By Dick Jordan
Tony Hunt of Lincoln, Calif. will resume his quest for a sixth and seventh USAC driving championship this Saturday when the AMSOIL USAC Western/Western Classic Sprint Cars visit Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, Calif.
Hunt is two points ahead of Audra Sasselli in the AMSOIL Western standings and eight points better than Geoff Ensign in the Western Classic points. A total of 74 points are available at Irwindale, which means the top-five Western and top three Western Classic drivers all have a shot at the point lead this weekend.
Hunt garnered his initial Irwindale Sprint win in 2001 and added two more in 2006. Kody Swanson won last November’s USAC Sprint race at Irwindale, beating Hunt to the checkered flag as Hunt iced his fourth Western Sprint Car championship. Added to his Regional Sprint and Russell Pro crowns, that makes him only one of seven drivers in USAC history to amass a half-dozen driving titles. Two more would put him in rarified territory, matching Mel Kenyon’s eight titles. Only A.J. Foyt (13), Rich Vogler and Sleepy Tripp (9 each) would have more.
USAC WESTERN SPRINT CAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Tony Hunt-445; 2-Audra Sasselli-443; 3-Cody Gerhardt-439; 4-Tim Skoglund-435; 5-Luis Ramos III-431; 6-Johnny Geisler-271; 7-Scott Pierovich-267; 8-Geoff Ensign-201; 9-Mike Murgoitio-193; 10-Tim Barber-175.
USAC WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT CAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Tony Hunt-489; 2-Geoff Ensign-481; 3-Shauna Hogg-416; 4-Scott Pierovich-386; 5-Tim Barber-364; 6-Jerry Kobza-286; 7-Audra Sasselli-245; 8-Cody Gerhardt-222; 9-Luis Ramos III-204; 10-Tim Skoglund-197.