Washington Midget Racing Association

The new web site is ready to go in, but there has been a slight technical problem, so we will have a short delay. Thank you for your patience.

June 30: Congratulations to Evan Margeson for winning the BCRA feature Saturday at Placerville, CA. This is the third win for Margeson in three starts in a dirt midget.

NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE

The promoter at Vernon and our business agent have reluctantly agreed to cancel the July 4th show at Sun Valley Speedway, the July 4th race is CANCELLED! WMRA is unable to produce enough cars to make a good showing. It is regretable that a club with well over two dozen cars cannot field enough racers to put on a good show at this superior 1/2 mile Speedway. This would have been our best purse, by far, for the 2009 season. WMRA extends its thanks to Sun Valley Speedway for the consideration it has shown in the past and hopes that in the future we may be able to produce enough midgets to appear at this fine facility again. To the drivers and owners who have appeared at our venues this year a GREAT BIG THANK YOU, to those who have not been able to compete, we say, come on in, the racing is fine and we need you.

June 22: Margeson Spins and Wins at Agassiz

By Dolan Lannan

In 2008, at Agassiz Speedway, Mark Atkinson spun out and came back to win the WMRA feature. Evan Margeson, in the potent Steve Forler Trucking Beast/Pink Ford #2, did the same thing Saturday, spinning out on lap nine and grabbing the lead ten laps later. (More)

June 15: Margeson Takes Ephrata Win

By Dolan Lannan

Evan Margeson, aboard the Forler Trucking Beast/Pink Ford easily took the win Saturday night, his second this season and his fourth win in a row at the quarter mile track. Johnny Blair was second and Kenny Burns earned the third spot. “This Forler car is great” stated Margeson, “and the start didn’t hurt us any either.” (More)

June 15: AGASSIZ: There will be a min pay off of $150 USD to each car that shows up for the midget race. To be eligible, the car must fire up. The pit gate opens at 11:00 A.M.. Practice for midgets only from 12:00 noon until 1:00 P.M. Open practice for all starts at 3:00 P.M.

June 10: The Vedder River Inn still has ten rooms available for the June 20 race at Agassiz. They will hold these rooms until this weekend.

June 8: The Best Western Rama Inn has agreed to hold rooms for this Saturday's race in Ephrata until Wednesday. They are giving the WMRA a special rate of $81 plus taxes. Call 509 754-7111 and mention the WMRA to get this rate.

June 6: CROSSTOWN MEDIA has set July 5th as their goal to have this web site completely updated and renovated. WMRA feels that it will be one of the premier midget web sites in the Nation, there will be many changes, new information, easier access, and larger fan and member participation will be possible. Thanks to Crosstown media for all they've done for WMRA! Keep watching - you're gonna like what's coming!

June 4: Petter Nabs First Ever WMRA Win

By Dolan Lannan

The first WMRA race at Spokane County Raceway since 1980 proved to be a successful one for Ben Petter. Aboard his own Beast/Esslinger, Petter easily won the 25 lap feature Saturday, over 2008 WMRA Champ Mark Atkinson and Pat Bliss. (More)

May 28: The next WMRA race is Saturday, May 30 at the half mile Spokane County Raceway. The gates will open at noon, with practice beginning at 2:00pm. Time trials are at 6:00 with racing at 7:00. Pit passes will be $30.

May 18: Margeson Takes WMRA Opener

By Dolan Lannan

The 2009 WMRA season began Saturday, almost the same way the 2008 season ended, with Evan Margeson dominating the competition at South Sound Speedway. After setting fast time, Margeson went on to easily win the feature, piloting the family Beast/Esslinger for the first time in WMRA competition since his usual ride, the Harold Beal entry was not quite ready for competition. “I wasn’t sure what to expect” said the soft spoken Margeson, “since we never raced this car at this track before, but we are certainly thrilled with the results.” (More)

May 18: Follow WMRA on Twitter!

Twitter is a social networking site where people from all over are answering the question, "What are you doing?". With Twitter you can "follow" your friends, family, celebrities, and now your favorite racing organization!

Here's how to make your own Twitter account:

1) Go to www.twitter.com

2) Click on the Get Started Now button

3) Follow the steps to create your account

4) Once you have created your account click on the FIND PEOPLE button at the top of the screen

5) Type in WMRA.

6) Click the follow button. A green check mark will appear when the process is complete.

Now that you are following WMRA you will be able to see all the updates that are posted. I will be "tweeting" live from every race!

If you have any questions please e-mail me at maryjo@evanmargeson.net and I will help you get your Twitter up and running properly!

Mary Jo Hinkle

April 10: There is a general meeting scheduled for 11:00 A. M. Saturday 2 May at Porter's Place in Tacoma. If you wish to eat, cost is $11.00 per person, pocket schedule cards and 5" x 7" schedule cards will be available.

April 7: Per President Anthony Seidelman; tire prices for 2009 are as follows. R/R $125, L/R/ $113, Front $105. Pit gate at South Sound will remain the same as last year.

March 31: There are 31 cars on the 2009 roster as of this date. All owners, or a spokesmen have been contacted for each of these midgets. If you have not been contacted please let me know at dolan@olypen.com so you can be included. To date we have one rookie driver listed.

March 18: Tomorrow evening Thursday 19 March President Tony Seidelman, drivers Mark Atkinson, and Dallas Melby along with car owner Chris Melby will be on the radio at 9:00 P.M. This will be on AM 1380 (not AM 1440), all interested members should tune in and hear what WMRA is doing. Thanks to our members for doing this spot on the air.

WMRA receives a good percentage of the proceeds from merchandise sold on our web site. Crosstown Media is designing new shirts for the 2009 racing season. All interested parties please check this out. We thank Daniel for this, and all the work he has done for us.

Passports and passport cards can take up to ten weeks to get. Click here for current wait times. Passports and passport cards can be applied for in person or by mail. Click here for a list of local places to apply. Enhanced drivers license usually take about three weeks to get after you are approved. All of these wait times are likely to increase as it gets closer to the time when the new requirements go into effect.

March 6: Hotel information for the 2009 season is now available. Click here or the 'Hotels' link on the left to view the information.

February 28: All car owners who wish to have their sponsors announced at the races please send sponsor information before May 1st to: dolan@olypen.com. This should insure their mention at all of our events.

February 21: The WMRA schedule has now been updated for 2009. To view it, click here or on the 'Schedule' link on the left. Contact Tony Seidelman at 253 226-8003 or blindside108@hotmail.com.

February 17: Applications for 2009 WMRA memberships are now available on line. WMRA members voted to make the dues for car owners and drivers $100 and pit crew and associate members $55 and to include a ticket to the annual WMRA Awards Banquet with each paid membership. Click here for a printable WMRA membership application.

February 16: I am starting to work on the car/owner/driver roster for the 2009 season. My intent is to be able to talk to all owners to have the correct listing for track announcers, and publicity releases. I am making telephone contact with those who's numbers I have in my files. If I do not contact you it means I do not have your phone number and if you do not hear from me please send info to dolan@olypen.com. It is early, but this information is important to our promoters. Thanks to all for any assistance you can offer.

January 10: Don Brashear, WMRA sponsor and fan, has suffered a stroke and would appreciate cards from racers and friends. he will be confined to a care center for some time to come, per Bob Witte: Cards will reach him at the following address: Don Brashear, P. O. Box 1152, Soap Lake, WA 98851.

December 28: Photos of the 2008 Awards Banquet have been posted in the photo gallery. Thanks to Lynne Bennett for providing them.

December 11: The annual WMRA rules meeting will be this Saturday, December 13 at Porter's Place Restaurant in Tacoma. The meeting will begin at 10:15am. Any rule already proposed on the message board will be considered first followed by other rule proposals. At about 11:30 there will be a lunch break. Porter's Place is in the LaQuinta Inn, just off of I-5 , at the Portland Avenue exit. The address is 2615 E. "N" St.

November 30: Although the WMRA season has been over for two months, many WMRA drivers have been busy. On September 27, Evan Margeson set fast time and won a USAC West race event at Altamont, California. Three WMRA drivers had some good runs in November. Mark Atkinson set fast time and a new track record and Evan Margeson finished second at a USAC West race in Las Vegas on November 1. Five days later Margeson went onto finish 16th at the mile track in Phoenix. Last Thursday, November 27, with 64 midgets present, both Margeson and Atkinson made the feature at the Turkey Night Grand Prix in Irwindale, CA., with Margeson ending up 20th and Atkinson 25th. Then the next night Tony Seidelman won the dash and went on to win the feature at the indoor dirt race in Salem, Or. Congratulations to all three of these drivers.

Rules Meeting. WMRA has a meeting scheduled for Saturday 13 December at Porter's Place, 2615 E. "N" St., Tacoma, WA. at 10:15 A. M.. If ten or more people eat there, the room is free, and a buffet will be served. The cost is $12.95 per person, so come hungry!

President Tony Seidelman will outline the nine races which have been tentatively booked for 2009 and discuss options for the remainder of the schedule. Rules changes may be proposed at this meeting. Please plan to attend, let your voice be heard!

November 3: The WMRA is pleased to announce that Rick Kraft will be the emcee at the annual awards banquet on November 15 and Mel Anthony will be the guest speaker.

Rick was the 2001 WMRA Owners Champion, after missing the drivers title by only four points. Rick is one of the all time characters in WMRA's history. His knowledge and wit will assure the banquet will be an entertaining evening.

Mel Anthony ran midgets in the WMRA for ten years in the heyday of midget racing, in the '40s and '50s for a variety of owners including WMRA Gold Card member Homer Norman. Mel has written a book about his racing experiences called 'Smoke, Sand and Rubber' . The book features lots of stories from Mel's racing days written in Mel's informative and often humorous way. The book will be available for sale at the banquet.

The banquet will begin at 6:00pm on November 15, at the King Oscar Hotel at 8726 So. Hosmer Street in Tacoma. A social hour will be followed by dinner, our feature speaker Mel Anthony and then the awards presentation. Tickets are only $29.50 each. They are available from Dee Crews at 253 752-0971 or from Ken Ferris at racerken@aol.com. Please order your tickets before November 10 to allow enough time for the hotel to order the food.be

October 31: RULES MEETING, Saturday, December 13th, time and location to be announced. It is requested that you post your suggestions for new rules, or comments on proposed rules on the website message board. We'd like YOUR input, please participate, give us your thoughts.! A lot of work and thought are going into making 2009 a much better season, and you can help make it that way by participating!

October 29: King Oscars 8726 Hosmer St, Tacoma, where our banquet will be held on November 15, needs to know how many will be present. Dee Crews, 824 Huson, Tacoma, WA 98405 must have your reservations, and the money in her hands not later than 10 November for this to be accomplished. Please send your checks, made out to WMRA, to Dee at the above address as soon as possible so she can relay this information to our host restaurant. Dee says - Thank you.

October 22: It is requested that all who have volunteered to purchase trophies try to get their checks in to Dee Crews if it is possible to do it at this time. Dee wishes to thank all who have contributed to this fund, your help is appreciated and vital to WMRA.

October 22: All are encouraged to go to the message board, under "chat", read the proposed new rules which will be presented to the Board and Membership at the upcoming meeting. This was posted so you could give your input, pro or anti views, it is one of the ideas to assist with better car count for 2009. We need to hear from YOU!

October 14: Trophy Sponsors needed for WMRA Banquet. Prices are as follows, $85.00 For a trophy and two tickets, $5.00 for just a trophy, tickets are $29.50 per person. If you can help with a trophy contact Mary Jo Hinkle at (503) 261-3998, or email mjohinkle@gmail.com . Alternately you may contact Glen Seidelman at glenrace@hotmail.com . All checks made out to WMRA. We need 22 trophy sponsors, contact Glen or Jo as soon as possible on this if you desire to help. We thank you.

October 11: WMRA is looking for officials for the 2009 season: The following positions are open, Referee, Pit Boss, and Starter. Applicants must agree to make all scheduled races throughout the season. Interested parties should contact Dolan Lannan at; dolan@olypen.com. or (360) 681-2313.

October 8: The next WMRA meeting will be Tuesday, October 28. It will once again be at the Round Table Pizza in South Tacoma. The board meeting will be at 6:00 and the general meeting will begin at 7:00. Ballots for the 2009 Board of Directors as well best appearing car and crew, most improved driver and sportsman of the year, which will be sent out soon, must be either mailed back or returned by this meeting.

October 2: Check out our own Dallas Melby, in an interview with the Detroit News talking about midget racing. Click here to see the story.

September 28: Congratulations to Evan Margeson on his USAC West win Saturday at Altamont. Evan won by a large margin after starting in the back row.

September 25: Midget driver Dallen McKenney was severely injured in an accident during a BCRA race at Madera last Saturday. Among his injuries are a broken vertebra, two broken shoulder blades, some bleeding in the brain and a collapsed lung. He is in an induced coma in an ICU unit. Cards can reach him at BCRA, PO Box 398, Tracy, CA 95378-0398.

September 23: The next meeting for the WMRA will be next Tuesday, September 30. It will be held at the Round Table Pizza in Tacoma. The address there is 7921 So. Hosmer Street. This is near the new Lowe's, next to I-5. The Board meeting will be at 6:00 with a general meeting will follow at 7:00. Among the items on the agenda will be nominations for the 2009 Board of Directors. If you have any questions, call Glen Seidelman at 253 535-5849.

Evan Margeson, driving the Harold and Verda Beal Beast/Pink Ford got his sixth WMRA victory of the season Saturday evening at South Sound Speedway. Margeson won easily over Brea Lopez and Tony Seidelman. Mark Atkinson came in fourth and earned the WMRA Championship in his first year in a midget. (more)

September 21: Evan Margeson had a clean sweep at South Sound on Saturday, setting fast time and winning the heat race and feature in the WMRA 2008 championship race. He was followed in the feature by Brea Lopez and Tony Seidelman. Mark Atkinson was fourth place and became the first ever WMRA rookie to be WMRA champion. More to follow.

Picking up where North Carolina’s Shane Hmiel left off earlier in the season, Bobby Grewohl triumphed over a stellar 21-car field at the “West Coast Midget Clash” on Saturday, September 13 at the 5th Annual Pop Porter Memorial at Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson, CA.

Piloting the DMS Race Products #21 Beast/Esslinger, Grewohl rocketed ahead of the field from his pole position, leading every lap of the Bay Cities Racing Association/Washington Midget Racing Association co-sanctioned event at the gorgeous 3/8-mile Shasta Raceway, giving the DMS team their third BCRA win of the year. (more)

September 14: Bobby Gerwohl won the WMRA/BCRA co-sanctioned event Saturday in Anderson, CA. Second place was Mark Atkinson ,the only WMRA car to finish the race and third went to Viktor Sinzig. Evan Margeson set a new track record of 14.654 and the dashes were won by Logan Forler and Grewohl. Nick Chivello, Forler and Sinzig won the heat races. Twenty-one cars were present. More to follow.

September 8: Below are some of the details for the WMRA/BCRA race at Shasta Speedway. There will be a practice Friday from noon to six (or maybe later) with a free barbeque to follow. The cost is $100 per car and that includes all the crew members. The track will open at noon on Saturday and with practice to begin at 3:00. The purse will be $7000 with $1200 to win. Thanks to the promoter, Rick Faeth, the transponder and the overnight camping fees will be waived. There will be a minimum of $250 for each WMRA car. If you have a USAC/BCRA style radio, please bring it or get it to someone who is going to assure there are enough for each car. Click here for more information.

Evan Margeson, in the Harold and Verda Beal Beast/Pink Ford won his fifth race of the season and his third in a row at the tricky quarter mile Ephrata Raceway Park Saturday. Margeson accomplished the feat after inheriting a front row starting spot on a restart after a lap one altercation that left four midgets stopped in turn two. (more)

August 31: We are sorry to report that forty-four year old WMRA driver, Dan Fisher, died Friday in a boating accident near his home on Shawnigan Lake, on Vancouver Island. Fisher drove Dick Voss' #45 car as recently as August 23 in Port Angeles. Click here for more details.

August 31: Evan Margeson chalked up another WMRA win Saturday, besting Brea Lopez and Tony Seidelman in WMRA action at Ephrata Raceway Park. Tony Berry and Steve Forler were heat race winners while Evan Margeson and Mitch Hoffses were dash winners and Mark Atkinson set fast time. More to follow.

August 27: There will be a test session on Friday, August 29, at Ephrata Raceway Park from 5:00 until dark. The old time racers will be there most of the day so it will be possible to get in early and be ready to go at 5:00. The track will be open early on Saturday and pit passes will go on sale at 1:00.

After Tony Seidelman won the season opener, Evan Margeson and rookie Mark Atkinson have been swapping wins in the WMRA, with each having three victories before the Saturday event at Port Angeles Speedway. Margeson got his fourth win Saturday in the Harold and Verda Beal Beast/Pink Ford, dominating the feature and coming in about a half lap ahead of runner up Mitch Hoffses in the green to checkered event. (more)

August 23: Evan Margeson won the feature by a wide margin tonight at Port Angeles Speedway. Mitch Hoffses set a new track record, Skeeter Flake took home the A dash trophy and Logan Forler and Hoffses won the two heats. More to follow.

August 20: The back gate at Port Angeles Speedway will open at 1:30 this Saturday. The midgets will have the track between 3:00 and 4:00 before the gate is opened to the other classes of cars.

August 14: Bob Newcombe, the manager at Sun Valley Speedway in Vernon, BC VOLUNTARILY gave the WMRA $2500 to help offset the traveling expenses last weekend, even though the race rained out before qualifying. The WMRA would like to thank Mr. Newcombe for his generosity and thank everyone at Sun Valley Speedway for their hospitality. The track personnel were impressed with the speed of thee midgets and they are looking forward to WMRA returning in 2009. You can contact Bob Newcombe at bob@sunvalleyspeedway.com.

August 10: After a rainy morning twelve midgets hot lapped at Sun Valley Speedway Saturday. Right before time trials there was a downpour and the rest of the evenings activities were cancelled.

August 6: The back gate will open at 10:00am on Saturday at Sun Valley Speedway. Remember, every car will receive $250 to attend the race there.

July 31: The next WMRA race will be at Sun Valley Speedway in Vernon, BC on August 9. The promoter there is looking forward to race. If fifteen midgets attend, he will add $3000 to the purse for a race there in 2009. With the cost of travel higher than past years, the WMRA has decided to guarantee a minimum $250 to every midget that attends the race there. Call Glen Seidelman with any questions at 253 535-5849.

Mark Atkinson winning a feature race is becoming a little less surprising as the WMRA season progresses. The seventeen year old WMRA rookie has now won three features in seven starts with the club. The way he won last Saturday was surprising though, spinning out near the midpoint of the race and coming back through the field for the victory in the black Atkinson Racing #23 car. (more)

July 20: Mark Atkinson won his third race this season at Agassiz Speedway Saturday. He was followed by Tony Seidelman, Troy Globe, Kerstin Smutny and Jeremiah Franklin. Atkinson also established a new track record. Dallas Melby won the dash, Globe won the first heat and Seidelman picked up heat two. More details soon.

July 15: Agassiz update. The promoter at Agassiz Speedway will open the back gate Saturday at 10:00am just for the midgets. There will be a midget only test session for midgets only from noon to 2:00pm. At that point the gate will open for the other three classes of cars. There will also be testing later in the day, in rotation with the other classes. Pit passes will be $30 if you are a WMRA member and $35 for others. Due to limited space in the pits, the trailers will need to be unloaded. The track has a noise rule of 95db @ 75 feet.

At the border each person will need either picture ID and a birth certificate or a passport, or an enhanced drivers license. Click here and here for more information. Getting the racecars, tools, parts, etc. across the border is not a hassle like it has been in the past. Inventories are no longer required.

There are still a few rooms available at the Abbotsford Best Western Bakerview Hotel at the WMRA rate of $99 plus tax for Friday and Saturday. You can call them at 604 858-1341. This is about 30 miles from the Speedway.

Halfway through the 2008 season, Evan Margeson has won half the WMRA feature events run so far this year. Saturday, Margeson, in the Beal Beast/Pink Ford, passed pole sitter Tony Seidelman on lap six and never looked back enroute to his third WMRA win of the season, at South Sound Speedway. (more)

July 12: Evan Margeson In Harold Beal's Beast/Pink Ford won the feature tonight at South Sound Speedway over a closing Mark Atkinson. Fast time setter Brea Lopez was third over Tony Seidelman, and Mitch Hoffses. Margeson also won the dash and the A heat while Hoffses topped the B heat.

July 9: We are sorry to report that Glorene Stone, Matt Stone's grandmother passed away recently. Grandma Stone was often seen at the races along with her son John and her daughters Eileen and Gayle. The WMRA wishes to express their condolences to the family.

After battling with Brea Lopez for over half the race, seventeen year old rookie, Mark Atkinson came home with his second WMRA victory of the season Saturday at South Sound Speedway. (more)

June 29: We are sorry to report that former WMRA car owner, Al Olson passed away Thursday. Al was active in the WMRA in the 80's, campaigning two cars for many years. A funeral will be held Monday, at 1:30 at the Sunset Hills Memorial Park in Bellevue.

June 28: Mark Atkinson set fast time and won the feature event tonight over Tony Seidelman and Darren Linder. Kerstin Smutny was fourth over Logan Forler. More details will be available soon.

June 22: Congratulations to Dallas Melby and the whole Melby crew for their Wolverine Outlaw Midget race in at Berlin Speedway in Michigan. Dallas also won his heat race. Click here for a story and some pictures.

Evan Margeson drove the Harold and Verda Beal to his second consecutive victory Saturday in WMRA action at Ephrata Raceway Park. Margeson passed leader Kerstin Smutny on lap four and dominated the rest of the event. (more)

June 14: Evan Margeson set fast time and won the feature last night at Ephrata Raceway Park. Mark Atkinson was second in the feature followed by Brea Lopez, Tony Seidelman and Logan Forler, in his first ever midget start. M ore details will be available soon.

June 8: Here is an update regarding next at week's race at Ephrata Raceway Park. There will be testing there on Friday the 13th. The Golden Wheel cars will be running in the afternoon. They will try and accommodate any midgets that want to test then. The track will be open specifically for midgets at about 6:30pm. They will remain open until about 8:00, or later if there are cars that still want to test. There will be no charge for the test (Thanks guys!), however donations are encouraged toward the paramedics and safety crew that are volunteering their time for us.

The minimum age to be in the pits there is fourteen. Anyone under eighteen MUST have an Ephrata Raceway Park Waiver for Minors Form to enter the pits. This must be signed by both parents if at all possible and absolutely must be signed by one parent. There will be no exceptions to this. This form is in addition to the WMRA Minor Release Form that WMRA members have signed.

This is the annual Sage and Sun Festival race. Midgets are encouraged to be in the Sage and Sun Parade at 9:00am on Saturday. The cars can either be towed on an open trailer or by a quad. Please bring paperwork to show that yours quads have insurance if possible.

Fast qualifier Evan Margeson in the familiar Beal #50 passed Tony Seidelman on lap eight of the WMRA feature on Saturday and never looked back to gain his first win of the 2008 season. (more)

June 3: The two day BCRA event scheduled for June 27 and 28 at Redwood Acres in Eureka, CA. has been cancelled. The promoter and the club agreed to the cancellation amid concerns of low car counts.

June 2: Evan Margeson won the WMRA feature Saturday at South Sound Speedway. Spence Gatrell was second and Rick Brown was third. More details will follow soon.

May 19: Washington midget racers made their presence known last weekend at National USAC events in Wisconsin and Illinois. Congratulations to Brian Olson for winning the 50 lap USAC National race in Rockford, IL yesterday. Brian led all 50 laps and beat Bobby East, Dakoda Armstrong and Kody Swanson to the finish. This was the third USAC National race in three days. WMRA Champion, Evan Margeson made the A feature at all three races with his best finish a ninth place in West Salem, WI. Dallas Melby got thirteenth at West Salem, while Mark Atkinson and Ben Petter both made the A feature in Slinger, WI.

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.

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.

By Dolan Lannan

Tony Seidelman, in the Manners Hawk/Sage Gaerte took the lead from the pole position and was never headed in the 30 lap WMRA opener Saturday at South Sound Speedway. Brea Lopez took second place over Evan Margeson. (More)

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.