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DeBenedetti leads in dwarf qualifying White City � The stage is set for the completion of the third leg of the West Coast Dwarf Car Nationals tonight at the Southern Oregon Speedway. And Rogue River�s Jon DeBenedetti couldn�t be feeling better. The defending track and West Coast national champion won Friday night�s A main feature to lead the qualifiers for tonight�s feature event. DeBenedetti took the lead on the eighth lap of the main event and held off the 21-car field during a trio of late-race restarts to take the checkered flag. "These events are awesome," DeBenedetti said after the victory. "We�ve got the best dwarf cars on the West Coast. When you win any race like this it�s awesome." A track-record 70 dwarf cars took part in qualifying races on Friday, with 10 drivers earning spots in tonight�s main feature event. DeBenedetti claimed the first event in the series this season (in Las Vegas last spring) and started the weekend sixth in series point standings. He also leads the series at the local track. John Dentone, who started the season in the Rogue Valley and now lives in Boise, Idaho, was second to DeBenedetti in the A main. Howie Ross of Santa Rosa, Calif., put on an impressive show, advancing through a series of five races. Ross won three straight preliminary features and eventually finished seventh in the A main, running 110 laps in the process. Ross was the overall winner when the dwarfs ran the second leg of their series last month. The fourth and final round of the series will be held in Marysville, Calif., Oct. 5-7. The mini stocks, super trucks and mini puffs were also in action Friday night, all three taking part in non-point races. Tracy Bradley, who leads the series, won the non-point feature in the mini stocks, edging series runner-up Mike Johnson in the process. Series leader Patrick Lanigan of Medford led the way in the super trucks, cruising to a comfortable win. Lanigan also picked up a win in the trophy dash. Friday�s Results West Coast Dwarf Car Association Nationals Dwarf Cars B Main 20-Lap Feature � 1. Howie Ross, Santa Rosa, CA; 2. Jesse Chinn, Phoenix, AZ; 3. Steve Alberdi, Stockton, CA; 4. Shawn O�Leary; 5. Shawn Mize, Tracy, CA; 6. Shawn Scherer, Alverta, CA; 7. Mike Grenert, Travis Force Base, CA; 8. Robert Ewing, Las Vegas, NV; 9. Jess Turner, Kelso, WA; 10. Vuki Wilson, Minden, NV. 20-Lap A Main Feature � 1. Jon DeBenedetti, Rogue River; 2. John Dentone, Boise, ID; 3. Chris Peterson; 4. Stan Silva Jr., Castroville, CA; 5. Curt Hunter, Eugene; 6. Dominick Ercolini; 7. Howie Ross; 8. Ronnie Williams, Las Vegas, NV; 9. Robert Ewing, Las Vegas, NV; 10. Steve Alberdi Jr., Stockton, CA. Heat 1 � 1.Seth Wilson, San Clemente, CA; 2. Jerry Larabee; 3. Frank Munroe, Tracy, CA; 4. Jess Turner, Kelso, WA; 5. Mark Ramey, Henderfson, NV. Heat 2 � 1. John Dentone, Boise, ID; 2. Doug Martin; 3. Shawn O�Leary; 4. Adam Johnson, Penngrove, CA; 5. Bill Martinez, Salinas, CA. Heat 3 � 1. Stan Silva Jr., Castroville, CA; 2. Shawn Salsbury; 3. Bob Wilson, Minden, NV; 4. Mark Allen, Grants Pass; 5. David Quigley, La Mirada, CA. Heat 4 � 1. Dominick Ercolini; 2. ; 3. Jesse Chinn, Phoenix, AZ; 4. Jimmy Ewing, Las Vegas; 5. Bill Groves Jr., Ramona, CA. Heat 5 � 1. Jon DeBenedetti, Rogue River; 2. Ronnie Williams, Las Vegas; 3. Shawn Mize, Tracy, CA; 4. Daniel White, Granite Bay, CA; 5. Brian Quilty, Orangeville, CA. Heat 6 � 1. Chris Peterson; 2. Steve Alberdi Jr., Stockton, CA; 3. Mike Grenert, Travis Air Force Base, CA; 4. Jeff Quinn, Vancouver, WA; 5. Ron Love, Portland. Heat 7 � 1. Bert Endicott, Corning, CA; 2. Curt Hunter, Eugene; 3. Steve Alberdi, Stockton, CA; 4. Mike Kelly, Gresham; 5. Vuki Wilson, Minden, NV. E Main 20-Lap Feature � 1. Howie Ross; Santa Rosa, CA; 2. Rob Anderson, CA; 3. Shawn Scherer, Elverta, CA; 4. Jason Tomlinson, So El Monte, CA; 5. Gary Fitzsimmons, Medford; 6. Don Miller, Las Vegas. D Main 20-Lap Feature � 1. Howie Ross, Santa Rosa, CA; 2. Gilbert Toste, San Jose, CA; 3. Shawn Scherer, Elverta, CA; 4. Rob Anderson, CA; 5. Bill VanPraag, Port Hueneme, CA; 6. Gary Fitzsimmons, Medford. C Main 20-Lap Feature � 1. Howie Ross, Santa Rosa, CA; 2. Gilbert Toste, San Jose, CA; 3. Billl Groves, Jr., Ramona, CA; 4. Vuki Wilson, Minden, NV; 5. Shawn Scherer, Elverta, CA; 6. Robert Ewing, Las Vegas; 7. Mark Ramey, Henderson, NV; 8. Bill VanPragg, Port Hueneme, CA; 9. Chuck Watson, Rohnert Park, CA; 10. David Quigley, La Mirada, CA. Super Trucks Heat Race � 1. Roger Lee, Klamath Falls; 2. Harvey Foster, Medford; 3. Lindsey Bryant, Medford; 4. Patrick Lanigan, Medford; 5. Steve Tarr, Medford. Trophy Dash � 1. Patrick Lanigan, Medford; 2. Lindsay Bryant, Medford; 3. Roger Lee, Klamath Falls; 4. Harvey Foster, Medford. 12-Lap Feature � 1. Patrick Lanigan, Medford; 2. Shawn Gillispie, Medford; 3. Steve Tarr, Medford; 4. Lindsay Bryant, Medford; 5. Terry Townsend, Grants Pass; 6. John Kreftmeyer, Central Point; 7. Roger Lee, Klamath Falls; 8. Steve Pierce, Medford. Mini Stocks Heat 1 � 1. Tracy Bradley, Shady Cove; 2. Mike Johnson, Central Point; 3. Clarence Cole Jr., Klamath Falls; 4. Tom Lanigan, Medford; 5. Jim Bird, Jr. Heat 2 � 1. Wesley Moore, Eagle Point; 2. Mike Higbee, Medford; 3. Jeff Midwood, Medford; 4. Randy Tharp, Eagle Point; 5. Rob Mulder, Klamath Falls. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA