From Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – (SEPTEMBER 13, 2011) – This Saturday night, September 17th, the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series will return to Chris Kearns’ Santa Maria Speedway for the 26th Annual Bud Stanfield Memorial. The special event will feature a purse of $2000-to-win, $1000-for-2nd, $800-for-3rd, and $250-to-start the 30-lap feature. Joining the action packed card will be the MMI Hobby Stocks, Toste Construction Mini-Stocks, and the popular NMRA TQ Midgets. 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.
Thanks to the support from Cyndi Jewett and family, the 2011 “Bud Stanfield Memorial” carries the special purse and will also honor longtime competitor John Jewett. John, a veteran of the Bandit, Santa Maria, Ventura, and SCRA Sprint Car wars, scored his only feature win at the Santa Maria facility. The popular driver passed way last month and will be missed by the racing community.
To date, seven different drivers have scored feature wins in twelve events during the 2011 campaign. Bud Kaeding leads all drivers with four triumphs, followed by Ryan Bernal with three victories. “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., Wes Gutierrez, Peter Murphy, Jace VanderWeerd, and Richard VanderWeerd have one main event win as the season is winding down.
Piloting the family owned #10 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Richard VanderWeerd of Visalia holds a fifty-two point advantage over the competition. Scoring a third place finish at last Saturday’s Jim Turner Memorial at Hanford, VanderWeerd also has one feature win, three Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards, three heat race victories, eleven top-10 finishes, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, and seventeen main event laps led on the year. With three point races remaining on the schedule, Richard will be looking for the Stanfield Memorial victory
Driving Danny Olmstead’s #11D S&S Automotive / Dorso’s Automotive Maxim, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal is second in the point standings. Last Saturday night, Bernal claimed second in the Turner Memorial and has three feature wins, two heat race victories, nine top-10 finishes, and leads the series with 116 feature laps led. The former Wingless Spec Sprint Champion will have his sights set on another Santa Maria victory and gaining valuable points on VanderWeerd.
Visalia’s Jace VanderWeerd is third in the battle for the championship. Piloting the family owned #88 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Richard’s twin brother was sixth at Hanford. To date, last year’s USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year has one feature win, one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, one heat race victory, ten top-10 finishes, and fourteen main event laps led to his credit. VanderWeerd still has a shot at the title with the Stanfield Memorial victory.
Climbing to fourth in the point standings is Wes Gutierrez of San Martin. Driving the WG Motorsports #007 ButlerBuilt / Competition Suspension Inc. DRC, Gutierrez led all thirty laps to win Hanford’s Jim Turner Memorial. The hard charger leads the series with five heat race victories and also has nine top-10 finishes on the season. Wes will be looking to add Santa Maria’s Stanfield Memorial to his resume and the $2,000 payday.
“Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton is fifth in the point chase. Piloting Junior Bowman’s #2 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Bullet, Faria scored eighteenth at Hanford after a violent flip ended his night. The veteran driver has one feature win, two Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards, three heat race victories, six top-10 finishes, and thirty-two laps on the year. “Hollywood” will be looking to rebound with the $2,000 Santa Maria victory.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Dennis Howell of Rancho Palos Verdes, Hanford’s Justyne Hamblin, Greg Alexander of Gardena, Fresno’s T.J. Smith, and Bakersfield’s Rusty Carlile. In addition, Hanford’s Jonathan Logan, Ricky Kirkbride of Bakersfield, Santa Maria’s Danny Sheridan, and Bud Kaeding of Campbell should be on hand to battle for the victory.
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-694; 2-Ryan Bernal-642; 3-Jace VanderWeerd-600; 4-Wes Gutierrez-586; 5-Danny Faria Jr.-550; 6-Dennis Howell-511; 7-Justyne Hamblin-474; 8-Greg Alexander-461; 9-T.J. Smith-437; 10-Rusty Carlile-395.
USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT SCHEDULE:
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
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*Non-Points Event.