By Lance Jennings and surfnsprint.com
VENTURA, CA – MAY 17, 2010… When the checkered flag flew for the nonstop 30-lap feature, point leader Troy Rutherford of Ojai claimed his second win in a row at Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway. With thirty-seven cars in the pit area, Rutherford’s victory also ended the seven race streak of different drivers to visit victory circle at “The Best Little Dirt Track In America.”
Driving the Trench Shoring / L&H Consulting #11 machine, Rutherford not only won the main event, but also the Steve Watt Enterprises Heat Race # 2. The victory was his series leading sixth heat race victory of the 2010 campaign. Starting third in the feature, Troy took the lead from Quartz Hill’s Steve Conrad, who was looking for his first main event win of the season. By the halfway point, Rutherford fought off the challenges from a hard charging Brent Camarillo.
The point leader set a blistering pace and worked well through lapped traffic. Camarillo followed through the traffic as well, but could not catch Troy at the checkered flag. “I knew it was going to be a fast race track and it was hammer down all the way,” remarked Rutherford. “My hat’s off to Brent. He has been running great all year long and he is going to win one here real soon.” Rutherford, who now has a 175 point advantage, was followed by Brent Camarillo, Steve Conrad, Palmdale’s Rick Hendrix, and Kevin Kierce of Reseda.
Camarillo’s Brent Camarillo was looking to add his name to the winner’s list. The pilot of the Agromin / Waste Management #51 entry scored his best finish of the year with the runner-up spot after starting fifth. Camarillo was second in his heat race and has five top-10 finishes on the season. Brent is currently seventh in the point standings and has two heat race wins.
Steve Conrad had a strong early run in the feature. Starting on the outside front row alongside Simi Valley’s Chris Wakim, Conrad took command. After falling back to third, the driver of the #56 Roy Miller Freight Lines / SC Grafix car had a tough battle with Rick Hendrix to earn the podium finish. Earlier in the evening, Steve drove to the Kaeding Performance Heat Race #3 win, his second of the year. Conrad is sixth in the point chase and has seven top-10 finishes.
Rick Hendrix took the #15 Rick’s Gate Works Inc. / Wilwood Disc Brakes entry to a fourth place finish after a strong early run to second behind Conrad. The pair battled for third in the later stages of the feature as Conrad took the spot and Rick crossed the finish line in fourth. It was Hendrix’s his fifth top-10 performance of the year. The 1998 USAC Western Midgets Champion won the LRB Manufacturing Heat Race #1, his fourth heat race victory of the year and is now tied for third in the point standings.
Kevin Kierce had a fifth place finish after starting sixth in the Fast Undercar / Direct Tire #1 sprinter. It was the 2-time defending series champion’s seventh top-10 finish of the season. Kierce, who is second in the point chase, finished second to Rutherford in the Steve Watt Enterprises Heat Race. Kevin has two heat race wins in the 2010 season as he looks for another championship.
Chris Wakim returned to action with a victory in the Fast Undercar Heat Race #4. Piloting his All Coast Construction / Carco Racing Engines #9W machine, Wakim started on the pole of the main event and scored a fifteenth place finish. The veteran driver also competes with the VRA Senior Sprints, a division for the forty-five years young and older racers.
Newbury Park’s Jimmy “Neutron” Crawford won the ITI Performance Semi-Main event in his #3X Twister X / Steve Gresham Racing Engines entry. Oak Park’s Cody Kershaw took the Maxima Racing Oils / Applied Suspension #27 car to victory in the other 10-lap semi-main. Following them to the main event were Oak Park’s Rob Kershaw and Brian Camarillo. Brian earned “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors and a $50 certificate from Sushi Fresh for finishing tenth after starting twentieth. That drive also earned Camarillo a $50 certificate from Snap On Tools his tenth place finish.
The VRA Sprint Car Series would like to thank Fast Undercar, ITI Performance, Kaeding Performance, LRB Manufacturing, Lucas Oil, Snap On Tools, Steve Watt Enterprises, Sushi Fresh, and Twister-X for their support.
Ventura Raceway held four other companion features during the night’s action. Bakersfield’s Larry Hood won with the IMCA Modifieds, while Trevor Fitzgibbon of Camarillo took the VRA Sport Compact victory. El Segundo’s Angel Figueroa scored VRA Senior Dwarf Car win and Jimmy May of Ventura won the VRA Go Kart feature after Chriss Gibb was penalized.
The VRA Sprint Cars will return to action on May 29th. This Saturday, May 22nd, Ventura Raceway will showcase the USAC Western Midgets, USAC Focus Midgets, USAC Young Guns Midgets, VRA Sport Compacts, VRA Junior Midgets, and Mini Dwarf Cars. The Front Gates will open at 3:00pm with Racing to start at 5:30pm. Adult tickets are $14, Senior, Military, and Student tickets (ID Required) are $11, while Children’s tickets (12 and under) are FREE. For more event information, please visit www.venturaraceway.com.
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VRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS:
Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California
May 15, 2010
ENTRIES: (Car / Driver Name / Points)
1 Kevin Kierce 200; 3 Marcus Niemela 140; 3X Jimmy Crawford 130; 5K Kenny Perkins 175; 7 Greg Taylor 185; 7G Don Gansen 125; 8 Ronnie Case 160; 09 Luis Espinoza 5; 9W Chris Wakim 145; 10C Mark Chuhaloff 10; 11 Troy Rutherford 260; 14 Tom Hendricks 25; 15 Rick Hendrix 215; 19 Brandon Thomson 5; 20K Dakota Kershaw 5; 22C Brian Camarillo 150; 24 Guy Woodward 5; 25 Danny Venegas 15; 26 Rob Kershaw 140; 27K Cody Kershaw 155; 29K Hobie Conway 5; 29S Michael Steele 5; 31 Bruce Douglass 130; 33 Scott Hansen 115; 43 Justin Kierce 170; 51 Brent Camarillo 235; 55S Kyle Smith 10; 56 Steve Conrad 225; 65 Austin DeBlauw 100; 72 Greg Alexander 5; 73 Josh Ford 110; 76 Derek Buckley 15; 83 John Nock 10; 91R Brody Roa 15; 92 Dwayne Marcum 0; 96K Charlie Butcher 10; 98 Chris Tramel 5.
HEAT RACE 1: (10 laps)
1. Rick Hendrix, 2. Ronnie Case, 3. Greg Taylor, 4. Justin Kierce, 5. Rob Kershaw, 6. Brody Roa, 7. Kyle Smith, 8. Guy Woodward, 9. Brandon Thomson, 10. Dwayne Marcum (DNS).
HEAT RACE 2: (10 laps)
1. Troy Rutherford, 2. Kevin Kierce, 3. Josh Ford, 4. Marcus Niemela, 5. Brian Camarillo, 6. Danny Venegas, 7. Charlie Butcher, 8. Chris Tramel, 9. Luis Espinoza.
HEAT RACE 3: (10 laps)
1. Steve Conrad, 2. Brent Camarillo, 3. Don Gansen, 4. Tom Hendricks, 5. Jimmy Crawford, 6. Austin DeBlauw, 7. John Nock, 8. Dakota Kershaw, 9. Michael Steele.
HEAT RACE 4: (9 laps)
1. Chris Wakim, 2. Kenny Perkins, 3. Bruce Douglass, 4. Scott Hansen, 5. Cody Kershaw, 6. Derek Buckley, 7. Mark Chuhaloff, 8. Greg Alexander, 9. Hobie Conway.
SEMI-MAIN #1: (10 laps)
1. Jimmy Crawford, 2. Rob Kershaw, 3. Austin DeBlauw, 4. Brody Roa, 5. John Nock, 6. Dakota Kershaw, 7. Brandon Thomson, 8. Kyle Smith, 9. Guy Woodward, 10. Michael Steele (DNS). 11. Dwayne Marcum (DNS).
SEMI-MAIN #2: (10 laps)
1. Cody Kershaw, 2. Brian Camarillo, 3. Derek Buckley, 4. Greg Alexander, 5. Danny Venegas, 6. Charlie Butcher, 7. Mark Chuhaloff, 8. Chris Tramel, 9. Luis Espinoza, 10. Hobie Conway (DNS).
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Troy Rutherford (3rd), 2. Brent Camarillo (5th), 3. Steve Conrad (2nd), 4. Rick Hendrix (4th), 5. Kevin Kierce (6th), 6. Greg Taylor (7th), 7. Justin Kierce (15th), 8. Kenny Perkins (9th), 9. Cody Kershaw (18th), 10. Brian Camarillo (20th), 11. Ronnie Case (8th), 12. Rob Kershaw (19th), 13. Marcus Niemela (16th), 14. Jimmy Crawford (17th), 15. Chris Wakim (1st), 16. Bruce Douglass (12th), 17. Don Gansen (10th), 18. Scott Hansen (13th), 19. Austin DeBlauw (21st), 20. Josh Ford (11th), 21. Tom Hendricks (DNS – 14th).
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Hobie Conway flipped in Heat Race 4.
Guy Woodward flipped in Semi-Main #1.
NEXT VRA SPRINT CAR RACE:
May 29 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California
VRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: (5/15)
1. Troy Rutherford 1870
2. Kevin Kierce 1695
3. Greg Taylor 1480
-. Rick Hendrix 1480
5. Josh Ford 1450
6. Steve Conrad 1405
7. Brent Camarillo 1230
8. Brian Camarillo 1115
9. Don Gansen 1065
10. Justin Kierce 1050
11. Guy Woodward 990
12. John Nock 945
13. Ronnie Case 880
14. Cody Kershaw 825
15. Dakota Kershaw 720
16. Luis Espinoza 680
17. Brody Roa 615
18. Scott Hansen 570
19. Kenny Perkins 520
20. Bruce Douglass 480