11-30-11 Tony Hunt Adds Seventh And Eighth USAC Titles to Resume
Source RSWC PR
USAC Western Sprints

55-time USAC feature winner Tony Hunt of Lincoln, CA can now call himself an eight-time USAC champion, claiming both the USAC Western Sprint Car Series and USAC Western Classic Pavement championships for the 2011 season following the “Turkey Night Grand Prix” at TOYOTA Speedway in Irwindale, CA on Thursday.

Hunt, possibly the most accomplished pavement racer in USAC history, finished fifth in the season-closing event aboard the Mike Phulps-owned Metal Works #56 Schwanke Beast, allowing him to clinch both championships.

The season started off strong with a hard fought victory over Scott Pierovich in the “Gerhardt Classic” at Madera Speedway and a second place finish at Roseville in the “Burton Classic” in May.

But Hunt’s championship chances took a hit when wet weather delayed the prestigious Little 500 in Anderson, IN to a Sunday afternoon start on Memorial Day weekend. Hunt elected to compete in the Little 500, forcing him to miss the USAC Western Sprint Car Series points race held the following day in Salt Lake City, UT.

Following Salt Lake City, Hunt was in fifth in the standings facing a 35 point hole while also trying to acclimate himself to the dirt for the USAC Western Classic Racing Series championship. The brand-new Western Classic series encompassed eight of the pavement races on the Western Sprint Car trail along with eight dirt races.

A key victory in the “Pombo Classic” at Madera Speedway in June allowed Hunt to take over the Western Classic lead and also close within 24 points on the Western Sprint Car side. The Western Classic lead was critical coming into a double-header dirt weekend at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, CA and Santa Maria Speedway.

Hunt scored his first career dirt “top-ten” against a talent-laden field at Ocean Speedway to leave the weekend leading by 63 points in the Classic standings. After struggling through July races at Salt Lake City and Stockton, Hunt went on the offensive at Meridian, ID in one of the most critical weekends for his championship campaign.

Showing true veteran driving ability, Hunt led all 50 laps in the Friday feature and followed that up with a clutch fourth place run on Saturday night to take over the USAC Western Sprint Car points lead.

Hunt only relinquished the USAC Western Sprint Car Series points lead after a 13th place finish at Shasta Raceway Park in October gave him a 20 point deficit heading into the finale at Irwindale.

On the Western Classic side, engine troubles throughout the weekend at Calistoga on Labor Day weekend, coupled with the Shasta DNF, gave Hunt an 18 point hole for that series.

Hunt found himself in the rare position of trailing two different championships during the “Turkey Night Grand Prix” and finished out of the points in qualifying with a seventh place effort.

Starting seventh for the 40 lap feature, Hunt had a front-row seat for a wild start crash that involved as many as six cars and eliminated Western Sprint points leader Audra Sasselli from the feature. With the Western Sprint and Western Classic pavement championships nearly clinched, Hunt ran a solid race with a fifth place finish to wrap up his seventh and eighth driving titles.

Geoff Ensign successfully became the newest USAC champion as an eight place finish allowed him to beat out Hunt by just nine points in a hard fought battle for the USAC Western Classic Racing Series title. Ensign won the dirt portion of the series while Hunt won the pavement portion and finished second in the dirt portion of the title.

Tony Hunt’s 2012 plans are to be announced at a later date with race fans encouraged to visit www.tonyhunt.com for more information.

 

11-30-11 Derek Thorn Garners Racing Community Support to Run Snowball Derby
Source Steven Blakesley
Snowball Derby

2011 TOYOTA All-Star Showdown pole sitter Derek Thorn, through the generous support of many personal donations and sponsorships, will take the #26 Sigma Engineering / JRC Toyota Camry to Pensacola, FL for the prestigious Snowball Derby at the famed half-mile Five Flags Speedway this weekend. Thorn will be the lone Californian among a field of nearly 60 cars including many drivers from the upper rungs of NASCAR.

Thorn hit the road Monday morning along with JRC crew chief and co-owner Junior Joiner for the 2100 mile trip to Florida. Activities get underway Wednesday with tech inspections and hauler parking, with practice Thursday, qualifying Friday, and the last-chance qualifier on Saturday night. The 300 lap feature for $22,500 to win is on Sunday afternoon with live coverage on Speed51.com

Thorn announced his intentions to compete in the nationally recognized event early last week, looking for approximately $7,500 in support to complete funding to make the trip. Funding was secured by Thanksgiving Day, with additional sponsors and personal donations still coming in as late as Sunday.

“I’m excited to finally be running the Snowball Derby,” Thorn said. “It’s been a long time coming and like most short track racers I have wanted to attend this prestigious event for years. I’m extremely fortunate to have such a great group of sponsors and supporters along with my car owners Joe Farre and Junior Joiner that made this possible for me on such short notice. We are looking forward to seeing where we stack up!”

JRC co-owners Joe Farré and Junior Joiner had this to say about Derek’s Snowball Derby venture: “We are proud of Derek and the efforts that he has put into making this venture happen. Derek is a talented driver, and we couldn’t be more proud to have this opportunity to highlight Derek’s talent. We were only able to commit to such a large venture thanks to the support of his family, crew, JRC and the many fans and supporters that helped raise the funding necessary.”

When asked about Derek’s approach to the race, JRC went on to say, “The Snowball Derby will give this team the opportunity that they deserve to measure their talent, skills, equipment, and team organization against the best Super Late Model racing teams in the nation. We’ve given Derek the best equipment, support, crew and set-up knowledge that we have. We’re confident that he will do his best to represent West Coast racing and all of his supporters in a manner that we will all be proud of.”

In talking about the benefits of facing such a large venture for a West Coast based race team, JRC added, “We look forward to the challenge, and will surely bring back a wealth of knowledge, experience, and new contacts that will only make Derek and this organization that much stronger in the seasons to come.”

The Lakeport resident established himself as one of the West Coast’s most impressive drivers in 2011 with seven consecutive fast-times in the SRL Southwest Tour, along with multiple wins and stacked up four top five finishes in just six NASCAR K&N Pro Series starts this year.

Thorn was an instrumental part of the JRC program in 2011 serving as one of the team drivers and went on to make a big splash at the end of the year in Las Vegas winning both the SRL event and the $10,000 Fall Classic in back-to-back weeks.

Companies sponsoring Derek Thorn in the Snowball Derby include: Sigma Engineering Solutions, JRC, Lake County, Racehard.com, Approved Memory, PepperJack Kennels, Blakesley Sports Media, Victory Circle, Century Boatland, McClintock & Turk, Lakeport Speedway, AP Brakes, AR Bodies, Joe’s Racing Products, JRI Shocks, Eibach Springs, NEO, AG Source Magazine, and Imagine This.

Derek Thorn and JRC would also like to thank everyone for there generous support of this special event, including Joe Farre, Junior Joiner, Scott Franchimone, Jim Kennedy, Marty and Misty Melo, Stanley Fisher, Rick and Carol Thorn, Travis Thorn, Dave Reed, John Gomez, Don Williams, Mark Lundgren, The Keep Family, Dave Furia, Mark Reed, Mike Rose, Rod and Deanne Padel, Dave Sullivan, Grandma Kelly, Justin Dutcher, Kyle Tellestrom, Erika Johnson, Cheryl Archer, The Hensen Family, Phillip Gambrell, Grandma Shirlee and Grandpa Ray, Melissa Kelleey, Kyle and Kolby Medina, Kevin and Traci Medina, Rebecca Chouinard, Myles Anderson, Jeanne Broussal, Valerie Sullivan, Ken Benhamou, Kevin Disney, Randy and Jason Gilbert, Steven Meyer, Jack and Becky Gasper, Christine Smith, Dan Baril, Kristen Raney, Wanda Lopez, Judy Lanfranco, Jamie Ceridono, William & Alberta Knoll, John & Toni Candido, Travis, Tony, Tracy, Clay, & Miranda Wanzer, Grandma June, The Russell Family, The Reyonolds, Steve Meyer, Kim Olsen and Family.


 

11-28-11 Richard Vanderweerd Earns USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Title
Source Lance Jennings
USAC West Coast 360s

 It was a banner year for the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series and when the point chase was over, Visalia's Richard VanderWeerd added his name to the champion's list. In all, seventy-four different drivers took the green flag with eight scoring feature wins in the tough 16-race schedule. The average car count for the young sanctioning body was twenty-three, up fifteen percent from the previous season.

Consistency was the key for VanderWeerd in his quest for the championship. The 20-year old driver claimed the point lead on July 16th at Hanford after winning the make up feature and finishing third in the Jim Evett Memorial. The pilot of Ron VanderWeerd's #10 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim remained poised and led the rest of the way to earn his first sprint car title. Richard led the series with three Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards (tied) and fourteen top-10 finishes. In addition, VanderWeerd had three heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award and seventeen feature laps led.

Ryan Bernal of Hollister took the series by storm by finishing second in the points, earning Rookie of the Year honors, and claiming the Santa Maria Track Championship. The 18-year old driver grabbed the point lead on April 9th at Santa Maria, but engine problems while leading late in the Tulare feature on April 30th cost him the top spot. The driver of Danny Olmstead's #11D S&S Automotive / Dorso's Automotive Maxim reclaimed the lead at Tulare on May 14th, but bad luck struck again at Hanford on July 16th. Ryan rebounded by winning the next three main events and finished the year leading the series with five feature wins, three Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards (tied), and 153 feature laps led. In addition, Bernal had four heat race victories and thirteen top-10 finishes on the season.

San Martin's "Wide Open" Wes Gutierrez put together a solid season and finished third in the point standings. The 20-year old driver won his second career series main event by claiming the Jim Turner Memorial on September 20th at Hanford's Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway. The pilot of the WG Motorsports' #007 ButlerBuilt / Competition Suspension Inc. DRC led all drivers on the circuit with five heat race victories on the year. In addition, Gutierrez had thirteen top-10 finishes and 42 feature laps led to his credit.

Jace VanderWeerd of Visalia scored fourth in the point chase. The twin brother of the newly crowned champion won his third career series feature at Santa Maria on April 9th and briefly led the championship hunt early in the season. Driving Ron VanderWeerd's #88 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, last season's USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year was second in points to his brother until late in the schedule. VanderWeerd closed out 2011 with one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, two heat race victories, twelve top-10 finishes, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, and fourteen feature laps led.

Rancho Palos Verdes' Dennis Howell had a strong season and claimed fifth in the final standings. The 24-year old hard charger did not win a feature, but was a force to be reckoned with throughout 2011. Piloting Dennis Howell Sr.'s #62 San Pedro Auto Body / Howell-Meyer Racing Maxim, the USAC Western Midget Series graduate had his best finish with a second place at Tulare on April 30th and Hanford on September 24th. Howell led the series with two Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Awards (tied) and had one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, twelve top-10 finishes, and twenty-three feature laps led on the year.

"Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton finished sixth in the championship chase. The 39-year old veteran driver raced to the Jim Evett Memorial victory on July 16th at Hanford's Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway. Driving Junior Bowman's #2 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Bullet, Faria had a tough season and ended his 2011 campaign with two Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, eight top-10 finishes, and thirty-two feature laps led.

Finishing seventh in the final point standings was Gardena's Greg Alexander. The 22-year old driver did not win a main event during the 2011 campaign, but was in the thick of the championship battle. Piloting the Chuck Tyler Motorsports' #72 Barnes Systems Inc. / Amsoil Maxim, Alexander recorded his best finish on March 19th with a third at Tulare's Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway. Greg closed out the season with one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, two heat race victories, eight top-10 finishes, and six feature laps led.

T.J. Smith of Fresno placed eighth in the championship points. The 21-year old driver had a tough year behind the wheel of Steve LeGras' #14 UHL Rubber / S&S Automotive Maxim and did not win a feature. Last year's Santa Maria Track Champion scored a runner-up finish on two occasions, April 9th at Santa Maria and August 20th at Hanford. In 2011, Smith had one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, seven top-10 finishes, and thirty feature laps led to his credit.

Finishing ninth in the point standings was Hanford's Justyne Hamblin. Driving the JH Motorsports' #8 Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino / Dias Law Firm SpeedTech, the 21-year old driver did not win a main event. The 2009 Series Champion recorded her best finish on April 27th with a third place run at Santa Maria Speedway. Hamblin ended the year with four heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, and seven top-10 finishes.

Bud Kaeding of Campbell scored tenth in the point chase. The 31-year old veteran driver won four main events on the year, including Tulare's Chris & Brian Faria Memorial on April 16th and the Pombo-Sargent Classic on May 14th. Piloting Junior Bowman's #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Maxim, the 3-time USAC Silver Crown Champion was a threat to win at every race he entered. Kaeding had one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, two heat race victories, eight top-10 finishes, and 81 feature laps led in limited appearances.

Clovis' Peter Murphy and "Showtime" Danny Sheridan of Santa Maria also scored feature wins in 2011. Murphy had two victories, first in the Eberhardt Motorsports #4 entry on April 30th at Tulare. On October 15th, Peter won the non-point Cotton Classic at Hanford behind the wheel of Tom Tarlton Sr.'s pink #21 "Breast Cancer Awareness" car. Murphy also drove Rusty Carlile's #51 machine and finished 16th in the final points. Sheridan piloted the Kittle Motorsports' #18 entry to the Bud Stanfield Memorial win at his hometown track on September 17th. Claiming 14th in the standings, "Showtime" also competed in Warren Dorathy's #21 sprinter.

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, Rod End Supply, Saferacer.com, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support.

 

11-25-11 Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Car Series concludes successful and entertaining inaugural season of competition
Source Gary Thomas
Golden State King of The West

Going into the year the Golden State King of the West Series’ major goal was to improve the overall health of 410 winged sprint car racing in California and as the inaugural season came to a close that goal appears to be in reach.

The King of the West Series experienced a season that featured growth throughout the campaign and teams were rewarded with more cash and contingencies than ever before in the history of Northern California sprint car racing.

One indicator of success this season was the fact that the average car count for the King of the West 410 Series jumped up to 28.1, after averaging 22 cars a night in 2010 under the Golden State Challenge banner.

A Nor Cal sprint car record $116,000 total cash point fund will be handed out at the awards banquet and was a big reason for the increased participation from drivers and teams. Another $200,000 in contingency awards and prizes, including a complete sprint car with motor will also be given out at the banquet.

The extra incentives allowed the series to have 15 drivers that made 95% of the races, vastly more than in years past, making for a strong and cohesive group of travelers.

The eclectic mix of teams included those such as National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Brent Kaeding, as well as series champion Tim Kaeding, all the way to 16-year-old Kenny Allen, who was this year’s “Hoseheads.com/ Grant’s Fine Art” Rookie of the Year.

Throw in 1976 Silver Dollar Speedway track champ Doug Gandy, Hall of Fame giveaway car winner Eli Deshaies, former World of Outlaws regular Brad Furr, the eccentric and flamboyant Andy Gregg, and it made for a multitude of different back-grounds traveling the highways.

This season saw seven different main event winners; with Tim Kaeding leading the way by claiming six victories, Jonathan Allard with four, Tommy Tarlton with two and then Willie Croft, Peter Murphy, Andy Gregg and Evan Suggs capturing one triumph a piece.

For Gregg and Suggs it was their very first Golden State 410 Series wins after coming extremely close on various occasions in the past. Gregg’s win came in May at the Santa Maria Speedway and Suggs’ victory was at Ocean Speedway’s “HK Classic” in July. Another impressive tidbit was that there were no flag-to-flag winners of any main event in 2011, exemplifying the stout competition this year.

One of the most thrilling races this season was the “Dave Bradway Jr. Memorial/ Tribute to Gary Patterson” in Chico, where Australian native Peter Murphy charged from 15th starting to score the biggest win of his career. The back and forth 40-lapper saw four different leaders, as Jonathan Allard, Kyle Hirst and Willie Croft also spent time out front. Roger Crockett ultimately finished second after starting 18th on the grid.

Three Golden State 410 track records also fell this year, with those coming at the Antioch Speedway in July, Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway in August and the Marysville Raceway Park in April. Throughout the season Jonathan Allard led the tour in fast time awards, having set the quickest mark on five different occasions.

Special event wins this year were picked off by Tim Kaeding (Chris & Brian Faria Memorial), Tommy Tarlton (Pombo/Sargent Classic), Peter Murphy (Bradway Jr. Memorial/ Tribute to Gary Patterson), Tim Kaeding (Salute to Walter T Ross), Evan Suggs (Howard Kaeding Classic), Jonathan Allard (Doug Fort Memorial), Jonathan Allard (Cotton Classic).

The consistency award this season went to King of the West 410 champion Tim Kaeding and Roth Motorsports, who finished among the top-five in all but two races this year. Not always considered to be a point racer, the San Jose throttle-masher put together one of the most consistent years of his career, which was the main reason he claimed the series title by 65-markers over Evan Suggs.

Many things made this season extra special from the past number of years in Northern California 410 sprint car racing, including pre-race autograph sessions each night, double-file restarts, a new format, traveling announcers, more timely results during and after the races, increased social media presence, amped up series signage at events, a series souvenir trailer, a T-shirt shooter at intermissions and more.

“We really are striving to make our events a “show” rather than just your standard dirt track race,” said Operations Manager George Hague. “People go to the sprint car races to have a good time so that’s definitely what we want the fans to do. We’re trying different things here and there to see what works and it’s all a learning experience.

The Golden State King of the West 410 Sprints would like to thank the following companies for their support this season: Goodyear Racing Tires, Pit Stop USA.com, Kaeding Performance, Hoseheads.com, Grant’s Fine Art, Auto Meter Products Inc., Contingency Connection, Maxim Chassis, Amerikote, Abel Chevrolet, Bully Dog, Red Horse Performance, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, Hunt Magnetos, Weld Racing, Racing Optics, Butler Built Performance, HoservilleCA, Angellos ATV Rental, Rogue Regency Inn, Williams Motorsports, DES Inc. and Simpson Percherons.

Don't forget to “like” the Golden State King of the West Series on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kws410s for the most timely and up to date information on the series.


 

11-25-11 Swanson Snares USAC Sprint Turkey Night, Hunt and Ensign Champions
Source Steven Blakesley
USAC Western Sprints

 Kingsburg’s Tanner Swanson added yet another major event victory to his growing resume as the 20 year-old former USAC Western Sprint Car champion won the sprint car portion of the 71st “Turkey Night Grand Prix” at TOYOTA Speedway on Thursday night.

On the championship front, Tony Hunt claimed his seventh and eighth career USAC titles by winning the USAC Western Sprint Car championship and USAC Western Classic pavement title, while the inaugural USAC Western Classic Racing Series overall championship went to 21 year-old rookie Geoff Ensign of Sebastopol.

A wild start to the 40 lap feature punctuated the Western Sprint Car championship race, as both Tanner and Kody Swanson spun coming to the green flag sparking a wild crash. 18 year-old rookie Cody Gerhardt ended up on his lid along with incoming Western Sprint Car points leader Audra Sasselli, while popular national standout Tracy Hines had the “Tamale Wagon” wedged up against the wall and fast-time qualifier JoJo Helberg was also heavily damaged.

The Swansons were able to continue but the other four drivers involved were eliminated from the race. Gerhardt was transported to a local hospital for a brief observation but returned to the speedway in time to watch the 98 lap Midget feature later in the evening. With Sasselli out of the race, Hunt was able to overtake her for the USAC Western Sprint Car championship but the Classic title was still yet to be decided.

Because he stalled, Kody Swanson restarted at the rear of the now 21 car field for a second try at a start. Tanner Swanson swept past Meridian, ID’s Mike Murgoitio on the outside to lead lap one. The feature went caution-free with Kody Swanson pedaling hard to the front of the pack. Originally slated to start seventh, Hunt restarted third but fell out of the top-five early on.

Tanner Swanson drove away to a comfortable lead while Kody Swanson marched his way up to second place Mike Murgoitio by lap 23. Swanson and Murogitio engaged in a back-and-forth battle for the second position much to the pleasure of an announced crowd of 3,000 fans.

Kody Swanson finally cleared Murgoitio for good on lap 37 and younger brother Tanner brought home a commanding 3.2 second victory. Scott Pierovich was fourth with Hunt defending Aaron Pierce for a hard-earned fifth place finish. Ensign, who started 17th, passed Western regulars such as Shauna Hogg and Luis Ramos in the late stages of the feature for a strong eighth place finish to seal the USAC Western Classic championship.

Ensign was the highest finishing Western Classic car in six of the eight dirt races this year, but the asphalt rookie also managed to finish in the top-five in three of the eight pavement events held. Ensign defeated Hunt by nine points despite giving up nearly 100 points during the pavement portion of the schedule. Pierovich overcame terrible luck throughout the middle of the season to rally for a third place finish in the Western Classic overall points.

On the USAC Western Sprint Car side, Hunt won four times over the 12 race campaign including sweeping all three Madera races. Hunt topped Sasselli by a scant 15 points despite Sasselli going winless on the year. Western Speed teammates Tim Skoglund and Gerhardt finished the season third and fourth respectively with Ramos fifth.

Information on the 2011 banquet and the 2012 schedule will be announced at a later date. The United States Auto Club would like to thank all of the competitors, sponsors, fans, and tracks for their support of the inaugural 16 round USAC Western Classic Racing Series and plans are already being made for a great 2012.

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

 

11-18-11 Engisn and Sasselli Try to Hold Off Hunt For 2011 USAC Championships
Source Steven Blakesley
USAC Western Sprints

The battle for the 2011 USAC Western Sprint Car Series and USAC Western Classic Racing Series championships will come to a head on Thursday night as Audra Sasselli and Geoff Ensign try to fend off Tony Hunt for their respective titles in the prestigious “Turkey Night Grand Prix” at TOYOTA Speedway in Irwindale, Calif.

The points battles between Sasselli, Ensign, and Hunt will be just one part of the show on Thursday night as a star-studded field that could number as many as 30 cars is expected to vie for the $16,000 purse. $2,500 will be awarded to the race winner in the 40 lap under card for the USAC National & Western Midgets 98 lap feature on the half-mile pavement oval.

Hunt, the six-time USAC champion, finds himself in an unfamiliar position of trying to play catch up against two drivers trying to earn their first career USAC championships. Fresno’s Sasselli leads the title despite not winning a single feature all season in the pavement only USAC Western Sprint Car Series. Sasselli finished second in all three events at Madera Speedway and benefited from Hunt’s DNF at Shasta to pick up a 20 point advantage in the series.

On the USAC Western Classic side, Hunt leads the pavement points but Sebastopol’s Ensign leads the points by 18 markers on the strength of the 2011 USAC Western Classic Racing Series dirt championship. Ensign was the highest finishing Western Classic car in six of the eight races held, only loosing at Santa Maria and the “Mini Gold Cup” at Chico where he failed to finish both times.

Ensign’s most memorable start on pavement came against Hunt at Madera on September 17 in the “Harvest Classic” when he went toe-to-toe with the champion before finishing fourth. The USAC rookie leads Hunt by 18 points going into the Turkey Night looking for his second USAC crown of the season.

Joining them on Thursday night will be most of the USAC Western Sprint Car regulars including the Western Speed team of rookie 18 year-old Cody Gerhardt and Tim Skoglund both of Fresno. Ensign’s Ted Finkenbinder Motorsports teammate Tim Barber of San Franscisco is expected along with Fair Oaks’ Shauna Hogg, Clovis’ Luis Ramos III, Santa Rosa’s Brian McClish, Marvin Mitchell, and Bill Logan.

The USAC Rocky Mountain series will be well represented with at least Jim Waters and Ryan Burdett expected, while Meridian Speedway regulars Mike Murgoitio and Robert Beck have entered. Californians Mike Meier, Rick Hendrix, and Nick Rescino, Jr. are all expected to return to the series.

Former USAC Western Sprint Car Series standouts Kody Swanson (2010 Turkey Night winner), Tanner Swanson, and JoJo Helberg are all expected and will be joined by USAC National stars such as Tracy Hines and Aaron Pierce. 2010 King of California Kyle Larson will try to add to his record-breaking 2011 season as he will come to TOYOTA Speedway with 21 wins on the year across all disciplines of open-wheel racing in North America.

Activities get underway on Wednesday night with practice held from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. On Thanksgiving Day, activities will get underway early with the pit gate opening at 10 a.m. and the drivers meeting at 11 a.m. Practices begin at 12 p.m. followed by qualifying at 3:30 p.m., an autograph session at 5:15 p.m. on the front stretch, with racing to follow.

Ticket information at is available at www.toyotaspeedwayatirwindale.com with presale tickets available online.

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
 

11-15-11 Smith’s Results at PIR, He finishes third in the chase for the 2011 championship
Source Kaye Reshaw
NASCAR K&N Pro

Moses Smith, driver of the No. 16 NAPA Filters/Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry would finish out the 2011 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season third in the points race. In the fourteen races in the 2011 season, Smith recorded five top-five finishes and nine top-tens. This season he had his career best average finish in the five years he has competed in the NKPS West with two second place finishes coming at the short track of All American Speedway and the road course at Miller Motorsports Park.

Smith and the No. 16 NAPA Filters Toyota team spent the bulk of the nearly three-hour long practice session getting reacquainted with the ‘new’ Phoenix International Raceway. During the summer, the one-mile track was reconfigured. Most noticeably was the back stretch where the dog-leg curve between turn 2 and 3 was pushed out 95-feet and the dog–leg tightened from 800 to 500 feet. “This is a weird track,” Smith radioed in to the NAPA Filters/Hasa team. The back stretch was often compared to a roller coaster ride by many of the teams. Smith fought a tight race car for most of the practice session. He qualified on the inside of row fifteen.

“Green, green, green!” said spotter Mike David to begin the Casino Arizona “125”. During the first caution at lap 12, Smith radioed in that the #16 was still tight. The No. 16 NAPA Filters Toyota came to pit road for adjustments at lap 16. Back underway, Smith radioed in that he was down on power and asked crew chief Mario Isola if he thought there might be a spark plug loose. He continued to report that the Camry was tight ‘center off’. During the caution at lap 33, Smith returned to pit road for more adjustments on the right rear and the track bar.

Smith climbed thru traffic and was in 23th at the half-way break. At lap 72, Smith reported in that the No. 16 NAPA Filters Toyota was a tick snug coming out of turn four. When the caution came out at lap 96, Smith was now 16th on the board. He would return to pit road at lap 100 for additional adjustments. Smith would take the checkered flag in 17th.

The No. 16 NAPA Filters/Hasa Pool Products Toyota team and Bill McAnally Racing would like to thank our race partners Hasa Pool Products, NAPA Filters and White Flyer. Throughout the 2011 season, hundreds of Hasa Pool Products customers and fans came out to support their favorite team coming to races as far away as Newton, Iowa to Monroe, Washington to Phoenix, Arizona. We owe our success to their continued support for the past five seasons in the NKPS West.

For more information on Bill McAnally Racing, please visit our website at www.billmcanallyracing.com. Bill McAnally Racing is now on Facebook. Become a fan and stay up to date with the latest happenings with your favorite race teams.

Please also visit NASCAR Hometracks to Vote for the Most Popular driver. Smith has received this honor for the past three consecutive years. Go to http://www.nascar.com/news/110719/2011-mpd-knwest/index.html and vote daily. Time is running out.

For more information on Moses Smith, please visit www.mosessmith.com. You can visit our sponsors’ websites at www.hasapool.com, www.whiteflyer.com, and www.napafilters.com. You can also follow Moses on Twitter. Become a fan of Moses Smith on Facebook by going to https://www.facebook.com/MosesSmithFanClub.
 

11-17-11 Holmes and the No. 20 NAPA Toyota Team at PIR, Three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champ finishes season 2nd in points
Source Kaye Reshaw
NASCAR K& Pro

The No. 20 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota team with champion driver Eric Holmes recorded a fourth place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season finale from Phoenix International Raceway. The top-five finish at PIR locked Bill McAnally Racing driver Holmes into the second position in the chase for the 2011 series championship. Holmes has three NKPS West championships and two second place finishes in the five years he’s been competing in the series.

At practice on Friday, Holmes spent some time getting to know the ‘new’ Phoenix International Raceway. During the summer, the one-mile track was reconfigured. Most noticeably was the back stretch where the dog-leg curve between turn 2 and 3 was pushed out 95-feet and the dog–leg tightened from 800 to 500 feet. “I wish this was my first time racing at PIR,” laughed Holmes. “I have some bad habits I need to change.” At the end of the nearly 3-hour practice session, Holmes was eleventh on the board of 43 drivers.

Under cloudy skies Saturday, the NAPA team prepared for an early morning qualifying session. Holmes qualified on the outside of row five to start the Casino Arizona “125”. The green flag dropped at 5 pm that evening.

Holmes gained three positions during the first 25 laps and another by lap 50. There was a half-way break at lap 66. The No. 20 NAPA Toyota was now running in the top-five. With fresh tires and full of fuel, Holmes would run in fifth until lap 112 where he moved into fourth for the second and final time of the race.

“Thank you team and NAPA for a great season,” said Holmes from the NAPA Toyota Camry.”A fourth-place finish and second in the championship… not bad. We joked that odd number years weren’t our best so we’ll have to just come back in 2012 and get NAPA AUTO PARTS a sixth series championship.”

Bill McAnally Racing and the No. 20 NAPA Toyota team would like to thank our race partner NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota, NAPA Filters, NGK, Balkamp and the many other great partners and all of the fans for their continued support through the season.

Please continue to visit us at www.billmcanallyracing.com and follow us on Facebook to keep up with the latest news on your favorite teams at Bill McAnally Racing.

For more information on Bill McAnally Racing and our race partners, please visit our website at www.billmcanallyracing.com. Become a fan of Bill McAnally Racing and follow us on our Facebook Fan page. We can also be followed on Twitter at BMR_NASCAR.
 

11-16-11 Ocean Sprints to join Ocean Speedway Divisions at Trophy Banquet
Source Steven Blakesley
Ocean Speedway

The Ocean Sprints presented by Taco Bravo will honor champion Ronnie Day of Salinas at the Ocean Speedway banquet on December 3 at the Coconut Grove Ballroom at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. The 2011 Awards Dinner and Casino Night will offer awards to the top-20 drivers in the series points.

Day won twice during the season including his first ever win on Ocean Speedway quarter-mile on June 3 and the prestigious 51st Johnny Key Classic on August 27. Day won the championship over three-time feature winner Tommy Tarlton. Tarlton’s wins included the Tulare Thunderbowl travel race on April 30. Rico Abreu of St. Helena finished third in the points despite going winless and was only 63 points behind Day at the end of the thrilling season.

The top-20 in points will be eligible for a new sprint car giveaway courtesy of Kaeding Performance. One lucky driver will be randomly selected to win the brand-new rolling 2012 Maxim Chassis and body kit. Kurt Nelson won the 2010 giveaway with the only requirement that the winning driver must be present to win.

Tickets are going fast and available now through an order form at www.oceanspeedway.com or by calling (831) 662-9466. A maximum of 400 tickets will be sold with none available at the door. Individual tickets are $50. Cocktails will begin at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 6 p.m., and awards ceremonies beginning at 7 p.m. Casino night games and entertainment will also take place in the ballroom before the awards begin to be handed out.

For more information on the Ocean Sprint Cars presented by Taco Bravo log onto http://www.oceansprints.com and for more on the Ocean Speedway visit http://www.oceanspeedway.com
 

11-13-11 Start to Finish, Levi Jones Wins "The Finals" at hanford
Source Lance Jennings
Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway

After rain bombarded Scott Woodhouse's Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway the previous night, the weather cooperated on race day and Levi Jones of Olney, Illinois led all 30-laps to score "The Finals" main event win. Sprint Car history was made at the Hanford, California facility as Jones earned his fifth career USAC National Championship and Mike Spencer secured his fourth straight Amsoil USAC/CRA title.

After two feature starts were erased for flips by Cody Williams and Nic Faas, Levi Jones took command from his outside front row starting spot. The heavy surface produced some of the fastest lap times of the season as Jones stretched his advantage over Jon Stanbrough, Bryan Clauson, Tracy Hines, and Ryan Bernal. As the leader reached slower traffic, Stanbrough and Hines closed the gap looking to apply pressure when a red flag was displayed for new track record holder Bud Kaeding on lap fifteen.

The USAC National Champion had an excellent restart as Keith Bloom Jr. and Ryan Bernal surged forward on the Hanford clay oval. Stanbrough, who was running second, could not keep pace with Jones as his machine began to smoke. On the twenty-fourth lap, Bloom dropped Stanbrough to third as Bernal gave chase. Bernal powered to third on the next circuit, but the young drivers could not catch Levi on this night. Jones took the victory, followed by Bloom, Bernal, Stanbrough, and Hines.

Piloting the Tony Stewart Racing #20 GM Performance Parts Eagle, Levi Jones scored the $6000 victory and clinched his third straight national sprint car title. Jones, who qualified ninth and scored third in his heat race, finished fourteenth in USAC/CRA points with five top-10 finishes and thirty feature laps led to his credit.

Keith Bloom Jr. of Anderson, California charged to second after falling back to sixth in the main event. Driving the Abreu Racing #27 Abreu Vineyards Spike, Bloom was third fast on the night and placed fourth in his heat race. The young driver finishes the season eleventh in USAC National points and seventeenth in the USAC/CRA standings. In USAC/CRA competition, Keith has one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award and five top-10 finishes on the year.

Hollister, California's Ryan Bernal raced to third after starting fifth on the lightning fast surface. Piloting Danny Olmstead's #11D S&S Automotive / Moeller Bros. Maxim, Bernal timed in second quick and claimed third in his heat race. The 2011 USAC West Coast 360 Rookie of the Year had one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main win, three top-10 finishes, and four feature laps led in USAC/CRA competition.

Jon Stanbrough of Avon, Indiana came home fourth aboard the Hoffman Dynamics Inc. #69 Mean Green / Mopar Chalk. The veteran driver qualified fifth quick on the night and placed fourth in his heat race. Stanbrough finishes the season third in the USAC National chase and thirtieth in USAC/CRA points. Jon has one heat race victory, one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main win, and two top-10 finishes with USAC/CRA.

New Castle, Indiana's Tracy Hines scored fifth at the checkered flags in his #4 MP Environmental Services DRC. Earlier in the program, Hines was eighth fast on the night and claimed fourth in his heat race. The veteran driver closes out the campaign fifth in USAC National standings and tied for twenty-third in USAC/CRA points. Tracy has one heat race victory and three top-10 finishes with USAC/CRA in 2011.

Bud Kaeding of Campbell, California started off the night's action in time trials by shattering Damion Gardner's six year old track record. Piloting the #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / BK Motorsports Maxim, Kaeding was one of the last cars to qualify on the tacky clay and earned his first Sander Engineering Fast Time Award of the year. The 3-time USAC Silver Crown Champion placed seventh in his heat race, won the 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main, and scored nineteenth in the feature after a flip ended his night. The third generation driver finishes twenty-first in USAC National points and tied for twenty-third in the USAC/CRA chase. In USAC/CRA competition, Bud has one feature win, four top-10 finishes, and four feature laps led on the year.

Santa Maria, California's "Showtime" Danny Sheridan won the night's Extreme Mufflers / Huntington Beach Glass and Mirror Heat Race #1. Driving the Kittle Motorsports' #18 Pace Lighting / PIPE Sherman, Sheridan qualified seventeenth quick and placed ninth in the main event after starting fifteenth. Danny finishes the year seventh in USAC/CRA points with three heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main win, eight top-10 finishes, and fifteen feature laps led on the season.

Mike Spencer of Temecula, California raced to victory in the Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #2 aboard Ron Chaffin's #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim. The newly crowned 4-time USAC/CRA Champion was eighteenth fast on the night and claimed tenth in the feature after starting sixteenth. Spencer led USAC/CRA with six main event wins, five Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards (tied), four Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main wins, nineteen top-10 finishes, and 146 feature laps led. In addition, Mike has seven heat race victories to his credit in 2011.

Sebastopol, California's "Human Highlight Reel" Geoff Ensign claimed the DJ Safety Heat Race #3 triumph in Ted Finkenbinder's #3F Western Industrial X-Ray Eagle. The USAC Western Classic Racing Dirt Series Champion qualified nineteenth fast on the night and scored eighteenth in the 30-lap feature. In USAC/CRA competition, Ensign has one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, three top-10 finishes, and four feature laps led on the year.

"The NorCal Ninja" Kyle Larson of Elk Grove, California won the Electro Tech Powder Coating / Rod End Supply Heat Race #4. Piloting Junior Bowman's #1L Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Bullet, Larson was twelfth fast in time trials and scored twenty-first in the feature after an early exit. The young driver finishes the year twentieth in USAC National points and thirty-fourth in USAC/CRA standings. Kyle has one feature win, two heat race victories, two Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Awards, one top-10 finish, and eight feature laps led with USAC/CRA in 2011.

Brownsburg, Indiana's Bobby East earned the night's Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award with a thirteenth place run after starting twenty-first. Driving the Klatt Enterprises' #5 Klatt Motorsports Classic Car Sales / East Enterprises Beast, East qualified twenty-third quick and finished second in his heat race. The second generation driver ends the campaign tenth in USAC National standings and twenty-seventh in USAC/CRA points. Bobby recorded two top-10 finishes in USAC/CRA competition.

Buena Park's Brody Roa won the "$2000 Wagscash Race within a Race" behind the wheel of the family owned #91R HD Industries / Harbor Diesel and Equipment Stinger with 360 power. The 2010 VRA Rookie of the Year qualified twenty-second quick, placed second in his heat race, and finished sixteenth in the main event. Roa ends the year twenty-sixth in USAC/CRA points with one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, and one top-10 finish.

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, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and So-Cal Performance for their support. For more information, visit www.usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.

 

11-14-11 Jones Makes History With Victory in "The Finals" at hanford, Spencer Claims 4th Straight USAC/CRA Title
Source Dick Jordan
USAC Amsoil

Levi Jones of Olney, Ill. made history Saturday night, leading all 30 laps to win “The Finals,” USAC’s AMSOIL National and USAC/CRA Sprint Car finale at Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif.

Taking the lead at the start from his outside front row starting spot in the Tony Stewart Racing GM Performance Parts Eagle/Chevy, Jones never looked back as he sped to victory over Keith Bloom Jr., Ryan Bernal, Jon Stanbrough and Tracy Hines. Jones becomes the first driver to win multiple USAC National Championships in successive years, claiming the Traxxas Silver Crown and AMSOIL Sprint titles the last two years. He is the first five-time AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Champion and only the fourth to own seven total USAC National titles. Mel Kenyon and Rich Vogler also won seven and A.J. Foyt won nine.

Mike Spencer, who finished 10th, becomes the first to win four AMSOIL USAC/CRA titles, winning four in a row! Car Owner championships went to Tony Stewart Racing (National) and Ron Chaffin Motorsports (USAC/CRA).

Bryan Clauson, with a 32-point lead over Chris Windom, has also mathematically locked up the 2011 USAC National Drivers Championship with only one race remaining.

Championship contenders Chris Windom and Nic Faas both got upside down during the evening. Windom, chasing Jones for the National title, flipped during the third heat and was scratched for the night. Faas, chasing Spencer for the USAC/CRA title, flipped on the opening lap of the feature. Bud Kaeding, the night’s fastest qualifier with a new track record, was one of three drivers to flip during feature. The others were Cody Williams and Faas. Cory Kruseman also flipped during the first heat.
 

11-14-11 Thompson Picks Up Two Wins And 11 Top Fives in Rookie Modified Season
Source Steven Blakesley
All American Speedway

 Competing in the hotly contested NASCAR Modified division at All American Speedway, 18 year-old rookie Cody Thompson scored two wins, three fast-times, and 11 top-fives in a successful season in the #68 Southern Rock Modified. The Eagle Scout finished fifth in the All American Speedway standings despite missing three races during the summer.

Thompson won three USAC Ford Focus Midget races in 2010 along with finishing sixth at the USAC Ford Focus Nationals at the Las Vegas Bullring. That experience propelled Thompson into the NASCAR Modifieds running for a family-owned program.

After a slow start to the season, Thompson picked up a second place finish on July 16 that was followed by a fourth place finish the next weekend. The hot July came to a stop when engine problems forced Thompson to miss the next two weekends and three main events total.

Following the hiccup, Thompson continued his tear with a pair of second place finishes in August. September was Thompson’s biggest month as he scored his first career Modified win on September 3. He followed that up with back-to-back weekends of fast-times, taking his second feature win of the season on September 17. The strong late-season push allowed him to leap into fifth in the track standings.

With the All American Speedway points season in the books, Thompson set his sights on the post-season open shows where big purses and experienced fields awaited him. Unfazed, he qualified third for the Shasta Raceway Park Win-River open show, running up front for much of the contest before finishing fifth.

The following weekend he had to overcome mechanical problems at Stockton 99 Speedway that forced him to start 15th. The 60 lap feature was all about Thompson as he charged from 15th to 3rd in arguably his strongest event yet.

When the Modified trail returned to All American Speedway on October 14, Thompson qualified quick-time again. After starting 14th due to a 14 car invert, Thompson navigated the field patiently but took the lead after avoiding several accidents. Unfortunately, Thompson was eliminated from the race after a mechanical failure on a restart sent him into the wall.

Thompson returned to Las Vegas where he enjoyed great success in the USAC Ford Focus Midgets, qualifying 16th out of 30 cars in the Modified “Fall Classic” Open Show. An accident on lap three wiped out Thompson’s hopes for another strong finish, but the 2011 season could still be marked as a breakout success.

Thompson made a huge impression on the tight-knit NASCAR Modified community on the West Coast, earning respect from many of the veteran drivers in the circuit. The 2012 plans for Thompson will be announced at a later date. Potential sponsors are urged to contact Cody Thompson Racing if interested.

Led by crew chief and father Mike Thompson, the Cody Thompson Racing team included Chris Thompson, Joe Murphy, Keith Mclleland, and Gary Quigley. Cody Thompson Racing thanks sponsors Southern Rock Granite & Marble, RPM NorCal Racing, Maaco of Fremont, San Jose Custom Cabnetry, Weisner & Cerato Machine Shop, Josh Bews Fabrication, Blakesley Sports Media, Top One Designs, and MTFX Graphics.

Race fans can learn more about Cody Thompson Racing at www.codythompsonracing.com by visiting the team on Facebook at keywords “Cody Thompson Racing”.
 

11-8-11 The Finals at Hanford on Tap For USAC/CRA & National Sprints This Saturday
Source Lance Jennings
Amsoil USAC/CRA

This Saturday night, November 12th, the Amsoil USAC/CRA and USAC National Sprint Car series will compete in their season finale at Scott Woodhouse's Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway. Dubbed "The Finals," the Hanford, California 3/8-mile facility will be the site where championships will be crowned in both series. Joining the program will be the Vintage Super Modifieds with spectator gates opening at 5:00pm and racing set to begin at 6:00pm.

After scoring a runner-up finish at the Oval Nationals, Temecula's Mike Spencer holds a fifty-three point lead over the competition. Driving Ron Chaffin's famed #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim, the 3-time defending champion leads the series with six feature wins, five Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards (tied), and four Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main wins, eighteen top 10 finishes, and 146 feature laps led. In addition, Spencer has six heat race victories to his credit. The Bruce Bromme Jr. led team will be looking to close out another championship season win a victory at Hanford.

Nic Faas of Huntington Beach is second in the Amsoil USAC/CRA point chase and claimed sixth at the Perris Oval Nationals. Piloting Mark Alexander's #4 Scott Sales Company / VP Racing Fuels Spike, the 2008 Rookie of the Year is tied for the series lead with five Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards. Faas also has three feature wins, seven heat race victories, three Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Awards, seventeen top-10 finishes, and sixty-four feature laps led on the year. Nic still has a mathematical shot at the title and will be looking for a Hanford feature win.

Yorba Linda's Matt Mitchell is third in the championship hunt. Driving the J.W. Mitchell Motorsports' #37 Mancha Realtors / Sierra Springs Maxim, the former USAC Western Midget Series Rookie of the Year scored twenty-third at the Oval Nationals. Mitchell leads USAC/CRA with nine heat race victories and four Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Awards. In addition, Matt has two feature wins, seventeen top-10 finishes, and forty-nine feature laps led on the year. Mitchell will have his sights set on a Hanford victory on Saturday.

Austin Williams of Yorba Linda is fourth in the Amsoil USAC/CRA point standings. The 2009 Rookie of the Year had a tough crash in the afternoon show and missed the finale of the Oval Nationals. Piloting Jack Jory's #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Viper, Williams has one feature win, three heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main win, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, ten top-10 finishes, and thirty feature laps led on the season. All of us with USAC/CRA wishes Austin a quick and complete recovery.

"The Cadillac" Cody Williams of Yorba Linda has climbed to fifth in the championship points. Driving Jack Jory's #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Viper, Williams scored fifteenth in the Oval Nationals. "The Cadillac" has five heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, and eight top-10 finishes in the 2011 campaign. Cody will be looking for his first series feature win at Hanford.

Bud Kaeding, Cory Kruseman, Robert Ballou, Kyle Larson, Bryan Clauson, Chris Windom, and Damion Gardner have also scored feature wins in 2011. Kaeding won the Hanford shootout on May 7th, while Kruseman won the Watsonville show on June 16th and the following night at Santa Maria. Ballou won the first night of the "Louie Vermeil Classic" at Calistoga and Larson won the "Tiner Family Classic" at Chico. Clauson swept the "Hall of Fame Classic" at Peoria, Arizona's Canyon Speedway Park and Windom won the second round of the Perris Oval Nationals. Gardner won last weekend's $12,500 finale of the Oval Nationals at Perris Auto Speedway.

Among the other top USAC/CRA contenders expected to be in action are Visalia's Greg Bragg, "Showtime" Danny Sheridan of Santa Maria, "The Ripper" Rip Williams of Yorba Linda, "Super" Rickie Gaunt of Torrance, Norco's Ronnie Gardner, Riverside's "Dynamite" David Cardey, Visalia's Richard and Jace VanderWeerd, and more.

The USAC National Series is led by Levi Jones of Olney, Illinois. Jones is looking for his fifth career series championship as he battles with Chris Windom, (Canton, IL), Jon Stanbrough (Avon, IN), Hunter Schuerenberg (Sikeston, MO), and Robert Ballou (Rocklin, CA). Other series drivers expected to compete are Tracy Hines (Wilkinson, IN), Dave Darland (Lincoln, IN), "The Demon" Damion Gardner (Concord, CA), Bryan Clauson (Noblesville, IN), Bobby East (Brownsburg, IN), Keith Bloom Jr. (Anderson, CA), and more.

Local 360 iron-block powered Sprint Cars are welcome to race, but must run the USAC National & USAC/CRA approved series tires (not local approved Hoosiers). Cars must also meet series tech standards and race track muffler rules. The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series does not charge for transponders, but drivers must have one-way radios. In addition, the series is offering a bonus to the highest finishing 360 team- a $200 cash award from the United States Auto Club and 20 gallons of methanol from So-Cal Performance. The owner or driver must have a current USAC membership.

Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds at 801 S. 10th Avenue in Hanford, California. Reserved Grandstand tickets are $35 and General Grandstand tickets are $30. The track is offering discounts to Seniors (55+), Military (with ID), and Children (7-12). Kids 6 and under are FREE. Advance tickets are on sale and camping is available on the fairgrounds. For more event information, visit giantchevroletspeedway.com or call (559) 584-RACE (7223).

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, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and So-Cal Performance for their support. For more information, visit usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.
 

11-6-11 Damion Gardner Wins 16th Annual Oval Nationals at Perris
Source Lance Jennings
Perris Auto Speedway

Starting from the pole position, "The Demon" Damion Gardner of Concord, California led all 40-laps to win the "16th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals" at Don Kazarian's Perris Auto Speedway. Gardner, who won the race in 2009, joins Bud Kaeding (2001, 2002, 2007), Cory Kruseman (2003, 2004), and Dave Darland (2005, 2006) as the only multiple winners of the event. Mike Spencer, Levi Jones, Bud Kaeding, and Chris Windom rounded out the top five drivers.

Piloting the DG Racing #71 Pace Lighting Eagle, Damion Gardner entered the finale sixth in event points and was locked in the feature. Getting the jump on fellow front row starter Levi Jones, "The Demon" sailed to victory despite a red flag on lap eleven for Richard VanderWeerd and Brady Bacon. From there, it was all Damion Gardner on this night as he won his second career Oval Nationals. As this writing goes to press, "The Demon" is sixth in Amsoil USAC National series points heading to "The Finals" at Hanford.

Mike Spencer of Temecula, California was the event's high point driver and won the Dean Thompson Award for his efforts. Starting sixth, the USAC/CRA point leader drove Ron Chaffin's #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim to second in the 40-lap finale. Later, Spencer won the $10,000 Legends of Ascot Match Races by one point over Chris Windom. The 3-time USAC/CRA Champion holds a fifty-three point lead over the competition going into Hanford's season finale.

Olney, Illinois' Levi Jones claimed third in the 40-lap feature behind the wheel of the Tony Stewart Racing #20 GM Performance Parts Eagle. The 4-time Amsoil USAC National Champion was fifth in event points and finished third in the Legends of Ascot Match Races. Jones holds a thirty-three point lead in the Amsoil USAC National standings.

Bud Kaeding of Campbell, California raced the #29 Buster & Ziggy / BK Motorsports Maxim to fourth from the seventh starting spot. The 3-time Oval Nationals Champion was seventh in event points heading into the finale and will be a driver to watch at "The Finals" at Hanford's Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway.

Canton, Illinois' Chris Windom, scored fifth in the Oval Nationals finale. Piloting the Baldwin Brothers Racing #5X Fox Paving / Claxton Engines Maxim, the Round #2 winner was third in event points and second in the Legends of Ascot Match Races. The Indiana Sprint Week Champion is second in the Amsoil USAC National point chase.

"The Kruser" Cory Kruseman of Ventura, California earned his first Sander Engineering Fast Time Award of the year aboard Mark & Carmen Priestley's #7H Roy Miller Freight Lines / Sander Engineering Maxim. The 2006 USAC/CRA Champion was second in his qualifying race and scored tenth in the Oval Nationals finale.

Sikeston, Missouri's Hunter Schuerenberg won the program's first qualifying race sponsored by Extreme Mufflers and Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror. Driving Hank Byram's #35 Fatheadz Eyewear / R&B Truckers Spike, the young hard charger claimed twelfth in the 40-lap feature and sits third in Amsoil USAC National points.

Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Indiana raced to victory in the night's second qualifying race backed by Saldana Racing Products and Circle Track Performance. Piloting the Tucker/BCI/Curb-Agajanian #7 Curb Records Spike, Clauson finished eighth in the Oval Nationals and is currently eighth in Amsoil USAC National standings.
"Cadillac" Cody Williams of Yorba Linda, California won the night's third qualifying race sponsored by DJ Safety. Driving Jack Jory's #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Viper, Williams claimed fifteenth in the 40-lap finale. The 2008 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Co-Rookie of the Year is fifth in the Amsoil USAC/CRA point chase.

Phoenix, Arizona's R.J. Johnson drove to victory in the Electro Tech Powder Coating / Rod End Supply qualifying race #4. Piloting Bobby Martin's #51 Weiler Farms / BG Chemicals Maxim, the ASCS Canyon Region standout placed sixteenth in the Oval Nationals.

"The People's Champion" Dave Darland of Lincoln, Indiana won the Competition Suspension Inc. B-Main #1. Driving Dwight Cheney's #42 Pace Lighting / Sander Engineering DRC, Darland was third in his qualifying race and scored seventeenth in the 40-lap finale. The 2-time Oval Nationals Champion sits ninth in the Amsoil USAC National standings.

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's Brady Bacon raced to victory in the 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. B-Main #2. Piloting the Dynamics Inc. #69 Mean Green / Mopar Chalk, the Short Track Nationals runner-up scored twenty-fifth after an early flip ended his night.

Elk Grove's Kyle Larson earned his second Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award of the season with a thirteenth place run after starting twenty-third. Piloting Junior Bowman's #1L Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Maxim, Larson finished third in his qualifying race and fifth in the Legends of Ascot Match Races. Chico's "Tiner Family Classic" winner is currently third in the USAC National Driver's Championship points.

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, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and So-Cal Performance for their support. For more information, visit www.usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.

The season finale for both the Amsoil USAC/CRA and National Sprint Car Series will be held this Saturday, November 12th, at Hanford's Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway. Located on the Kings County Fairgrounds, more event information on "The Finals" can be found at www.giantchevroletspeedway.com or calling (559) 584-RACE (7223).
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11-8-11 Thorn Wins Las Vegas to Anchor JRC Attack on Fall Classic
Source Steven Blakesley
SRL Southwest Tour

 Exactly one week after sweeping the top-three in qualifying and taking the top two finishing positions for the SRL Southwest Tour at the Las Vegas Bullring, JRC returned to Vegas again sweeping the top-three in qualifying before Derek Thorn would win the $10,000 feature. Thorn took the win and quick-time on back-to-back weeks at Las Vegas aboard the new JRC Gen 1 Truck Arm Chassis with primary sponsorship from Eibach Springs and Sigma Engineering Solutions, Inc.

What made Thorn’s win impressive was that he and the JRC organization had been told all week that they would be at a disadvantage racing an SRL Tour car against the wider local Super Late Models. Even more impressive was Thorn winning the show from the rear of the 26 car field for the 150 lap contest.

“The decision to start Thorn at the back was discussed early in the day among all three teams with Junior Joiner developing the winning team strategy,” said team competition director Marty Melo. “Everyone involved is top notch and we could not do it without the talented team members such as Scott Franchimone, Carl “Pops” Joiner, Jake Koens, Stanley Fisher, Kevin Disney, Kevin Williams, Rick Thorn, Jim Kennedy, and Kevin Posey to just name a few.”

42 Super Late Models lined the pits for the weekend’s races with qualifying and heat races rained out on Friday night. The JRC entries of Joe Farre, Blake Williams, and Derek Thorn timed in early Saturday morning. Thorn took quick-time with a 14.386 second lap over Williams with a 14.487 and Farre with a 14.551 around the fast three-eights mile paved oval.

The race was slated to start “straight-up” with no invert for the top 16 qualifiers, but Farre would assume the pole after Thorn elected to start at the rear of the field. This would set the stage for an all JRC front row with Blake Williams starting on the outside of Farre.

Farre jumped out to an early lead. Showing his experience and the solid car he had underneath him, Farre mixed it up with several Las Vegas regulars throughout the first half of the race. While Farre set the pace Williams dropped back to team up with Thorn and the two of them ran consistently around the top-fifteen in the first half of the event.

Farre took the lead back on lap 75 before the event went under a 10 minute break on lap 90 for teams to make adjustments. Coming out of the break, Farre maintained the lead while Thorn and Williams made their move through the field. A caution on lap 116 set-up a battle between Farre and Thorn, with Thorn taking over the lead on lap 126.

Thorn never looked back on his way to the win after a dominating performance and Farre landed a podium finish with an impressive third place finish in the #54 Sigma Engineering / LVI Services Chevrolet. Williams, with a few late race passes, finished fourth in the #56 McClintock & Turk/JRC Chevrolet to give the JRC organization three of the top four finishing positions along with a JRC car in the lead the entire second half of the race.

“The success of the JRC team tonight was in large part due to the planning and efforts put forth by Junior Joiner and our shop staff earlier in the week along with the incredible driving by Derek,” Farre said. “These guys put their heart and soul into the cars we are very fortunate to have such a great team behind us. This one belongs to the entire JRC team.”

After a pair of successful outings at Las Vegas, the JRC team will switch gears to the state-of-the-art half-mile TOYOTA Speedway in Irwindale, CA. JRC will enter multiple cars in the “California Classic” for Super Late Models with the exact driver line-up to be announced at a later date.

“Ryan Reed and Blake Williams both drove very impressive races in our JRC cars,” Farre said. “They helped show what a successful driver development program can do when you pair talented drivers with the experience of Junior Joiner and our JRC team. We look forward to seeing these young up and coming drivers back with us in the near future.”

JRC is proud to carry sponsorship of Sigma Engineering and a number of marketing partners. Among the many contributors are JRI Shocks, Eibach Springs, PepperJack Kennels, Joe’s Racing Products, ARP Bodies, Finishline Signs, Fastenal, and Joiner Motorsports.

For additional information about JRC look them up online at www.joinerracecars.com Seats are still available for the 2012 season in the SRL SPEARS Southwest Tour and interested parties can contact Marty Melo at (530) 941-5642.
 

11-6-11 Chris Windom Shines in Oval Nationals Round 2 at the PAS
Source Lance Jennings
Perris Auto Speedway

After rain postponed the Friday night feature at Don Kazarian's Perris Auto Speedway to Saturday afternoon, Chris Windom of Canton, Illinois emerged as the winner. Inheriting the lead after "The Kruser" Cory Kruseman's machine suffered a problem on lap eight, Windom led the rest of the way to claim the second round of the “16th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals.” USAC/CRA point leader Mike Spencer was second, followed by USAC National point leader Levi Jones, "The Demon" Damion Gardner took fourth, and Nic Faas scored fifth in the 25-lap feature.

Driving the Baldwin Brothers Racing #5X Fox Paving / Claxton Engines Maxim, Chris Windom raced to victory from the fifth starting spot in the 25-lap feature. The defending Oval Nationals Champion was sixth fast in time trials and won the program's Extreme Mufflers / Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror Heat Race #1 from seventh. With the victory, Windom is second in Amsoil USAC National standings, twenty-seven points behind Levi Jones.

Temecula, California's Mike Spencer drove Ron Chaffin's #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim to the runner-up position from seventh. The 3-time defending Amsoil USAC/CRA Champion earned his fifth Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, finished sixth in his heat, and scored the 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main. Spencer maintains a forty-one point lead heading into the finale of the Oval Nationals.

Levi Jones of Olney, Illinois claimed third in the 25-lap feature after starting sixth. Piloting the Tony Stewart Racing #20 GM Performance Parts Eagle, the 4-time Amsoil USAC National Champion qualified second and finished third in his heat race. Jones continues to lead the national series points going into the final round of the Oval Nationals.

Concord, California's "The Demon" Damion Gardner scored fourth in the second round of the Oval Nationals. Driving the DG Racing #71 Pace Lighting Eagle, Gardner was ninth fast and second in his heat race. "The Demon" sits seventh in the Amsoil USAC National point chase.

After winning the Thursday night preliminary feature, Nic Faas of Huntington Beach claimed fifth in Mark Alexander’s #4X Scott Sales Company / VP Racing Fuels Spike. The 2008 Rookie of the Year qualified seventh and placed fourth in his heat race. Faas is second in Amsoil USAC/CRA point standings, forty-one points behind Mike Spencer.

Apple Valley, California's John Aden raced his #7 777 Race Cars / A-Star Tire 777 machine to victory in the 10-lap Rod End Supply / Keizer Wheels C-Main Event. The former Speedway Motorcycle star timed in forty-second fast and finished nineteenth in the semi-main event.

Troy Rutherford of Ojai, California won the program's Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #2 behind the wheel of his #11 Amsoil / Trench Shoring entry. Last year's VRA Sprint Car Champion qualified twenty-seventh and scored fourteenth in the 25-lap main event.

Roseville, California's Colby Copeland drove the family owned #24C Northstar Concrete Pumping / Bianchi Farms machine to the DJ Safety Heat Race #3 win. The young driver was thirty-third quick in time trials and scored twenty-forth in the feature.

Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda won the program's Electro Tech Powder Coating / Rod End Supply Heat Race #4. Driving the J.W. Mitchell Motorsports' #37 Mancha Realtors / Sierra Springs Maxim, the former USAC Western Midget Series Rookie of the Year qualified nineteenth quick and scored eighth after starting twelfth in the main event.

Tempe, Arizona's Casey Shuman raced the Roberts and Tate #21X entry backed by Shon Deskins Racing to victory in the Keizer Wheels Heat Race #5. The second generation driver was fortieth fast in time trials and earned the night's Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award with a thirteenth place run after starting twenty-fourth.

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, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and So-Cal Performance for their support. For more information, visit www.usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.

To catch all of the action of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series at Perris Auto Speedway, Jeff Kristensen's Raceway Video has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (818) 618-9764 or visit www.racewayvideo.com. In addition, Perris Auto Speedway offers a live pay per view feed of every event at www.pasvideo.com.

 

11-7-11 BMR Five Strong for season ending race at Phoenix International Raceway
Source Kaye Reshaw
NASCAR K&N Pro

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West teams from Bill McAnally Racing are heading to Phoenix International Raceway for the series 2011 season ender. The Casino Arizona “125” will be on November 12th and televised live on SPEED Channel.

The BMR team effort will be made up of five drivers including; three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion Eric Holmes, 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion DJ Kennington, three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Most Popular Driver Moses Smith, 2011 Western Canadian Super Late Model Champion Cameron Hayley and Toyota Speedway’s 2010 S2 Series Champion Dylan Lupton.

The 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion, Eric Holmes is looking to make it three victories in a row this season after winning at Spokane County Raceway and All American Speedway. Holmes pilots the No. 20 NAPA Auto Parts Toyota and has one win at PIR. “I’m excited to go back Phoenix with the momentum of two wins,” said Holmes “We are looking forward to making it three in a row. The new track at PIR will make for a fun, exciting and an eventful race. The NAPA team has had quite a year but things have pulled together and I feel confident we can win the championship next year.”
The 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion, DJ Kennington will be in the No. 81 Northern Provincial Pipeline/Whitemud Mechanical/Mahindra Tractors Toyota Camry. The St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada resident has two wins in 2011. He finished second in the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tires Series championship. This weekend, he will also be racing in the NASCAR Nationwide event. “I really enjoy racing at PIR” said Kennigton. “It’s a fun, fast track and the new pavement should make for some really good racing”.
The three-time Most Popular driver and Arizona resident, Moses Smith would like nothing better than record his first series win in front of his home-town crowd. The veteran driver from Bill McAnally Racing returns to drive the No 16 NAPA Filters/ Hasa Pool Products Toyota Camry. He is currently third in the chase for the series championship. “I’m looking forward to Phoenix, excited about the improvements and learning a ‘new’ track, said Smith. “Should be a good race. I want to get back into second in points and finish out the year strong!”

Young driver Cameron Hayley will return to pilot the No. 24 Cabinets by Hayley Toyota Camry. “Going into Phoenix, I have had lots of crew members and drivers from other teams try to tell me how difficult this track will be,” said Hayley, “and it will prove as a big challenge to me. I have always been able to adapt to new tracks and tend to run fast right out of the gate. I believe I definitely have to respect the track and the size of it but I am going into the weekend like any other. I am going there with an open mind and do what we can to be there at the end. It will be an awesome weekend. The No. 24 team and I will be at the top of our game and try to get that first win in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.”

Piloting the No. 75 Lupton Excavation/Durocast Toyota is 17-year old Dylan Lupton. The high school student, who began racing in 2007, is looking forward to racing on the big track in Phoenix. This will be Lupton’s visit to the 1-mile paved oval. This will be his third start in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Lupton sets out to gain experience in NASCAR’s Development Series and use this opportunity driving in West Series to direct him to the next step in his ladder system on the road to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

The Phoenix race will be televised live on SPEED Channel. Check your local listings for date and time. The event will also be covered with lap-by-lap coverage on the NASCAR Home Tracks website.

For more information on Bill McAnally Racing and our race partners, please visit our website at www.billmcanallyracing.com. Become a fan of Bill McAnally Racing and follow us on our Facebook Fan page. We can also be followed on Twitter at BMR_NASCAR.

 

11-7-11 The Finals Saturday at hanford
Source Dick Jordan
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprints

“The Finals” this Saturday at Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. will bring the curtain down on the 2011 AMSOIL USAC National and USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series. It will be USAC’s ninth Sprint car appearance at the 3/8-mile dirt oval this year and champions will be crowned at the drop of the season’s final checkered flag.

Levi Jones and Mike Spencer took steps toward historic USAC championships last weekend at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway and enter Saturday’s Hanford race as the favorites to earn 2011 titles. Jones emerged from the three-race “Budweiser Oval Nationals” at Perris with a 33-point lead over Chris Windom in the National standings in search of a record fifth crown, while Spencer is 53 points ahead of Nic Faas in search of a record fourth straight AMSOIL USAC/CRA championship. A total of 74 points are available Saturday.

Hanford has hosted eight previous USAC Sprint outings this season and Bud Kaeding and Ryan Bernal each own two victories. Other winners include USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Champ Richard VanderWeerd, Danny Faria Jr., Wes Gutierrez and Peter Murphy.

Damion Gardner of Concord, Calif. is the 2011 champion of the 16th “Budweiser Oval Nationals” after his wire-to-wire victory in Saturday night’s 40-lap AMSOIL USAC National and CRA Sprint race at Perris Auto Speedway. Gardner started on the pole and led all 40 laps in his Pace Lighting Eagle/Shaver to beat Spencer, Jones, Kaeding and Windom. Spencer capped the evening by winning the $10,000-to-win “Legends of Ascot Match Race.”

Windom, of Canton, Ill., won Saturday afternoon’s second round of the 2011 “Budweiser Oval Nationals” at Perris. Rain forced postponement of Friday night’s racing program, forcing a “double” program of racing Saturday. Windom trailed Cory Kruseman for eight laps, then led the final 17 laps of the race after Kruseman encountered problems and dropped out of the race. Windom piloted the Fox Paving/Claxton Engines Maxim/Claxton Mopar entry to the victory over Spencer, Jones, Gardner and Thursday night winner Nic Faas.

Faas, of Huntington Beach, Calif., led all 25 laps in dominating fashion in winning Thursday night’s “Budweiser Oval Nationals” preliminary feature opener at Perris. His victory in the Mark Alexander Scott Sales Company/VP Racing Fuels Spike/J & D entry came over Hunter Schuerenberg, Kaeding, Spencer and Wes Gutierrez.


 

11-4-11 King of the West 410 Series prepared to give out upwards of $300,000 at championship awards banquet in January
Source Gary Thomas
Golden State King of The West

The Golden State King of the West 410 Series is pleased to announce its championship point fund breakdown today, as teams will take part in a California sprint car record $116,000 total cash fund, plus over $200,000 in contingency prizes, giveaways and trophies at the awards banquet in January.

To put in perspective, last year’s total cash point fund with the Golden State 410 Series was $47,000 and the champion took home roughly the same as this seasons fourth place finisher will in the King of the West standings.

A new twist this year with KWS was that to qualify for point money a driver/team must not have missed more than two races. At the end of the season 15 teams made the cut to earn a part in the largest cash point fund for sprint car racing on the West Coast.

Those 15 teams are labeled as “members in good standing,” exemplifying their strong loyalty during the inaugural campaign of racing under the leadership of Rio Vista resident and racer Dan Simpson.

King of the West 410 champion Tim Kaeding and Roth Motorsports will get the biggest chunk of the point fund, taking home $20,000 for their very strong year, which included a series-high six victories in 2011.

The electrifying driver from San Jose dominated the point chase this year, due in part to his impressive consistency throughout the season. Wheeling the famous HR Cattle No. 83 Maxim, "TK" claimed top-five finishes in all but two events.

Kaeding however, is not the only driver that will reap the awards of the large point fund. Runner-up in points Evan Suggs and Suggs Racing will scoop up an impressive $15,000 to commemorate their best ever season of competition in the sprint car ranks.

The race for third in points came right down to the checkered flag at Hanford during the Cotton Classic. In the end it was Hall of Famer Brent Kaeding claiming the spot by just four-digits over this year’s Dirt Cup winner Jonathan Allard.
That ultra slim margin also features a difference of $2,000 in the point fund, as Kaeding and the No. 69 team will grab $12,000 for third in the standings and Allard/ Williams Motorsports earn $10,000 for fourth.

Former champion Jason Statler captured the fifth spot in points by just six-markers over Willie Croft and will score $9,000 for his efforts. After making his return to full-time 410 racing this season, Croft will get $8,000 for sixth in the standings.

Also making a jump to the full-time 410 ranks this year, Andy Gregg and Bret Ervin Racing will bring home $7,000 for the seventh spot in points. 1996 NARC Speedweek champion Bobby McMahan also returned to regular action and will claim $6,000 for eighth in the standings.

Sixteen-year-old "Hoseheads.com/ Grant’s Fine Art Rookie of the Year" Kenny Allen finished ninth in the KWS points and scores $5,500. Former World of Outlaw regular Brad Furr was another driver that returned to 410 racing this year and rounded out the top-10 in points. The five-time Outlaw main event winner will get $5,250 from the point fund.

As previously mentioned the “members in good standing” that rank 11th through 15th will also take part in the point fund for the first time. Those drivers/teams will be Brent Bjork ($4,500), Danielle Simpson ($4,000), Pat Harvey ($3,500), Eli Deshaies ($3,250) and Doug Gandy ($3,000).

“We really wanted to make sure that all our “members in good standing” had a piece of the pie in the point fund and we’re happy with how the break down came out,” said KWS Managing Director Dan Simpson. “The 15th place finisher will take home as much as a main event winner does with us, so that’s a pretty sweet deal.”

In addition to the cash fund at the awards banquet, drivers/teams will also see a record amount of contingency prizes handed out. It will be highlighted by a complete sprint car with engine, as well as an additional race engine that will be up for grabs to the “members in good standing” that are present at the banquet.

The top-20 drivers/teams in the KWS standings will receive contingency awards and trophies at the banquet, but to be eligible for that, they must be present during the night. Among the lucrative prizes given out will be Goodyear Racing tires and other special items.

The King of the West championship awards banquet is scheduled for Saturday January 28 at the Radisson Inn Sacramento. Along with teams, fans are also encouraged to attend the fun night and invitations will be
sent out soon. Special KWS room rates will be available.

The Golden State King of the West 410 Sprints would like to thank the following companies for their support this season: Goodyear Racing Tires, Pit Stop USA.com, Kaeding Performance, Hoseheads.com, Grant’s Fine Art, Auto Meter Products Inc., Contingency Connection, Maxim Chassis, Amerikote, Abel Chevrolet, Bully Dog, Red Horse Performance, JE Pistons, KSE Racing Products, Hunt Magnetos, Weld Racing, Racing Optics, Butler Built Performance, HoservilleCA, Angellos ATV Rental, Rogue Regency Inn, Williams Motorsports, DES Inc. and Simpson Percherons.

Don't forget to “like” the Golden State King of the West Series on Facebook and follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kws410s

Also check out our official website at http://www.kwssprints.com for the latest news, results, history and more on the Golden State King of the West 410 Sprint Cars.

Be sure to catch archived shows of “KWS Tonight” with Gary Thomas and George Hague, along with special KWS highlight clips from the 2011 season at http://vimeo.com/user5784994/videos and http://www.ustream.tv/channel/king-of-the-west-today/videos

 

11-3-11 FAAS Wire to Wire in Oval Nationals Preliminary Feature
Source Lance Jennings
Amsoil USAC/CRA

Starting on the outside of the front row, Nic Faas of Huntington Beach, California led all twenty-five laps to claim the opening feature of the “16th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals.” The non-stop main event was the third straight Amsoil USAC/CRA triumph for Faas at Don Kazarian’s Perris Auto Speedway and the first USAC National Sprint Car victory of his career.

At the drop of the starter’s green flag, Nic Faas shot to the lead past pole sitter Bud Kaeding and was not to be denied on this night. Extending a comfortable lead and reaching slower traffic on lap seven, Faas sliced through the back markers. Kaeding was securely in second, while some of the best drivers in the business battled for position. With the laps counting down, the top runners charged through the lapped traffic and Hunter Schuerenberg was able to slip past Kaeding for second. At the checkered flags, it was all Nic Faas, followed by Schuerenberg, Kaeding, Mike Spencer, and Wes Gutierrez rounding out the top five drivers.

Piloting Mark Alexander’s #4X Scott Sales Company / VP Racing Fuels Spike, Nic Faas climbed to second in the Amsoil USAC/CRA point chase. Now twenty-seven points behind Mike Spencer, the 2008 Rookie of the Year was thirteenth quick in time trials and won the night’s DJ Safety Heat Race #3.

Hunter Schuerenberg of Sikeston, Missouri claimed second after starting fifth in Hank Byram’s #35 Fatheadz Eyewear / R&B Truckers Spike. The young hard charger was tenth quick on the night and finished second in his heat race. As this writing goes to press, Schuerenberg is fourth in Amsoil USAC National point standings.

Campbell, California’s Bud Kaeding scored third behind the wheel of the #29 BK Motorsports’ High 5 Pizza / Alviso Rock Maxim. The 3-time Oval Nationals Champion was fourteenth fast in time trials and placed fourth in his heat race.

USAC/CRA point leader Mike Spencer of Temecula, California raced to fourth from the eighth starting spot in Ron Chaffin’s #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim. The 3-time defending USAC/CRA Champion was second fast on the night, sixth in his heat race, and won the 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main.

San Martin, California’s “Wide Open” Wes Gutierrez scored fifth in the non-stop feature. Piloting the WG Motorsports’ #007 Competition Suspension Inc. / ButlerBuilt DRC, the USAC West Coast 360 standout qualified twelfth fast on the night and finished fourth in his heat race.

Ryan Bernal of Hollister, California earned his first USAC/CRA Sander Engineering Fast Time Award over the forty-nine cars in attendance. Driving Danny Olmstead’s #11D S&S Automotive / Dorso’s Automotive Maxim, Bernal was seventh in his heat race, second in the semi-main, and placed fourteenth in his first appearance at Perris Auto Speedway.

Norco, California’s Ronnie Gardner won the Rod End Supply / Keizer Wheels C-Main Event. Piloting the a brand new family owned #93 Jamison Engineering / DWT Wheels Sled, the young driver qualified forty-second and scored a sixteenth place finish in the semi-main.

Jon Stanbrough of Avon, Indiana won the night’s Extreme Mufflers / Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror Heat Race #1. Driving the Fox Brothers’ #53 Steve Watt Enterprises / SurfnSprint.com Maxim, Stanbrough timed in thirty-sixth fast and placed twenty-second in the main event. Jon sits third in the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car standings.

Camarillo, California’s Josh Ford won the Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #2. Piloting Keith Ford’s #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine Spike, Josh was thirty-seventh fast on the night and scored twenty-sixth in the main event.

“The Kruser” Cory Kruseman of Ventura, California drove the Mark & Carmen Priestley #7H Roy Miller Freightlines / Sander Engineering Maxim to victory in the Electro Tech Powder Coating / Rod End Supply Heat Race #4. The 2005 USAC/CRA Champion qualified thirty-ninth and finished eighteenth in the feature.

New Castle, Indiana’s Tracy Hines claimed victory in the program’s Keizer Wheels Heat Race #5. Piloting the #4 MP Environmental Services DRC, Hines timed in fifteenth fast and scored twelfth in the 25-lap preliminary feature. As this writing goes to press, Tracy is sixth in the USAC National point chase.

After a tangle in the semi-main and using a provisional, Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda earned the night’s Keizer Wheels Hard Charger award for his seventeenth place run after starting twenty-sixth. Driving the J.W. Mitchell Motorsports' #37 Mancha Realtors / Sierra Springs Maxim, the former USAC Western Midget Series Rookie of the Year was ninth fast in time trials, fifth in his heat race, and scored seventeenth in the semi-main. Mitchell currently sits third in the USAC/CRA standings.

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, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and So-Cal Performance for their support. For more information, visit www.usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.

Rain and wet grounds have forced track and USAC officials to cancel action on Friday night. Racing will resume on Saturday with two programs starting at noon. Joining the card will be the popular winged California Lightning Sprints and the finale of the “16th Annual Oval Nationals” is slated to start at 6pm with a revised format. The top-12 in event points will be set in the feature event, with the balance of competitors set in the consolation and semi-main events. Co-sanctioned with the USAC National Sprint Car Series, more event information can be found at www.perrisautospeedway.com or calling (951) 940-0134.



 

11-2-11 Ostheimer Ready to make Las Vegas Debut in Saturday's Fall Classic
Source Steven Blakesley
NASCAR Whelen All American Series

 17 year-old Devon Ostheimer of Morgan Hill, CA, just completed his rookie season in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series at TOYOTA Speedway in Irwindale, CA where he racked up seven top-five finishes and a victory against one of the toughest Late Model fields in the nation. Now Ostheimer will take the show on the road as he will compete in the “Fall Classic” at the Las Vegas Bullring this weekend.

Ostheimer will drive a #38 Late Model for established Las Vegas driver Scott Gafforini, with sponsorship from Binon’s Gambling Hall, Four Queens Hotel & Casino, and MDR Machine, Inc.

The 2010 Ocean Sprints Rookie of the Year was a highly lauded young Sprint Car talent when he made the career switch to stockcars for 2011. The move proved to be a success as Ostheimer finished sixth in the TOYOTA Speedway Auto Club Late Model points in the #57 MDR Machine, Inc. Chevrolet for Tim Huddleston’s High Point Racing.

“We had an up-and-down season this year but learned a lot and paid our dues,” Ostheimer said. “I’m really excited to go to Las Vegas and experience a new atmosphere.”

Las Vegas Bullring, home to the “Fall Classic”, is a fast-paced three-eights mile track with speeds just a few miles per hour less than the half-mile TOYOTA Speedway. The close-quarters action attracts competitors from all over the Western United States for a chance to win in Sin City.

Ostheimer will be making a whole-hearted run for the 2012 TOYOTA Speedway track championship but also wants to gain exposure and experience at additional tracks on the West Coast. Ostheimer is also looking for sponsorship to compete in either the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, West or the ARCA Racing Series on a limited basis in 2012. The West Series visited Las Vegas in 2011 and is a possible track for the 2012 schedule.

“I don’t really know what to expect at Las Vegas but a top-five would be a good goal,” Ostheimer said. “It’s important to travel and be able to adapt to new cars and new tracks.”

Activities at the Bullring get underway on Thursday night with an open testing session, before practice, qualifying, and 15 lap heat races on Friday night. The 100 lap Late Model feature will take place on Saturday night.

Ostheimer also plans to compete in the prestigious “California Classic” at TOYOTA Speedway on November 26-27 to wrap up a productive 2011 season.

Race fans can learn more about Devon Ostheimer at www.devonostheimer.com Potential sponsors and media inquiries can be made to Steven Blakesley of Blakesley Sports Media at steven@norcalmedia.com

 

11-1-11 Kruseman Wins $5000 Ventura Feature; Taylor Wins All Coast Challenge Title
Source Lance Jennings
Ventura Speedway

 Starting from the outside of the front row, "The Kruser" Cory Kruseman led all 30-laps to claim last Saturday night's finale of the All Coast Construction Challenge at Ventura Raceway. The $5000-to-win main event marked Kruseman's second victory of the 2011 campaign with the VRA Sprint Car Series. Brian Camarillo took second, followed by Danny Faria Jr., Richard VanderWeerd, and Troy Rutherford, who started seventeenth. Newly crowned VRA Champion Greg Taylor won the All Coast Construction 360 Challenge mini-series title and earned $5000 for his efforts.

Piloting the #14K Lucas Oil / Sander Engineering special, "The Kruser" Cory Kruseman of Ventura was not to be denied on this night. The veteran driver finished second in his heat race and is ranked twelfth in the point chase. To date, Kruseman has five heat race victories, six top-10 finishes, and sixty-eight feature laps led to his credit.

Camarillo's Brian Camarillo raced to second from the sixth starting spot. Driving the #22 Agromin Soil / Waste Management entry, Brian won the night's first heat race and is second in the championship points. In 2011, Camarillo has two feature wins, ten heat race victories, one semi-main win, twelve top-10 finishes, and fifty-one feature laps led.

"Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton made a rare Ventura appearance and claimed third in the 30-lap feature. Piloting the #17V Louie De Groot & Sons Dairy / Barcellos Farms machine, the visiting Central Valley driver placed second in his heat race.

Another visiting driver from the Central Valley was Richard VanderWeerd of Visalia. Piloting Tommy Horne's #13 special, VanderWeerd claimed fourth in the All Coast Challenge finale after starting seventh. Earlier in the program, Richard placed second in his heat race and has four top-10 finishes, one heat race victory, and one semi-main win on the year.

Ojai's Troy Rutherford earned the night's "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job" honors with a fifth place run after starting seventeenth. Driving his #11 Amsoil / Trench Shoring machine, last year's series champion was sixth in his heat race and won the 12-lap semi-main. Rutherford is eighteenth in the standings with six feature wins, five heat race victories, three hard charger awards, ten top-10 finishes, and eighty-five feature laps led.

Jace VanderWeerd of Visalia won the night's second heat race behind the wheel of the #88 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx special. The visiting driver scored twelfth in the 30-lap feature and has three top-10 finishes and eight feature laps led on the season.

2011 VRA Sprint Car Champion Greg Taylor of Ventura won his series leading eleventh heat race, by taking the program's fourth 10-lap event. Piloting the #7 Clark Engineering Construction / Westco International Consulting Inc. entry, Taylor's tenth place in the feature earned the title for the 3-race All Coast Construction 360 Challenge. To date, Taylor has four feature wins, two hard charger awards, sixteen top-10 finishes, and 111 feature laps led.

A special thanks to "Big Mike" Grosswendt and All Coast Construction for their support of Ventura Raceway and the racers of the Ventura Racing Association. This year's 360 Challenge mini-series was a huge success and forty-nine different drivers took the green flag in the popular events.

Ventura Raceway scheduled four other companion classes on the night. Danny Ebberts led all 30-laps to score the VRA Midget feature and Nick Carlson claimed the Ford Focus Midget main. Brodie Kostecki won in Junior Ford Focus Midget action, while Johnny Conley won in the VRA Go Kart class.

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.

This Saturday night, November 5th, Ventura Raceway will host flat track motorcycles. The VRA Sprint Cars will return to action the following Saturday, November 12th, with Senior Sprints, Dwarf Cars, Mod Lites, Mod Lite Juniors, Sport Compacts, Junior Midgets, and Mini Dwarfs. For more event information, please visit www.venturaraceway.com or call (805) 985-5433.

 

11-1-11 Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprints Set For 16th Annual Oval Nationals At Perris
Source Lance Jennings
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprints

Starting this Thursday night, the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to Don Kazarian's Perris Auto Speedway for the "16th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals." The co-sanctioned events with the USAC National Sprint Car Series is one of the "must see events" of the year and as this writing goes to press, there are over fifty cars entered in the prestigious $12,500-to-win event. The popular winged California Lightning Sprints will join the Friday and Saturday card with the spectator gates opening at 4:00pm on Thursday and Friday. The front gates will open at 3:00pm on Saturday with racing set to begin at 6:30pm all three nights.

In addition to the regular program, the staff at Perris Auto Speedway have added special events for the Oval Nationals. On Wednesday night, a special practice session will be held at 6:00pm and is FREE for fans to attend in the grandstands. The snack bar will be open with $2 beer, soft drinks, and pizza.

On Friday, the "2nd Annual Legends of Ascot Match Race" will be held featuring Levi Jones, Mike Spencer, Nic Faas, Chris Windom, and Kyle Larson. The four 4-lap point races will award $10,000 to the winning driver. After the show, the Oil Twins will host the "Amsoil After The Race Party" in the PAS Sports Bar with $2 beer, $1 tacos and karaoke.

On Sunday, the Sprint Car Driving Experience will have their cars available for rent for $10 a lap. Fans can take to the Perris 1/2-mile clay oval and enjoy the thrill of driving a traditional Sprint Car.

After scoring a fifth and ninth place at Canyon Speedway Park, Temecula's Mike Spencer holds a thirty-four point advantage over the competition. Piloting Ron Chaffin's famed #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim, Spencer has his sights on a fourth straight series title. To date, the defending champion leads the series with six feature wins, two Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main wins (tied), and 146 feature laps led. In addition, he has four Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards, six heat race victories, and fifteen top-10 finishes. Chaffin and Spencer have not won the Oval Nationals and will be looking to add the event to their resumes.

Yorba Linda's Matt Mitchell has retaken second in the point chase with a pair of sixth place finishes at Canyon's "Hall of Fame Classic." Driving the J.W. Mitchell Motorsports' #37 Mancha Realtors / Sierra Springs Maxim, the former USAC Western Midget Series Rookie of the Year will be looking to make up some valuable points on Spencer at the Oval Nationals. In 2011, Mitchell leads USAC/CRA with eight heat race victories, three Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Awards (tied), and sixteen top-10 finishes. Matt also has two feature wins and forty-nine feature laps led on the season.

Nic Faas of Huntington Beach sits third in the standings, thirty-five points behind Mike Spencer. Piloting Mark Alexander's #4 Scott Sales Company / VP Racing Fuels Spike, the 2008 Rookie of the Year scored twelfth and fifth at Canyon Speedway Park. Faas leads the series with five Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards and three Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Awards (tied) on the year. In addition, he has two feature wins, six heat race victories, and thirty-nine feature laps led in 2011. Nic is in the thick of a title chase and will be looking for the Oval Nationals victory.

Austin Williams of Yorba Linda is fourth in the championship hunt. Driving Jack Jory's #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Viper, the 2009 Rookie of the Year scored nineteenth and seventeenth in the "Hall of Fame Classic." To date, Williams has one feature win, three heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main win, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, ten top-10 finishes, and thirty feature laps led on the season. The son of Hall of Fame driver "The Ripper" Rip Williams will be looking to add the Oval Nationals Championship to his resume.

Visalia's Greg Bragg is fifth in the championship points. Piloting Tom and Laurie Sertich's #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Pacific Business Machine Buckley, Bragg did not compete at Canyon Speedway Park. The 3-Time California Lightning Sprint Champion has three heat race victories, two Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Awards, eleven top-10 finishes, and fourteen main event laps led to his credit. The Moose Racing Team will have their eyes set on the Oval Nationals title.

Campbell's Bud Kaeding, Ventura's Cory Kruseman, Robert Ballou of Rocklin, Elk Grove's Kyle Larson, and Noblesville, Indiana's Bryan Clauson have also scored feature wins in 2011. Kaeding won the Hanford shootout on May 7th, while Kruseman won the Watsonville show on June 16th and the following night at Santa Maria. Ballou won the first night of the "Louie Vermeil Classic" at Calistoga and Larson won the "Tiner Family Classic" at Chico. Clauson swept last weekend's "Hall of Fame Classic" at Canyon Speedway Park.

Among the other top USAC/CRA contenders expected to be in action are Yorba Linda's Cody and "The Ripper" Rip Williams, "Showtime" Danny Sheridan of Santa Maria, "Super" Rickie Gaunt of Torrance, Riverside's "Dynamite" David Cardey, Norco's Ronnie Gardner, and more.

The USAC National Series is led by Levi Jones of Olney, Illinois. Jones is looking for his fifth career series championship as he battles with Chris Windom, (Canton, IL), Jon Stanbrough (Avon, IN), Hunter Schuerenberg (Sikeston, MO), and Robert Ballou (Rocklin, CA). Other series drivers expected to compete are Tracy Hines (Wilkinson, IN), Dave Darland (Lincoln, IN), "The Demon" Damion Gardner (Concord, CA), Bryan Clauson (Noblesville, IN), Bobby East (Brownsburg, IN), Keith Bloom Jr. (Anderson, CA), and more.

Local 360 iron-block powered Sprint Cars are welcome to race with USAC/CRA. The 360s can run their local approved tires (all four corners must be Hoosier), but must meet series tech standards and race track muffler rules. There is an entry fee for all three nights of the Oval Nationals and entry forms can be found at http://www.perrisautospeedway.com/forms/oval11form.html. The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series does not charge for transponders, but drivers must have one-way radios. In addition, the series is offering a bonus to the highest finishing 360 team- a $200 cash award from the United States Auto Club and 20 gallons of methanol from So-Cal Performance. The owner or driver must have a current USAC membership.

Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. Advance tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.perrisautospeedway.com. For more event information, please visit the track's website or call (951) 940-0134.

To catch all of the action of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series at Perris Auto Speedway, Jeff Kristensen's Raceway Video has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (818) 618-9764 or visit www.racewayvideo.com. In addition, Perris Auto Speedway offers a live pay per view feed of every event at www.pasvideo.com. The Thursday and Friday night shows are $9.99 each, with Saturday night's event available for $14.99. The feed is blacked out within a 100-mile radius of the track.

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, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and So-Cal Performance for their support. For more information, visit usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.
 

11-1-11 Bryan Clauson Sweeps Canyon Hall of Fame Classic
Source Lance Jennings
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprints

 Charging from the ninth starting spot, Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Indiana passed local hot shoe R.J. Johnson on lap nine to sweep the Parker Store "Hall of Fame Classic." The $5000 victory at Peoria, Arizona's Canyon Speedway Park was Clauson's second triumph in as many nights with the Amsoil USAC National and USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series. Keith Bloom Jr. finished second, followed by Levi Jones, Chris Windom, and Nic Faas.

Piloting the CTR-BCI-Curb/Agajanian #7 Curb Records /R & B Truckers Spike, Bryan Clauson won his third USAC National Sprint Car Series victory of the 2011 campaign. The USAC National Driver Championship point leader qualified seventh fast on the night, finished fifth in his heat race, and took second in the 12-lap semi-main event. Clauson has climbed to eighth in the USAC National points as the series heads to Perris Auto Speedway on November 3rd for the Budweiser Oval Nationals.

Anderson, California's Keith Bloom Jr. ran the outside line of the Canyon Speedway Park oval to claim second at the finish line after falling back to seventh. Driving the Abreu Racing #27 Abreu Vineyards Spike, the previous night's fast qualifier was eighth quick in time trials and fourth in his heat race. As this writing goes to press, Bloom is tied with Jerry Coons Jr. for twelfth in USAC National point standings.

After scoring fourth in his first appearance at Canyon Speedway Park, Levi Jones of Olney, Illinois raced to third after starting fifth in the "Hall of Fame Classic" finale. Piloting the Tony Stewart Racing #20 GM Performance Parts Eagle, the Amsoil USAC National Sprint Car point leader was second fast on the night and finished third in his heat race. The defending national champion holds a forty-three point lead over Chris Windom heading to the Budweiser Oval Nationals.

Canton, Illinois' Chris Windom backed up his second place finish on Friday to claim fourth in Saturday's 30-lap feature. Driving the Baldwin Brothers Racing #5 Fox Paving / Claxton Engines Maxim, Chris was fourth quick in time trials and finished second in his heat race. As the season winds down, Windom will be looking to make up valuable points on Levi Jones at Perris Auto Speedway.

Nic Faas of Huntington Beach, California scored fifth in the "Hall of Fame Classic" finale. Piloting Mark Alexander's #4 Scott Sales Company / VP Racing Fuels Spike, Faas earned his fifth Sander Engineering Fast Time Award of the year and set a new track record. The 2008 USAC Western Midget Series Champion claimed fourth in his heat race and is currently third in the USAC/CRA point chase, thirty-five points behind Mike Spencer.

Rocklin, California's Robert Ballou jumped into Keith Ford's #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine backup car and won the night's Extreme Mufflers / Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror Heat Race #1. The Louis Vermeil Classic preliminary winner was seventeenth fast in time trials and claimed twelfth in the main event after starting sixteenth. Ballou is currently fifth in the USAC National point standings.

Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda, California won the night's Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #2. The pilot of the J.W. Mitchell Motorsports' #37 Mancha Realtors / Sierra Springs Maxim qualified twenty-second on the night and earned his second straight Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award with a sixth place run after starting twentieth. Mitchell is second in the USAC/CRA standings, thirty four points behind Mike Spencer.

"The Demon" Damion Gardner of Concord, California raced the DG Racing #71 Pace Lighting Eagle to victory in the DJ Safety Heat Race #3. The 2005 USAC/CRA Champion was eleventh fast in time trials and claimed seventh in the 30-lap feature after starting eleventh. Gardner is currently seventh in USAC National point standings as the group heads to Perris Auto Speedway, where "The Demon" holds the 1-lap track record and won the Oval Nationals in 2009.

Local driver Bruce St. James of Phoenix, Arizona held off Chris Windom in his ASCS 360 powered #7K Woodland Auto Display Maxim to win the Electro Tech Powder Coating / Rod End Supply Heat Race #4. St. James qualified twentieth fast on the night and scored twenty-first in the 30-lap main event.

"Super" Rickie Gaunt of Torrance, California won the night's 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main event. Driving David Miller's #66 Tom Roberts Design / Barnes Systems Inc. Eagle, the 2004 SCRA Sprint Car Champion qualified fifth quick, finished eighth in his heat race, and scored sixteenth in the feature. Also earning transfer spots to the feature were Bryan Clauson, Jon Stanbrough, Rip Williams, Stevie Sussex, and Austin Williams. Cody Williams and David Bezio used provisionals to race in the main event.

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, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and So-Cal Performance for their support. For more information, visit www.usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.

The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to Perris Auto Speedway on Thursday, November 3rd, for the three-night "16th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals." Co-sanctioned with the USAC National Sprint Car Series, a special practice session will be held on Wednesday at 6pm that is open to fans for FREE. Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, more event information can be found at www.perrisautospeedway.com or calling (951) 940-0134.

 

11-1-11 Thorn and Reed Lead Joiner Race Cars to 1-2 Finish at Las Vegas
Source Steven Blakesley
SRL Southwest Tour

Joiner Race Cars made a big splash in the season finale for the SRL SPEARS Southwest Tour, dominating competition at the Las Vegas Bullring to sweep the top-two finishing positions in the “Sigma Engineering 154” at the three-eights mile bullring. Lakeport’s Derek Thorn won his third SRL race of 2011 in the #26 Superior Crankshaft/JRI Shocks Toyota Camry with the debut of the Gen 1 JRC Truck Arm chassis underneath him with teammate Ryan Reed of Bakersfield bringing the #56 JRC/Racehard.com Camry to a second place finish.

Joiner Race Cars were on top throughout the event that was sponsored by JRC co-team owner Joe Farre of Sigma Engineering.

“I couldn’t be happier with the success of the JRC race cars, drivers, and crews during the Sigma Engineering Solutions 154,” Farre said. “Junior Joiner and the JRC shop staff delivered winning race cars to our drivers, and our drivers delivered winning results for the JRC team; I don’t think you can ask for much more than that!”

JRC made a big statement in Friday night’s practice by taking three of the four top positions on the speed charts. Thorn led practice over Reed followed by Farre in the #54 Sigma Engineering / LVI Services Chevrolet posting fourth on the charts. 16 year-old Blake Williams of Spokane, WA made his series debut this weekend and also gained valuable seat time in the #55 JRC/McClintock & Turk Chevrolet in Friday’s nights practice.

Saturday’s action saw Thorn pick up an unprecedented seventh consecutive fast-time in the series, timing in with a 14.393 second lap to narrowly beat Farre and Reed for the top spot. Williams qualified 16th out of the 23 car turnout but was only one tenth of a second from a top-ten effort his first outing.

An 11 car invert meant the JRC cars would have some work to do to navigate the tough SRL field, but Reed made quick work of the leaders and took the lead by lap 10 with Farre in tow and Thorn up to fourth. On the next restart, Thorn took over the third position to give JRC a 1-2-3 effort as the three JRC cars pulled away from the majority of the field. Thorn eventually took second from Farre before Farre spun in an incident involving a lapped car.

Under the caution, Thorn made a trip to the pits which gave the lead back to Reed. Pit stop strategy was critical in this race as teams were allowed a two-tire stop at any point in the race. A halfway break for fuel saw Reed leading while Thorn ran in the ninth position.

Reed had a strong restart after the break while Thorn moved forward to fifth by lap 90. Pit stops shuffled the order around when Reed ducked into the pits costing him the lead. But by lap 100 he was already back up into the second position and challenging for victory.

Reed took the lead back on lap 110 and Thorn moved into second shortly thereafter. On lap 140, Thorn finally made his move, passing Reed for the lead. Reed was unable to challenge Thorn and they coasted with a straightaway lead to bring home the JRC 1-2 finish.

Williams kept his nose clean throughout the race and handled the pit stop format to finish 13th in his series debut. Farre, however, was unable to finish making for an early night for the 54 team.

“I was very impressed with the performance of our guest drivers Ryan Reed, and Blake Williams with Ryan dominating the race for most of the laps,” Farre said. “ Both drivers did a phenomenal job adapting to the JRC cars and we hope to see both of these drivers back with JRC in the future.”

JRC will now look to translate the successful weekend in the SRL event into a strong weekend in the Super Late Models as the team will return to Las Vegas this Saturday night for the $10,000 to win Fall Classic. The JRC drivers will climb back into their cars with Williams driving the #56 JRC/McClintock & Turk Camry with Thorn carrying new primary sponsorship from Eibach Springs and Sigma Engineering. Farre will be supported by Sigma Engineering and LVI Services for the prestigious 150 lap race

Joiner Race Cars is proud to carry the sponsorship of Sigma Engineering and a number of marketing partners. Among the many contributors are JRI Shocks, Eibach Springs, PepperJack Kennels, Joe's Racing Products, ARP Bodies, Finishline Signs, Fastenal and Joiner Motorsports.
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For additional information about Joiner Race Cars look them up online at www.joinerracecars.com Seats are still available for the 2012 season in the SRL SPEARS Southwest Tour and interested parties can contact Marty Melo at (530) 941-5642.




 

11-1-11 Ventura Raceway October 29th Report
Source Cliff Morgan
Ventura Raceway

The final race in the 2011 All Coast Challenge series within a series went to Ventura's Cory Kruseman in a wild and wooly race that saw 20 VRA Sprint cars battle for 30 laps to see who would take home the special $5,000 winner's purse. The race saw many fine battles throughout the field as drivers battled to move up through the field. Kruseman led all 30 laps from his outside front row starting spot to take this prestigious win. He won the race but Greg Taylor won the war by taking the three race series All Coast Challenge driver's championship and its $5,000 winner's check. The race saw visiting USAC 360 drivers Danny Faria, Jace and Richard Vanderweerd and Adam Frith Smith battle the VRA drivers as well. Faria finished third with Richard Vanderweerd in fourth. Jace was running in the top five until an on track incident moved him back to hi final 12th place finish. Brian Camarillo ran a strong race to finish second to Kruseman. The 8 car semi main went to Troy Rutherford. Heat race wins went to Brian Camarillo in the Extreme Muffler Heat One, Jace Vanderweerd in the Joie of Seating Heat Two, Brent Camarillo in the BR Motorsports Heat Three and Greg Taylor in the Steve Watt Enterprises Heat Four.

Ventura Raceway and all the racers in this division want to send a special thank you to "Big Mike" Groswendt and All Coast Construction Company for his support of the racers by sponsoring this very special event. His continuing support of Ventura Raceway and the drivers in VRA is very much appreciated. The 2011 top five in this series within a series are: Greg Taylor 645, Johnathon Henry 625, Cory Kruseman 570, Steve Conrad 520 and Brent Camarillo 515 points. Forty-nine different drivers took part in the three race series this year.

VRA Midgets took to the track with 23 cars pushing off. Before the green flew, the 05 of Jake Sawnson had a mechanical problem and left the track. When the green flew 22 VRA Midgets were off to what seemed to be a crash fest at first glance. The first three laps saw yellow and red flags slow the race. By lap three 8 cars where gone due to the incidents. From lap 4 to the end the remainder of the field chased Danny Ebberts to the line with exciting racing all over the track. At the checker it was Ebberts taking his first Ventura win in many starts with Markus Niemela second, Josh Lakatos third, Jace Vanderweerd fourth and the ever improving Kyle Smith in fifth. Three heat races were run with wins going to Ebberts in the West Evans Motorsports Heat One, Brent Camarillo in the Joie of Seating Heat Two and Troy Rutherford in the BR Motorsports Heat Three. Cory Kruseman finished eleventh and hold a 130 point lead over Brent Camarillo with one race to go in the battle for the first VRA Midget Championship.

VRA Ford Focus were on hand in two classes the regular adult class and the Junior Focus Class. In regular action, Nick Carlson took the 20 lap feature win over Casey Martinez, Andrew Mulhearn, Jet Davision and Daniel Williams. Casey Martinez took the 8 lap heat race win. In Junior Focus action, Brodie Kostecki took both the 20 lap feature and the 8 lap heat race. With one race remaining for these two classes, Casey Martinez hold a 5 point lead over Nick Carlson in the regular Focus and Katlynn Leer holds a 150 point lead over Parker Colston in the Junior Focus point race.

The final VRA Go Kart race of the 2011 season was held Saturday as well. Cody Nigh took the 7 lap heat race and Johnny Conley took the 20 lap main over Nigh, Kenny Byers Jr., Taylor Haley and Damon Hight.

Next Saturday night November 5, we will hold our final motorcycle event of 2011. VRA Sprints will return for their final race on November 12.