. To view them click here or the 'Rules' link on the left.

December 6: There were a couple of errors at the WMRA banquet last month. Skeeter Flake was not recognized for being at 100% of the races in 2006 and Matt Stone was the winner of the Kenny McLoughlin Award (the winner of the race closest to Memorial Day). The WMRA apologizes for the oversight and congratulates these two on their accomplishments.

December 5: The WMRA is happy to announce that Tom Glithero has agreed to return as referee for the 2007 season and John Ball will return as flagman. Thanks guys!

December 5: The WMRA has just a few 2006 shirts still available. They will be offered at half price which is $7.50 for a T-shirt and $12.50 for a sweatshirt. The T-shirt sizes available are five youth medium, nine youth large, three adult small, six medium, three large and seven extra large. There is one adult medium sweatshirt available and three large. Contact Chris Melby at mrp1700@comcast.net to order. They will fit well under the Christmas tree.

December 4: Merry Christmas! Loren Doolittle has made available a great stocking stuffer, a set of his 2006 DVDs, including the nice year end compilation that was played at our banquet. Also available is a 2005 set. Each set is $25.00. Contact Loren at 360 402-7849 or at loren1950@msn.com to order or for details.

December 4: WMRA is looking for sponsors for the 2007 season. Season sponsors, individual race sponsors, trophy dash sponsors and heat race sponsors are all needed. To help in our search, WMRA will pay 30% (after expenses) to anyone, WMRA member or non-member who is able to secure a sponsor. Contact Ken Ferris at racerken@aol.com or Rob Lindsey at rlindsey@pga.com for details.

December 3: WMRA is pleased to announce Jo Hinkle will be in charge of publicity for WMRA in 2007. Among Jo's duties will be coordinating car shows and other publicity events, working with magazines and newspapers and helping with the distribution of schedules and other WMRA literature. You can contact Jo at racinchick8@msn.com

December 3: The WMRA is pleased to announce our $250 for 400 miles guarantee! The owner of any midget that races with the WMRA in 2007 will receive a minimum of $250 if they tow over 400 miles to race in a WMRA race. Click here for details.

November 9: Since not every owner can attend the rules meeting, proxy votes will be accepted on November 15. Click here to open a real officially worded proxy form that Rob Lindsey made. Thanks Rob! Just print the form, fill it in, and get to anybody attending the meeting.

November 6: The November general meeting will be WEDNESDAY, November 15 at the Emerald Queen Casino in Fife. The meeting place was unavailable on the 14th. We will start an hour earlier than usual, the board will meet at 6:00 and the general membership will meet from 7:00 to 10:00.

For the last two or three years we have only considered rules proposals that were submitted in advance of the rules meeting. This has worked well and made the meetings run relatively smoothly. This year we will continue to consider rule proposals that are submitted in advance. Please send your proposals by November 7th to Ken Ferris, 18524 190th St, SW., Dupont, WA 98327 or to racerken@aol.com. Click here to view the rule change proposals that have been submitted to date. Proposals will be added as they are received, so check back often for updates. Click here to view rule proposal comments on the message board.

This year we will make a slight change. After we are done with all the proposals that have been submitted, and only if we have time, we will consider proposal that are brought up on meeting night. Whoever submits a rule will have five minutes to explain it, then there will be up to five minutes of discussion before the vote.

As in previous years we will decide the tire rule at the January meeting to give anyone interested in providing tires to us some time to prepare a proposal.

November 3: Congratulations to Brad and Tiffany Curtis on the arrival of a baby girl on October 27. Jenna Curtis weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces and was 19 inches long.

October 21, 2006 - The next event is the 2006 Season Banquet - November 4 at King Oscar's in Tacoma. Tickets are $29.50 each, a bargain. Contact Dee Crews at 253 752-0971 by October 27 to purchase them. If it is later than that, Dee may grumble but there will likely be a couple of tickets available.