By Dick Jordan
Indiana Sprint Week Champion Jon Stanbrough of Avon, Ind. will make his USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car debut in this Friday’s race at Giant Chevrolet Speedway in Hanford, Calif.
Stanbrough, who earned the 2010 Hoosier Auto Racing Fans (HARF) Driver of the Year honors as a result of his second Indiana Sprint Week title, won five USAC National Sprint races last year, bringing his career total to 25. His victories include a 2009 win in the “Pacific Coast Nationals” at Tulare, which hosts Saturday night’s second West Coast 360 event.
Stanbrough is a 4-time HARF Driver of the Year, a 5-time KISS Sprint king, a two-time champion at the Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway and a two-time winner of the prestigious “Tony Hulman Classic” Sprint race at Terre Haute, Ind. He was also named the 2006/2007 National Non-Wing 410 Driver of the Year.
Friday’s race at Hanford opens the 2011 West Coast 360 campaign as Craig Stidham of Fresno, Calif. opens defense of his 2010 championship.
Six different drivers were victorious in last year’s seven West Coast 360 races at Hanford. T.J. Smith scored twice, while Danny Faria, Jr., Justyne Hamblin, Bud Kaeding and Davey Pombo had single wins and Terry Schank, Jr. captured a special post-season non-points race.
Drivers who triumphed at Tulare last year were National race winner Bud Kaeding, plus 360 Sprint winners Kaeding, Dean Alexander, Richard VanderWeerd and two-time winner Stidham.