By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – JULY 13, 2010… The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series will return to action this Saturday, July 17th, at Hanford’s Giant Chevrolet Speedway. This will mark the thirteenth event of the 2010 campaign for the powerful 360 cubic inch sprints and the third race at Central Valley oval. Also on the card will be the Central California Modifieds and Bud Light Mini-Stocks. The Driver’s Meeting will be at 5:00pm with Hot Laps at 5:30pm. Qualifying is scheduled for 6:30, with racing to follow.
On March 13th, Tipton’s “Hollywood” Danny Faria scored his first win on the Hanford clay since 2005 with the Golden State Challenge Sprint Cars. Faria drove to the 30-lap feature victory after starting sixteenth. When the series returned on June 5th, Justyne Hamblin made USAC history in front of her hometown fans by becoming the second female driver in USAC history to win a sprint car feature on dirt.
Saturday’s event will honor Jim Evett, a longtime supporter of Sprint Car racing in Central California. In 2006, Evett helped Hanford’s Jonathan Logan win the 2006 SCRA Sprint Car Championship.
Craig Stidham of Fresno leads all drivers on the circuit with four feature wins. The pilot of the Brad Johnson Trucking / KRC Safety #3S Maxim will look for his first Hanford win of the season and extend his fifty-eight point advantage over Davey Pombo. When the series last competed on June 26th at Santa Maria, Stidham was second quick in time trials, second in his heat race, and scored a fourth place finish.
Kerman’s Davey Pombo claimed the Bakersfield victory on March 27th. Driving Junior Bowman’s Buster & Ziggy #3 Bullet, Pombo was fourth quick in time trials, won the Extreme Mufflers / Keizer Wheels Heat Race and finished second at Santa Maria.
Sitting third in the point chase is T.J. Smith of Fresno. Smith will be looking for his win of the year at Hanford in Steve LeGras’ UHL Rubber #14 Maxim. At Santa Maria, The former Plaza Park track champion earned his second Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, second in his heat race, and finished seventh in the main event.
Hanford’s Justyne Hamblin is currently fourth in the point standings. Piloting the JH Motorsports / Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino #8 Speed Tech entry, Hamblin has one feature win in 2010. At Santa Maria, the defending series champion was fifth quick in time trials, third in her heat race, and scored a seventeenth place finish.
Peter Murphy of Clovis is fifth in the point chase. The versatile driver has found a new ride in Junior Bowman’s Buster & Ziggy #11X Bullet. The former SCRA 360 Sprint Car champion is a fan favorite and will be looking for his first win of the year.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Bakersfield’s Rusty Carlile, Visalia’s Jace & Richard VanderWeerd, Tipton’s “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., Ricky Kirkbride of Bakersfield, Hanford’s Geoffrey Strole, Visalia’s Jesse Mack, and Wes Gutierrez of San Martin.
The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, Competition Suspension, Cory Kruseman’s Sprint Car & Midget Driving School, Crow Enterprizes, DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Hinchman-Indy Racing Uniforms, Integra Shocks, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Kirkey Racing Fabrication, Port City Racing, Saferacer.com, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support.
Giant Chevrolet Speedway is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds in Hanford, California. General Reserved tickets are $13 and general admission tickets are $10. For more information, please visit www.giantchevroletspeedway.com, www.kingsspeedway.net, or call (559) 584-RACE (7223).
For more information on the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series, please visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, www.racesantamariaspeedway.com, or follow the series on facebook.
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USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Craig Stidham 713; 2. Davey Pombo 655; 3. T.J. Smith 589; 4. Justyne Hamblin 554; 5. Peter Murphy 503; 6. Rusty Carlile 473; 7. Jace VanderWeerd 450; 8. Danny Faria Jr. 440; 9. Richard VanderWeerd 394; 10. Chris Ennis 387; 11. Andy Ferris 322; 12. Ricky Kirkbride 302; 13. Geoffrey Strole 281; 14. Jonathan Logan 259; 15. Jesse Mack 243; 16. Jimmy Thompson 236; 17. Wes Gutierrez 234; 18. Danny Sheridan 222; 19. Albert Pombo 191; 20. Koen Shaw 167.