From Lance Jennings, image courtesy of surfnsprint.com
VENTURA, CA – MARCH 9, 2011… This Saturday, March 12th, Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway will host the second round of action for the VRA 360 Sprint Cars. Also on the card will be the VRA Senior Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, Sport Compacts, and VRA Go-Karts. The front gates will open at 3:00pm with racing at “The Best Little Dirt Track In America” to begin at 5:30pm.
Ojai’s Troy Rutherford won last Saturday’s opening night main event. Driving the #11 Trench Shoring / State Ready Mix car, Rutherford started sixth and passed Greg Taylor for the lead on lap twenty-eight. The veteran drivers battled for the top spot, but the defending series champion claimed the victory. Now the point leader heading into Saturday’s action, Troy also won the night’s third heat race and holds a twenty-five point advantage over Taylor. Rutherford will be looking for the repeat win at Ventura Raceway.
Currently second in the point chase, Ventura’s Greg Taylor will be looking to avenge his runner-up finish. Piloting the #7 Taylor Trucking & Crane Service / Four Paws Pet Grooming machine, Taylor led nineteen laps in the main event before falling to Rutherford. The former series champion finished second in his heat race and will be among the favorites this Saturday night.
By virtue of his third place finish last Saturday, Marcus Niemela of Santa Barbara sits third in the point standings. Driving the #69 Steve Watt Enterprises / SurfnSprint.com entry. Niemela led the first eight laps of the feature until a bobble opened the door for Taylor and Rutherford. The hard charging driver finished second in his heat race and sits forty points behind the leader. Marcus will be working for a 30-lap feature victory on Saturday.
Brandon Thomson of Norwalk is fourth in point chase. Piloting the #92 ThunderHead Apparel sponsored machine, Thomson raced from the seventh spot to finish fourth in the main event. Earlier in the night, Brandon won the program’s second heat race and is currently five points behind Niemela. The hard charging Thomson will have his eyes set on a feature win.
Reseda’s Justin Kierce is fifth in the championship point standings. Driving the #43 JDCE Transportation / Concrete Specialties car, Kierce was fifth in last Saturday’s feature despite having a flat left rear tire. The young driver won the evening’s fourth 10-lap heat race and sits ten points behind Thomson. This Saturday, Justin will be looking for his first career Sprint Car victory.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Rialto’s Don Gansen, Clark Templeman III of Santa Clarita, Camarillo’s Josh Ford, Brody Roa of Buena Park, Camarillo’s Brian and Brent Camarillo, Steve Conrad of Quartz Hill, Jimmy Crawford of Newbury Park, and many more.
Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California. Adult tickets are $14, Senior, Military, and Student tickets (ID Required) are $11, while Children’s tickets (12 and under) are FREE. For more event information, please visit www.venturaraceway.com or call (805) 985-5433.
To catch all of the action of the VRA Sprint Car Series and Ventura Raceway, Mike Truex’s Loudpedal Productions has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com. In addition, Ventura Raceway offers a live feed of every event at www.venturaraceway.com/live.html. The live feed is scheduled to begin at 5:00pm PST.
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VRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Troy Rutherford 260; 2. Greg Taylor 235; 3. Marcus Niemela 220; 4. Brandon Thomson 215; 5. Justin Kierce 205; 6. Don Gansen 190; 7. Clark Templeman III 170; -. Josh Ford 170; -. Derek Buckley 170; 10. John Nock 165; 11. Brody Roa 155; 12. Brian Camarillo 145; 13. Ryan Bernal 135; –. Charlie Butcher 135; 15. Tom Hendricks 125; –. Brent Camarillo 125; 17. Tom Harper 120; 18. Bruce Douglass 115; 19. Steve Conrad 110; 20. Steve Hix 105.
NEXT VRA SPRINT CAR RACE:
March 12 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California