By Lance Jennings
VENTURA, CA – AUGUST 25, 2011… The 360 Sprint Cars of the Ventura Racing Association will return to action after a month break this Saturday for one of the most anticipated dates on the schedule. The “Vendor’s Cup” will showcase a special 40-lap main event at Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway. Joining the action packed card will be the VRA Midgets, Ford Focus and Junior Focus Midgets, IMCA Modifieds and Go Karts. The Pit Gate will open at noon, Front Gates will open at 3:00pm with Racing at “The Best Little Dirt Track In America” to begin at 5:30pm.
The “Vendor’s Cup” currently has a winner’s share of $7,150 with potential to grow as officials work to increase the purse. Interested companies or parties that wish to support the event can contact Julianne at Ventura Raceway at (805) 985-5433. Drivers competing in the race must be members with the Ventura Racing Association and all cars must meet VRA tech rules, including the required 180 degree mufflers.
Heading into Saturday’s action, Greg Taylor of Ventura leads the championship standings with a 325 point lead over the competition. Piloting the #7 Clark Engineering Construction / Westco International Consulting Inc. special, Taylor finished second on July 23rd after starting eighth. To date, the former track champion has two feature wins, seven heat race victories, two hard charger awards, eleven top-10 finishes, and eighty-seven feature laps led to his credit. Greg will have his sights set on the big winner’s paycheck on Saturday.
Camarillo’s Josh Ford is second in the point chase. On July 23rd, the driver of the #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machining entry scored eighth in the 30-lap feature. As the writing goes to press, the former USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year has four heat race victories, one hard charger award, eleven top-10 finishes, and six feature laps led in the 2011 campaign. Ford will be looking to break through on Saturday with his first win of the season.
Sitting third in the point standings is Steve Conrad of Quartz Hill. Piloting the #56 Roy Miller Freightlines / SC Grafix machine, the veteran driver led all 30-laps on July 23rd to claim his second feature victory of the year. In the 2011 campaign, the former USAC TQ Midget graduate has one heat race victory, three hard charger awards, eleven top-10 finishes, and forty-eight feature laps led. This Saturday night, Conrad will be in the mix for another Ventura win.
Camarillo’s Brian Camarillo has come on strong over the last few races to earn fourth in points. Driving the #22 Agromin Soil / Waste Management special, Camarillo finished ninth on July 23rd. The young driver has one feature win, six heat race victories, one semi-main win, eight top-10 finishes, and has led 30 feature laps led to his credit. Brian will be looking to add another Ventura feature win to his resume.
Don Gansen of Rialto is fifth in the standings. Piloting the Gansen Motorsports #7G Sprinter, Don took sixth on July 23rd. To date, the California Lightning Sprint Car graduate has one feature win, two heat race victories, one hard charger award, and has led thirty-three feature laps led on the year. Look for Gansen to challenge for the Ventura 30-lap feature victory.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Ojai’s Derek Buckley, Camarillo’s Brent Camarillo, Jimmy Crawford of Newbury Park, Ventura’s Cory Kruseman, Norwalk’s Brandon Thomson, Ojai’s Troy Rutherford, Santa Clarita’s Clark Templeman III, and many more.
As an added bonus for race fans, “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman will have his 2-seat Sprint Car on hand. A drawing will be held and the lucky fans will have the ride of their life. To participate, winners must be 16 years of age and in good health. Soft laced shoes are needed and tennis shoes preferred. Any winner under the age of 18 must have a parent in attendance to sign a parental waiver release due to insurance restrictions.
Ventura Raceway is located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California. Adult tickets are $14, Senior, Military, and Student tickets (ID Required) are $11, while Children’s tickets (12 and under) are FREE. For more event information, please visit www.venturaraceway.com or call (805) 985-5433.
To catch all of the action of the VRA Sprint Car Series and Ventura Raceway, Mike Truex’s Loudpedal Productions has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com. In addition, Ventura Raceway offers a live feed of every event at www.venturaraceway.com/live.html. The live feed is scheduled to begin at 5:00pm PST.
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VRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Greg Taylor 3005; 2. Josh Ford 2680; 3. Steve Conrad 2545; 4. Brian Camarillo 2360; 5. Don Gansen 2285; 6. Derek Buckley 2240; 7. Brent Camarillo 2115; 8. Markus Niemela 1815; 9. Kyle Smith 1700; 10. Jimmy Crawford 1630; 11. Cory Kruseman 1565; 12. Austin DeBlauw 1495; 13. Tom Harper 1385; 14. Dakota Kershaw 1235; 15. Brandon Thomson 1175; 16. Guy Woodward 1115; 17. Brody Roa 1055; 18. Troy Rutherford 1025; 19. John Nock 955; 20. Clark Templeman III 920.
NEXT VRA SPRINT CAR RACE:
August 27 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California – “Vendor’s Cup”
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