5-23-11 City of Manteca Night was Dominated by Some Great Racing and Some Pretty Good Drivers As Well
Source David Holman
Stockton 99 Speedway

On Saturday, May 21st, NASCAR Whelen All American Racing Series presented City of Manteca Night with the Ford Focus Midgets, NCMA Sprint Cars, Pro-4 Modifieds, Powder Puff, and Enduro Series Race #2. There was a little flavor for every imaginable taste bud served up on this night, which made for some wonderful, non-stop excitement and left the 500 fans in the stands begging for another heaping helping so as to quench their collective hunger.

The Ford Focus Midgets were up first to set the tone for the evening and Keegan Walmer (24) of Portland, OR did just that by producing a fantastic battle for the win.

Tanner Long (9) of South Beloit, IL paced the field to greet the green with James Edens (8) of Santa Rosa ready to go on the outside. Long jumped out to lead early on, but just as quickly, the first yellow of the night flapped in the breeze on lap 2 as Alex Jacobsen (12K) of San Jose looped it coming off turn four in what appeared to be a solo spin. On the single-file restart, Keegan Walmer (24) of Portland, OR, made an absolutely brilliant move, diving low through three and four, and coming to the stripe with nothing but clean air breaking around his grill, which was refreshing over the next seven laps until, on lap 9, Kyle Bailey (77B), not to be outdone, made the exact same move Walmer had made earlier through three and four with the same results: the lead. From that point, these two drivers would wage a wonderful war for domination over that prime territory out front where the land of glory awaited. And finally, on lap 28, Walmer would make the last pass for the lead where he drove off to the glory land. Bailey had nothing to hang his head about by finishing second in what was positively the best race of the night. Garrett Peterson (31) of West Sacramento, in a tough fight of his own over that number three spot, held on to drive onto the podium in third. Edens slipped, if only slightly, to finish fourth with Jessica Clark (44) of Westlake Village rounding out the top five.

When the NCMA Sprints take to the racing surface, it is anyone's race at the green, but tonight the very familiar face of Napa's David Goodwill (3) would be standing high on the podium.

This one got up to speed with Robert Dias (24) of Sacramento and Burt Silverling (77) of Concord sharing the front row and taking the green with field in tow. Dias took control early, but much to his chagrin, on lap 2, Goodwill dove low through three and four and slid up to take over the number two slot. Two laps later, on lap 4, Goodwill drove it deep into three, on the outside, and drove off four with the lead in an astonishingly rare move high and tight. Unfortunately, on lap 8, David Burchett (77B) of Tracy suffered mechanical woes and came to rest near the inside wall in turn two, which did not go unnoticed by the flagman who proceeded in sending the yellow flag waving in the wind. The caution erased a straightaway lead held by Goodwill over his nearest competitor, but on the ensuing lap 8 restart, Goodwill grabbed a huge hunk of forward bite and he was gone like the wind. From that point forward, the Black #3 would chew away at the slick asphalt until there was nothing left to race for but second place as he crossed beneath the checkers well over a half lap ahead of the pack and proved on this night the Championship Race in this Division would most certainly have to go through him. Denny Burrell (32) of Ripon, starting shotgun on the grid, put on an amazing show of talent working his way to the front to finish second. Justin Kawahata (15) of Clovis, starting deep on the grid as well, brought her home on the podium in third, while Modesto's Legendary Ed Amador (76) ran a very solid race in finishing fourth. Dias fell off the pace a bit, but still managed a top five.

In the Young Gun Main, Trevor Hunt (11) of Kansas City, MO wowed the crowd with some very fine racing from a twelve year old young man with a lot of talent.

Trevor Hunt (11) grabbed the pole in this one with Keegan Walmer (24) out high and to the right. With the green flag high in the night sky, Hunt managed to put the power to the ground as he nabbed the holeshot going off into turn one. This one appeared as though there would be no doubt of the outcome as Hunt began to stretch it out over the field and settled into an extremely smooth rhythm. However, on lap 15, the #24 of Walmer began to slow, and by lap 16 he had come to rest low in turn three, which brought with it, first a yellow, then a lengthy red when officials determined fluid had been laid down around the racing surface. Of course, Walmer was done for the night, but Hunt wasn't, when, on the lap 16 restart, he assumed his position out front and took it to the house where he would enjoy the winner's share of the spoils high atop the podium. Kyle Bailey (77B), after a second place finish in his first race, doubled up on this night with another second place finish to cap off a great night of racing for the young driver. James Edens (8) had a great run of his own by finishing on the podium in third. And, of course, Walmer would have to settle for fourth due to the earlier catastrophe.

The ladies came out to play tonight in their Powder Puff Race with the #969 of Lodi's Dolly taking home the gold. This one did not lack controversy when the original winner, Timber Cookson (14T) was deemed ineligible due to her level of experience, which handed the win to Dolly, who very graciously accepted her new-found inheritance. Stockton's own Rhonda Allen (007) promptly finished second, while Lodi's Ashley Papst (2) finished on the podium in third. The #5 of Marissa Dickerson rounded out the top four finishers.

Returning for their second appearance of the year, the Pro-4 Modifieds boasted a much better car-count than their first visit, and an extremely determined Marty Lewis (07) of Santa Rosa showed the way to the checkers.

This one came to life with Chris Straka (34) of Cobb and Kevin Barba (90) of Windsor strapped tight in their respective machines on the front row and looking for the green coming off turn four. Straka got to the gas first and drove it off into turn one with the lead, but not without pulling Neo Nuno (54) of Windsor along for the ride. Once out front, these two drivers began to pull away with Nuno taking large bites from the rear bumper of Straka over the next fourteen laps in one of the fiercest battles fought at the speedway this year. Unfortunately, the Racing God of Mechanical Woes frowned down on Straka, and, on lap 15, he made a sharp right turn out the turn three exit, which put Nuno directly in that spotlight that always shines on the prime real estate out front. Nuno would hold on until lap 22 when, after working his way meticulously through the field, Marty Lewis (07) had made his way to the back bumper of Nuno, and diving low in turn three, Lewis came out on the other side with the lead where he drove it on through to the checkers for a pretty spectacular victory. Vinnie Marcelie (04) of Corning, from P10 on the starting grid, drove a marvelous race onto the podium in second. Barba held pace throughout and wound up on the podium in third. Nick King (44), also starting deep on the grid, brought her home in fourth, while Marty Plumb (97) of Anderson, another deep starter, finished her up in fifth.

Chris Lancaster (7) of Carmichael continued his winning ways at Stockton. The Enduro got off early on this night, but that didn't take away from the excitement. Lancaster started on pole with Ron Wills (18) of Folsom nibbling at his right door panel as the green flag fell. If you know Enduro's, you know well the action gets quite busy, quite quickly. And so it went, the blender began its spin, splish-splashin away with each approaching lap. Lancaster took the lead immediately, and that's never a good thing, because by lap 65, he was the only one left on the lead lap. At the hundred lap halftime break, all twenty cars were still on the race track, which is really a testament to the driving ability of these guys and gals. On lap 106, the first car fell out of the race, and after that, the immensity of the moment began to take its toll as one by one, cars began to fall out. Meanwhile, Lancaster continued to show the way all the way to the checkers, for the outstanding and quite rare, wire to wire victory. The #01R of Folsom's Brandon Erickson finished two laps back in second with Ryan Strmiska (98) of Salida finishing on the podium in third. Lodi's David Papst Jr. (2), a threat every time he hits the track, could only manage a fourth, while Lodi's Adam Baggett (24K) finished the night in fifth.

The Speedway will be Dark next weekend, but make sure to mark your calendars for two weeks on Saturday, June 4th when SRL Spears Southwest Tour Series Late Models roll onto the high-banks for their first appearance of the year. This is the finest Touring Series in this part of the Country, so you won't want to miss the high-octane excitement that follows these great drivers everywhere they go. Also on the Ticket for the Event will be the Legends of the Pacific, Super Stocks and the Bombers.

The New Stockton 99 Speedway is located at 4105 N. Wilson Way, ¼-mile west of Highway 99. For more information on tickets and times, please contact the Speedway Office at (209)466-9999 or visit their Website at www.stockton99.com.
The New Stockton 99 Speedway is sponsored by Jackson Rancheria Casino Hotel, California Welding Supply, Budweiser, Alamo Alarm and Stockton Hampton Inn and Suites and Lodi Holiday Express.

 

5-23-11 Perris "Salute to Indy" Saturday For CRA
Source Dick Jordan
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprints

The 2011 AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series continues this week with Saturday night’s “Salute to Indy” at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway.

Defending three-time series champion Mike Spencer will lead the series to Perris in search of an unprecedented fourth consecutive series championship. His six-point lead over David Cardey is in jeopardy, however, and he’s only 18 ahead of Matt Mitchell, who ranks third in the current standings.

A victory by Spencer Saturday would vault him to third in the all-time USAC victory list at Perris. It would be his 16th win there, compared to 19 for Tony Jones and 24 for Damion Gardner. Spencer has won both Perris outings this season.

Cardey has a third and a sixth in his two Perris outings in 2011, while Mitchell has had a third and a fourth.

The California Lightning Sprints, Senior Sprint Cars and WRA Sprints are also part of Saturday’s “Salute to Indy” at the half-mile dirt oval.


AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR STANDINGS

1-Mike Spencer-242; 2-David Cardey-236; 3-Matt Mitchell-224; 4-Blake Miller-222; 5-Greg Bragg-181; 6-Nic Faas-163; 7-Rickie Gaunt-163; 8-Cody Williams-130; 9-Austin Williams-124; 10-David Bezio-117.

 

5-23-11 360s Head For Santa Maria June 4; Kaeding Notches 3rd 2011 360 Sprint Win at Hanford
Source Dick Jordan
USAC West Coast 360 Sprints

Ryan Bernal of Hollister, Calif. continues to lead the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car standings and he’ll try to hang onto the 31-point edge he has over runner-up Richard VanderWeerd when the series returns to Santa Maria (Calif.) Speedway June 4.

Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Calif. continued his great 2011 start by winning Saturday night's 30-lap race at Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. He passed Bernal on lap 11 and led the rest of the way to beat Bernal, fast qualifier Danny Faria Jr., Richard VanderWeerd and Jonathan Logan. The win was Kaeding’s third this season.

Bernal will seek his first series win at Santa Maria, a track where he finished fifth in the previous appearance this year. He has three second-place finishes in series competition so far.


USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS

1-Ryan Bernal-354; 2-Richard VanderWeerd-323; 3-Jace VanderWeerd-293; 4-Bud Kaeding-290; 5-Wes Gutierrez-285; 6-Greg Alexander-272; 7-Danny Faria Jr.-242; 8-Justyne Hamblin-231; 9-Peter Murphy-230; 10-Dennis Howell-213.


 

5-23-11 Shannon Limps to Victory After Crash That Takes Out Foulger in Dirtcar West modifieds; Damitz Scores Second Win on His 82nd Birthday Weekend
Source Mike Adaskaveg
Merced Speedway

MERCED, California — A crash midway through the DIRTcar West Modified Stock Car main event changed the complexion of the point standings Sunday, as Troy Foulger was forced out of the race while Merced’s Chris Shannon continued to the finish line in a heavily damaged car.

Shannon was lapping track champ George Lefler when the melee began.

“I thought he was giving me the high groove on the track,” Shannon said in victory lane. “He came up on the tack and I drove right into him.”

The ensuing carnage was unavoidable for DIRTcar West points leader Troy Foulger, who was battling Shannon for track championship points, too. Lefler’s car went into the low groove on the fourth turn after the impact with Shannon’s car, and Foulger’s right front end was severely damaged when his car impacted Lefler’s.

Foulger was out of contention, but Lefler finished the event.

“He didn’t have control of his car,” Foulger said. “You don’t race with the leaders when you are getting lapped. It’s basic racing.”

West Union, Iowa’s Kellen Chadwick was running third and moved into second. He pulled up alongside Shannon’s running car to eyeball the damage.

“It looked worse than it was,” Chadwick said. “On the restart I could see it would be hard to catch him. The car I was driving was (handling) too loose for me to get back on the gas when I came out of the turns. I couldn’t pass Shannon.”

Third at the finish line was Bill Egleston of Atwater, with his best finish ever.

“I finally finished a race,” he laughed in victory lane. “We’ve had such bad luck with motors - this week we just took a bunch of parts and put them together to go racing. Turned out to be the best motor we’ve had. I’m happy to finish third - especially after starting last.”

Larry Damitz, 82 years old this weekend, continued his dominance of late model and super stock car divisions as he has won three of the last four races, and he finished second in the only one he didn’t win.

“It was a fast track tonight,” he said. “In sixty years of racing, don’t recall ever having won two nights in a row at two different tracks in two different divisions.

He won unchallenged Sunday night, but had little advice for younger drivers he left behind.

“They don’t need any advice today,” he said. “Drivers start so young - when they are children - that by time they get to this level they are all pretty darn good.”

The top three drivers were all smiles in the “Four-Banger” victory lane.

Why?

“It was a good clean race, and that is great fun regardless of where you finish,” said second place Paul Espino of Merced. Third place Tim Elias of Chowchilla was all smiles, too. Winner Nick Sagmiller of Raymond, enjoying his first year in the four-cylinder cars, chided Espino in victory lane to start the fun.

“Hey buddy, you got into me and brought me up on the track,” he said jokingly. “That’s why I waved out the window at you.”

Ryan Hart of Dos Palos took home the checkered flag in the Hobby Stock Division. Wesley Brown of Visalia scored in the Vintage Super Modified division, which raced for the first time at the track.

There is no racing Memorial Day weekend at Merced Speedway. Racing action resumes June 5, with DIRTcar West modifieds headlining the show.

 

5-22-11 Night of First Time Winners
Source Dan McIntire
Lakeport Speedway

The Potter Valley Mower racers put on their first show this last weekend at Lakeport Speedway to a very delighted crowd. They raced hard on the track in the infield, with one of the racers losing control coming out of turn number four during the heat race and running into the make shift flag stand, catching the flagman Adam Smith off guard. The action was fierce during the two heat races with the action getting even more intense during the main, where it saw racers getting hampered by cones getting stuck under their mowers, as well as racers jocking for position and running off the edge of the track. 2010 Mini Stock track champion Sean Keown even took his hand at trying to drive a mower around the dirt track in the infield. After all the dust settled the victory to the lawn mower race ended up being Jake Green. It was an very exciting event for the fans and the mower racers themselves. The mowers racers will be back for their next show on June 4th 2011.

The action was not just limited to the infield for the nights events it continued on the track during the Taco Bell bombers where the starting field was lead to the green by Anthony Esberg and Richard Mills, but after introductions of the drivers and when the field was getting to roll off for the green the #10 car of Mills had a mechanical failure forcing him to retire to the infield and not being able to race. This set the starting grid to now be rookie Esberg on the inside row with second year driver Evan Smith on the outside row. The race saw Esberg jump out to an early lead follow by vetran driver Andy Norton on Finely. They ran nose to tail until a spin on the back straight away drew the first yellow, upon getting ready to restart the Esberg car suffered some mechanical difficulties and retired to the pit area. The restart saw Smith staring on the inside row with Travis Thorn on the out side row. Smith jumped into the lead. During Smith’s run in the lead Denton was moving up through the field looking to challenge for the lead. Smith held on through one more caution that came out for a single car spin in turn number one going on to take his first victory in the Taco Bell bomber division.

The bandolero’s put on a very exciting show with the youngsters putting on a very exciting show, with them racing almost as fast as the full sized bombers around the race track at Lakeport Speedway. Triston Mucci of nice was the man of the night taking away with a clean sweep through out the night by winning the dash, the heat race and a taking a very commanding win the main event.

Sean Keown drove to another victory in the Rental Solution Mini Stocks after holding of the challenge of rookie driver James Stillman through out the night, and after Stillman challenged the veteran and faded back after spinning in the infield coming out of turn number two, it pitted Keown against Kyle Tellstrom out of Ukiah. The two racers battled back and forth for the remainder of the race night with Keown finally pulling into the lead during the final laps to take the win.

The Clover Hydro Jammers saw trophy dash Winner Nolan Forsythe of Lucerne staring on the inside row with rookie driver Brandi Cubbage starting on the out side row. Taking the standing start in turn number four it saw Forsythe jump out to a commanding lead getting a good start out of the gate followed by Jason Long and Eddie Klein. Klein and Long made a pass around the leader Forsythe leading into turn number one make it three wide safely through the corner. The car of Forsythe suffered mechanical problem coming out of turn number 2 on lap number 9 forcing him to retire to the infield for the rest of the event. Eddie Klein took a commanding lead and continued to put cars laps down during the event. The car of Micheal Peterson made a pass for second on lap number 13 putting Jackson Long back to third place. At the checkers it saw Eddie Klein win the pro Clover Hydro jammer division, and Jackson Long wining the Jr. Clover Hydro Jammer division.

The Lake County Extreme Asphalt Outlaws took the track, and after drawing two car inversion, it would be Sean Sweeny and Charlie Collins leading the field down to the green flag. The start saw Collins lagging back a bit getting a good run on Sweeny coming to the strip. Sweeny got a good run going into turn number one, and Collins looked to close the door, but he found Sweeny in the hole already. Collins still held the lead for the next two laps, with Sweeny pulling ahead on lap number three with Collins right in two. The man on the move from the back of the field was Steve Taylor of Cloverdale as he was working his way quickly up through the field. The first yellow came out when the Outlaw of Kyle Tellstrom lost a transmission going down the back straight away and had to retire to the pit area. The restart again saw Sweeney on the inside with Collins on the high side. Sweeney regained the lead and Collins followed in second, getting passed on lap number 15 by David Lyndall of Kelseyville. A final caution came out when the car of Taylor retired to the infield after experience motor problems. As with the other top division at Lakeport Speedway with less then 10 laps to go it saw the cars line up for a single file restart. Leading the field to the last green for the evening Sweeney went on to take his first win in the Lake County Off Road Extreme Asphalt Outlaws, he was followed by Lyndall, Collins and Keuker at the line.

 

5-22-11 Doss Does it Again at Ukiah Speedway
Source Ukiah Speedway PR
Ukiah Speedway

UKIAH, California — Mike Doss of Upper Lake inherited the lead when second place runner Trevor Cristiani Ukiah tagged the rear of leader Junior Roddy's car sending it into a wild spin at Ukiah Speedway Saturday night. Both Roddy and Cristiani had to restart in the rear, leaving the number one spot to Doss where he drove the remaining laps for his second Ukiah win in the Airport Auto Brokers Late Model Series. Doss also set fast time over the 12 car field with a very fast 12.374 second lap. With only eight laps to go Jeremy Hopkins of Lakeport passed Clay Caturegli of Cloverdale to finish second. Caturegli finished third, Cristiani rebounded to take fourth and Allen Gibney of Fort Bragg took fifth spot.

In other racing action, Ron Duke Jr. of Redwood Valley won a 15-lap side-by-side battle with Jimmy Sorrels, finally pulling ahead on the white flag lap to capture his third season victory in the Bud Bomber class. Duke started at the back of the pack and worked his way up to second in only 16 laps. Fast time for the night and a new track record two weeks straight went to Kelseyville's Rick Tommila with a 15.537 second lap. Heat race wins went to Sorrels and Bob Mook.

The Airport Auto Brokers Legends Cars Series produced a 22 car field with Mike Lovell of Willits setting fast time of 14.309 seconds. Lovell went on to top that with his very impressive win in the 30-lap main event over Luis Tyrell of Brisbane, Lakeport's Scott Sabol, Jeremy Doss of Upper Lake and Lovell's son, Mikey Lovell. The top four drivers transferring from the “B” main were winner Bill Kistenmacher, Jim Sturges, David Fisher and Kevin Coburn. Sturges, Derek Lovell and Sabol were first across the line in their respective heat races.

Speedy Signs Street Stock action saw Terry Pittman from Ukiah once again set fast time (14.204) and capture his third season feature. The only thing that spoiled another clean sweep for Pittman was Jeramy Lippincott's heat race win. Pittman's biggest obstacle in the main event was the race-long battle with Corey James. James settled for second behind Pittman followed by RJ Randall, Lippincott and Shelby Helm.

And the new 4-Banger division saw the first roll-over of the season when first-time driver Nicole Ressio of Santa Rosa drove her car up on the chicane barrier on the front stretch and rolled her car over in front of the grandstand. After the track was cleared it was Jamie Gallant of Ukiah who made it through the course in one piece to collect his first 4-Banger win. Jed Jones finished second with Trevor Abella, enjoying his highest finish to date, in third. Points leader Jesse Hutchins, who won the last four races, tried to make a pass through the tires in the early laps, did not make it and had to retire his damaged car the pits.

AIRPORT AUTO BROKERS LATE MODELS

It was a complete invert for the start of the Late Model 75 lapper with Todd Lands and Myles Anderson in the first row followed by Mike Neilson and Jeremy Donahoo. Anderson lost ground on the outside and when his car drifted high coming out of turn four it hit the marbles and slid sideways. Anderson tried to gather it up but over-corrected driving the car head-on into the front stretch wall. Although Anderson was able to drive his car to the pits, it sustained heavy front-end damage and was out for the night.

This left Jim Stillman along side Lands for the restart and when Stillman lost ground Junior Roddy took over second. Land's car temporarily lost power on lap four, freight-training his car all the way to the back. This put Roddy up front followed by Stillman, Neilson and Gibney. Trevor Cristiani passed Givney on lap six and picked off Neilson on lap nine. At the same time Corey James retired his car to the pits.

The second yellow flew on lap 15 when mid-pack runners Jeremy Donahoo and Clay Caturegli bumped together resulting in Donahoo stopping high up against the turn four wall. Donahoo pitted but returned to action later in the race. Once again Roddy and Stillman restarted next to each other but it was Cristiani who moved under Stillman and into second. When Stillman attempted to get back in line he was clipped by Gibney and spun in turn one. With no where to go Neilson got collected and came to a stop. Stillman and Neilson went to the back and AABLM official rules allowed Gibney to keep his position.

Two rounds later a four-car pile-up saw Donahoo spin, Jeremy Hopkins drive off the track in turn three, and Lands and Stillman out with crashed cars. Then a long green-flag run saw Cristiani dog Roddy the next 35 laps with Cristiani making several unsuccessful inside passes as Doss patiently waited for the leaders to make a mistake. That error came on lap 57 when Cristiani got under Roddy, did not back off, and when Roddy came down the leaders made contact with Roddy spinning around. This put Doss in the lead where he drove to an easy victory.

BUD BOMBERS

Kevin Brackett and Ray Strain started up front in the Bomber 30 lapper with Strain pulling ahead at the drop on the green flag. Jimmy Sorrels followed Strain to the front and when Strain settled into the inside groove, Sorrels stayed outside and powered into the lead on lap eight. Two laps later Strain drove into the infield and lost ground to Bob Mook, Anthony McCoy and Ron Duke Jr. Mook pulled out of line allowing McCoy to inch under him. Duke also got under Mook. On lap 15 McCoy got loose, drifted up into Mook resulting in Mook driving off the track in turn three.

This put Sorrels first, Duke second, Rick Tommila third and George Abella fourth. Sorrels and Duke ran neck-to-neck the remaining laps until Duke pulled ahead for good on the white flag lap to claim the win. Abella and Brandon Verde both passed Tommila in the closing laps to finish third and fourth with Tommila in fifth.

ARPORT AUTO BROKERS LEGENDS CARS

The 14 fastest qualifiers and four transfers from the “B” main took the initial green flag with pole setter Derek Lovell forging ahead at the start followed by Chase Majdic and Mikey Lovell. The first caution fell on lap 10 when Scott Sabol spun into the infield. Two rounds later third place runner Jeremy Doss pulled to the outside of Mikey Lovell, the two cars made contact causing both to spin in turn four. Majdic slammed on the brakes but was unable to stop in time, hit the stalled cars and was then rear-ended by David Winchel. Winchel's car was towed to the pits with heavy front-end damage.

Now Mike Lovell started next to son Mikey and before one more lap went down, Mikey Lovell lost control and spun in turn four. All cars got by except Caity Miller who slid into Lovell's stalled car. This put Logan Zampa next to Mike Lovell for the restart and when racing resumed Zampa lost ground to Brandon White and Luis Tyrell. White spun at lap 16 and collected Zampa. The last half of the race was incident free with Mike Lovell holding off Tyrell to take the win.

SPEEDY SIGN STREET STOCKS

Three new cars joins the street stock ranks, bringing a total of seven starters with Ross English and RJ Randall up front. English was the early leader until lap eight when English's car slowed allowing Randall to take control. Randall pulled away from the pack, but as soon as Corey James had a chance he started to chase down Randall.

The race was slowed on lap 11 when Logan Hoaglin spun on the front stretch. When racing resumed James ran next to Randall for four laps before pulling out into the lead. Meanwhile Pittman was working his way to the front, passed Randall for second on 17 and set his sights on James. When James went high, Pittman nosed under him and made the winning pass on the 20th circuit. The final yellow flew on 22 for another Hoaglin spin, and the final laps saw Pittman hold off James for the win.

4-BANGERS

With Trevor Abella and Nicole Ressio electing to start at the back, Brianna Norton and Jamie Gallant shared the front row for the start of the 4-Banger chicane course. Jesse Hutchins appeared to be impatience and tried to pass inside the tire barrier. But there was not enough room, Hutchins hit the tires, damaged his car, ending his four-week winning streak. It was Gallant who shot out front with Norton second and Jed Jones third. Norton drove into the tire course too fast on lap four, hit a tire and also retired her car to the pits.

Gallant lapped Abella early in the race as Jones was closing in on Gallant. The red flag came out on lap 12 when Ressio drove over the tire, her car went air-born and came to rest on it's side. Ressio crawled out of the car, officials got it back on it's wheels and pushed it into the infield.

The final laps saw Gallant way out in front where he stayed all the way to the checkered flag.

Auto racing continues at Ukiah Speedway this Memorial Day weekend with two nights of auto racing, both Saturday and Sunday nights. Ukiah Speedway hosts the INEX Legends Cars Spring Nationals along with the return of the Thunder Roadsters and the Pro-4 Modifieds. Bombers, Bandoleros and 4-Bangers will also be on the racing card. Gates open at 5 pm each night with racing at 7 pm. A complete schedule can be found on line at www.UkiahSpeedway.com.


 

5-22-11 Race Results From Santa Maria Speedway
Source Avid Castaneda
Santa Maria Speedway
 

 
The King of the West 410 Winged Sprints headlined in front of a packed house at the Santa Maria Speedway with Brent Kaeding of Campbell starting from the pole in the 30-lap main event. Kaeding won a qualifying dash earlier in the evening to take the pole, but at the start it was Jonathan Allard of Chico who took the lead on lap one, but a spin on lap two brought out the yellow and set up another two-wide restart, this time with Tim Kaeding of San Jose on the inside. On the restart Allard again took the lead with Andy Gregg of Placerville taking over second. On lap 12 Gregg used lap traffic to get around Allard, who then had to contend with Tim Kaeding who took second away on the next lap. Gregg increased his lead over Kaeding in traffic putting two lappers in between them. On lap 24 Mark Barroso of Merced brought out a yellow flag setting up another double-wide restart. But this time the lapped cars were put to the rear for the restart leaving the leaders to fight it out for the point. Gregg got a clean restart and kept the lead with Tim Kaeding following in second. But Gregg was able to keep his sprint out front to take his first-ever win in a King of the West event. Gregg was emotional in victory circle thanking crews past and present for his success. Tim Kaeding finished second and Allard came in third.

"Next week at the Santa Maria Speedway marks the return of “The Nationals”. "Santa Maria Speedway promoter Chris Kearns put up $1000 for a “Last Man Standing” trophy dash. The process-of-elimination format had four cars starting in a dash with the last car being eliminated in each run. In the end Jonathatn Allars was the “Last Man Standing” after a wicked two-lap, two-car battle with Tim Kaeding that had several cat and mouse restarts before Allard took the win and the $1000.

The Toste Grading & Paving Mini-Stocks took to the track for their 20-lap main event with Chris Larsen of Nipomo starting on the pole. Troy Medeiros of Arroyo Grande jumped out front before Kurt Larsen was able to use lapping traffic to ease his way to the front. As this was happening Robby Cervantes of Arroyo Grande was able to get up to second place. After a caution closed up the field, Larsen kept Cervantes behind him on the restart. But on lap 15 Cervantes was able to get by Larsen as was Pat Fausel of Santa Maria. At the white flag Fausel got next to Cervantes, but a yellow flag for a car into the turn four wall set up a two-lap sprint to the finish. On the final restart Fausel took some bumping from Scott Black of Tehachapi and that was all Cervantes needed to take his third win of the season. Fausel finished second with Medeiros coming up to retake third.

The Mini Dwarfs featuring our youngest drivers took to the track with the Senior Mini Dwarfs running a 20-lap main event. After a couple of cautions pole-sitter Trenton Millard of Bakersfield was able to fight lapping traffic to keep his racecar out front for the win. Tony Lamas of Bakersfield finished second with Cameron McCauley finishing third.

The Junior Mini-Dwarf 15-lap main event had a couple of young ladies getting out front early with Riley Millard of Bakersfield taking the lead over second place Cassidy Claborn of Santa Maria. But by lap 10 Deven Pearson of Ridgecrest took over the lead with Sunni Simkins of Bakersfield moving to second. At the finish Pearson crossed first with Kabe McClenny taking second and Sunni Simkins finishing third.

Next week at the Santa Maria Speedway marks the return of “The Nationals”. This 2-night event over the Memorial Day weekend has the West Coast Late Model Shootout series running for a $5000 first prize. The West Coast Street Stocks will be fighting for a $3000 victory check and the MMI Hobby Stocks will be running for a $2000 first prize. These three divisions will run their qualifying and heats on Saturday, May 28th and then return on Sunday night, May 29th for their main events. The Papich Construction IMCA Modifieds will run complete races both nights for $1500 to win each night. Tickets are $14 for Adults on Saturday and $20 for Adults on Sunday, $2 discounts for Senior, Military, and Students apply for both nights, $6 for kids 6-12 and free for kids 5 and under on both nights.
 

5-22-11 Looking for Victory No More- Andy Gregg Comes From Sixth to Claim First Career Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series Win on Saturday at Santa Maria Speedway
Source Gary Thomas
Golden State King of The West

Santa Maria, CA – May 21, 2011…Placerville’s Andy Gregg has been trying hard for years to win a traveling 410 sprint car series main event. On two separate occasions in the past he had led until the final lap of a Golden State 410 feature, but each time it ended in disappointment.

Having come that close before it made him even hungrier entering the 2011 season full-time with KWS and on Saturday night in Santa Maria, Gregg accomplished that goal by racing to his first ever Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series victory.

“It’s awesome to come out here and win our first KWS race tonight and just being up here with guys like Tim Kaeding and Jonathan Allard is an honor,” said an emotional Gregg in victory lane. “I have about a million people to thank for helping me get to this point, but have to definitely give big thanks to Bret Ervin and this whole team.”

When the 30-lapper went green on Saturday night it was front starters Brent Kaeding and Jonathan Allard going side by side all the way through the first set of corners. As the duo raced down the back stretch Allard got the momentum he needed on the high-side and led the field to the flag stand to complete the opening lap.

The first few circuits saw San Jose’s Tim Kaeding look nearly unstoppable running the high-line of the Santa Maria Speedway in the Roth Motorsports No. 83. “TK” picked off multiple cars and was up to second at one point, but the yellow lights came on with three-laps down and forced him to go back to fifth for the double file restart.

When the green lights flashed on again the pack roared into turn one and Gregg made a beautiful move to slice by Brent Kaeding and take over the runner up position, after originally starting sixth on the grid. With traffic soon coming into play Gregg rapidly closed in on Allard and then pounced when the two-time Golden State champ got a bit too high in turns three and four.

As the leaders raced off the fourth corner Gregg shot to the bottom in his 7-Industries No. 53 and took over the top-spot as the crowd cheered with approval. Allard tried to stay with Gregg, but had another challenge of his own when Tim Kaeding joined the fray. “JA” and “TK” would then battle back and forth for a couple laps, before Kaeding took the spot for good on lap 16.

Out front Gregg proceeded to do a masterful job through lapped traffic and started to build up a large advantage over the rest of the field, much like he did in the Santa Maria Speedway event last July. Just like last season though when it looked as if he’d be headed for certain victory, circumstances late in the race changed things with a trio of stoppages occurring.

The slowdowns created multiple double file restarts, but even despite Tim Kaeding lining up alongside him, who has 50-career Golden State 410 wins, Gregg never flinched and got great starts each time to charge off and pick up his first ever series triumph. He becomes the fifth different winner in six KWS events this season and also earned the PitStopUSA.com hard charger award for the night.

T. Kaeding crossed the line in second to maintain his Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series point lead. It marked Kaeding’s fifth top-five finish in six races, as he continues his bid to become the first King of the West driving for Dennis and Teresa Roth.

After leading early in the race Allard completed the podium in the feature aboard the Williams Motorsports No. 0. The top-five was rounded out by the Suggs Racing No. 33e of Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs and Campbell’s Brent Kaeding at the helm of his Al’s Roofing Supply No. 69 mount. The remainder of the top-10 was comprised of Elk Grove’s Bobby McMahan, Chico’s Kenny Allen, Stockton’s Brad Furr, Grass Valley’s Jason Statler and Sacramento’s Willie Croft.

The six-lap KSE Racing Products/ Grant’s Fine Art Dash was captured by Brent Kaeding and the three 10-lap heat races were picked off by Evan Suggs, Brent Kaeding and Kenny Allen. For the 16-year-old Allen it marked his first KWS heat race win of the season behind the wheel of his Chico Truck & RV No. 7k sprinter. The night started out with Evan Suggs claiming the Grant’s Fine Art fast time award by carving his way around the one-third mile oval in 13.059 seconds.

Promoter Chris Kearns also hosted the first Last Man Standing Dash that created some excitement during the night.

Suggs, Allard, T. Kaeding and Gregg took part in the four car fight with $1000 up for grabs to the winner. After Gregg and Suggs were eliminated following the first two segments, Allard and TK went at it for two-laps. The duo gave everyone a glimpse of why they are two of the very best in the west, never backing off for one another and at the checkered flag it was Allard winning the war to bring home a cool grand.

Next up for the Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will be a Memorial Day weekend two-night stand at the famed Calistoga Speedway half-mile on Saturday and Sunday May 28 and 29. The Sunday event will be the annual Salute to Walter T Ross. To keep up with the latest happenings from the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series visit http://www.kwssprints.com or catch us on Facebook and Twitter.

 

5-18-11 Mother is Inspiration for Modified’s Michael Ostrowski
Source & Photos RMG Race Media Group
All American Speedway

ROSEVILLE, CA. Nineteen-year-old Michael Ostrowski pilots the number 77 machine in the Modified division entering 2011 as his third year in modifieds. Michael is no stranger to racing, he began racing at the young age of eight in quarter midgets then moved up to go karts where he established his racing resume. Michael has captured 5 championships in karting and has finished runner up in the Grand American Modified Division at Stockton 99 Speedway in his rookie year. With over 50+ wins in karting, today Michael is still actively racing go karts. Michael races his modified machine on Saturday nights at All American Speedway and Sunday’s he’s at Infineon Karting center racing the Red Line Oil Karting Championship or other regional karting series in northern California. “The cornering capabilities, straightaway speeds, and the tracks are very technical and challenging,” says Michael on what he likes about karting.

Michael Ostrowski tested a modified in early 2008 and that was his turning point in his racing career. Spring of 2008 Michael had built his own left hander modified from bare frame in four months. After the modified was complete Michael got the opportunity to race the last four races at Altamont before the track closed. On the last race Michael had set fast time in his new modified and was his first fast qualifier in his fourth career start in modifieds. However, Michael has not won in the modified division yet so he is looking to capture wins at All American Speedway. On race days, Michael’s job is to not only drive but to be a mechanic on his own car and regularly double checks everything. Michael’s dad, Scott, is Michael’s spotter and mechanic on the 77 machine. To prepare himself for racing, he believes it is important to be physically fit and works out 5 days a week and eats healthy. Michael loves racing Modifieds because of the horsepower to weight ratio and the feeling of always being on the edge but mostly because they are open wheel. This year Michael is not only looking to run upfront but to get a few wins for his mom. 

Michael’s mom, Nanette Ostrowski, 48 years old, has been battling cancer since last October when she was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung, and lymph nodes in the brain. Since then Nanette is rarely at the track to watch Michael race due to her chemo treatments which have made her too sick and weak to make the drive up from Salida to Roseville and back. “I am nervous when Michael races whether or not I attend. My husband, Scott keeps me up to date with many phone calls and text messages throughout race day. I try to attend most of Michael’s races but I’m limited to how I feel and I have already missed a few of his 2011 races,” says Nanette. Nannette has been involved in racing since 1982 when her husband Scott introduced her to the I.M.S.A. event at Watkins Glenn, NY. Since then both Nannette and Scott have enjoyed all forms of racing. “I have been supportive and involved in Michael’s racing for over 11 years. My proudest moment was in 2005 when Michael started a training and exercise program and he lost 32 pounds at the age of 13. He then won 2 championships in karting that same year!” says Nannette on Michael’s success. Before Nannette was diagnosed with cancer her role as a racing mom was not only to be supportive but to keep all of Michael’s safety equipment clean, encourage Michael to stay fit, eat healthy and be a good sportsman. 

Michael loves racing and enjoys racing his modified at All American Speedway. Michael hopes that his mother will be able to witness his first modified win at the Roseville facility. Racing is truly a family sport and many memories are created at the track. Michael will be running the full Modified championship points series. Be sure to keep an eye on the red number 77 modified. Michael would like to thank the All American Speedway fans for supporting him and All American Speedway.

5-18-11 All American Speedway Springs Back Into Championship Action This Weekend (May 21) With Late Model Twin 50’s
Source RMG Race Media Group
All American Speedway

This Saturday May 21^st, The All American Speedway will host its next championship point’s race with Bombers, Street Stocks, Modifieds, NASCAR Late Models and the Western Scale Racing Association (WSRA). Modifieds will have a 40 lap main, Street Stocks and Bombers will have a 35 lap main and the NASCAR Late Models will have twin 50 lap mains.

In the Late Model division the points are still in the early stages with three  races. Matt Scott captured the win in the season opener and the points lead, currently 17 points over Jason Romero who holds two victories. Ron Chunn is third in the standing trailing Romero by just 10 points. Juan Pitta^, fourth, and Chris Scribner, fifth, are both in close pursuit. Close racing action will happen this weekend as the division is set to compete with 2 main events 50 laps each.

The bomber division will enter their third points race with Chris Paulson sweeping the first two points races and leading the way in points with a 16 point lead over second place Erick Ray. Dana Kelly is four points from Ray and tied for third with Richard Perez. Matt Camp^, fifth in points is only four points away from the tied drivers Kelly and Perez.

Street Stocks’ Chris Lambert has ran to the top of the charts with an impressive 20 point lead on second place Byron Gonzales. Richard Poppert Jr^, third, is close to Gonzales by two points and is just six points over fourth place Mickey Owens. Joe Dahl, fifth, is shy of Owens by four points. With second through fifth so close in points, this weekend shall see some great racing action with Lambert looking to make three in row.

Scott Winters leads the way in the Modified division with capturing wins for the first two races gaining a 14 point lead over second place, Dan Jinkerson. Jinkerson has a 10 point lead over Andy Field, third. Field edges out fourth with a two point lead over Jim Miller. Jason Bamberg^, fifth, is four points back of Miller.

Grandstands open at 4:00 p.m. with racing to start at 6. Tickets for the All American Speedway NASCAR Whelen Championship Series are just $13 for adults, $7 for students/military/seniors, $7 for juniors ages 6-11, with kids 6 and under free! Ticket information is available by calling (916) 864-8722. More information about All American Speedway can be found at www.AllAmericanSpeedway.com. The Placer County Fairgrounds administration office is open for advance ticket sales Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm at 800 All America City Blvd. Roseville, CA. 95678, or contact the office at (916) 786-2025.

5-18-11 Mitchell, Nelson, Payne and Marcelli early season points favorites at the Acres
Source Matthew J. Sullivan
Redwood Acres Raceway

The 2011 season at Redwood Acres Raceway has got off to a fast start. After the initial season opener was rained out on April 16th, racing was able to resume on April 30th Pepsi Night and May 7th for the Mother’s Day weekend races. Coincidentally, it appeared as though Mother Nature was going to intervene in the middle of the scheduled action for the Mother’s Day races. A heavy mist fell over the track during the real stock heat race slowing and eventually delaying the on-track action. Thankfully the skies lifted and with the cars and drivers in the real stock and roadrunner divisions circling the speedway, the track dried and racing was able to resume.

The winners in the real stock division last race included Ryan Robinson in the trophy dash, Doug Way in the heat race and Casey Mitchell in the main event, giving him both feature wins on the season. In the roadrunner division, Michael Lawrence prevailed in the trophy dash to win while Robbie Nelson doubled up winning the heat race and the main event. Randy Olson swept all three events in the Thunder Roadster division, overcoming oil and carburetor problems that have plagued his car since last season. Larry Pries won the sportsman trophy dash last race while Angelo Marcelli took the heat and main event victories.

With only two races in the books, the battle for the track championship in all four local divisions is still anyone’s race. Casey Mitchell holds a 17 point advantage over second place, Donnie Hyman in the real stocks 142-125. Robbie Nelson has a narrow lead in the roadrunner class, leading the duo of Nick Hansen and Brian Murrell, Jr. by only five points, 139-134. Defending Thunder Roadster track champion, Thomas Payne leads Chris Sarvinski by 13 markers, 134-121. In the sportsman division, Angelo Marcelli leads with 129 points while second place has a tie between Larry Pries and Brandon Barnwell at 124 points. Unfortunately for Barnwell, he hit the wall hard in the last main event and it will be interesting to see if the incident will knock him out of the running for the points championship.

Racing returns to Redwood Acres Raceway this Saturday night May 21st with all four local classes back in action.

Points Standings (After 2 Races)

Real Stocks
1. 69 Casey Mitchell 142
2. 58 Donnie Hyman 125
3. 1 Nick Green 123
4. 74 Doug Way 120
5. 47 Ryan Robinson 116
6. 48 Steve Kimberling 110
7. 55 Bob Lima/Donnie Brown 104
8. 57 Wyatt Roach 96
9. 44 Jim Redd 70
10. 12 Ryan Walters 58
11. 99 Chris Naughton 50
12. 33 Dax Kinsey 46
13. 3 Mark Williams 10

Roadrunners
1. 24 Robbie Nelson 139
2. 33 Nick Hansen/Brian Murrell, Jr. 134
3. 48 Josh Hanson 131
4. 47 Michael Lawrence 129
5. 10 Kolby Jackson 117
6. 43 Rob Mattox 116
7. 13 Heath Roach 109
8. 69 Tim Abeyta 108
9. 7 Ken Barrett 103
10. 11 Brett Murrell 97
11. 6 Jennifer Barrett 92
12. 14 Jarrett Mayo 39
13. 01 Dylan Cook 23

Thunder Roadsters
1. 66 Thomas Payne 134
2. 23 Chris Sarvinski 121
3. 82 Robert Miller 119
4. 21 Fergy Ferguson 119
5. 5 Bruce Ziemer 116
6. 50 Dan Browne 102
7. 16 Allen Olson 101
8. 95 Belinda Ward 101
9. 11 Randy Olson 91
10. 15 Paul Peeples,Jr. 73
11. 73 Bernard Burns 46
12. 99 Jim Rich 45
13. 18 Rob Nelson 43

Sportsman
1. 25 Angelo Marcelli 129
2. 19 Dennis DelBiaggio 124
3. 56 Brandon Barnwell 124
4. 01 Larry Pries 123
5. 84 Ken Hallis 119
6. 40 Al Acuna 113
7. 8 Kenny Demello 106

5-18-11 Walmer & Hunt 1-2 in USAC Norcal Young Guns Season Opener
Source Steven Blakesley
USAC Norcal Young Guns

15 year-old Keegan Walmer of Portland, Oregon scored a convincing victory in the USAC NorCal Young Guns opener at All American Speedway on Saturday night in a field comprised of several Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle drivers.

Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle is a driver development program based in Sacramento that develops drivers with the talent and potential for a career in professional Stock Car racing.

Walmer scored a clean sweep of the night’s races to give himself the early points lead in the division while his 12 year-old teammate Trevor Hunt of Kansas City, MO finished second to exten his points lead in the USAC Western Young Guns standings.

Walmer came out of the gate with the fast-time in qualifying, running a 14.287 second lap around the one-third mile asphalt oval. Hunt qualified second with a time of 14.416, while Santa Rosa’s James Edens, making his series debut, qualified third.

Hunt led the first six laps of the heat race before Walmer took the lead and the heat race victory. Edens finished third while fellow Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle rookies Collin Milroy of New Jersey and Sheldon Didinger of Pennsylvania finish rounded out the top-five.

The 20 lap feature saw Edens lead lap one before Didinger moved to the top spot on lap two. Walmer broke through the pack to take the lead on lap three and drive to a commanding lead. Behind Walmer, Hunt and Didinger had a spirited battle for second with Hunt finally taking over on lap 13.

“All of the Young Guns did a fine job this weekend including the drivers who were making their debuts,” Driver Coach Ron Sutton said. “Keegan showed his veteran experience in the feature but he will have company up front as the season goes on!”

Walmer leads the five points over Hunt. Hunt leads the USAC Western Focus Young Guns standings by 119 points with the Young Guns set to return to action on May 21 at Stockton 99 Speedway. They will be joined by the USAC NorCal Ford Focus division as well.

Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle thanks partners: K&N Filters, Scribner Plastics, Allstar Performance, Sunoco Race Fuels and Star Racing Supply.

For more information on Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle, log on to www.winners-circle-racing.com

 

5-18-11 Bud Kaeding Wins Pombo/Sargent Classic at Tulare
Source Lance Jennings
USAC West Coast 360s

BUD KAEDING WINS POMBO/SARGENT CLASSIC AT TULARE
By Lance Jennings

TULARE, CA – MAY 17, 2011... Last Saturday night, Campbell's Bud Kaeding claimed the wingless portion of the Pombo/Sargent Classic at Tulare's Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway. It was not an easy win for the veteran driver, as he bested Hollister's Ryan Bernal to earn his third win of the year with the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series.

With an eight pill drawn for the inversion, Gardena's Greg Alexander and Wes Gutierrez of San Martin shared the front row of the 30-lap main event. At the drop of starter Willie Williams' green flag, the two young drivers led the field into the first turn. Using the bottom line of the Tulare clay oval, Alexander took command as Gutierrez was shuffled back to sixth. Hanford's Jonathan Logan grabbed second, followed by Dennis Howell of Ranch Palos Verdes, Bakersfield's Ricky Kirkbride, and Richard VanderWeerd of Visalia.

As Alexander looked to distance himself from the field, hard charging Ryan Bernal and Bud Kaeding began to make their way to the front. By the fifth circuit, the sixth starting Bernal began to apply pressure to the leader. Railing around the speedway's extreme outside line and banging his right rear tire off the fence, Ryan gathered extra momentum. This move worked to his advantage and he executed a successful pass for the lead.

With Bernal now out front, Alexander tried to battle back, but the new leader was too strong. Kaeding, now in third, made quick work of Alexander for second and gave chase after the leader. As the laps counted down, a yellow flag halted the action. Now bunched together in single file formation, Kaeding was right on Bernal's rear bumper. As the leaders picked up the throttle, Kaeding set for a turn one "slide job" pass on the slick surface. Riding the high line, Bernal kept his determined drive and fought off the challenge. A couple of laps later, the 3-time USAC Silver Crown Champion tried another turn one pass, only to have Bernal squeak through and maintain the lead.

Still within striking distance, Kaeding kept up the pressure. Another shot for the lead was successful as Bernal banged his car off the cushion. By this time, the lead duo had separated themselves from the field. Third running Richard VanderWeerd began to reel in the leaders, but ran out of time to make a challenge. At the checkered flags, it was Kaeding, Bernal, VanderWeerd, Peter Murphy, and Alexander.

Driving Junior Bowman's #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Maxim, Bud Kaeding won his third Tulare main event. Earlier in the program, Kaeding set the standard in Sander Engineering Time Trials over the twenty-four car field. The veteran driver scored fourth in his heat race and is now sixth in the point chase as the series heads to Hanford this Saturday.

After leading ten laps of the main event, Ryan Bernal finished second in Danny Olmstead's #11D S&S Automotive Maxim. The former Wingless Spec Sprint Champion was fifth quick on the night and won his first heat race of the year in the Saldana Racing Products / Keizer Wheels sponsored event. Bernal reclaimed the point lead and currently holds a twenty-nine point advantage.

Piloting the family owned #10 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Richard VanderWeerd claimed third in the Pombo/Sargent Classic. Earlier in the evening, Richard was third fast in qualifications and took fifth in his heat race. Now second in the championship points, the young driver will look to close the gap at Hanford.

Charging from the fifteenth starting spot, Peter Murphy of Clovis took fourth in the main event. Driving the #4 Eberhardt Motorsports' Maxim, backed by Ridgeline Framing and Pro Signs, Murphy was eighteenth fast in time trials and second in his heat race. As this writing goes to press, the veteran driver is ninth in the point standings.

Greg Alexander led the first six laps on the main event before finishing fifth at the checkered flags. Piloting Chuck Tyler's #72 Maxim sponsored by Trench Shoring and Amsoil, Alexander was eleventh quick on the night and scored second in his heat race. Heading into Saturday's action, Greg is currently third in the point chase.

Dennis Howell won the evening's first heat race, backed by Extreme Mufflers. Driving the family owned #62 San Pedro Auto Body / Howell Meyer Racing Maxim, Howell was seventh fast in time trials and ninth in the main event. The USAC Western Midget Series graduate is currently eighth in championship points.

Santa Rosa's Marty Hawkins won the 10-lap DJ Safety Heat Race #3. Piloting the family's #3M Schnee, sponsored by The Toiyabe Group and Blakeley Landscaping, Hawkins was twelfth quick on the night and scored fifteenth in the feature. In limited action, Marty is now sixteenth in the points.

"Showtime" Danny Sheridan earned the night's Keizer Wheels "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job" honors on the night. Starting twenty-fourth in the feature, Danny took the Kittle Motorsports #18 Pace Lighting / PIPE Sherman to seventh at the checkered flags. Sheridan and his crew battled problems all night, but put on a show after borrowing a tail tank from Danny Faria Jr. In just his first start of the year, Danny is twenty-ninth in the standings.

The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, ButlerBuilt, Competition Suspension Inc., Cory Kruseman's Sprint Car & Midget Driving School, Crow Enterprizes, DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Hinchman-Indy Racing Uniforms, Integra Shocks, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Port City Racing, Saferacer.com, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support.

The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series will return to action on Saturday, May 21st, at Hanford's Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway. Also on the card will be the Taco Bravo Ocean Sprints vs. ASCS Southern California Sprints, and IMCA Modifieds. Located on the Kings County Fairgrounds in Hanford, California, Reserved Grandstand tickets are $15. Advance tickets are on sale now and camping is available on the fairgrounds. For more event information, visit giantchevroletspeedway.com or call (559) 584-RACE (7223). In addition, fans can visit Giant Chevrolet in Visalia to enter for a ride in the pace car and VIP access.

For more information on the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series, please visit westcoastsprintcars.com, usacracing.com, racesantamariaspeedway.com, or follow the series on facebook.
 

5-18-11 Walmer & Clark 1-2 in Roseville USAC Focus Midget Race
Source Steven Blakesley
USAC Focus Midgets

Portland’s Keegan Walmer led teammate Jessica Clark for a 1-2 Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle finish in the second USAC NorCal Ford Focus Midget feature at All American Speedway on Saturday night.

Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle is a driver development program based in Sacramento that develops drivers with the talent and potential for a career in professional Stock Car racing.

Walmer improved on his second place finish in the earlier feature that evening before claiming victory in the nightcap. Walmer led much of the early laps of the event before loosing the lead on lap 15. After an exciting battle, Walmer took over the lead on lap 20 to charge to a convincing victory.

Clark ran in tow with Walmer to the checkered flag, challenging him briefly as she took several looks to the inside. Clark’s second place finish allowed her to extend her USAC National Ford Focus points lead as she chases a historic first national title for a female in USAC.

Walmer, 15, has established himself as the veteran leader of the Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle team in the NorCal division as he anchors a team that includes several rookies. “I’m so excited that I got this win (on Saturday) and excited about the season to come!” Walmer said.

Walmer’s victory and runner-up finishes at Roseville give him the points lead in the USAC NorCal Ford Focus Midgets. Teammate Tanner Long of Illinois, in his sophomore season, had finishes of third in the first race and fourth in the second feature to place him fourth in the NorCal standings.

“Leading both the NorCal, SoCal, Western and National standings at one time is a big accomplishment for the RSWC team,” Head of Driver Development Ron Sutton said. “Jessica and Keegan have both put targets on themselves as they head into the meat of the season but they look poised to rise to the occasion!”

The USAC Ford Focus Midgets get back in action on May 21 at Stockton 99 Speedway with points races for both the USAC NorCal Ford Focus and the USAC NorCal Young Guns.

Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle thanks partners: K&N Filters, Scribner Plastics, Allstar Performance, Sunoco Race Fuels and Star Racing Supply. For more information on Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle, log on to www.winners-circle-racing.com


 

5-18-11 USAC West Coast 360s Visit Hanford This Saturday
Source Lance Jennings
USAC West Coast 360s

The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series will compete in their seventh round of competition this Saturday, May 21st, at Hanford's Giant Chevrolet Speedway. Also featured on the action packed card will be the Taco Bravo Ocean Sprints vs. ASCS Southern California Sprints, and IMCA Modifieds. The Pit Gates will open at 1:00pm, Spectator Gates at 5:00pm, Time Trials at 6:00pm, with Racing scheduled for 6:30pm.

After finishing second at Tulare's Pombo/Sargent Classic, Hollister's Ryan Bernal sits atop the point standings. Piloting Danny Olmstead's #11D S&S Automotive / Dorso's Automotive Maxim, Bernal has one heat race win, four top-10 finishes, and has led forty-one laps of main event competition. This Saturday, the former Wingless Spec Sprint Champion will be looking for his first career series win.

Richard VanderWeerd of Visalia is currently second in the point chase. Driving the family owned #10 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, VanderWeerd claimed third at Tulare and is twenty-seven points behind Bernal. To date, the young driver has one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, two heat race wins, four top-10 finishes, and has led one main event lap. Richard will have his eyes set on the Hanford feature victory.

Piloting Chuck Tyler's #72 Trench Shoring / Amsoil Maxim, Gardena's Greg Alexander is third in the championship points. Last Saturday, the twenty-two year old driver scored a fifth place finish in the Pombo/Sargent Classic and will be looking to add Hanford's main event to his resume. In the 2011 campaign, Alexander has one heat race win, four top-10 finishes, and six feature laps led to his credit.

"Wide Open" Wes Gutierrez of San Martin is fourth in the point standings. Driving the WG Motorsports' #007 Competition Suspension Inc. / ButlerBuilt DRC, Gutierrez was thirteenth at Tulare. The hard charging driver has three heat race wins and four top-10 finishes on the season. Look for "Wide Open" Wes to put on a show at the Hanford clay oval.

Visalia's Jace VanderWeerd is fifth in the point standings. At Tulare, the pilot of the family owned #88 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim scored a seventeenth place finish. To date, the April 9th Santa Maria feature winner has four top-10 finishes and has led fourteen laps of main event competition. Look for Jace to rebound with a strong performance at Hanford.

Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Campbell's Bud Kaeding, Hanford's Justyne Hamblin, Dennis Howell of Rancho Palos Verdes, Clovis' Peter Murphy, Fresno's T.J. Smith, "Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton, Bakersfield's Rusty Carlile, Hanford's Jonathan Logan, Davey Pombo of Kerman, and many more.

Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds at 801 S. 10th Avenue in Hanford, California. Reserved Grandstand tickets are $15. Advance tickets are on sale now and camping is available on the fairgrounds. For more event information, visit giantchevroletspeedway.com or call (559) 584-RACE (7223). In addition, fans can visit Giant Chevrolet in Visalia to enter for a ride in the pace car and VIP access.

The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, ButlerBuilt, Competition Suspension Inc., Cory Kruseman's Sprint Car & Midget Driving School, Crow Enterprizes, DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Hinchman-Indy Racing Uniforms, Integra Shocks, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Port City Racing, Saferacer.com, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support.

For more information on the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, www.racesantamariaspeedway.com, or follow the series on facebook.
 

5-17-11 Bernal Leads 360 Sprints to Hanford Saturday; "Pombo-Sargent" Victory is Kaeding's 3rd at Tulare in 2011
Source Dick Jordan
USAC West Coast 360 Sprints

Ryan Bernal of Hollister, Calif. has sprinted to a 27-point lead in the 2011 USAC West Coast 360 Sprint standings after finishing second to Bud Kaeding last Saturday night at Gropetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. He’ll be among favorites when the series visits Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. this Saturday.

Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Calif. scored his third USAC West Coast 360 Sprint victory of the season at the Gropetti Automotive Tulare Thunderbowl Saturday night, passing series point leader Bernal on lap 17 and leading the final 14 laps of the "Pombo-Sargent Classic."

Bernal finished second ahead of Richard VanderWeerd, Peter Murphy and Greg Alexander. Kaeding also posted the fastest qualifying time in his Alviso Rock/High Five Pizza Maxim/Shaver. VanderWeerd’s third-place finish at Tulare put him into second in the standings, 27 behind Bernal.


USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS

1-Ryan Bernal-286; 2-Richard VanderWeerd-259; 3-Greg Alexander-253; 4-Wes Gutierrez-249; 5-Jace VanderWeerd-249; 6-Bud Kaeding-219; 7-Justyne Hamblin-209; 8-Dennis Howell-195; 9-Peter Murphy-182;10-T.J. Smith-178.

 

5-17-11 Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series Notes & Pertinent Info Santa Maria Speedway – Saturday May 21
Source Gary Thomas
Golden State King of The West

What:

The Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will venture to Chris Kearns’ Santa Maria Speedway this Saturday night May 21. The facility has been named "Best Short Track Operation West of the Mississippi" on two separate occasions and is nestled in a semi amphitheater of natural terrain, sheltered by dense eucalyptus trees at the top and back of the bleacher area.

When:

On Saturday May 21 the front grandstand gate will open at 3pm with qualifying around 5 and racing at 6. The pit area will be open to the public until about 1:45, before being swept and pit passes then being sold. The pit meeting is scheduled for 3:45.

Where:

The Santa Maria Speedway is located 12 miles inland from the Pacific coast, three miles north of the city of Santa Maria and is located a 1/4-mile north of the US 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road. The facility is one hundred seventy miles north of Los Angeles and 260 miles south of San Francisco.

Tickets:

Adult tickets will cost $20 on Saturday with seniors, student and military costing $18, kids 6-12 $6 and children five and under free.

About the track:

The Santa Maria Speedway is a one-third mile clay oval and the all-time Golden State 410 track record being 11.272 set by Brent Kaeding on July 10, 2004. The track also offers free parking and free camping.

Last year at Santa Maria Speedway:

The Golden State 410’s last season made a pair of stops in Santa Maria with Easton’s Tommy Tarlton and Oroville’s Sean Becker claiming victories respectively. In May Tarlton scored a clean sweep of the night’s racing and in July Becker won a thrilling duel with Placerville’s Andy Gregg.

Top-10 in KWS points going into the night:

1. Tim Kaeding 742; 2. Evan Suggs 720; 3. Jonathan Allard 712; 4. Brent Kaeding 709; 5. Willie Croft 697; 6. Jason Statler 692; 7. Andy Gregg 686; 8. Brent Bjork 670; 9. Bobby McMahan 637; 10. Kenny Allen 583

On the internet:

Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series-

Official Website- http://www.kwssprints.com
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Golden-State-King-of-the-West-Series/150145691703907
Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/KWS410s

Santa Maria Speedway-

http://www.racesantamariaspeedway.com/index.php

 

5-16-11 Mark Your Calanders 21st Annual Dave Bradway Jr Memorial Friday June 10th at Silver Dollar Speedway

The 21st annual Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial will be made up on Friday June 10 at the Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. The night of racing will pay honor to both Dave Bradway Jr. and Gary Patterson! Mark your calendars now.

 

5-16-11 Pierovich Dominates Larry Burton Classic At Roseville
Source Steven Blakesley
USAC Western Sprints

Alamo’s Scott Pierovich stormed to an impressive victory in Saturday night’s Larry Burton Classic at All American Speedway, leading the final 36 laps to win by 2.1 seconds over a field of 18 USAC Western Sprint Cars.

Pierovich’s win marked his third straight victory this season but his first in the USAC Sprint Cars in 2011. With the win, Pierovich extended his points lead in the overall USAC Western Classic Racing Series while he ranks second in the USAC Western Sprint Car Series on pavement.

Saturday’s action on the .333 mile asphalt oval opened up with Lincoln’s Tony Hunt taking the Echo Power Equipment fast-time with a 12.694 second lap. Hunt was awarded a gas powered leaf blower courtesy of Echo and Citrus Heights Saw & Mower. Pierovich, rookie Cody Gerhardt, Santa Rosa’s Brian McClish, and Audra Sasselli rounded out the top-five.

Luis Ramos III led the field to green while Pierovich began to move forward from fifth. By lap six, Pierovich had taken over second place from Sasselli.

The yellow came out on lap six when Shauna Hogg stalled in turn three after contact from San Francisco’s Tim Barber. Barber’s car suffered front end damage in the incident with his front bumper bar sticking straight out.

On the restart, officials attempted to black flag Barber while Pierovich went after Ramos. Pierovich made a diving pass inside Ramos in turn one to take the lead on lap 14.

The caution came out again on lap 17 when popular dirt sprint car driver Andy Forsberg tangled with the lapped car of Dave Dias. Forsberg was done for the night to the disappointment of his fans after driving from 18th to 12th in a dirt chassis that had been quickly adjusted for pavement earlier that day.

Sasselli back pedaled on the restart, eventually falling back to sixth place as she was freight trained by the leaders. That moved Ramos into second before Hunt passed him on lap 27.

Sasselli engaged in a thrilling back and forth duel with Sebastopol’s Geoff Ensign, as they did in Madera, finally taking fifth on lap 44.

Despite his large lead, Pierovich continued to run laps at pole speeds to stretch his lead to over two seconds. Pierovich ripped underneath the double-checkered flags with Hunt coming home a distant second.

Ramos fought off a challenge from Gerhardt to take third with Sasselli defending fifth over Ensign.

Heat race wins on the evening went to Hunt and Pierovich. Kaeding Performance awards for $50 were given to Gerhardt and Folsom’s Jerry Kobza.

More information on the USAC Western Classic Racing Series is available on Facebook at keywords “USAC Western Classic Racing Series”. The United States Auto Club is online at www.usacracing.com The USAC Western States is available at www.usacwesternstates.com with contact information and the latest news.

The USAC Western Classic Racing Series is brought to you by: Amsoil, Hoosier Tires West, and Kaeding Performance.

USAC AMSOIL WESTERN/WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT RACE RESULTS: May 14, 2011 – Roseville, California – All American Speedway

QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Tony Hunt, 56, Phulps-12.694; 2. Scott Pierovich, 14, Pierson-12.713; 3. Cody Gerhardt, 40, Western Speed-12.796; 4. Brian McClish, 69, Kaiser-12.805; 5. Audra Sasselli, 77, Sasselli-12.829; 6. Luis Ramos III, 21, Kaplan/Gennuso-12.851; 7. Shauna Hogg, 5, Hogg-12.902; 8. Gordon Rodgers, 94, Dusin-12.934; 9. Tim Barber, 3T, Finkenbinder-12.945; 10. Tim Skoglund, 60, Western Speed-13.025; 11. Geoff Ensign, 3F, Finkenbinder-13.092; 12. Jerry Kobza, 93, Kobza-13.117; 13. Justin Kawahata, 15, Harvest Supply-13.998; 14. Bill Logan, 98, Logan-14.394; 15. Bob Diaz, 24, Diaz-NT; 16. Don Emory, 50x, Emory-NT; 17. Marvin Mitchell, 68, Mitchell-NT; 18. Andy Forsberg, 92, Forsberg-NT.

FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Hunt, 2. Gerhardt, 3. Hogg, 4. Sasselli, 5. Diaz, 6. Ensign, 7. Emory, 8. Barber. NT

SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Pierovich, 2. Skoglund, 3. Ramos, 4. Forsberg, 5. Kobza, 6. Logan, 7. Rodgers, 8. Mitchell, 9. McClish. NT

FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Scott Pierovich, 2. Tony Hunt, 3. Luis Ramos III, 4. Cody Gerhardt, 5. Audra Sasselli, 6. Geoff Ensign, 7. Tim Skoglund, 8. Shauna Hogg, 9. Jerry Kobza, 10. Gordon Rodgers, 11. Bob Diaz, 12. Brian McClish, 13. Tim Barber, 14. Andy Forsberg, 15. Bill Logan, 16. Justin Kawahata, 17. Don Emory. NT

5-16-11 Ventura Raceway 5/14 Report
Source Cliff Morgan
Ventura Raceway

The old saying, "It is the best of times, it is the worst of times" , holds meaning for Cory Kruseman after Saturday's VRA Sprint Car race. Kruseman was the apparent winner of the race only to find that he did not finish the race with both mufflers intact and on the car. VRA Rules state that all cars must have mufflers at all times and Kruseman's fell off just before he took the white flag. There was not enough time to black flag him so he took the checkered without the required muffler. After officials conferred and looked at the rules the decision was made to place Kruseman on the lap he finished at the time the muffler fell off, placing him in a final11th position for the race. Kruseman was informed and took the news in a positive manner understanding that the rule is the rule. The fact that he was placed lower does not diminish the great race he ran against Greg Taylor, Dakota Kershaw and Markus Niemela. The 30 lap race was one of the best seen this year with leaders and others changing position on each lap. Tom Harper led laps 1-5. On lap 6, Dakota Kershaw moved into the lead and then led until lap 18 when Kruseman moved into the lead and led to the finish. The problem Kruseman had moved Greg Taylor into the winners position and into the VRA point lead after 8 events. Finishing second through fifth were Markus Niemela, Dakota Kershaw, Josh Ford and Don Gansen. there were 24 cars signed into the pits Saturday with four heat races run. Wins went to Jimmy Crawford in heat one, Kruseman in heat two and Taylor in heat three. the 12 lap semi main went to Brent Camarillo.

VRA Midgets made their 4th appearance in the 2011 season Saturday night. There were 21 midgets signed into the pits. There were three heat races run with wins going to Matt Mitchell in heat one, Shannon McQueen in heat two and Victor Davis in heat three. The 30 lap feature was a fast and furious affair with pole sitter Danny Ebberts leading the first 27 laps only to lose the lead to a hard charging Robby Josett on lap 28. Josett then led the field to the finish for the win. Following Josett to the line were Ebberts, Cory
Kruseman, Jake Swanson and David Prickett. Kruseman's third place finish keeps him in the season point race lead by 30 points over Josett.

VRA Sport Compact had a first time winner when Gary Marshall Jr. took his first win of the season. He started second on the field and took the lead from Ryan Changus on lap 2 and led to the checkered flag. He was followed by point leader Trevor Fitzgibbon, Brent Underwood, Cody Greiman and Ryan Changus. The one heat race went to Marshall as well.

Ford Focus Midgets ran in two divisions Saturday night. In the Regular focus class the win went to Nick Carlson over Wally Pankratz, Casey Martinez, Kyle Edwards and Jarid Blondell. Their heat race went to Pankratz. In Junior Focus racing the win went to three time VRA winner Cole Custer who led all 20 laps.
He was followed by Zack Bogner, Austin Blair Christine Breckinridge and Katlynn Leer. Austin Blair took their heat race win. Wally Pankratz leads in regular Focus points and Custer leads in Junior Focus points after three races this season.

The final class racing Saturday was our VRA Go Karts. There 20 karts signed into the pits. Heat race wins went to Richard Renken, Scott Bohle and Ashley Hazleton. The 20 lap feature went to Johnny Conley followed by James Locey, Renken, Dave Pankratz and Cody Nigh. Renken continues in the season point lead by 100 points over Locey and David Pankratz.

Ventura takes a weekend off next Saturday May 21. We will return to action on Saturday May 28, with a full program of racing featuring VRA Sprint Cars, VRA Midgets, IMCA Modifieds, Ford Focus and Junior Focus as well as our VRA Go Karts.

 

5-16-11 Fourth Round of Ocean Sprints Goes to Shane Golobic
Source Steven Blakesley
Ocean Speedway

Fremont teenager Shane Golobic pulled off a near clean sweep in Friday night’s Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo, qualifying second fastest before winning his heat race and the 30 lap feature before a strong crowd at the Ocean Speedway.

The win marked Golobic’s second in the 2011 season, after winning a race earlier this year at Placerville Speedway.

Golobic took the lead from points leader Ronnie Day of Salinas after Day bicycled in turn one on lap 18. Golobic was never seriously challenged through a series of late restarts to take the win.

Action on the evening opened up with Day taking the $75 Ray Scheidt’s Electric fast-time award with an 11.804 trip around the speedway. Prunedale’s Justin Sanders, running a new chassis this week after a flip in last Friday’s races, qualified third behind Golobic.

Brent Kaeding was back in action and he took heat race one, while Golobic stormed past Bud Kaeding to win heat race two. Heat three saw Sanders put on some fireworks as he leapt from fourth to first in the opening lap as he screamed by Tim Kaeding. Sanders received a standing ovation from the crowd.

Day led the 23 car feature field to green with Ken Bonnema a scratch after an earlier flip. Lapped traffic became a factor by lap four with Day pacing Golobic and Sanders. Tim Kaeding from 11th and Tommy Tarlton from 14th began to march through the field.

Tommy Laliberate brought out the red flag when he had a lazy flip in his #20x mount. Laliberate was uninjured but done for the evening.

Tim Kaeding had found his way to fourth on that restart with Tarlton up to second. On the restart was when Golobic pounced on Day with Sanders also getting past Day in turn one.

A sequence of restarts on laps 23 and 24 changed the complexion of the race when lapped car Carter Train was lined up between race leader Shane Golobic and second place Justin Sanders. Sanders and Train touched wheels into turn one with Sanders spinning out.

Sanders rejoined the field and on the following restart it was Tim Kaeding touching wheels with Train in turn two sending Kaeding for a spin.

Under yellow both Sanders and Kaeding made contact with Train, with Kaeding spinning Train out. Kaeding was disqualified from the event for his unsportsmanlike actions.

The final six laps of the feature saw Day and Brent Kaeding battle for second while Craig Smith fought off the hard charging Tarlton.

Golobic cruised to victory over Day, Brent Kaeding, Smith, and Tarlton. With Tarlton’s hard charge he picked up the DDNi Hard Charger award worth $100

Day maintains a 12 point advantage over Tarlton in the series standings while Rico Abreu’s solid seventh place finish places him third in the points.

Full results are available at www.oceansprints.com or at www.mylaps.com

The Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo will return next Saturday night with a trip to Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford.

For more information on the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo, log onto to www.oceansprints.com and for more on the Ocean Speedway visit www.oceanspeedway.com
blakesley

5-16-11 Tommy Tarlton Becomes a Three-Time Pombo/Sargent Classic Champ With Golden State King of the West 410 Victory at Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway Saturday
Source Gary Thomas
Golden State King of The West

Already a two-time winner of the Pombo/Sargent Classic in his career Easton, California’s Tommy Tarlton added his name to the prestigious list one more time on Saturday night, picking up an entertaining Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series feature event at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway.

Tarlton was part of a back and forth battle with Sacramento’s Willie Croft early in the main event, before grabbing the lead for good halfway through and then cruising to his eighth career Golden State 410 Series win. It now puts him into a tie with Jason Statler and Bud Kaeding for 11th on the all-time list.

“It has been a long time since I won a 410 race in Tulare so this is just awesome,” said a jubilant Tarlton in victory lane. “It was a lot of fun out there tonight and I have to thank my family and my whole team, because they work so hard for me every week. The last couple races hadn’t gone exactly like we wanted, but this definitely makes it all better.”

The 30-lap Pombo/Sargent Classic main event began with KSE/Grant’s Fine Art Dash winner Jonathan Allard jumping into the lead with current KWS point leader Tim Kaeding hot on his heels. The first couple laps saw Kaeding try everything to get below Allard, but with three-circuits complete the complexion of the race changed. As the duo raced hard into the second corner Kaeding slid up and they touched wheels, sending both upside down to bring out a red flag.

Allard was unable to restart, but Kaeding got back out and would go on to finish 20th. When racing got back underway Tarlton assumed the lead and was able to beat Willie Croft into the first set of corners on the double-file restart. Croft had won the most recent KWS event in Marysville and stayed right with Tarlton though and on lap-five he was able to impressively charge around him to grab the lead.

The driver known as “Double Down” pulled away from the pack until the caution lights came on with 10-laps down for Bobby McMahan and Andy Gregg, who sat sideways in turns one and two. It set up another thrilling double-file restart that saw Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs make a great move to get under Tarlton and steal second. Tarlton wasn’t having anything of it however, as he rocketed to the high-side to get back around Suggs and re-assume the runner up spot off turn four.

The action started to intensify on lap 12 when Australian Ian Madsen charged around Suggs to claim third and was followed along by Campbell’s Brent Kaeding for fourth. At this point Tarlton had also found a nice groove in turns three and four and came hard after Croft for the lead. After a few exciting attempts to get by, “Tommy T” finally made it happen on lap 16 when he blasted to the outside and moved back by Croft to claim the top-spot as the crowd came to their feet.

Croft tried to stay with Tarlton, but his hopes came to an end on lap 21 when reported contact with the wall resulted in him suffering a flat tire to bring out a caution.

The final double-file restart of the night saw Campbell’s Brent Kaeding make his presence known, as he jumped past Madsen to take second and then pressure Tarlton for the lead. After a couple laps though Tarlton kicked it into overdrive and checked out from the pack to go on and cross the checkered flag for his third career Pombo/Sargent Classic triumph. It marked Tarlton’s first win in the event at the Thunderbowl, with his previous two wins coming at Kings Speedway.

Brent Kaeding ended the race in second to score his best finish of the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series season. The 11-time Pombo/Sargent Classic winner looked the best he has all season and will go into Santa Maria next week searching to break a winless drought with the 410 tour that dates back to July of 2009.

Finishing just behind Kaeding in third and scoring his best ever 410 finish at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway was Suggs. The 24-year-old looked solid all evening long, also scoring a dominating heat race win earlier in the program to make for a great points night.

Madsen capped a strong outing by finishing fourth in the main event during his first ever night at the Thunderbowl. The Aussi also began the evening by earning the Grant’s Fine Art fast time award. Rounding out the top-five and having another good run with the Golden State King of the West Sprints was Fresno’s Craig Stidham. Completing the top-10 were Campbell’s Bud Kaeding, Fremont’s Brent Bjork, Clovis’ Peter Murphy, Grass Valley’s Jason Statler and Stockton’s Brad Furr.

The PitStopUSA.com hard charger award went to Brent Bjork for his great movement from 21st to seventh in the feature.

Prior to the A-main Visalia’s Cory Eliason won a thrilling Last Chance Qualifier with Jonathan Allard leading every lap of the KSE Racing Products/Grant’s Fine Art Dash. The four 10-lap heat races held during the night were picked off by Jonathan Allard, Tim Kaeding, Tommy Tarlton and Evan Suggs. As noted the Grant’s Fine Art fast time award went to Ian Madsen who tripped the clocks at 13.684 seconds.

Next Saturday night May 21 the Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will head for the Santa Maria Speedway in Santa Maria, California. Also remember the previously scheduled event for next Sunday in Merced has been canceled, so KWS will be in action at just Santa Maria next weekend. To keep up with the latest happenings with the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series visit http://www.kwssprints.com or catch us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series Results – Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway May 14, 2011 “Pombo/Sargent Classic”

30-cars

Fast time: Ian Madsen 13.684

Heat 1: Jonathan Allard, Ian Madsen, Charlie Louden, Kenny Allen, Brent Bjork, Garrett Ishii, Billy Strange Jr.

Heat 2: Tim Kaeding, Willie Croft, Mike Faria, Andy Gregg, Rico Abreu, Dan Simpson, Danielle Simpson

Heat 3: Tommy Tarlton, Craig Stidham, Jason Statler, Peter Murphy, Cory Eliason, Brad Furr, Pat Harvey, Doug Gandy

Heat 4: Evan Suggs, Bobby McMahan, Brad Bumgarner, Brent Kaeding, Bud Kaeding, Mark Barroso, Eli Deshaies

Dash: Jonathan Allard, Tim Kaeding, Tommy Tarlton, Evan Suggs, Brent Kaeding, Willie Croft, Mike Faria, Ian Madsen

Last Chance Qualifier: Cory Eliason, Bud Kaeding, Brad Furr, Garrett Ishii, Brent Bjork, Rico Abreu, Danielle Simpson, Mark Barroso, Doug Gandy, Eli Deshaies, Dan Simpson, Pat Harvey, Billy Strange Jr.

A-main: Tommy Tarlton, Brent Kaeding, Evan Suggs, Ian Madsen, Craig Stidham, Bud Kaeding, Brent Bjork, Peter Murphy, Jason Statler, Brad Furr, Cory Eliason, Brad Bumgarner, Willie Croft, Charlie Louden, Rico Abreu, Bobby McMahan, Garrett Ishii, Kenny Allen, Andy Gregg, Tim Kaeding, Mike Faria, Jonathan Allard

 

5-13-11 Racing Lawnmowers May Become Local Pastime
Source Karen Spencer
All American Speedway

ROSEVILLE, CA. After the outrageously successful first season of lawnmower racing at the Placer County Fair last year, both the Fair staff and race officials received numerous requests for information on how to get in on the action. The Sunset Raceway was built in 2010 to accommodate the racing mowers.

The pros from USLMRA (United States Lawnmower Racing Association) climb aboard super-modified machines that can attain speeds up to 70 mph, but most backyard riding lawnmower jockeys aren’t ready for the big time. So Bud Elmore and USLMRA President Bruce Kaufman have agreed to open a Local Stock Division for non-modified riding mowers. The blade must be removed and several other safety adaptations must be made. Details are on the Fair’s website and more is available at www.letsmow.com.

Drivers will be required to wear full face helmets with either a shield or goggles, long sleeved shirts and gloves, long pants or race suit with over the ankle leather boots. SFI approved neck restraint braces will be available and are required on the track.

America’s oldest organized riding lawn mower race was founded in 1963 by the Twelve Mile, Indiana Lions Club, which still takes place on July 4th each year. The sport became more well-known after it was featured on ABC-TV’s Home Improvement season finale, with Tim Allen racing Bob Vila.

Lawnmower races will take place Saturday and Sunday on Sunset Lawn during the annual Placer County Fair June 23-26. For more information visit ww.placercountyfair.org.
 

5-13-11 All American Speedway to Welcome USAC and the Larry Burton Classic This Saturday May 14
Source RMG Race Media Group
All American Speedway

On May 14th, The All American Speedway will host the Larry Burton Classic presented by the USAC Western Classic Racing Series featuring sprint cars, midgets, Ford Focus, NCMA and Legends of the Pacific as the All American Speedway NASCAR Series will take a weekend off. All American Speedway is excited to host the Larry Burton Classic and give the fans the excitement of open wheel racing.

The Larry Burton Classic is a race honoring the Speedway’s former icon Larry Burton. Larry was involved in many activities at the All American Speedway, not only was he a regular racer at the track but was also a promoter and was highly involved in the original pavement project when the track was dirt.

Big name drivers like Pierovich, Hunt, Kobza, Ensign, Gerhardt and many more will be in charge on the short track as they pilot the fastest cars to race at All American Speedway.

Grandstands open at 4:00 p.m. with racing to start at 6. Tickets for the Larry Burton Classic are just $15 for adults, $12 for students/military/seniors, $10 for juniors ages 7-15, with kids 6 and under free! Ticket information is available by calling (916) 864-8722. More information about All American Speedway can be found at www.AllAmericanSpeedway.com. The Placer County Fairgrounds administration office is open for advance ticket sales Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm at 800 All America City Blvd. Roseville, CA. 95678, or contact the office at (916) 786-2025.


 

5-13-11 Merced Speedway cancels May 22 Golden State King of the West Series event due to economic factors

With economic factors in consideration Merced Speedway has decided to cancel the previously scheduled Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series event for next Sunday May 22.

With crowds down this season at the track and a depressed economy in the area it has been decided that the best interest of the speedway has been to cancel the KWS date.

The Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series will still be in action next Saturday night May 21 at the Santa Maria Speedway in Santa Maria, California.


 

5-13-11 Pombo/Sargent Classic up next for Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series at Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway this Saturday
Source Gary Thomas
Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway

One of the biggest races in the Central Valley each year is the annual Pombo/Sargent Classic and on this Saturday night at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway the Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series will be in action at the prestigious event.

The Pombo/Sargent Classic has been going on for over 20 years and it honors California racing icons Al Pombo and Marshall Sargent. It originally started at nearby Kings Speedway in Hanford, before moving to the Thunderbowl in 2006.

Pombo began his career in the 1940's and is credited with more than 500 main event victories, including multiple wins in the Gold Cup at Capital Speedway, the same event which is now held at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico. He also won five San Jose Speedway titles, seven NASCAR super-modified championships, nine titles at Kearney Bowl and six at Clovis Speedway. Pombo had been a staple in Tulare the last handful of seasons, but passed away at the end of last year.

Early in Sargent's career he won a pair of San Jose titles, which included two wins in the Johnny Key Memorial and also won the Australian championship in 1964. A pair of crashes unfortunately cut his career short and he enjoyed retirement until his passing in 1990. His legend and memory is kept alive each year as part the Pombo/Sargent Classic and on Saturday night we'll once again pay homage to a pair of legends who helped set the foundation for the sport in our state.

Reigning Pombo/Sargent Classic winner Tim Kaeding of San Jose will lead the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series into the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl on Saturday. “TK” maintains a 29-point lead in the standings following a rainout out last weekend in Chico and will look to claim his third career classic victory this Saturday. Kaeding was also the winner with KWS in Tulare last month.

Chico’s Jonathan Allard will be gunning to make up ground on Kaeding in the standings and rebound in Tulare after a final-lap flip last month resulted in a 17th place finish. The wheel-man of the Williams Motorsports No. 0 machine raced to victory last October at the Trophy Cup in Tulare and comes into Saturday sitting runner up in the KWS standings.

A closely contested battle for third in the Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series points will resume at the Pombo/Sargent Classic with Placerville’s Andy Gregg, Scotts Valley’s Evan Suggs and Sacramento’s Willie Croft all separated by just three-markers.

Gregg is coming off a third place finish during the most recent KWS event in Marysville and will be searching for his first ever Tulare win this weekend. Suggs is just one-point behind Gregg and will be looking to move up the order even further after a seventh place finish in Tulare last month. Croft currently rounds out the top-five in the standings and will be hoping to carry momentum from his recent victory in Marysville when the series invades Tulare on Saturday.

Eleven-time Pombo/Sargent Classic winner Brent Kaeding of Campbell currently ranks sixth in the KWS standings, with former Golden State 410 champion Jason Statler of Grass Valley in seventh, former Rookie of the Year Brent Bjork eighth, ’09 Silver Dollar Speedway titlist Bobby McMahan from Elk Grove sitting ninth and Elk Grove’s Billy Strange Jr. completing the top-10.

Other drivers expected this weekend include two-time Pombo/Sargent Classic winner Tommy Tarlton of Easton, Chico’s Kenny Allen and Brad Bumgarner, Australian Ian Madsen, Stockton’s Brad Furr, Clovis’ Peter Murphy, Fresno’s Craig Stidham, Tipton’s Mike Faria, Visalia’s Cory Eliason, Merced’s Mark Barroso, Rio Vista’s Dan and Danielle Simpson, North Kingstown, Rhode Island’s Eli Deshaies, St. Helena’s Rico Abreu and more.

The front gate will open at 5pm this Saturday night with racing starting a half hour earlier than usual at 6:30. Reserved grandstand tickets will cost $20 with general admission bleacher seats costing just $17. For more info on tickets and to view a seating chart please log onto http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com or call (559) 688-0909.

The Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare.

More information on the Golden State King of the West Sprints can be found at http://www.kwssprints.com

 

5-13-11 The New Stockton 99 Speedway Media Release - 5-11-2011
Source David Holman
Stockton 99 Speedway

Alamo Alarm Company Presents City of Lodi Night at the Races

Get ready for the green flag and all the accoutrements it bestows this coming Saturday, May 14th, when Stockton 99 Speedway presents Whelen All American Series - City of Lodi Night Presented by Alamo Alarm Company. On the Menu for the Event: Super Stocks in Twin 40's, Grand American Modifieds, Bombers, Basically-4- Cylinders, Mini Trucks, and Mini Cups. Fans are flocking to the Speedway in droves this year to grab a glimpse at what all the excitement is about. A hint: The Points Battles are tight and the racing has been no less than fantastic! Come on out and judge for yourself, you won't be disappointed.

The Points have bobbled back and forth in Early Season Races. Coming into this week, the Super Stock Chase would be virtually deadlocked at 290 between Rich Harper (5) of Stockton and Jason Aguirre (45) of Atwater, if not for the fact Aguirre breaks the tie by virtue of his two wins.

In the Grand American Modified Division, and despite his two wins, Turlock's Wes Miller (57a) leads Sacramento's Jason Philpot by a skittish 7 points (118-111).

Jeremy Tucker (351) of Stockton, coming off his first win of the year, sits atop the charts in the Bomber Division by a scant 4 points (154-150) over Andrew Rumsey (043/001), also of Stockton.

In the Basically-4-Cylinders, Joseph Reichmuth (6) of Manteca, sporting a perfect Season so far with three starts and three wins, holds service over 2010 Division Champ, Larry Toon (88) of Modesto, with a commanding 19 point edge (179-160).

The Mini Trucks hope to pick it up this week, but in the meantime, Guido Bindi (29) heads Lisa Rutta (4) by a very thin 2 points.

And finally, the Mini Cups have 2010 Champ, Cody Johnston (50) of Stockton, with the largest lead of 46 points (96-50) over Manteca's Jackson Ezell (15).

Pit Gates open and registration begins at noon with practice commencing at 2:00 PM. The Grandstands open at 4:00 PM with qualifying set for 4:00 PM and green flag racing slated for 6:00 PM. Ticket prices for the evening will be as follows:
General Admission (16+) $15
Juniors (11-15) $10
Kids 10 & Under FREE
Seniors (60+) $10
Military (W/ Military ID) $10
Family $40
(2 General + 2 Junior's)

FRIDAY PRACTICE: No testing this Friday, May 13 th.

ATTENTION: A little something new for this year: This Saturday, if you are a resident of Lodi, it will be $10 for General Admission with proof of residency, for instance, a driver's license. Likewise, on all other City Nights, if you are a resident of that particular city, with proof, General Admission will be $10.

The New Stockton 99 Speedway is located at 4105 N. Wilson Way, ¼-mile west of Highway 99. For more information on tickets and times, please contact the Speedway Office at (209)466-9999 or visit their Website at www.stockton99.com.
The New Stockton 99 Speedway is sponsored by Jackson Rancheria Casino Hotel, California Welding Supply, Budweiser, Alamo Alarm and Stockton Hampton Inn and Suites and Lodi Holiday Express.

 

5-13-11 VRA Sprint Car Battle Continues Saturday
Source Lance Jennings
Ventura Raceway

The 360 Sprint Cars of the Ventura Racing Association are back in action this Saturday, May 14th, at Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway. Joining the action packed card are the VRA Midgets, Focus Midgets, Junior Focus Midgets, Sport Compacts, and Go Karts. The front gates will open at 3:00pm with racing at "The Best Little Dirt Track In America" to begin at 5:30pm.

After earning "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job" honors with a third place run after starting tenth, Quartz Hill's Steve Conrad leads the point standings. Piloting the #56 Roy Miller Freightlines / SC Grafix special, Conrad has one main event victory, has one heat race win, two hard charger awards, six top-10 finishes, and led eighteen main event laps. The veteran driver would like to extend his ten point advantage with a win on Saturday.

Ventura's Greg Taylor is second in the point chase. The pilot of the #7 Westco International Consulting Inc. / Taylor Trucking & Crane Service entry won his fourth heat race of the year and rebounded to claim fourth in the main event. To date, The former track champion has five top-10 finishes, and has led sixty-two feature laps. Taylor will be one of the favorites this Saturday night.

Don Gansen of Rialto climbed up to third in points after scoring his first win of the season. Driving the #71K Sander Engineering / Lucas Oil machine, the California Lightning Sprint graduate led all thirty laps to become the fourth different winner of the 2011 campaign. To date, Gansen has one heat race victory and four top-10 finishes on the year. This Saturday, Don will be looking for a repeat win at Ventura Raceway.

Sitting fourth in the point chase is Josh Ford of Camarillo. Piloting the #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machining entry, Ford was won the night's third heat race and finished seventh in the main event. Last year's All Coast 360 Challenge Champion has two heat race victories, one hard charger award, and six top-10 finishes in 2011. Josh will have his sights set on the Ventura main event victory.

Camarillo's Brent Camarillo is fifth in the standings. Driving the #51 Agromin Soil / Waste Management car, the young driver claimed fifth in last week's action. To date, the Camarillo has one hard charger award and three top-10 finishes on the season. Brent will be looking to break through with a feature win on Saturday.

Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Ojai's Derek Buckley, Camarillo's Brian Camarillo, Brandon Thomson of Norwalk, Ventura's Cory Kruseman, Buena Park's Brody Roa, Marcus Niemela of Santa Barbara, Newbury Park's Jimmy Crawford, and many more.

Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California. Adult tickets are $14, Senior, Military, and Student tickets (ID Required) are $11. During the month of May, fans 18 and under (with proper ID) are admitted for FREE. In addition, parking for this Saturday's event is $2. For more event information, please visit www.venturaraceway.com or call (805) 985-5433.

To catch all of the action of the VRA Sprint Car Series and Ventura Raceway, Mike Truex's Loudpedal Productions has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com. In addition, Ventura Raceway offers a live feed of every event at www.venturaraceway.com/live.html. The live feed is scheduled to begin at 5:00pm PST.

 

5-13-11 Gansen Wire to Wire In Ventura Feature
Source Lance Jennings
Ventura Raceway

Last Saturday night, Rialto's Don Gansen claimed his first feature win of the 2011 campaign at Ventura Raceway. While the stats may read that the California Lightning Sprint graduate led all 30-laps to score his second career VRA main event, the exciting race held plenty of drama for everyone in attendance. A happy Gansen remarked "The car was good and the crew had it hooked up tonight. It made my job easier."

Starting on the outside of the front row, Gansen fought off numerous challenges from pole sitter Brian Camarillo. Third starting Marcus Niemela was also in the mix, as well as the series point leader Steve Conrad. At the checkered flags, it was Gansen, followed by Brian Camarillo, Steve Conrad, a rebounding Greg Taylor, and Brent Camarillo.

Piloting the Kruseman Motorsports #71K, backed by Sander Engineering and Cory Kruseman's Sprint Car & Midget Driving School, Don Gansen became the fourth different winner of the year. Earlier in the program, Gansen was second in his heat race and is now third in the championship points. To date, Don has one heat race win, and four top-10 finishes to his credit.

Camarillo's Brian Camarillo raced hard after Gansen to score his first win of the season before settling into second. Driving the #22 Agromin Soil / Waste Management special, Camarillo finished second in his heat race. Currently seventh in the point chase, Brian has two heat race wins, one hard charger award, and three top-10 finishes.

Driving the #56 Roy Miller Freightlines / SC Grafix entry, Steve Conrad of Quartz Hill earned "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job" honors with a third place run after starting tenth. Earlier in the night's action, the veteran driver was fourth in his heat race and now leads the point standings. To date, the March 12th feature winner has one heat race win, two hard charger awards, six top-10 finishes, and led eighteen main event laps.

After restarting at the back, Ventura's Greg Taylor rebounded to claim fourth in the night's action. Piloting the #7 Westco International Consulting Inc. / Taylor Trucking & Crane Service machine, Taylor won his fourth heat race of the year. The former track champion is second in the points with five top-10 finishes, and sixty-two feature laps led.

Brent Camarillo of Camarillo drove the #51 Agromin Soil / Waste Management car to fifth after starting ninth. The young driver finished third in his heat race and is currently fifth in the point standings. To date, Camarillo has one hard charger award as he looks for his first victory of 2011.

Newhall's John Nock won his first 10-lap heat race of the year. Piloting the #83 Nock Drywall machine, Nock was eighth in the 30-lap feature and sits tenth in the points. John has three top-10 finishes heading into next week's action.

Driving the #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machining entry, Josh Ford of Camarillo won his second heat race of the season. Last year's All Coast 360 Challenge Champion has one hard charger award and six top-10 finishes on the season. As this writing goes to press, Ford is seventh in the point chase.

Santa Clarita's Clark Templeman III won the 12-lap semi-main. Also earning transfer spots to the feature were Guy Woodward, Derek Buckley, Adam Frith-Smith, Kyle Smith, Steve Hix, Austin DeBlauw, and Jeremy Ellertson. Templeman was thirteenth, Woodward scored seventeenth, and Buckley was fifteenth. Frith-Smith claimed eighteenth, Smith was nineteenth, and Hix finished twentieth. DeBlauw took fifteenth and Ellertson was sixteenth.

Ventura Raceway had eight other companion classes scheduled on the night. Rob Kershaw won the VRA Senior Sprint main event and Aaron Rodarte won in IMCA Modified action. Rick Lapka scored the Senior Dwarf Car feature and Eric Elton claimed victory in the Pro Dwarf Car 20-lap event. Bryan Miller won in the Mod Lite division and Nick Velasquez won the Mini Dwarf Car portion of the show. Jake Aguilar took the Mini Dwarf Piston class win and Brennan Rogers scored the Junior Midget feature.

To catch all of the action of the VRA Sprint Car Series and Ventura Raceway, Mike Truex's Loudpedal Productions has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com. In addition, Ventura Raceway offers a live feed of every event at www.venturaraceway.com/live.html. The live feed will begin at 5:00pm PST.

The VRA Sprint Car Series will be back in action this Saturday, May 14th, with a full program featuring the VRA Midgets, Ford Focus Midgets, Junior Focus Midgets, Sport Compacts and Go Karts. During the month of May, fans 18 and under (with proper ID) are admitted for FREE. The Front Gates will open at 3:00pm with Racing to start at 5:30pm. For more event information, please visit www.venturaraceway.com or call (805) 985-5433.


 

5-11-11 Larry Burton Classic Up Next For USAC Western Sprinters
Source Steven Blakesley
USAC Western Classic

The USAC Western Classic Racing Series heads to one of its most important pavement events on Saturday night, as a strong field of Sprint Cars will invade Roseville’s All American Speedway for the “Larry Burton Classic”.

The Larry Burton Classic will honor former racer and All American Speedway promoter Larry Burton, who was a multi-time track champion at West Capital Speedway and a Gold Cup winner before taking the reigns of All American. Burton oversaw the paving of the facility in the early 70s and also was a key figure in the success Rose Classic events during the 80s.

Race fans will get the opportunity to win a free Echo Leaf Blower courtesy of Citrus Heights Saw & Mower with another Echo Leaf Blower being offered to the fast-time qualifier during the evening.

Pre-race ceremonies will include the colors being presented by the Whitney High School ROTC color guard and exhibition races from area Quarter Midget racers on the front stretch.

23 year-old Scott Pierovich of Alamo, California leads the overall standings with one dirt race and one pavement race in the books, while six-time USAC champion Tony Hunt of Lincoln leads the way in the pavement series fresh off of his win at Madera in early April.

Pierovich and Hunt traded blows at Madera in a thrilling feature event. Hunt won the battle on that night with Pierovich falling out after mechanical problems.

While Pierovich seeks redemption at Roseville, Hunt will look to defend his home turf.

One of the hottest drivers in Northern California racing is Sebastapol’s Geoff Ensign. Ensign has parlayed a third place effort in his pavement debut at Madera to rank fourth in the overall standings. He also shares a piece of the points lead in the California Sprint Car Civil War Series. Ensign has elected to skip the Civil War event as he chases USAC points for owner Ted Finkenbinder.

Folsom’s Jerry Kobza is third in the series standings over Ensign and San Francisco’s Tim Barber. Pavement regulars such as 2010 series runner-up Luis Ramos III of Clovis, Western Speed entries from Cody Gerhardt and Tim Skoglund, and Alan Kaiser Racing’s Brian McClish are all expected to compete.

Fair Oaks’ Shauna Hogg has a strong showing in the early laps at Madera before falling to mechanical woes and will return at Roseville. Bill Logan, Gordon Rodgers, Audra Sasselli, Marvin Mitchell, and Don Emory are all expected as well.

Joining the USAC Western Classic Racing Series sprint cars on the bill will be USAC Ford Focus Midgets and Young Guns, NCMA Sprints, and Legends of the Pacific.

Grandstands open at 4:00 p.m. with racing to start at 6. Tickets are just $15 for adults, $12 for students/military/seniors, $10 for juniors ages 7-15, with kids 6 and under free! Ticket information is available by calling (916) 864-8722.

More information on the USAC Western Classic Racing Series is available on Facebook at keywords “USAC Western Classic Racing Series”. The United States Auto Club is online at www.usacracing.com The USAC Western States is available at www.usacwesternstates.com with contact information and the latest news.

The USAC Western Classic Racing Series is brought to you by: Amsoil, Hoosier Tires West, and Kaeding Performance.
 

5-11-11 Tulare's Pombo/Sargent Classic on Tap Saturday for USAC WC360s
Source Lance Jennings
USAC West Coast 360 Sprints

Round six for the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series will be held this Saturday, May 14th, at Tulare's Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway. Joining the "Pombo/Sargent Classic" card will be the Golden State King of the West 410 Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, and Vintage Super Modifieds. The Front Gates will open at 5:00pm, Time Trials will start at 6:00pm, with Racing at the lightning fast 1/3-mile facility to begin at 7:00pm.

Visalia's Jace VanderWeerd leads the point chase heading into Saturday's action. Piloting the family owned #88 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Jace scored a fifth place finish at Tulare on April 30th. To date, the April 9th Santa Maria feature winner has four top-10 finishes to his credit and has led fourteen main event laps. VanderWeerd will have his sights set on the Pombo-Sargent victory.

Ryan Bernal of Hollister is second in the point standings. On April 30th, the driver of the #11D Olmstead's Auto Racing Inc. / S&S Automotive Maxim looked to be on his way to victory until his engine expired. Credited with a fifteenth place finish, the former Wingless Spec Sprint Champion has three top-10 performances and has led thirty-one main event laps. Bernal will look to rebound this Saturday for his first series win.

"Wide Open" Wes Gutierrez of San Martin sits third in the championship points. The pilot of the WG Motorsports #007 DRC, sponsored by Competition Suspension Inc. and ButlerBuilt, claimed seventh on April 30th. In the 2011 campaign, Gutierrez has three heat race wins and four top-10 finishes to his credit. Wes will be in the mix for the Pombo/Sargent triumph.

Gardena's Greg Alexander is currently fourth in the series points. Driving Chuck Tyler's #72 Maxim backed by Trench Shoring and Amsoil, Alexander raced to fourth on April 30th. The young driver has one heat race win and three top-10 finishes on the season. This Saturday, Greg will be looking to add Saturday's main event to his resume.

Richard VanderWeerd of Visalia is fifth in the point chase. Piloting the family owned #10 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Richard scored a third place finish on April 30th. To date, VanderWeerd has one fast time award, two heat race wins, and three top-10 finishes on the year. The young driver will be one of the favorites on Saturday.

Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Hanford's Justyne Hamblin, Dennis Howell of Rancho Palos Verdes, Fresno's T.J. Smith, "Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton, Bakersfield's Rusty Carlile, Peter Murphy of Clovis, Hanford's Jonathan Logan, Davey Pombo of Kerman, and many more.

The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, ButlerBuilt, Competition Suspension Inc., Cory Kruseman's Sprint Car & Midget Driving School, Crow Enterprizes, DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Hinchman-Indy Racing Uniforms, Integra Shocks, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Port City Racing, Saferacer.com, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support.

Tulare's Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K Streets. Reserved Grandstand Tickets are $20 and Bleacher Tickets are $17. Advance tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling the track office at (559) 688-0909. For more event information, visit the track’s website at www.tularethunderbowl.com.

For more information on the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, www.racesantamariaspeedway.com, or follow the series on facebook.

USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT POINTS:
1. Jace VanderWeerd 224; 2. Ryan Bernal 219; 3. Wes Gutierrez 216; 4. Greg Alexander 198; 5. Richard VanderWeerd 197; 6. Justyne Hamblin 173; 7. Dennis Howell 151; 8. T.J. Smith 149; 9. Bud Kaeding 148; 10. Danny Faria Jr. 138; 11. Rusty Carlile 129; 12. Peter Murphy 124; 13. Ricky Kirkbride 112; 14. Jonathan Logan 93; 15. Nico Russo 88; 16, Davey Pombo 84; 17. Marty Hawkins 81; 18. Cole Peard 76;
19. Matt Day 62; 20. Andy Forsberg 57.

NEXT USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT RACE:
May 14 - Groppetti Automotive Tulare (CA) Thunderbowl Raceway - " Pombo/Sargent Classic"

 

5-11-11 On Mother's Day Weekend J. Tucker, Miller, J. Belletto, Czub, Lewis and Wendt Celebrated Victorious
Source David Holman
Stockton 99 Speedway

To Mother

As I've always fortuned eyes
and heard your laughter dance
your voice lives now
through all you know
and many circumstance
so I would say you've lived your love
through family, faith, and friends
and placed one God
who's mighty hand
to all these did attend.

Thus, on this happy day of days
I send a loving smile
to bid you Happy Mother's Day wish
and know you'll bask awhile
in loves' own light and laughter, too
from those who you hold dear
and I do light a candle now
to celebrate your years!

On May 7 th, The New Stockton 99 Speedway Presented Whelen All American Night, which featured Western Late Model Twin 50's, Grand American Modifieds, Super Stocks, Bombers, and Legends of the Pacific. What a great mixture of speed and ability each Division produced on this night. And, the 2000 fans in the stands had no problem showing their appreciation for another great night of racing at the storied venue.

The Western Late Model Twin #1 was nearly a shocker, but when the checkers pierced the thick, Winterlike air, it was a usual suspect who came in the form of second generation driver Jeff Belletto (12x) of Modesto, that scorched the finish line ahead of the extremely talented field.

With the green flag waving, and Jeff Belletto and third generation driver and nephew Nic Belletto (15), also of Modesto, sharing honors on the front row, the intensity in this one picked up immediately with J. Belletto grabbing the holeshot down in to turn one where he would hold strong until lap 11 when Bobby Butler (3) of Sacramento went spinning between turns one and two and brought the first yellow along for the ride. Unfortunately, after further review, Brentwood's Doff Cooksey (75) was awarded tail-end of the longest line for his participation in the incident. On the lap 11 restart, J. Belletto once again took the reins and controlled this race in masterful fashion until lap 28 when Cooksey (75) and 2006 Champ Guy Guibor (61) of Manteca made contact through three and four which brought with it the second slow-down of the night. On the restart, J. Belletto assumed the number one slot, but three laps later on lap 31, the race was slowed for the final time when Brandon Trevethan (4) of Galt lost it down the backstretch and landed on top of the turn three safety tires sending one careening out into harm's way which sent the red flag flying. On the final single-file restart, J. Belletto would have all things his way as he ran off to the checkers, unencumbered of challenges, for his second win of the new Season. Nephew Nic (15) would make it stick this time out as he drove a steadfast race onto the podium as runner-up. Mr. All-Everything Dave Byrd (78) of Seaside, solid as always, drove her onto the podium in third. Lodi's Michael Wendt (2), after suffering difficulties last race, made a great comeback in finishing fourth, while Modesto's Mike Beeler finished up in fifth.

Twin #2 produced yet another tenacious, action-packed race with Lodi's Michael Wendt (2) climbing to the top step of the podium after the checkered flags flew above the slick asphalt surface.

The invert of twelve off Twin #1 landed Doff Cooksey (75) of Brentwood and Bobby Butler (3) of Sacramento on the first row to get this one underway. And, with the green in sight coming off turn four, and the front two already beating and banging, Cooksey got the great jump on the outside and beat the field down in to turn one. Cooksey would endure no less than six more restarts due to some very aggressive racing throughout the field, throughout this race until just prior to the final restart on lap 46, Cooksey turned right, out the turn three exit with a flat tire. This moved everyone up a spot and Wendt inherited the number one slot which he happily accepted and he made the very most out of it with a great jump on the restart which took him through to the checkers and claimed his first win of the year. "It was unfortunate for Doff (Cooksey) to get that flat," said the well-mannered Wendt, "I was really looking forward to that last restart and battling with him, but that's how races go sometimes, and I'll take the win." It was an absolutely great night having Greg Potts (55x) of Stockton back out in a Late Model racing against his son, Colby, but even better was Greg crossing the finish line in second. It was nice to see the "old guy" still has some fire in his tank. J. Belletto didn't fare as well as in the first twin, nonetheless, he worked his way up from P12 to the podium in third for a great points night for the Modesto driver. Modesto's Mike Beeler (6) had a consistent night in finishing fourth in this one after a fifth in the first, while 2009 WLM Champ Justin Philpott (05) of Tracy hung in there to round out the top five. Unfortunately for Cooksey, he had to know this one got away when he suffered the heartbreak of a flat tire with four to go which relegated him to an eleventh place finish.

The Grand American Modifieds returned to action for their second race of the year. And, as usual, they showcased some great driving talent inside these powerful open-wheel monsters. However, on this night, once again, driving sensation Wes Miller (57) of Turlock would rise to the top as he crossed beneath the checkers to Victory for his second win in a row.

This one got going rather quickly with Nicholas Lyons (11x) of Lincoln pacing the field to green and Rick Andersen (11a) of Citrus Heights out to the right already rubbing tires. And, just as quickly as this one got underway, it was slowed when, on lap 1, the #1 of Tracy's Scott Lynch and Stockton's own Leroy Hunt (63) mixed it up down the backstretch, tangling into the wall up in turn three and bringing with them the first caution period of the race. Hunt would rejoin the race, but Lynch would not fare so well as his night was put to rest almost before this one got up to speed. On the restart, Miller laid claim to that all-important prime real estate out front and, despite having to deal with a couple more yellows and a red, the #57 would out-run the field, driving the remainder of the race mostly in his own, personal time zone as he chewed away at the sticky asphalt until the only thing left was to take a big bite out of the checkered flag. And so he did, with a side of yellow as this one finished under checkered/yellow. This win would be Miller's second in a row, leaving him perfect so far on the year. "We've done a lot of work on this car this year," said Miller, a man of few words, "The car is getting better but we still have a ways to go. I would like to thank all my sponsors for supporting our efforts." To entitle Miller's domination is not to say this race went on without excitement, because it did, in the form of a three-car battle over second place. Finally, with the dust settled, it would be Jason Philpot (15a) of Sacramento standing on the second tier of the podium. Lyons and Andersen would battle over the third spot throughout the race's entirety, which to most was the best race of the night. However, when all was done, Andersen nabbed the podium spot in third with Lyons still in sniffing distance in fourth. Santa Rosa's Andy Vanderveer had a solid run which led him to a fifth place finish.

The Super Stocks have put together some stunning races this year, and tonight would be no exception. Ben Lewis II (22) of Stockton would put on a terrific show of car control in winning his second of the year.

Sitting P1 and P2 on the grid, Ken "The Rat" Ratcliff (32), now of Modesto and Garland Tyler (73), most certainly of West Modesto got this one rolling around to the start, but a three-car entanglement between three and four would call for a complete restart. And, on the complete restart, Tyler would jump out early to stake his claim to that much-coveted number one slot out front until lap 10 when Mike Graham (93) of Hughson looped it low in turn two which brought with it the second yellow Tyler didn't want to see. And, of course, true to form, Lewis sped to the lead on the restart only to be slowed on lap 12 when 2010 WLM Champ Chad Holman (75) of Manteca and 2010 Bomber Champ Travis Tucker (53) of Stockton made contact through the middle of one and two and the yellow flew high in the night sky. On the lap 12 restart, Lewis got another great jump and took control of the direction this race would flow. Over the last eighteen laps, Lewis had plenty of company gnawing and clawing at his back bumper that took the form of Jason Aguirre (45) of Atwater. Unfortunately for Aguirre, it appeared Lewis had saved just enough car to hold off the extremely aggressive #45 until there was nothing left to haggle over as Lewis crossed beneath the checkers with Aguirre's teeth still dug in to the back bumper of the #22. This would be Lewis' second win this year. "Thanks to everybody for showing up," said the quiet-mannered Lewis, "Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers." Of course, Aguirre finished second with Livermore's Mark Squadrito (3), albeit distant, finishing on the podium in third. Points Leader Rich Harper (5) of Stockton, after a hard-fought battle throughout, managed a fourth with Tyler slipping back, if only slightly, to finish in the top five.

In the Bomber Division, Jeremy Tucker (351) of Stockton flexed his muscles early in the day and proved he was the one who had to be reckoned with in the Main Event. His strength proved too overpowering for his competitors to overcome as he crossed the stripe in convincing fashion.

Tucker grabbed the pole in this one with Uncle David Tucker (350), also of Stockton, high and outside already grinding at his right side door handle coming off four to the green. With a fantastic jump, J. Tucker secured the early lead coming back around to complete lap one where he held service over the field in commanding order over the next twenty-three laps until lap 24 when Stockton's Tony Karsting (312) lost a rear wheel going off into turn three which, without doubt, caught the immediate attention of the flagman who then sent the yellow flag flying high above the racing surface. That would, fortunately, be the only caution of the race. On the ensuing restart, J. Tucker assumed his all-too-natural position out front and rode off to the checkers for the lopsided, wire-to-wire victory. "I didn't have a great car to start with," said Tucker, "I started driving the wheels off it, that's about all I could do." Uncle David Tucker would hold-on tight to that number-two spot in only the second Main Event of his career. Mike Massone (007) of Stockton, after catastrophe struck earlier in the Trophy Dash, finished on the podium in third in a borrowed car. Andrew Rumsey (043), another Stockton driver, had a solid run in finishing fourth, while Robert Dueck (819) from parts unknown rounded out the top five. Bobby Simpson (819T) of Stockton, Points Leader coming into this event, received a severe blow to his Points Standings after being issued a disqualification following the Main Event.

The Legends of the Pacific, as always, put on another great show with Robby Czub (05) of Rocklin reaping the winner's share of the spoils in grand fashion.

This one got up to speed with cousins, Keith Clement (8) and Fred Clement (58), both of Stockton, sharing the front row and bringing the sixteen-car field around to greet the green. Fred got the great forward bite up high as is the case on most starts at the Speedway and drove her to the lead only to be slowed on lap 4 when Jessica Walker (21) of San Ramon looped going off into turn three which brought out the first yellow of the race. On the restart, F. Clement, once again, gained control of the fresh air out front only to be displaced one lap later by the #74M of Brisbane's Luis Tyrell who had worked his way up from P5 on the starting grid. Tyrell would hold court over this excitement-filled race until lap 33 when he sputtered off turn two and Robby Czub (05) pounced on the opportunity unwillingly handed to him by Tyrell. Czub, a great driver in every respect, took it to the house for the Victory after working the field from P8 on the grid. "These cars might not seem like much, but they are a handful to handle," said the always polite young Czub, "I would like to thank all my sponsors, family and friends, and everybody for coming out tonight. Happy Mother's Day. This one's for you, Mom." Tony Mangini (7) of Benicia ran a marvelous race, which paid dividends in a second place finish. Tyrell, after leading most of the race before the lap 32 sputter, did manage to hold onto a podium finish in third. Cody Berger (63) of Tracy finished a strong fourth, while Walker, after her earlier mishap, fought her way back to a fifth place finish.

Mark your calendars for next Saturday, May 14 th, when Stockton 99 Speedway presents "Whelen All American Series" - City of Lodi Night Presented by Alamo Alarm Company
featuring Super Stocks in Twin 40's, Grand American Modifieds, Bombers, Basically-4- Cylinders, Mini Trucks, and Mini Cups.

The New Stockton 99 Speedway is located at 4105 N. Wilson Way, ¼-mile west of Highway 99. For more information on tickets and times, please contact the Speedway Office at (209)466-9999 or visit their Website at www.stockton99.com.
The New Stockton 99 Speedway is sponsored by Jackson Rancheria Casino Hotel, California Welding Supply, Budweiser, Alamo Alarm and Stockton Hampton Inn and Suites and Lodi Holiday Express.
 

5-11-11 Kaeding Rebounds For Hanford Victory
Source Lance Jennings
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprints

Last Saturday night, Campbell's Bud Kaeding scored the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car feature win at Hanford's Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway. It was a dramatic victory for Kaeding, restarting at the rear of the field after a second lap tangle with Yorba Linda's Blake Miller. From there, the veteran driver sliced his way to the front and overtook teammate "Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. to claim the 30-lap main event triumph. In victory lane, Kaeding remarked "We had a really good car and you don't want to waste much time with these guys out here. My guys had a great car underneath me and that allowed me to put on a show for the fans."

With twenty-four cars signed in the pit area, the clay oval faced warm temperatures and constant winds throughout the day. As the main event cars rolled onto the slick surface, "The Ripper" Rip Williams of Yorba Linda and Visalia's Greg Bragg would share the front row. Driving Tom and Laurie Sertich's #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror Buckley, Bragg got the jump and grabbed the early lead. Williams fell back to fifth as Blake Miller, Bud Kaeding, and Cory Kruseman settled behind the leader.

Action has halted on the second lap, as brothers Cody and Austin Williams came to a stop in the second turn. Cody rejoined the field and Austin was left in the work area. On the restart, Bragg hit the throttle at the back straightaway cone. Heading into turn one, third place Bud Kaeding climbed the back of Blake Miller, tangling both cars, and sliding to a stop. Once again, another yellow flag was brought out and the field lined up in single file. Bragg was out front, followed by Cory Kruseman, Rip Williams, Danny Faria Jr., and Mike Spencer. Still on the lead lap, Austin Williams rejoined the field at the back along with Miller and Kaeding.

"The Kruser" Cory Kruseman seized the opportunity and powered past Bragg for the lead. Kruseman, who won USAC/CRA's last Hanford appearance in March 2007, quickly looked to put some distance between himself and the pack. The tricky surface saw drivers searching high and low for traction and by the tenth circuit, Bragg dropped back to sixth. Faria was now in second, with point leader Spencer in third, followed by Williams and nineteenth starting Nic Faas. A yellow flag was displayed on lap thirteen for Jeff Gardner, who suffered front end damage, and a stalled David Cardey.

With Kruseman's lead now erased, "Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. was on his rear bumper and Faas sat in third. Racing with failed brakes, Faria shot by Kruseman on the next lap. Faas began to apply pressure for the runner up spot and Bud Kaeding had raced his way back to fourth. The laps were counting down and Faas was able to take second from Kruseman. Kaeding had found his rhythm and soon dropped Kruseman to fourth. With Faria out front, Faas and Kaeding were tucked in close behind. Kaeding put Faas to third and gave chase after the leader.

Racing in close quarters, the two teammates battled hard for the top spot and Faria spun his car to a stop on lap twenty-six. Kaeding was the new leader as Faas battled with thirteenth starting Matt Mitchell for second. At the checkered flag, it was Bud Kaeding's night, followed by Nic Faas, Matt Mitchell, Cory Kruseman, and Rip Williams rounding out the top five.

Driving Junior Bowman's #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises Maxim, Bud Kaeding had a memorable weekend. After winning the previous night at Watsonville in a winged 360 feature, Kaeding was sixth quick in time trials and second in his heat race. Restarting at the back after a lap two tangle, the 3-time USAC Silver Crown Champion delighted his fans by driving to the 30-lap feature win.

Nic Faas of Huntington Beach claimed second in the 30-lap feature. Piloting Mark Alexander's #4 Spike, backed by Scott Sales Company and VP Racing Fuels, Faas qualified nineteenth and won the Extreme Mufflers / Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror Heat Race #1. The former USAC Western States Midget Champion earned the Keizer Wheels "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job" honors on the night and is now sixth in the points.

Yorba Linda's Matt Mitchell scored a third place finish at the Hanford oval. Driving the J.W. Mitchell Motorsports #37 Maxim sponsored by Mancha Realtors and Sierra Springs, Mitchell was thirteenth quick in time trials and second in his heat race. The USAC Western Midget Series graduate sits third in the point chase, eighteen points behind point leader Mike Spencer.

Piloting his #21K Lucas Oil / Sander Engineering Eagle, Ventura's Cory Kruseman scored fourth in the 30-lap feature. Earlier in the program, "The Kruser" qualified fourth and finished third in his heat race. Cory looked strong in the early going, leading eleven laps of the main event before settling into fourth. In limited action, the 2006 Champion is thirteenth in the point standings.

"The Ripper" Rip Williams claimed fifth at the checkered flags. Driving the Jack Jory owned #3 Viper sponsored by John Jory Corporation and AMA Plastics, Williams was twelfth quick in time trials and third in his heat race. The Hall of Fame driver battled hard to stay near the front of the main event and sits twelfth in the championship points.

Temecula's Mike Spencer earned his first Sander Engineering Fast Time Award of the year. Piloting Ron Chaffin's famed #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim, Spencer was fourth in his heat race. Starting eighth in the main event, the point leader had raced his way up to third before having mechanical issues. Scoring eighteenth, the 3-time champion now holds a six point advantage over the competition heading to Perris on May 28th.

In his first start with USAC/CRA in 2011, Marty Hawkins of Santa Rosa won the Saldana Racing Products / Keizer Wheels Heat Race #2. Driving the family's 360 powered #3M Schnee, with backing from The Toiyabe Group and Blakeley Landscaping, Hawkins was twentieth quick and fourteenth in the feature. Marty currently sits twenty-seventh in the point chase.

Riverside's "Dynamite" David Cardey won the DJ Safety Heat Race #3. Driving his own #59 Circle Track Performance / Pick's Racing Engines Viper, Cardey was third fast on the night and finished eighth in the main event. Sitting second in the points, the former California Lightning Sprint Champion made some gains on Spencer heading to Perris.

"Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton won the 12- Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main. Driving Junior Bowman's #2X Buster & Ziggy Enterprises Bullet, Danny was followed by Rickie Gaunt, Richard VanderWeerd, Jace VanderWeerd, Cody Williams, Jeff Gardner, Cody Kershaw, and Rodney Argo. Faria led thirteen laps before scoring seventeenth in the feature. Gaunt was seventh and Richard VanderWeerd was twentieth. Jace VanderWeerd took sixth, Williams claimed thirteenth, and Gardner scored nineteenth. Kershaw finished tenth and Argo was fifteenth.

The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series would like to thank Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Donovan Engineering, Electro Tech Powder Coating, Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror, Keizer Wheels, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support. For more information, visit usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.

The fifth round of competition for the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will be held Saturday, May 28th, at Perris Auto Speedway for the annual "Salute To Indy." Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, more event information can be found at www.perrisautospeedway.com or calling (951) 940-0134.


 

5-10-11 Romero, Paulson, Winters and Lambert Repeat Winners For All American Speedway
Story & Photos by RMG Race Media Group
All American Speedway

ROSEVILE, CA- All American Speedway hosted the NASCAR Whelen All American Weekly Series this past Mothers Day weekend offering Firefighters free admission to witness fierce competition from some of the best racing talent on the west coast. The previous weekend had the Late Models running 100 laps start to finish without cautions and some very close racing to the win in the other divisions. The evening marked the third point's race for the NASCAR Late Models and the second point's race for the Modifieds, Bombers and Street Stocks.

In the Bomber division 13 cars competed for their number two championship points' race. In qualifying, Chris Paulson captured the pole position by .104 seconds with a fast time of 15.816 seconds. Dana Kelly 2nd, No. 52 Matt Camp 3rd, No. 50 Richard Perez 4th and No. 77 Eric Ray completed the fast five. In the start of the 35 lap main, Richard Perez grabbed the lead, but by lap four Dana Kelly and Chris Paulson were out front battling for the top position. As the three stacked up, Kelly made a move on Perez for the lead as Perez fell back to third behind Paulson. The action up front was intense in the opening laps, but on lap 8 Paulson took the lead away from Kelly and ran from the field to his 2nd Bomber victory with a 2.083 second lead. On lap 14 Matt Camp and Eric Ray were rubbing metal causing them to get a little sideways thru turn one and two but managed to keep their cars on track. The first yellow came out on lap 20 when the No. 52 and the No. 1 got together leaving Camp's bumper on the track. The AAS officials quickly removed the debris and the racing action was underway. Chris Paulson grabbed his second consecutive Bomber victory, followed by Richard Perez, Eric Ray, Dana Kelly and Matt Camp your top 5.

Next up was the 18-car field of the Modifieds. For Qualifying Winters put down a screaming fast time of 13.980 seconds, Dan Jinkerson 2nd, No. 68 Cody Thompson 3rd, No. 28 Jim Miller and No. 20 Scot Alves, the fast five. Eighteen Modifieds lined up for the green flag and No. 28 Jim Miller grabbed the lead early but Dan Jinkerson quickly stole it away on lap three. On lap five No. 1 Rick Anable and No. 20 Scot Alves were battling for the 5th position until the two collided and left the Alves machine spinning in turn four. The first yellow waived on lap 10 when the No. 5 Jason Bamberg and No. 77 Michael Ostrowski were racing for the eighth position, the incident ended up with Ostrowski spinning in turn two. On the restart Scott Winters grabbed the lead for the remainder of the race with Jinkerson in tow. Scott Winters grabbed his second consecutive win in the modified division, Jinkerson, Miller, Thompson and No. 8 Andy Field the top five.

Next in the division line up was the NASCAR Late Models and 14 cars made the field. In qualifying, Romero grabbed pole position at 13.857 seconds just .027 seconds over the second position Matt Scott. No. 27 John Moore, No. 16 Jamie Krzysik and No. 88 Dylan Hutchison were the fast five. The 100-lap Late Model main was the show of the night with lots of racing action, excited fans and a little bit of rain. As the green flag dropped the top four drivers were stacked up side by side for some great racing action. On lap 13, No. 61 Shannon Mansch and No. 11 Juan Pitta were racing for the eighth position when the two made contact in turn four giving Pitta a flat. The two would get together later in the race sending Mansch spinning in turn four causing a yellow. The restart allowed leader Matt Scott and 2nd place driver Romero to return to close racing action allowing Romero and Scott to swap the lead for a few laps. On lap 21, No. 22 Brian Keck and No. 12 Tim Smith racing for the 11th position made contact collecting the No. 44 Ron Chunn. After the restart, No. 72 Michelle Nagai spun in turn four stopping in the middle of the track. With the leaders entering turn three in full throttle racing with no yellow, Romero locked up his breaks and made contact with a stalled Nagai pushing in his left front fender creating a tire rub. On lap 30, contact between Hutchison and Scribner while racing for the fourth position sent Hutchison into the front stretch wall causing a flat tire on the No. 88. As the leaders, Scott and Romero, created a gap from the pack the next close racing action was three cars, Krzysik, Moore and Scribner battling it out for the 3rd position. By lap 78 Moore made the move on Krzysik for the third position and by lap 81 Moore, Krzysik and Scribner made it three wide into turn three sending the No. 16 Machine spinning. The restart on lap 81, bunched up the field and provided close side by side racing with Scott, Romero, Moore and Scribner. This allowed Romero and Scribner to run a solid outside line with Romero stealing the lead away from Scott and Scribner stealing third from Moore. Romero completed the race with his second consecutive victory with Matt Scott 2nd, Chris Scribner 3rd, John Moore 4th and Jamie Krzysik 5th the top five. Hard charger went to Scribner who started 11th due to complications in qualifying to finish 3rd in the main.

Last on the night was the Street Stock division fielding 10 cars. Owens again was at the top of the charts in qualifying with a fast time of 14.904 seconds, No. 23 Richard Poppert Jr., No. 50 Chris Lambert 3rd, No. 98 Byron Gonzales 4th and No. 21 Kevin Owens the fast five. In the 35 lap main, Byron Gonzales grabbed the early lead on the start with Poppert and Lambert battling it out for the second position. On lap 8 Mickey Owens was able to slide by Poppert for the third position. On lap 11, Owens leaked fuel on the track drawing a black flag ending his night and watching the race from the sidelines. On lap 22, Lambert took the lead from Gonzales leaving Gonzales to protect the second position with Poppert and No. 21 Kevin Owens on his tail. Lambert cruised to a 2.187 second victory over Gonzales, Owens, Poppert and No. 2 Mel Wilson the top five.

All American Speedway championship points race will take a break next weekend and will return for action on May 21. However, USAC Sprints, Midgets, Ford Focus, NCMA, and Legends of The Pacific will put on a great show this weekend May 14. More information about All American Speedway can be found at www.AllAmericanSpeedway.com. The Placer County Fairgrounds administration office is open for advance ticket sales Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm at 800 All America City Blvd. Roseville, CA. 95678, or contact the office at (916) 786-2025.

All American Speedway Championship Points Race #3 Results
Bombers
1. Chris Paulson, 2. Richard Perez, 3. Erick Ray, 4. Dana Kelly, 5. Matt Camp, 6. Eric Bocksberger, 7. Denise Lambert, 8. Chuck Leek, 9. Kenny Beaumont, 10. Lonnie Leonard, 11. Michael Smith, 12. David Thompson, 13. Tom Dahl

Modifieds
1. Scott Winters, 2. Dan Jinkerson, 3. Jim miller, 4. Cody Thompson, 5. Andy Field, 6. Jason Bamberg, 7. Don Swartz, 8. Rick Anable, 9. Jim Badekar, 10. Ryan Peter, 11. Michael Ostrowski, 12. Steve Cote, 13. Bobby Runyan, 14. Scot Alves, 15. Sal Lopez, 16. Wayne Crossland, 17. Chase Grigsby, 18. Michael Roman

Late Models
1. Jason Romero, 2. Matt Scott, 3. Chris Scribner, 4. John Moore, 5. Jamie Krzysik, 6. Ron Chunn, 7. Brian Keck, 8. Stanislov Osterlund, 9. Tim Smith, 10. Dylan Hutchison, 11. Dana Pruhs, 12. Shannon Mansch, 13. Michelle Nagai, 14. Juan Pitta

Street Stocks
1. Chris Lambert, 2. Byron Gonzales, 3. Kevin Owens, 4. Richard Poppert Jr., 5. Mel Wilson, 6. Joe Dahl, 7. Mark Blanton, 8. Hugh Lee, 9. Mickey Owens

 

5-10-11 CRA "Off" until May 28 "Salute To Indy" at The PAS; Kaeding Halts Spencer's Streak At Hanford
Source Dick Jordan
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprints

The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars are idle until May 28 when they compete in their annual “Salute to Indy” at the Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway.

Series point leader and defending three-time champion Mike Spencer will have to start another winning streak at Perris after finishing 18th in last Saturday’s 30-lap feature at Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif.

Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Calif. led the final four laps of Saturday’s race driving his Bowman Racing Alviso Rock/High-Five Pizza Maxim/Shaver. He was the last of four race leaders.

Greg Bragg led the first two, Cory Kruseman led the next 11 and Danny Faria Jr. led for 13 laps before Kaeding moved to the front. Nic Faas finished second ahead of Matt Mitchell, Kruseman and Rip William


AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR STANDINGS

1-Mike Spencer-242; 2-David Cardey-236; 3-Matt Mitchell-224; 4-Blake Miller-222; 5-Greg Bragg-181; 6-Nic Faas-163; 7-Rickie Gaunt-163; 8-Cody Williams-130; 9-Austin Williams-124; 10-David Bezio-117.

 

5-10-11 Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series Notes & Pertinent Info
Source Gary Thomas
Golden State King of The West Series

“Pombo/Sargent Classic” Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway - Saturday May 14

What:

The annual Pombo/Sargent Classic is up next for the Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series this Saturday May 14 at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway. The Pombo/Sargent Classic has been going on for over 20 years and it honors California racing icons Al Pombo and Marshall Sargent.

This Saturday’s event will be the second and final stop of the season in Tulare for KWS.

When:

On Saturday May 14 the front grandstand gate will open at 5pm with racing starting a half hour earlier than usual at 6:30pm.

Where:

The Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California. From the junction of SR 99 and SR 137, go west on SR 137. At South K go south one-half mile to the Fairgrounds.

Tickets:

Advance tickets are on sale and be acquired by contacting the track ticket office at (559) 688-0909. Reserved grandstand seats cost $20 with general admission bleacher tickets $17. Pit pass prices will be $37 for members and $45 for non members.

About the track:

Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway is a one-third mile clay oval with the all-time track record being 12.651, which was set by Tim Kaeding on March 5, 2010.

Last year at the Pombo/Sargent Classic:

San Jose’s Tim Kaeding took advantage of a final lap 360-degree spin by leader Tommy Tarlton to get by and grab the Pombo/Sargent Classic win last season. Tarlton was able to regroup and cross the line in second with Elk Grove’s Kyle Larson, Campbell’s Bud Kaeding and Chico’s Jonathan Allard rounding out the top-five.

Top-10 in KWS points going into this Saturday night:

1. Tim Kaeding 625; 2. Jonathan Allard 596; 3. Andy Gregg 570; 4. Evan Suggs 569; 5. Willie Croft 567; 6. Brent Kaeding 555; 7. Jason Statler 554; 8. Brent Bjork 531; 9. Bobby McMahan 513; 10. Billy Strange Jr. 486

On the internet:

Golden State King of the West Sprint Car Series-

Official Website- http://www.kwssprints.com
Facebook- http://www.facebook.com/pages/Golden-State-King-of-the-West-Series/150145691703907
Twitter- http://www.twitter.com/KWS410s

Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway:

http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com

5-10-11 "Pombo-Sargent Classic" 360 Sprint Saturday at Tulare
Source Dick Jordan
USAC West Coast 360

Jace VanderWeerd, Ryan Bernal and Wes Gutierrez will battle for the 2011 USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car point lead Saturday as the series returns to the Gropetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.

Entering the “Pombo-Sargent Classic,” VanderWeerd sits just five points ahead of Bernal, with Gutierrez only eight back.

In three previous Tulare events this season, won by Bud Kaeding (twice) and Peter Murphy, the three point leaders have had varying degrees of success. Bernal has a couple of second places, while VanderWeerd has a third and a fifth. Gutierrez will be seeking his first top-five finish at Tulare after two sixths and a seventh.


USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS

1-Jace VanderWeerd-224; 2-Ryan Bernal-219; 3-Wes Gutierrez-216; 4-Greg Alexander-198; 5-Richard VanderWeerd-197; 6-Justyne Hamblin-173; 7-Dennis Howell-151; 8-T.J. Smith-149; 9-Bud Kaeding-148; 10-Danny Faria Jr.-138.


 

5-9-11 Wiesz, Arbogast and Tilford Take Wins In Placerville Point Race
Source Placerville Speedway PR
Placerville Speedway

Tom Arbogast in Placerville Speedway Victory Lane PLACERVILLE, California — The 2011 Fast and Furious Dirt Track Racing Season resumed at Placerville Speedway Saturday night with four divisions of racing on the quarter mile clay oval. Late in the day heavy clouds moved into the area and the eyes were closely following the radar from the point the green flag waved in qualifying. With a combined effort by track officials and all of the competitors a fast paced racing program took place to treat the fans to a full night of racing just moments before the rain began to fall.

"I really have to credit my whole crew for their hard work tonight, things got a little intense when the weather moved in and we weren't sure we were going to beat the rain once we got started," said track promoter Alan Handy. "Thanks to the great team work of all our officials and strong fan support on another night where Mother Nature tried to win, we got a great night of racing completed and I have to thank everyone involved."

In the winged sprint car division, the driver that is known as The Colfax Comet returned to victory lane at Placerville with his new Rosser Motorsports race team. Former champion Colby Wiesz led every one of the 25 laps in the Hoosier Racing Tires feature event. The win didn't come without a defensive effort by Wiesz, who was challenged throughout the race by defending track champion Andy Forsberg of Auburn.

Wiesz started Saturday's event on the outside of the front row. With the waving of the green flag he powered the #23R Rosser Rocket around pole sitter Chad Compton of Fair Oaks to take lead he would never relinquish despite the challenges of Forsberg who quickly muscled his way up the eighth place starting position.

Once Forsberg closed in on Wiesz a dogfight ensued that lasted for most of a race that saw its share of caution periods. The most serious delays came at the expense of Placerville's CJ Humphreys who suffered a violent flip down the front stretch to draw a red flag. Rookie driver Matt Land of Elk Grove, who won his first career heat race earlier in the night, drew the second red flag of the event when he flipped over in the third turn after a collision with Steve Osborne. Both drivers walked away without injury.

As the race entered its final stages,Wiesz was racing the lower line of the track while Forsberg was racing on the top of the track trying to gain the moment to power past Wiesz. Forsberg is known for his high line driving style at Placerville that has proved successful time and time again. Although his car was working well down low, Wiesz was well aware that he had to defend the high line of the track to pull off the win.

Moving up to the high line of the track, Wiesz forced Forsberg to race the lower groove in the final stages of the race. Forsberg raced both high and low searching for a trump card in which he could use to overtake Wiesz. His hard fought efforts came up short at the checkered flag. Wiesz was followed across the line by Forsberg, Placerville's Scott Russell, Placerville's Jimmy Trulli who started 7th and Sean Becker of Antelope who rounded out the top five.

"This was one of those nights where having that fancy scoreboard at this place really paid off," said Wiesz. "I used it to my advantage tonight because once I saw Forsberg had moved into second place behind me I knew I was going to have to find something to work with up top because that's his fast line. This car worked high and low tonight. I can't thank Rich Rosser and this whole team for this opportunity to drive for them this year, it's a great team and they do a great job on a tight budget. It's nice to get a win here with them."

In the Pure Stock division Saturday night, the name Tilford returned to victory lane once again. This time, it was former Rookie of the Year Matt Tilford of Orangevale returned to the driver's seat for the first time this season and drove his way to a victory that broke point leader's Clarence Holbrook's early season undefeated status.

Tilford started the 20-lap race on the outside of the second row behind Woodland's Rick Grunert, Holbrook and Marek Bernert of Orangevale. In the first three laps of the race, Tilford made it clear he meant business and that Holbrook's two race win streak was in jeopardy. After trailing the leader for the first half of the race, Tilford made the move on the 12th lap when he powered past Holbrook to take the lead out of the fourth turn.

Once in front, Tilford drove the #92 camaro to a lead of several car lengths. Holbrook eventually suffered a flat tire and fell out of contention. In the final laps of the race Tilford was trailed by Burney McClure of Nevada City. Rick Grunert of Woodland finished in third followed by Chris Van Roekel of Grass Valley and John Hollow Horn Bear who garnered a top five.

"I really have thank my whole family that works together to get this car out here, no matter which one of us is driving it," said Tilford. "Clarence was driving a really good race this was his race to win and I finally had a good run to get by him there. I really want to wish all the Mom's a happy Mother's Day tomorrow and thank all of the people and sponsors that pitch in and keep this #92 running strong."

In the Limited Late Model feature event, Auburn's Tom Arbogast drove his way to his first feature win of the year. The evening's race brought additional sponsorship from the Wilton Garage and Arbogast knew his odds were good at picking up the added cash when he started on the pole for the feature event that was shortened to the 15 lap mark due to incoming weather.

At the waving of the green flag, Arbogast muscled into a healthy lead. He was challenged throughout the race by Auburn's Matt Davis. At the finish line Arbogast was followed by Davis and the defending track champion Dan Brown Jr of Grass Valley. Doug Grandboise of Jackson finished in fourth followed by Les Friend of Galt.

"I really want to thank Wilton Garage for sponsoring tonight's race," said Arbogast. "It's great to see people supporting this division that were still working on growing. I think we have a great division coming together and I really want to thank Alan Handy and the fans for showing their support in it. We had a good car tonight, I have to thank my crew and my family. We've had some struggles getting this thing set up but we kept at it and I think we finally have it figured out."

The three track regulars were joined by the Midget Lites of the Bay Cities Racing Association Saturday night. Cory Green of Elk Grove led all 15-laps of the feature race to take home the win. Green was followed by Cameron Beard of Turlock, Joey Hoover of Rancho Cordova, Pete Paulson of Woodland and Jason Sneep of Newark. For complete details on this division visit www.bcraracing.com.

Racing at Placerville Speedway is presented by Handy Racing Promotions Incorporated. The 2011 racing season is sponsored by Red Hawk Casino, Hoosier Tires, Riebes Auto Parts, The Mountain Democrat, Coors Light and Pepsi Cola. Additional promotional consideration includes Carls' Jr. Resturants, The Windfall Classifieds, Arnolds for Awards, Minuteman Press, The Paint Spot, Dunn Consulting, ADCO Driveline, Roger Miller Concrete and more.

Championship point racing resumes next Saturday at Placerville Speedway. The grandstands will open up at 5 p.m. on Saturday night. Qualifying begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by heat races at 7. Adult tickets will be $13, Juniors and Seniors will be $11, Children $6. Those five and under will be admitted for free. All seating at Placerville Speedway is first come-first serve at 5 p.m. Learn more about Saturday's event at www.placervillespeedway.com. It's all happening at Placerville Speedway, where more than one million fans have entertained with fast and furious dirt track racing all summer long since 1965.

 

5-9-11 Pierovich and Adamson Garner Speedydry, ER, Make That Vukovich Classic Wins
Source Gerald Laurie
Madera Speedway

MADERA, California — After a sunny and warm afternoon at Madera Speedway’s annual Vukovich Memorial Race, the evening turned cool and windy and the racing turned into what would have been a typical Full Moon event (no, there was only a sliver of Luna showing). With ten different classes of racecars in the pits, including three vintage exhibition groups, it would turn out to be a curfew buster for track promoter Kenny Shepherd. The BCRA Midgets and the Wild and Wooly Supermodifieds were the featured classes and are covered in this article.

There were eight Supermodifieds (three 360 class cars and five Open Cars) and ten Midgets in the pits to start practice. Kody Swanson was the fastest Midget and Jim Birges was the fasted Supermodifed pilot during the warm ups.

Real competition started with individual qualification runs and Chad Nichols (17) was the fastest BCRA entrant with a lap of 14.056 seconds on the 1/3 mile banking, He was followed by Kody Swanson at 14.167, Nick Chivello(27) at 14.209, Tanner Swanson(10) at 14.329, and Nick Foster, Jr.(1) at 14.683. Scott Pierovich (35) made two qualifying attempts only to have mechanical ills relegate him to the back of the pack.

The Supermodified field had some driver changes due to illness as Kyle Vanderpool took over his father’s number 3 Open Car when Dan fell ill, and younger brother Shane Vanderpool jumped in his Kyle’s number 1 360 car to fill out the field. When all was said and done, Lonnie Adamson (98) was fastest of the fast at 12.660 seconds with Jim Birges(32) hot on his heels at 12.683. Kyle Vanderpool put the 3 car in the field at 13.018. Carl Johnson(07) was the fastest 360 at 15.456. Kody Swanson(72) shut down on the backstretch and coasted to the line when the changer gears in the rear end shattered and ruptured the Center Section spreading synthetic gear oil through the topside of turns 3 and 4 and down the front stretch. The Speedy Dry came out for the first time in the evening and the lengthy clean up put the show well behind schedule.

Heat races were up next. There were a couple of oil downs from other classes during the heats, further delaying the schedule and adding a bunch of speedy dry at the end of turn two and on the front straight. The Bay Cities Racing Association fielded two five car, eight lap heats. The first eight lapper lined up with ageless Floyd Alvis on the pole pursued by Nick Foster, Jr., Nick Chivello, Chad Nichols, and Mike Snider. At the drop of the green, Foster and Nichols blasted around Alvis on the top of turn one and Chivello followed through on back straight. Snider brought up the rear. Nichols got around Foster on lap two and pulled out a substantial lead. Chivello took second on lap three and there was no additional passing. Nichols won followed by Chivello, Foster, Alvis, and Snider

The second Midget Heat Lined up with Scott Pierovich and David Prickett on the front row followed by Dillon Silverman, Tanner Swanson, and Kody Swanson. Pierovich’s mechanical gremlins raised up again and the 35 car scratched putting Silverman up front. Lap one saw the Brothers Swanson (Tanner first and Kody second) jump to the front followed by Silverman and Prickett. Again, that was the extent of the passing and lap eight reflected lap one perfectly.

The Supermodifieds were relegated to one combined heat with Lonnie Adamson and Jim Birges on the front row followed by Kyle Vanderpool and Davey Pombo in row two. The two remaining 360 cars were Carl Johnson and Shane Vanderpool. Birges and Adamson went side by side for nearly two full laps with Jim leading at the line each lap. He finally cleared Adamson and gained a small lead while K. Vanderpool, Pombo, S. Vanderpool, and Johnson rounded out the field. And that was how the heat race wound up, with Birges taking the win. Carl Johnson( 1 second) and Shane Vanderpool (3 seconds) ran substantially faster laps than where they had qualified.

After another substantial oil down on the back straight from the late model feature, the open wheel features were next up. The schedule was revised to make sure the open wheel features would be run and there were some unhappy vintage racers in the pits. The midget line up for the thirty lap main event had Dillon Silverman, Nick Foster, Tanner Swanson, Nick Chivello, Kody Swanson, and Chad Nichols in the six car invert. Rounding out the field were Floyd Alvis, David Prickett, Scott Pierovich, and Mike Snider. Coming down for the start, Silverman turned the car sideways coming off turn four and collected both Swansons to bring out red flag (and added some more speedy dry to the now very slippery surface). Restart order was Alvis, Foster, Pierovich, Chivello, Nichols, T. Swanson, K. Swanson with Prickett and Snider in the rear.

At the drop of the green, Alvis advanced rapidly rearward putting Chivello in the lead, followed by Foster, Pierovich, Nichols and K. Swanson. With some banging and bumping on lap two, Chivello maintained the lead with Kody moving to second followed by Foster, Nichols, and Pierovich. Lap four saw both Pierovich and Tanner blow by Foster to take fourth and fifth. Kody Swanson grabbed the lead on lap eight. At the end of ten laps, the top five were Swanson the elder, Chivello, Nichols, Pierovich, and Swanson the younger.

The yellow was in the wind on lap sixteen when Chivello rolled to a stop in turn four. Just before the green restart, Tanner Swanson was black flagged as he had deposited his muffler on the front straight. Restart order was K. Swanson, Nichols, Pierovich, Foster and Silverman. Then Snider spun in turn four and Tanner rejoined the field at the end of the lead lap after replacement of the muffler by a crew member with apparently asbestos fingers. They found oil in turns three and four on the bottom of the track and another lengthy delay ensued as the Speedy Dry concession owner got richer. The bottom of three and four were very slippery and more resembled a skating rink than a race track as the track crew headed to the storage barn for more speedy dry. On the restart, Kody led over Nichols, Pierovich, Tanner and Foster as everyone tip-toed through three and four when the yellow flew again for a spin by Alvis. On this restart, Pierovich got smart and moved to the top of the track in the North turns to take second on lap nineteen and grab the lead a lap later. Order after two thirds distance was Pierovich over K. Swanson, Nichols, T. Swanson, and Foster.

Lap twenty one saw Tanner follow Pierovich’s line and move to second followed by Kody and Nichols. A lap later Nichols reasserted his hold on third position at Kody Swanson’s expense. The rest of the race ran cleanly although there was still a lot of skating around in turns three and four with the still slick bottom and the grains of Speedy Dry contaminating the rest of the turns. Scott Pierovich went from rags to riches after his earlier problems to win over T. Swanson, Nichols, K. Swanson, and Foster

The remaining six Supermodifieds lined up with Davey Pombo on the pole followed by Kyle Vanderpool, Jim Birges, and Lonnie Adamson. The 360 Supers of Shane Vanderpool and Carl Johnson rounded out the field. The outside row moved quickly forward on the green flag lap with K. Vanderpool leading over Adamson, Birges, and Pombo. Vanderpool was holding the middle line as Adamson kept trying to pass on the bottom. There was absolutely no traction on the bottom of three and four and both Adamson and Birges buzzed the tires trying to pass. Finally, Adamson did a bonsai move across the bump at the entrance to turn one to get a slide job on Vanderpool and then took off for another zip code. At ten laps, Adamson led over K. Vanderpool, Birges, Pombo, and S, Vanderpool. Birges was all over the back of the 3 car but had the same problem as Adamson in getting by. There was just no traction on the bottom of three and four.

Johnson headed for the pits on lap fourteen .After twenty laps, Adamson had a two thirds lap lead over Vanderpool and Birges with Pombo one lap down, and Shane two laps down. With Adamson quickly catching the other lead lap cars, Birges finally swept around Vanderpool on lap twenty one and took off in pursuit of Lonnie who, by now, had the 98 on cruise control. Adamson had caught Kyle by lap twenty six when Birges broke a water line and spun in turn two to end his evening. Jim had a substantial steam burn on his right leg when visited later in the pits. The yellow kept Kyle from getting lapped and the remaining four laps were uneventful. Adamson won over K. Vanderpool, Pombo, S. Vanderpool, and Birges. It was about eight minutes past the 10:30 curfew with the vintage cars still to go. To really top off the lunacy of the evening, The 98 crew was entertaining fans in the pits when the fickle wind blew the newly acquired Vukovich Classic Trophy off the top of the pit box and shattered it into several pieces. There had to be full moon somewhere!

With the addition of Brancato’s 82 and the Tatro owned 72 for Kody Swanson, the Supers gained a little in the car count sector. But both were eliminated before the heats and we were down to six cars. The midget field was only a bit better, but at least all of them started the feature. Hopefully, additional owners will get their cars to the tracks before pavement style open wheel racing disappears from the Western States landscape.
 

5-9-11 Ventura Race Report May 7th
Source Cliff Morgan
Ventura Raceway

Don Gansen took advantage of a good front row starting spot to lead all 30 laps of the VRA Sprint Car race Saturday night May 7, and take his first main event win of 2011. Gansen drove a great race holding off pole sitter Brian Camarillo, third place finisher and current point leader Steve Conrad and a hard charging Greg Taylor who had to come from last place after an early race incident to finish fourth. Rounding out the top five finishers was Brent Camarillo who came from 9th to finish fifth. The fact that Gansen led from start to finish did not diminish the fact that the race saw some of he best competition all season. Throughout the field of cars racing was outstanding with drivers passing each other with great moves on every lap. There were 24 cars signed into the pits Saturday so three heats were run with wins going to Greg Taylor in heat one, John Nock in heat two and Josh Ford in heat three. the 12 lap semi main transferred eight cars to the feature with the win going to Clark Templeman III. Going into next weeks event, Steve Conrad holds a 10 point lead over Greg Taylor and a 155 point lead over Don Gansen in the season point race.

In VRA Senior Sprint Car action, point leader Rob Kershaw led a green white checkered race from start to finish. finishing second through fifth were Richard McCormick, Clif Warren, Ed Schwarz and Jesse Denome. The win keeps Kershaw 210 points ahead of nearest challenger Bruce Douglass in the point race after 5 races. Two heat races were run with wins going to Ed Schwarz in heat one and Rob Kershaw in heat two.

Aaron Rodarte took the win and the season point lead in winning the 20 lap IMCA Modified main event over a field of ten cars. He passed race leader Dennis Eckert on lap 18 and went on to score the win over Eckert, John Romero, Jack Parker and Dave Phipps. Brad Prows who entered the night's event on top of the point race fell out early with mechanical problems and falls to a 2 point deficit in the season point race to Rodarte. Heat race wins, Saturday night went to Rob Green and Austin Rodarte.

VRA Dwarf Cars races in two divisions Saturday night. In Senior action, the main event win went to Rick Lapka over point leader George Calvo, Mike Neal, Keith Vondersaar and Keith Koslov. Their heat race was won by Vondersaar. In Pro action Eric Alton took the 20 lap win with point leader Ray Estrada, Tom Stephens, Chuck Lippert and Lars Wolfe following in second through fifth. They ran two heat races with wins going to Curt Cook an Alton.

Arizona visiting driver Bryan Miller took the win in our newest class, VRA Mod Lites. This new division saw six cars take the green flag in their 20 lap main event. Following Miller across the line were Andy Eatwell, Chris Olson, series point leader Jim Chapp, Dallas Caldwell and Michael Sweeney Jr. Their heat race went to Andy Eatwell.

In our VRA Kids Classes, wins went to Nick Velasquez, followed by Destyn Garcia and Ryan Butcher in Mini Dwarf Car Superchargers, Jake Aguilar followed by J D Brown, Dylan Garcia, ,in Mini Dwarf Pistons and 2010 series champ Brennan Rogers in Junior Midgets. following Rogers across the line were Devin McCree, Riley Helland, Tommy Velasquez and Miles Hedrick. In Junior Midget heat race action, wins went to Velasquez and McCree.

Racing returns to Ventura Raceway next weekend May 14, with a full program of exciting racing action featuring VRA Sprint Cars, VRA Midgets, Ford Focus Midgets, Junior Focus Midgets, VRA sport Compacts and Go Karts. Again that night, all fans 18 and under will be admitted free with proper id.

 

5-9-11 Bud Keading Upholds Dominance of The Ocean Sprints
Source Steven Blakesley
Ocean Speedway

The Kaeding family continued their dominance at Ocean Speedway on Friday night with 2010 USAC Silver Crown champion Bud Kaeding winning the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo feature. Kaeding used the same circumstances as brother Tim did in winning the April 15 event, using lapped traffic to grab the victory over Ronnie Day.

Kaeding, who will begin his title defense in the Silver Crown cars later this month, has spent the early portion of the season competing in the non-wing ranks throughout California.

Rookie Rico Abreu of St. Helena started on the pole for the 30 lap feature, but on the opening lap fast-qualifier Justin Sanders of Prunedale had a wild flip in turn two to force a complete restart.

Sanders claimed fast-time earlier in the night with a near track record at 11.589 seconds, but the Ray Scheidts Electric Fast Time qualifier was done for the night.

Salinas’ Ronnie Day and Shane Golobic of Fremont stormed past Abreu on the restart with Day holding a large lead through a lap three caution.

The caution initially flew for San Jose’s Nick Green spinning in turn three, but also saw incoming points leader Tommy Tarlton of Easton come to a stop in the infield with front end damage.

Green was able to refire but Tarlton had to be towed to the pits. His 19th place finish dropped him out of the points lead in the series.

Tommy Laliberate and heat race winner Ryan Rusconi both went to the work area under yellow and restarted at the rear.

The caution came out again on lap 10 for Orval Zane Burke, Jr. stopping in turn two in front end damage.

On the restart, Kaeding moved past Abreu for third and went after Golobic. After another brief caution, Kaeding and Golobic engaged in torrid battle for second with Day only a few car lengths ahead.

Kaeding took over second for good on lap 18 and reeled in Day. Working through lapped traffic out of turn four, Kaeding swept past Day to take the lead on lap 23.

The caution came out again on lap 24 and Golobic passed Day on the ensuing restart. The closing stages of the race saw Golobic make a valiant effort to close on Kaeding, moving within one car length into turn four before the rear end broke.
Kaeding took the checkered flag ahead of Day, Abreu, Laliberate, and Jerry Bonnema. Golobic stalled in turn four and was scored eighth. Although Laliberate’s charge through the field was impressive, the DNNi Hard Charger award went to Nick Ringo, Jr. who drove from 16th to seventh in the feature.

With the second place finish, Day takes over the points lead from Tarlton by seven points with Abreu, Sanders, and Green rounding out the top-five.

In heat race action earlier in the evening, Rusconi, Golobic, and Day claimed victories. Gift certificates were awarded throughout the night by Kaeding Performance on behalf of KSE Steering, Weld Wheels, Brown & Miller, Saldana Racing Products, Butlerbuilt Seats, Hunt Magnetos, and Racing Optics.

Full results are available at www.oceansprints.com or at www.mylaps.com

The Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo will return next Friday night with racing to get underway at 6 p.m. and fan gates opening at 4:30 p.m.

For more information on the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo, log onto to www.oceansprints.com and for more on the Ocean Speedway visit www.oceanspeedway.com

 

5-9-11 Ventura Sprint Car Showcase This Saturday
Source Lance Jennings
Ventura Raceway

The VRA 360 Sprint Cars are back in action this Saturday, May 7th, at . Jim Naylor's Ventura Raceway. Joining the action packed program will be the Senior Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, Dwarf Cars, Mod Lites, Mod Lite Juniors, Junior Midgets, and Mini Dwarfs. The front gates will open at 3:00pm with racing at "The Best Little Dirt Track In America" to begin at 5:30pm.

On the strength of four main event wins in six starts, Ojai's Troy Rutherford leads the point chase. Piloting the #11 Trench Shoring / L&H Consulting entry, the defending champion finished sixteenth on April 23rd. Heading into Saturday's event, Rutherford has an eighty-five point lead with three heat race victories, one semi-main win, and one hard charger award. Troy will have his sights on another Ventura win.

After scoring a third place finish on April 23rd, Steve Conrad of Quartz Hill is second in the standings. Driving the #56 Roy Miller Freight Lines / SC Grafix car, Conrad has one main event win, has one heat race victory, one hard charger award, and five top-10 finishes on the season. The USAC TQ Midget graduate will look to close the point gap with another main event win.

Ventura's Greg Taylor sits third in the championship standings. On April 23rd, the pilot of the #7 Westco International Consulting Inc. / Taylor Trucking & Crane Service machine was fourteenth. To date, Taylor has three heat race victories, and four top-10 finishes on the year. The former track champion will look to rebound this Saturday.

Josh Ford of Camarillo is fourth in the point standings. Driving the #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machining car, Ford was ninth after starting sixteenth. Last year's All Coast 360 Challenge Champion has one heat race victory, one hard charger award, and five top-10 finishes in 2011. This Saturday night, Ford will be in the mix for a Ventura feature win.

Sitting fifth in the point chase is Rialto's Don Gansen. Driving the #71K Sander Engineering / Lucas Oil machine, Gansen charged to seventh after starting fifteenth. The California Lightning Sprint graduate has one heat race victory and three two top-10 finishes on the year. Don will be working for the 30-lap main event victory.

Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Norwalk's Brandon Thomson, Ventura's Cory Kruseman, Derek Buckley of Ojai, Camarillo's Brian and Brent Camarillo, Buena Park's Brody Roa, Marcus Niemela of Santa Barbara, Justin Kierce of Reseda, Newbury Park's Jimmy Crawford, and many more.

Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California. Adult tickets are $14, Senior, Military, and Student tickets (ID Required) are $11. During the month of May, fans 18 and under (with proper ID) are admitted for FREE. In addition, parking for this Saturday's event is $2. For more event information, please visit www.venturaraceway.com or call (805) 985-5433.

To catch all of the action of the VRA Sprint Car Series and Ventura Raceway, Mike Truex's Loudpedal Productions has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com. In addition, Ventura Raceway offers a live feed of every event at www.venturaraceway.com/live.html. The live feed is scheduled to begin at 5:00pm PST.

 

5-5-11 Firefighters and Moms To Be Honored At All American Speedway
Source RMG Race Media Group
All American Speedway

All American Speedway will be celebrating Mother’s Day this Saturday night May 7th by presenting each mother at the track with a flower. All American Speedway track moms all would like to see their drivers succeed and earn a win as the best gift they could receive for Mother’s Day.

Firefighters will receive a complimentary admission if they wear their station t-shirt or uniform and present their IDs for this race. “It is fitting that we are honoring local firefighters for all they do to support our community the week we have been reminded of the losses in that Brotherhood on 9/11 due to Osama Bin Laden’s terrorism. “ said Joan Bartisik, CEO. “The Speedway would like to invite all firefighters to be our guests at this Saturday's race.”

“The best Mother’s Day gift for me would be a full NASCAR ride for my son,“ Natalie Runyan said. Runyan is mother of four kids and two of which race. One races go karts while the other,No. 21 Bobby Runyan, races in the Modified Division under the Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle banner. “One of the best Mother’s Day gifts from any of my children was anytime they handmade anything and when my girls, six and eight at the time, did their own hair Sunday morning so that I wouldn’t have to. It was very sweet!” says Natalie.

Natalie absolutely loves racing, “How can you not? The roar of the engines and the smell of the exhaust, it’s exhilarating and exciting!” she says. Her role for the No. 21 Modified machine is strictly to be supportive and to watch Bobby race. At the go kart track she makes sure the team and crew get fed. Natalie has been involved in racing for five years and doesn’t get nervous when Bobby races, she is actually more excited for him to possibly win and ultimately do well.

Ruby Esparza is a mother of two kids and one races the No. 11 Late Model, driver Juan Pitta. “I’ve never had an interest in racing until Juan started with go karts and now moved up to stock car racing. It’s a very addicting sport, you come out to the track once and you’re hooked! It’s so exciting seeing it in person. You can feel the action!” says Ruby.

Ruby’s best Mother’s day gift would be to see Juan Pitta in Victory lane again. “One of my best mother’s day gifts is that I actually have it every day, knowing my children and grandchildren are well and the gift of life every day,” Says Mrs. Esparza. Mrs. Esparza has been involved in racing since Juan was 15 years old when he started in go karts. “My role as a mom in racing is to ensure the ice chest is fully packed with the crew’s lunch, meals and drinks. It’s my contribution to all of them, “ says Ruby.

“Juan has so much dedication and passion for the sport of racing and I know the hope of someday being sponsored in the NASCAR K&N Pro series is still within his vision. When Juan was a little boy and I was raising him as a single mother, I wanted to ensure he had the ability to play the sports of his choice. At the age of five, he began with t-ball, and played sports as the season changed. He also played soccer, football, basketball and baseball. At the end it was NASCAR racing that won his heart!” says Ruby on Juan’s dedication to racing. “Yes I do get very nervous when Juan races, but it calms my nerves if I’m filming each race. One day I had my daughter video tape the race and all I did was scream the entire time! So being behind the lens is comforting to me,” says Ruby on being excited for Juan.

Jan Owens also known as “Mama Owens” at the track is a mother of 7 children, five boys and two girls, a grandmother of eight grandkids and a great grandmother of one great granddaughter. Three of them race in the Street Stock division - No. 08 Mickey, No. 71 Randy and No. 21 Kevin. “Yes I love racing, I used to watch Indy cars with my dad when I was a kid. My boys have been involved in some form of racing since they were in high school,” says Owens.

Sometimes Jan gets nervous watching her boys race and most importantly because all three race in the same division. Mrs. Owens role as a mother for the team is to give them all support and love she can give them. Besides her sons finishing 1,2 and 3, the best mother’s day gift is to have all of her family around her. The best Mother’s day gift she has received from her kids was a beautiful bench about 20 years ago.

 
Saturday, May 7, 2011 All American Speedway will feature the NASCAR Whelen All American Late Model Series third championship race. Also racing for the second point’s championship race will be Modifieds, Street Stocks and Bombers. On May 14, USAC Sprints will take ove the track. Gates open at 4:00pm and racing begins at 6:00pm more information about All American Speedway can be found at www.AllAmericanSpeedway.com . The Placer County Fairgrounds administration office is open for advance ticket sales Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm at 800 All America City Blvd. Roseville, CA. 95678, or contact the office at (916) 786-2025.




 

5-5-11 Tarlton Leads Ocean Sprints Back to Watsonville After Tulare Win
Source Steven Blakesley
Ocean Speedway

Easton’s Tommy Tarlton topped a 19 car field to claim the victory in Saturday night’s Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo feature at the Tulare Thunderbowl to assume the poins leader.

The win marked Tarlton’s second straight victory at Tulare after he won the ASCS SoCal opener the previous weekend.

Tarlton, who finished second in the season opening race at Ocean Speedway on April 15, will look to pick up his first Ocean Speedway win as the series returns to Watsonville on Friday night.

Talrton claimed the Ray Scheidt’s Electric fast-time award ($75) over Tulare newcomer Nick Green, with Ronnie Day, Justin Sanders, and Trey Starks rounding out the top-five qualifiers.

Sanders, the 18 year-old sensation from Prunedale, Calif., was fresh off a runner-up finish with King of the West and led the first 15 laps of the feature.

After a red flag, Sanders left rear tire began to go down and he relinquished the lead a few laps later to Tarlton on the front-stretch.

Peter Murphy masterfully drove from ninth on the grid to second by lap 22. Murphy made a strong charge towards Tarlton but ran out of laps to complete the move.

Tarlton ripped underneath the checkered flag followed by Murphy, Cory Eliason, Day, and Sanders. Kevin Pylant drove from 14th to sixth to earn the DDNi Hard Charger Award worth $100. Tarlton donated half of his winnings to the Wounded Warrior Foundation.

With the Ocean Sprints looking towards Friday night’s race, Tarlton has a 13 point lead over Day in the standings with Pylant moving up to third in the tally. “Cowboy” Craig Smith has flown under the radar through two events for fourth in the standings with Sanders rounding out the top-five.

Full results are available at www.oceansprints.com or at www.mylaps.com

The Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo will race this Friday night with American Stocks, Wingless Sprints, and Dwarf cars also scheduled. Adult tickets are just $17 with seniors 65+ $15, and kids ages 6-12 are $12. The family pass for two adults and two children is value priced at just $50. Racing will get underway at 6 p.m. with fan gates opening at 4:30 p.m.

For more information on the Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo, log onto to www.oceansprints.com and for more on the Ocean Speedway visit www.oceanspeedway.com