By Lance Jennings and surfnsprint.com
VENTURA, CA – JULY 6, 2010… Round #13 for the VRA 360 Sprint Car Series saw point leader Troy Rutherford from Ojai score his third win of the 2010 campaign. The wild 30-lap feature at Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway featured intense action as Rutherford gets closer to the series championship.
Piloting #11 Trench Shoring / L&H Consulting #11 machine, Troy has had an outstanding season to date. The veteran driver also claimed victory in the Steve Watt Enterprises Heat Race #2, his series leading tenth heat race win of the year. Starting in the fourth position of the main event, Rutherford battled his way forward and missed disaster on a couple of occasions to claim the victory.
Don Gansen and Steve Conrad paced the twenty-car field to the green flag. Gansen got the jump at the start and led the first five laps until a red flag was brought out for Conrad, who flipped after contact with Justin Kierce. Steve walked away uninjured, but his car was done for the night. Rutherford managed to escape the incident and inherited the second spot.
When action resumed, Rutherford made a power move to pass Gansen and take the lead on the next lap. Behind the leaders, Brian Camarillo, Kevin Kierce, and Greg Taylor gave chase. Taylor was on the move and worked his way to the second spot. With a few laps remaining in the feature, Greg pressured Troy and briefly took the lead. Rutherford battled back and reclaimed the top spot despite a broken jacobs ladder. As the checkered flags waved, it was Troy Rutherford’s night with Taylor close behind. Brian Camarillo, Kevin Kierce, and Don Gansen rounded out the top five. With the win, Rutherford currently enjoys a 295 point advantage over Taylor.
Greg Taylor’s runner-up finish was his twelfth top-10 performance of the year. Driving the #7 Taylor Trucking & Crane Service / Four Paws Pet Grooming car, the Ventura pilot finished second in his heat race. Starting seventh in the feature, the 2007 Champion looked for his 46th lifetime win and charged his way forward to finish close behind Rutherford at the checkered flags.
Camarillo’s Brian Camarillo won the Fast Undercar Heat Race #4, his fifth 10-lap victory of the year. Starting sixth in the feature, Camarillo powered the #22 Agromin / Waste Management machine to a third place finish. Brian is seventh in the point standings with eight top-10 performances.
With his fourth place finish, Kevin Kierce of Reseda drove to his tenth top-10 finish of the season. Earlier in the evening, Kierce took the #8 Fast Undercar / Direct Tire entry to the victory in the LRB Manufacturing Heat Race #1. The win was the 2-time defending champion’s fifth heat race triumph as he is third in the point chase.
Rialto’s Don Gansen started on the pole position of the 30-lap feature and raced hard to stay up towards the front. Driving the #81 Christian Stover Foundation entry, Gansen fell back to a fifth place finish, his fifth top-10 effort of the year. Don finished second in his heat race and is currently ninth in the point standings.
Josh Ford from Camarillo took the victory in the Kaeding Performance Heat Race #3. Ford took the #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine car to a sixth place finish in the main event. Sitting fourth in the point chase, the former USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year has ten top-10 finishes on the year.
Santa Barbara’s Marcus Niemela drove the Polly Gallimore backed #3 sprinter to victory in the ITI Performance Semi-Main event. The win was his second semi-main victory of the year. Following Niemela to the feature were Oak Park’s Dakota Kershaw, Jeff Fillingame of Santa Paula, and Steve Hix from Ventura. Niemela finished tenth after starting seventeenth, earning the Sushi Fresh Hard Charger award for his efforts.
Kershaw was thirteenth, Fillingame finished fifteenth, and Hix scored a sixteenth place finish in the main event.
Ventura Raceway held five other companion main events. Ventura’s Gary Howard drove to his second win with the VRA Senior Sprints, while Rob Hansen won in Senior Dwarf Car action. Camarillo’s Josh Ford took the win in the Go Kart division and Mike Kirby of Lomita won with the IMCA Modifieds. A special exhibition was held with the Arizona based Modlites and Andy Eatwell claimed the win.
This Saturday, July 10th, “The Best Little Track In America” will take a week off. On July 17th, the VRA 360 Sprint Cars will return to action with Dwarf Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Sport Compacts, Junior Midgets, and Mini Dwarf Cars. For more event information, please visit www.venturaraceway.com.
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VRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS:
Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California
July 3, 2010
ENTRIES: ( Car / Driver Name / Points)
3 Marcus Niemela 150; 5K Kenny Perkins 145; 6 Brent Camarillo 160; 7 Greg Taylor 235; 8 Kevin Kierce 215; 11 Troy Rutherford 260; 15 Rick Hendrix 120; 18T Clark Templeman III 180; 19 Brandon Thomson 170; 20K Dakota Kershaw 135; 22c Brian Camarillo 225; 27K Cody Kershaw 135; 29s Michael Steele 10; 33 Scott Hansen 150; 43 Justin Kierce 110; 49x Jeff Fillingame 125; 55s Kyle Smith 10; 56 Steve Conrad 120; 57 Steve Hix 115; 65 Austin DeBlauw 15; 71K Jay Waugh 15; 73 Josh Ford 195; 76 Derek Buckley 125; 81 Don Gansen 200; 91R Brody Roa 15; 96k Charlie Butcher 20.
HEAT RACE 1: (10 laps)
1. Kevin Kierce, 2. Greg Taylor, 3. Justin Kierce, 4. Kenny Perkins, 5. Marcus Niemela, 6. Austin DeBlauw, 7. Kyle Smith.
HEAT RACE 2: (10 laps)
1. Troy Rutherford, 2. Don Gansen, 3. Brandon Thomson, 4. Brent Camarillo, 5. Dakota Kershaw, 6. Brody Roa, 7. Michael Steele.
HEAT RACE 3: (10 laps)
1. Josh Ford, 2. Clark Templeman III, 3. Rick Hendrix, 4. Cody Kershaw, 5. Charlie Butcher, 6. Jay Waugh.
HEAT RACE 4: (10 laps)
1. Brian Camarillo, 2. Steve Conrad, 3. Derek Buckley, 4. Scott Hansen, 5. Jeff Fillingame, 6. Steve Hix.
SEMI-MAIN: (12 laps)
1. Marcus Niemela, 2. Dakota Kershaw, 3. Jeff Fillingame, 4. Steve Hix, 5. Brody Roa, 6. Kyle Smith, 7. Jay Waugh, 8. Austin DeBlauw, 9. Michael Steele, 10. Charlie Butcher.
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Troy Rutherford (4th), 2. Greg Taylor (7th), 3. Brian Camarillo (6th), 4. Kevin Kierce (3rd), 5. Don Gansen (1st), 6. Josh Ford (5th), 7. Clark Templeman III (8th), 8. Brandon Thomson (11th), 9. Brent Camarillo (14th), 10. Marcus Niemela (17th), 11. Scott Hansen (16th), 12. Kenny Perkins (13th), 13. Dakota Kershaw (18th), 14. Cody Kershaw (15th), 15. Jeff Fillingame (19th) 16. Steve Hix (20th), 17. Derek Buckley (12th), 18. Rick Hendrix (9th), 19. Steve Conrad (2nd), 20. Justin Kierce (10th).
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VRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: (7/3)
1. Troy Rutherford 2925; 2. Greg Taylor 2630; 3. Kevin Kierce 2595; 4. Josh Ford 2455; 5. Rick Hendrix 2235; 6. Steve Conrad 2205; 7. Brian Camarillo 2145; 8. Brent Camarillo 2010; 9. Don Gansen 1825; 10. Justin Kierce 1670; 11. Cody Kershaw 1460; 12. Guy Woodward 1335; 13. Dakota Kershaw 1310; 14. Brody Roa 1225; 15. Kenny Perkins 1195; 16. John Nock 1135; 17. Brandon Thomson 1080; 18. Luis Espinoza 1000; 19. Ronnie Case 995; 20. Scott Hansen 870.
NEXT VRA SPRINT CAR RACE:
July 17- Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California