By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – AUGUST 23, 2011… Promoter Chris Kearns has announced an offer for a free hotel room to any out of state Sprint Car teams that compete with the USAC West Coast 360s this Saturday at Santa Maria Speedway. In addition, the team’s entry fee will be covered at the event. For more information, contact Chris Kearns at chrisk.usa@gmail.com.
Cars must meet current USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Series specifications and comply with local muffler and tire rules. Raceceivers are required and more technical/series information can be found at www.westcoastsprintcars.com.
Twin brothers Richard and Jace VanderWeerd of Visalia sit atop the standings, with Richard holding a sixty-two point lead. Both drivers have scored main event wins in the 2011 campaign with Richard taking the make-up feature at Hanford on July 16th and Jace was victorious at Santa Maria on April 9th. Hollister’s Ryan Bernal has won the last two features with victories at Santa Maria on July 30th and Hanford last Saturday night. “Wide Open” Wes Gutierrez of San Martin will be looking for his first win of the year and “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton won Hanford’s Jim Evett Memorial on July 16th.
3-Time USAC/CRA Champion Mike Spencer of Temecula will team with veteran Southern California car owner Mark Priestley to make their first career start with the young series.
In addition to the USAC West Coast 360 Sprints, Saturday’s card will also feature the Toste Construction Mini Stocks, California Lightning Sprints, and American/Enduro Stocks. The Front Gates will open at 4:00pm, Time Trials will start at 5:00pm, with Racing at “The West Coast’s Best Short Track” to begin at 6:00pm.
Santa Maria Speedway is located 1/4-mile north of the 101/166 interchange at 1900 Hutton Road in Nipomo, California. Adult tickets are $16, Senior, Military, and Student tickets (13-17) are $14, Kids tickets (6-12) are $6, and Children’s tickets (5 and under) are FREE. For more event information, visit the track’s website at www.racesantamariaspeedway.com or call (805) 922-2232.
The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, ButlerBuilt, Competition Suspension Inc., 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, Port City Racing, Rod End Supply, Saferacer.com, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support.
For more information on the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, www.racesantamariaspeedway.com, or follow the series on facebook.
NEW WEST COAST 360 SPRINT POINTS:
1-Richard VanderWeerd-574; 2-Jace VanderWeerd-512; 3-Ryan Bernal-507; 4-Wes Gutierrez-475; 5-Danny Faria Jr.-461; 6-Dennis Howell-398; 7-T.J. Smith-395; 8-Bud Kaeding-376; 9-Justyne Hamblin-367; 10-Greg Alexander-352.
USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT SCHEDULE:
August 27: Santa Maria Speedway – Santa Maria, CA
September 10: Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway – Hanford, CA
September 17: Santa Maria Speedway – Santa Maria, CA
September 24: Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway – Hanford, CA
October 8: Groppetti Automotive Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
October 15: *Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway – Hanford, CA