1-20-12 A look back at the 2011 King of the West 410 Sprints Royal Court Driver Number Four- “Dirt Cup 40 winner” Jonathan Allard

Rio Vista, CA – January 20, 2012…Winning the second most races this past season with the King of the West Sprint Car Series former two-time champion Jonathan Allard eventually ended the year fourth in points, missing out on third in the standings by just four scant markers.

The Chico, California native was his usual exciting self in 2011 and captured four main event victories throughout the season with KWS. The win total was enough to move him into a tie with Steve Kent for third on the all-time Golden State 410 win list, with each now having 28-victories apiece.

“I can’t thank Morrie and Katie Williams, Ashley Smith and the whole Zero team enough for a great year,” Allard had said. “We obviously would have wanted to win the title, but to get four wins was nice and we were in contention pretty much every night.”

Allard book ended the King of the West Series season by claiming victory on opening night in Antioch and then closing the year in that same fashion at the Cotton Classic in Hanford. His other two wins with the tour came on June 11 at the Southern Oregon Speedway and July 9 during the “Doug Fort Memorial” at Santa Maria Speedway.

The highlight of his year however, came in June at the 40th annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup in Washington. Having already won the event twice before in his career, Allard started from the front row and held off the challenges of Shane Stewart and then Tim Kaeding to lead all 40-laps during Saturday’s finale.

“It was unbelievable to win another Dirt Cup and to do it this past year was the best yet because of the money on the line,” said Allard, who took home a staggering $40,000 for the victory. “Steve Beitler and the crew up there do a great job and we always look forward to racing at the Dirt Cup every year.”

Amazingly the 2011 season marked Allard’s seventh year behind the wheel of the Williams Motorsports No. 0 sprint car, which represents one of the longest running driver/team combos in California. To go along with his four King of the West wins he also led the series in fast times with six and dash victories with four. In addition to that he brought home 10 top-five finishes, 10 top-10’s and five heat race triumphs.

The coming season will find Allard looking to get back into championship contention and bring home the King of the West title after having immense success in New Zealand, where he has already won six main events.

To learn more insight on two-time Golden State champion Jonathan Allard make sure to check out his two appearances on “KWS Tonight” that can be seen at http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/15576979 and http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/13992756 and also visit his website http://www.allardmotorsports.com

The Golden State King of the West 410 Sprints would like to thank the following companies for their support this season: Goodyear Racing Tires, Kaeding Performance, Pit Stop USA.com, 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/kwssprintracing for the most timely and up to date information on the series.

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,” along with special highlight clips from the 2011 season at http://vimeo.com/user5784994/videos and http://www.ustream.tv/channel/king-of-the-west-today/videos