By Lance Jennings
VENTURA, CA – OCTOBER 26, 2011… Extra prize money up for grabs this Saturday, October 29th, when the VRA 360 Sprint Cars compete in the finale of the All Coast Construction 360 Challenge. Featuring a $5,000-to-win and $200-to-start main event at Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway, an additional $5,000 will be awarded to series champion of the popular mini-series. With a possible $10,000 payday to the winning driver, Saturday’s race is one of the most anticipated events of the year. Joining the powerful 360 Sprint Cars will be the VRA Midgets, Focus Midgets, and Go Karts. The Front Gates will open at 3:00pm with Racing to start at 5:30pm at “The Best Little Dirt Track In America.”
Greg Taylor of Ventura has clinched the overall series championship and leads the point chase in the All Coast Construction 360 Challenge. The driver of the #7 Clark Engineering Construction / Westco International Consulting Inc. special placed eighth on October 15th and will have his sights set on the big paycheck on Saturday night. To date, Taylor has four feature wins, ten heat race victories, two hard charger awards, and fifteen top-10 finishes on the year.
Camarillo’s Brian Camarillo is second in the point standings. Piloting the #22 Agromin Soil / Waste Management entry, Camarillo scored sixteenth on October 15th. In 2011, Brian has two main event wins, nine heat race victories, one semi-main win, and eleven top-10 finishes to his credit. Camarillo will be among the favorites for the $5,000 Ventura Raceway win.
Brian’s younger brother Brent Camarillo has climbed to third in the point chase. On October 15th, the driver of the #51 Agromin Soil / Waste Management car took twelfth in the 30-lap main event. Camarillo claimed his first feature win on October 1st and will be looking to add to his resume on Saturday. To date, Brent has five heat race victories, one semi-main win, one Hard Charger Award, and nine top-10 finishes on the year.
Sitting fourth in the standings is Steve Conrad of Quartz Hill. The veteran pilot of the #56 Roy Miller Freightlines / SC Grafix machine did not compete on October 15th after a hard flip the previous race. In 2011, Conrad has two feature wins, one heat race victory, three hard charger awards, and thirteen top-10 finishes. Steve will be looking to rebound and score the All Coast feature win on Saturday.
Josh Ford of Camarillo is fifth in the point standings. Like Conrad, the driver of the #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine was missing in action on October 15th. The former USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year has four heat race victories, one hard charger award, and fourteen top-10 finishes on the season. The veteran driver is a threat to win on any given night.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Moorpark’s Kyle Smith, Santa Barbara’s Markus Niemela, Jimmy Crawford of Newbury Park, Oak Park’s Dakota and Cody Kershaw, 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, 4110; 2. Brian Camarillo, 3475; 3. Brent Camarillo, 3265; 4. Steve Conrad, 3245; 5. Josh Ford, 3110; 6. Kyle Smith, 2725; 7. Markus Niemela, 2640; 8. Derek Buckley, 2365; 9. Jimmy Crawford, 2330; 10. Austin DeBlauw, 2295
VRA SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE:
October 29* – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
November 12 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA