Reeves Wins National Midget Championship

Stevie Reeves clinched the U.S. Auto Club’s National Midget championship and Kenny White of Ventura won his second three-quarter Midget main event of the season Saturday night to bring the eight-month racing calendar at Ventura Raceway to a close before 2,520.

Reeves, 25, of Indianapolis, did not have a championship night, but he did nail down his first USAC National Midget championship, scoring enough points in qualifying--with the third-fastest time--to eliminate his nearest competitor, fellow Indianapolis resident Kenny Irwin Jr.

But after clinching the title, Reeves failed to qualify for the main event.

In the three-quarter Midget 20-lap main event, White, of Ventura, drove a skillful race, avoiding three first-lap accidents--including a spectacular seven-car wreck that eliminated more than one-third of the 20-car field.

White moved up from 17th place to challenge the leaders by Lap 2 and used an aggressive move to the inside of the berm on the next lap to get past Rick Atkins of Fullerton and Mark Holz of Bremerton, Wash. He took the checkered flag by less than a car length over Holz.