By Lance Jennings
VENTURA, CA – SEPTEMBER 20, 2011… This Saturday night, September 24th, two divisions of Sprint Cars will take to Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway in an action packed showcase. The famed 1/5-mile clay oval will also feature IMCA Modifieds, VRA Dwarf Cars, Junior Midgets, and Mini Dwarfs. 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.
For the second week in a row, Ventura’s Greg Taylor claimed victory in Tommy Horne’s potent #13 sprinter. Now with a 505 point advantage, Taylor has four feature wins, eight heat race victories, two hard charger awards, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 109 feature laps led. The former track champion will have his sights set on another victory as he marches to another title.
Josh Ford of Camarillo is second in the championship points. The pilot of the #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine car did not compete in last Saturday’s show but still leads the series with fourteen top-10 finishes. The former USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year has four heat race victories, one hard charger award, and led thirty-five main event laps. The veteran driver is a threat to win on any given night.
Quartz Hill’s Steve Conrad is third in the point standings. Piloting the #56 Roy Miller Freightlines / SC Grafix special, Conrad was fourteenth in last Saturday’s action. The USAC TQ Midget graduate has two feature wins, one heat race victory, three hard charger awards, thirteen top-10 finishes, and forty-eight feature laps led on the season. Steve will be looking to rebound with a main event win on Saturday.
Driving the #22 Agromin Soil / Waste Management entry, Camarillo’s Brian Camarillo is fourth in the championship points. Last Saturday night, Camarillo claimed eleventh in the 30-lap main event. The June 18th winner has seven heat race victories, one semi-main win, nine top-10 finishes, and thirty feature laps led to his credit. Brian will have his sights set on the main event win at Ventura Raceway.
Camarillo’s Brent Camarillo sits fifth in the hunt for the championship. Piloting the #51 Agromin Soil / Waste Management car, Camarillo was second in last Saturday’s feature after leading the first nine laps. To date, Brent has four heat race victories, one semi-main win, one Hard Charger Award, seven top-10 finishes, and twenty-six feature laps led in 2011. Camarillo will be looking for his first victory of the year on Saturday.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Ojai’s Derek Buckley, Don Gansen of Rialto, Santa Barbara’s Markus Niemela, Jimmy Crawford of Newbury Park, Ventura’s Cory Kruseman, Norwalk’s Brandon Thomson, Ojai’s Troy Rutherford, and many more.
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 3615; 2. Josh Ford 3110; 3. Steve Conrad 3095; 4. Brian Camarillo 2855; 5. Brent Camarillo 2685; 6. Derek Buckley 2365; 7. Don Gansen 2290; 8. Kyle Smith 2170; 9. Jimmy Crawford 1995; -. Markus Niemela 1995; 11. Cory Kruseman 1805; 12. Austin DeBlauw 1790; 13. Dakota Kershaw 1775; 14. Guy Woodward 1440; 15. Tom Harper 1385; 16. Tom Hendricks 1340; 17. Cody Kershaw 1275; 18. Troy Rutherford 1235; 19. Brandon Thomson 1175; 20. Steve Hix 1075.
VRA SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE:
September 24 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
October 1 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
October 15 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
October 29* – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
November 12 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
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*All Coast Construction 360 Challenge.