PHOENIX — Darren Hagen started the new season on a winning note Saturday at Manzanita Speedway.
Hagen won the season opener for the USAC Mopar Midget Championship during the second annual Copper on Dirt at the half-mile oval.
Driving Keith Kunz’s No. 67 Bullet-Esslinger midget, Hagen took the lead from Garrett Hansen on lap eight and led the remainder of the distance in the event, which was co-sanctioned by the USAC Western Midget Series.
Hansen led lap one, but saw Tracy Hines inch ahead on the second circuit. Hansen regained the point on lap three and set the pace until Hagen made his winning move on the eighth of 25 laps.
Cole Whitt, driving a second Kunz midget, rallied to finish second, while two-time defending USAC national champion Jerry Coons, Jr. finished third. Hines and Brad Sweet rounded out the top five.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Josh Ford, Ford 73, 19.729; 2. Darren Hagen, Kunz 67, 19.735; 3. Bradley Galedrige, Galedrige 29, 19.809; 4. Tracy Hines, Stewart 21, 19.869; 5. Gary Taylor, Tel-Star 5x, 19.872; 6. Aaron Fike, RFMS 32, 19.972; 7. Jerome Rodela, Rodela 25, 19.976; 8. Garrett Hansen, Hansen 70, 19.979; 9. Brad Kuhn, Sala 19x, 20.040; 10. Jerry Coons, Jr., Wilke-Pak 11, 20.055; 11. Steve Sussex, Burkhart 21az, 20.067; 12. Johnny Rodriguez, Mitchell 87, 20.077; 13. Chad Boat, Boat 30, 20.085; 14. Cole Whitt, Kunz 71, 20.128; 15. Dustin Morgan, Morgan 93, 20.148; 16. Chris Windom, Windom 17, 20.154; 17. Jon Stanbrough, Loyet 05s, 20.182; 18. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 20.189; 19. Jesse Hockett, Eastwood 29L, 20.194; 20. Hunter Schuerenberg, Triple Crown 1h, 20.194; 21. Brad Sweet, Kahne 49, 20.239; 22. Dave Darland, Nine Racing 9, 20.310; 23. Russ Harper, Harper 09, 20.314; 24. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 20.321; 25. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., RFMS 69, 20.333; 26. Bud Kaeding, Pedregon 75, 20.346; 27. Nathan High, Allen 12j, 20.366; 28. Dakoda Armstrong, C & A 7a, 20.441; 29. Chris Rahe, Rahe 3, 20.442; 30. Darren Stewart, Mentgen 07x, 20.475; 31. Scott Pierovich, Pierovich 35, 20.487; 32. Danny Stratton, Burkhart 21a, 20.492; 33. Shannon McQueen, McQueen 7x, 20.498; 34. Josh Pelkey, Perry 45, 20.518; 35. Shane Cottle, Bondio 47, 20.553; 36. Nic Faas, Western Speed 40, 20.554; 37. Bob East, Klatt 4, 20.559; 38. Michael Faccinto, Scelzi 41, 20.565; 39. Jonathan Hendrick, Hollingsworth 85, 20.581; 40. Casey Shuman, Felker 37s, 20.592; 41. Alan Ballard, Martens 97x, 20.659; 42. C.J. Sarna, Sarna 20x, 20.719; 43. Tanner Swanson, Pierovich 35p, 20.731; 44. Damion Gardner, McKenney 88, 20.735; 45. Robby Josett, Josett 99x, 20.742; 46. Matt Mitchell, Mitchell 37, 20.744; 47. Brent Beauchamp, Beauchamp 112, 20.814; 48. Paul Zimmerly, Western Speed 60, 20.828; 49. Kody Swanson, Nine Racing 19, 20.932; 50. Alfred Galedrige, Jr., Galedrige 26, 20.987; 51. Justin Grant, Thurston 17x, 20.988; 52. Ryan Kaplan, Sala 19w, 21.077; 53. Billy Mentgen, Mentgen 07, 21.169; 54. Matt Streeter, Streeter 14j, 21.179; 55. Darrin Bolton, Bolton 00, 21.341; 56. Jordan Weaver, Felker 37x, 22.112; 57. Brad Loyet, Loyet 05, 22.644.
First Heat (8 laps): Fike, Jones, Mitchell, Ford, Rodriguez, Harper, Armstrong, Grant, Sussex, Faas, Weaver, Ballard.
Second  Heat (8 laps): Bacon, Hagen, Whitt, Hockett, East, Rahe, Boat, Kaplan, Sarna, Beauchamp, Loyet, Rodela.
Third Heat (8 laps): Pierovich, Morgan, Hansen, Stewart, B. Galedrige, Faccinto, T. Swanson, Mentgen, Zimmerly.
Fourth Heat (8 laps): Sweet, Hines, Kaeding, Windom, K. Swanson, Streeter, Pelkey, Hendrick, Kuhn, Gardner.
Fifth Heat (8 laps): Coons, , Darland, Cottle, McQueen, Shuman, Josett, Bolton, A. Galedrige, High, Taylor.
C Main (8 laps): High, Stratton, Faas, Stenhouse, Sussex, A. Galedrige, Loyet, Beauchamp, Sarna, Weaver, Zimmerly, Taylor, Gardner.
First Semi (12 laps): High, Kuhn, Rodriguez, B. Galedrige, McQueen, Josett, Shuman, Faas, Faccinto, Rahe, Grant, Harper, Bolton, K. Swanson.
Second Semi (12 laps): Stratton, Boat, A. Galedrige, East, Armstrong, Streeter, Loyet, Hendrick, Beauchamp, T. Swanson, Kaplan, Sussex, Pelkey, Stenhouse.
Feature (25 laps): Hagen, Whitt, Coons, Hines, Sweet, Boat, Stanbrough, Ford, Fike, Windom, Bacon, Jones, Stewart, Kuhn, Pierovich, Stratton, Darland, Rodriguez, Mitchell, East, A. Galedrige, Loyet, Kaeding, B. Galedrige, High, Morgan, Cottle, Hansen, Hockett.