SASSELLI, ENSIGN TAKE POINT LEADS TO IRWINDALE NOV. 24;

From Dick Jordan

Audra Sasselli of Visalia, Calif. and Geoff Ensign of Sebastopol, Calif. will try to hang onto respective leads in USAC Sprint car series standings when the AMSOIL Western and Western Classic Sprints compete in the season-ending “Turkey night Grand Prix” racing program at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, Calif. November 24.

Sasselli vaulted to the top of the Western Sprint standings after finishing fourth in Saturday night’s “Jimmy Sills Classic” at Shasta Raceway Park in Anderson, Calif. Ensign, who was 10th at Shasta, continues as the Western Classic point leader. Sasselli holds a 20-point edge over Tony Hunt in the Western Series, while Ensign’s lead over Hunt in the Western Classic points is just 18.

Tim Barber, of Sonoma, Calif. led all but one lap of Saturday night’s “Jimmy Sills Classic.” Barber led the first 47 laps, then yielded to fast qualifier Johnny Geisler on laps 48 before regaining the lead on the white-flag lap! Trailing Barber in the 50-lapper were Geisler, Tim Skoglund, Sasselli and Luis Ramos III.

A total of 74 points will be available at Irwindale, so the championships will be up for grabs in the series finale.

In related news, this Saturday’s USAC Western/Western Classic Sprint, Ford Focus and Focus Young Guns tripleheader at Irwindale has been removed from the 2011 calendar due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts.

USAC AMSOIL WESTERN SPRINT CAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS

1-Audra Sasselli-640; 2-Tony Hunt-620; 3-Tim Skoglund-609; 4-Cody Gerhardt-599; 5-Luis Ramos III-524; 6-Scott Pierovich-441; 7-Geoff Ensign-351; 8-Johnny Geisler-340; 9-Tim Barber-326; 10-Shaunna Hogg-271.

USAC AMSOIL WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT CAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS

1-Geoff Ensign-848; 2-Tony Hunt-830; 3-Scott Pierovich-756; 4-Tim Barber-634; 5-Shauna Hogg-622; 6-Jerry Kobza-211.