FOCUSES, YOUNG GUNS AUGMENT VENTURA SATURDAY

From Dick Jordan

The USAC Western Ford Focus and Young Guns series will join the Western Midgets for this Saturday’s “tripleheader” racing program at the storied Ventura (Calif.) Raceway. Kyle Edwards of Fountain Valley, Calif. sits atop the latest Western standings, while Jarid Blondel of Orange, Calif, is the Western Young Guns point leader.

Jeremy Frankoski, Connor Kassik and Brandon White all scored feature wins in last week’s action.

Frankoski, of Newark Valley. N.Y. emerged the winner of Wednesday night’s 30-lap USAC Midwest/Carolina Ford Focus feature event at the Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Frankoski officially led the last 21 laps of the race in his Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/Joe Gibbs Racing Oil Beast. Scott Hunter, who led the first nine laps, finished second, ahead of Adam Wilsdon, Mike Ward and Andy Nock. The car driven by fast qualifier Bradley Riethmeyer failed to pass post-race technical inspection after finishing first. Rain halted Thursday night’s Hickory events following the heats. Riethmeyer was the fastest Thursday Ford Focus qualifier.

Cody Acton of Denver, N.C. won a pair of Young Guns Exhibition races at Hickory. Gage Walker and Ross Rankine finished second and third each night.

The Carolina Ford Focus Series resumes April 17 at Hickory Motor Speedway, while the Midwest Ford Focus Series will continue April 16-17 at Gas City and Montpelier, Ind.

Kassik, of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. and White, of Eureka, Calif., shared the spotlight in Saturday night’s USAC Ford Focus and Young Guns “doubleheader” at the Lucas Oil I-10 Speedway. Kassik wheeled his Ron Sutton’s Winners Circle machine to victory in the Ford Focus feature, leading all 40 laps, while White led all 10 laps in his Sutton machine to win the accompanying Young Guns main event. Cody Gerhardt, Kyle Edwards, Eli Schrock and Bobby Runyan trailed Kassik to the checkered flag, with Edwards emerging atop the Western Ford Focus points. White was followed by Winn Frazin, Austin Farley, Jarid Blondel and Jessica Clark.

USAC MIDWEST FORD FOCUS POINT STANDINGS

1-Jeremy Frankoski-83; 2-Adam Wilsdon-71; 3-Scott Hunter-68; 4-Mike Ward-67; 5-Joe Liguori-59; 6-Andy Nock-58; 7-Chris Lamb-57; 8-Jake Blackhurst-51; 9-Nick Drake-46; 10-Tim Craver-44.

USAC EASTERN FORD FOCUS POINT STANDINGS

1-Jeremy Frankoski-83; 2-Adam Wilsdon-71; 3-Scott Hunter-68; 4-Mike Ward-67; 5-Joe Liguori-59; 6-Andy Nock-58; 7-Chris Lamb-57; 8-Jake Blackhurst-51; 9-Nick Drake-46; 10-Tim Craver-44.

USAC CAROLINA FORD FOCUS POINT STANDINGS

1-Jeremy Frankoski-83; 2-Adam Wilsdon-71; 3-Scott Hunter-68; 4-Mike Ward-67; 5-Joe Liguori-59; 6-Andy Nock-58; 7-Chris Lamb-57; 8-Jake Blackhurst-51; 9-Nick Drake-46; 10-Tim Craver-44.

USAC WESTERN FORD FOCUS POINT STANDINGS

1-Kyle Edwards-172; 2-Connor Kassik-136; 3-Eli Schrock-121; 4-Bobby Runyan-119; 5-Cody Gerhardt-115; 6-Shawn Buckley-102; 7-A.J. Ault-91; 8-Michael Daniels-85; 9-Austin Farley-77; 10-J.R. Williams-74.

USAC WESTERN FORD FOCUS PAVEMENT POINT STANDINGS

1-Eli Schrock-121; 2-Bobby Runyan-119; 3-Cody Gerhardt-115; 4-Kyle Edwards-114; 5-Shawn Buckley-102; 6-Connor Kassik-94; 7-A.J. Ault-91; 8-Michael Daniels-85; 9-Austin Farley-77; 10-J.R. Williams-74.

USAC UTAH FORD FOCUS POINT STANDINGS

1-Eli Schrock-121; 2-Bobby Runyan-119; 3-Cody Gerhardt-115; 4-Kyle Edwards-114; 5-Shawn Buckley-102; 6-Connor Kassik-94; 7-A.J. Ault-91; 8-Michael Daniels-85; 9-Austin Farley-77; 10-J.R. Williams-74.

USAC WESTERN YOUNG GUNS POINT STANDINGS

1-Jarid Blondel-163; 2-Brandon White-133; 3-Austin Farley-130; 4-Winn Frazin-120; 5-Casey Martinez-68; 6-Alex Jacobsen-63; 7-Tanner Kershaw-56; 8-Jessica Clark-56; 9-Collin Henry-48; 10-Bradley Morris-48.

USAC WESTERN YOUNG GUNS PAVEMENT POINT STANDINGS

1-Brandon White-133; 2-Austin Farley-130; 3-Jarid Blondel-117; 4-Winn Frazin-62; 5-Jessica Clark-56; 6-Tanner Long-9.

USAC WESTERN YOUNG GUNS DIRT POINT STANDINGS

1-Casey Martinez-68; 2-Alex Jacobsen-63; 3-Winn Frazin-58; 4-Tanner Kershaw-56; 5-Collin Henry-48; 6-Bradley Morris-48; 7-Jarid Blondel-46; 8-Al Simpson-42.