By Lance Jennings
HANFORD, CA – NOVEMBER 13, 2011… After rain bombarded Scott Woodhouse’s Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway the previous night, the weather cooperated on race day and Levi Jones of Olney, Illinois led all 30-laps to score “The Finals” main event win. Sprint Car history was made at the Hanford, California facility as Jones earned his fifth career USAC National Championship and Mike Spencer secured his fourth straight Amsoil USAC/CRA title.
After two feature starts were erased for flips by Cody Williams and Nic Faas, Levi Jones took command from his outside front row starting spot. The heavy surface produced some of the fastest lap times of the season as Jones stretched his advantage over Jon Stanbrough, Bryan Clauson, Tracy Hines, and Ryan Bernal. As the leader reached slower traffic, Stanbrough and Hines closed the gap looking to apply pressure when a red flag was displayed for new track record holder Bud Kaeding on lap fifteen.
The USAC National Champion had an excellent restart as Keith Bloom Jr. and Ryan Bernal surged forward on the Hanford clay oval. Stanbrough, who was running second, could not keep pace with Jones as his machine began to smoke. On the twenty-fourth lap, Bloom dropped Stanbrough to third as Bernal gave chase. Bernal powered to third on the next circuit, but the young drivers could not catch Levi on this night. Jones took the victory, followed by Bloom, Bernal, Stanbrough, and Hines.
Piloting the Tony Stewart Racing #20 GM Performance Parts Eagle, Levi Jones scored the $6000 victory and clinched his third straight national sprint car title. Jones, who qualified ninth and scored third in his heat race, finished fourteenth in USAC/CRA points with five top-10 finishes and thirty feature laps led to his credit.
Keith Bloom Jr. of Anderson, California charged to second after falling back to sixth in the main event. Driving the Abreu Racing #27 Abreu Vineyards Spike, Bloom was third fast on the night and placed fourth in his heat race. The young driver finishes the season eleventh in USAC National points and seventeenth in the USAC/CRA standings. In USAC/CRA competition, Keith has one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award and five top-10 finishes on the year.
Hollister, California’s Ryan Bernal raced to third after starting fifth on the lightning fast surface. Piloting Danny Olmstead’s #11D S&S Automotive / Moeller Bros. Maxim, Bernal timed in second quick and claimed third in his heat race. The 2011 USAC West Coast 360 Rookie of the Year had one Sander Engineering Fast Time Award, one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main win, three top-10 finishes, and four feature laps led in USAC/CRA competition.
Jon Stanbrough of Avon, Indiana came home fourth aboard the Hoffman Dynamics Inc. #69 Mean Green / Mopar Chalk. The veteran driver qualified fifth quick on the night and placed fourth in his heat race. Stanbrough finishes the season third in the USAC National chase and thirtieth in USAC/CRA points. Jon has one heat race victory, one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main win, and two top-10 finishes with USAC/CRA.
New Castle, Indiana’s Tracy Hines scored fifth at the checkered flags in his #4 MP Environmental Services DRC. Earlier in the program, Hines was eighth fast on the night and claimed fourth in his heat race. The veteran driver closes out the campaign fifth in USAC National standings and tied for twenty-third in USAC/CRA points. Tracy has one heat race victory and three top-10 finishes with USAC/CRA in 2011.
Bud Kaeding of Campbell, California started off the night’s action in time trials by shattering Damion Gardner’s six year old track record. Piloting the #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / BK Motorsports Maxim, Kaeding was one of the last cars to qualify on the tacky clay and earned his first Sander Engineering Fast Time Award of the year. The 3-time USAC Silver Crown Champion placed seventh in his heat race, won the 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main, and scored nineteenth in the feature after a flip ended his night. The third generation driver finishes twenty-first in USAC National points and tied for twenty-third in the USAC/CRA chase. In USAC/CRA competition, Bud has one feature win, four top-10 finishes, and four feature laps led on the year.
Santa Maria, California’s “Showtime” Danny Sheridan won the night’s Extreme Mufflers / Huntington Beach Glass and Mirror Heat Race #1. Driving the Kittle Motorsports’ #18 Pace Lighting / PIPE Sherman, Sheridan qualified seventeenth quick and placed ninth in the main event after starting fifteenth. Danny finishes the year seventh in USAC/CRA points with three heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main win, eight top-10 finishes, and fifteen feature laps led on the season.
Mike Spencer of Temecula, California raced to victory in the Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #2 aboard Ron Chaffin’s #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim. The newly crowned 4-time USAC/CRA Champion was eighteenth fast on the night and claimed tenth in the feature after starting sixteenth. Spencer led USAC/CRA with six main event wins, five Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards (tied), four Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main wins, nineteen top-10 finishes, and 146 feature laps led. In addition, Mike has seven heat race victories to his credit in 2011.
Sebastopol, California’s “Human Highlight Reel” Geoff Ensign claimed the DJ Safety Heat Race #3 triumph in Ted Finkenbinder’s #3F Western Industrial X-Ray Eagle. The USAC Western Classic Racing Dirt Series Champion qualified nineteenth fast on the night and scored eighteenth in the 30-lap feature. In USAC/CRA competition, Ensign has one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, three top-10 finishes, and four feature laps led on the year.
“The NorCal Ninja” Kyle Larson of Elk Grove, California won the Electro Tech Powder Coating / Rod End Supply Heat Race #4. Piloting Junior Bowman’s #1L Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Bullet, Larson was twelfth fast in time trials and scored twenty-first in the feature after an early exit. The young driver finishes the year twentieth in USAC National points and thirty-fourth in USAC/CRA standings. Kyle has one feature win, two heat race victories, two Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Awards, one top-10 finish, and eight feature laps led with USAC/CRA in 2011.
Brownsburg, Indiana’s Bobby East earned the night’s Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award with a thirteenth place run after starting twenty-first. Driving the Klatt Enterprises’ #5 Klatt Motorsports Classic Car Sales / East Enterprises Beast, East qualified twenty-third quick and finished second in his heat race. The second generation driver ends the campaign tenth in USAC National standings and twenty-seventh in USAC/CRA points. Bobby recorded two top-10 finishes in USAC/CRA competition.
Buena Park’s Brody Roa won the “$2000 Wagscash Race within a Race” behind the wheel of the family owned #91R HD Industries / Harbor Diesel and Equipment Stinger with 360 power. The 2010 VRA Rookie of the Year qualified twenty-second quick, placed second in his heat race, and finished sixteenth in the main event. Roa ends the year twenty-sixth in USAC/CRA points with one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, and one top-10 finish.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series would like to thank Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Donovan Engineering, Electro Tech Powder Coating, Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror, Keizer Wheels, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and So-Cal Performance for their support. For more information, visit www.usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.
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AMSOIL USAC NATIONAL & USAC/CRA SPRINT RACE RESULTS:
November 12, 2011 – Hanford, California – Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway – “The Finals”
SANDER ENGINEERING TIME TRIALS:
1. Bud Kaeding, 29, Buster & Ziggy-14.793 (New Track Record); 2. Ryan Bernal, 11D, Olmstead-15.065; 3. Keith Bloom Jr., 27, Abreu-15.126; 4. Damion Gardner, 71, DG-15.173; 5. Jon Stanbrough, 69, Dynamics-15.250; 6. Danny Faria Jr., 2B, Bowman-15.325; 7. Chris Windom, 5x, Baldwin-15.326; 8. Tracy Hines, 4, Hines-15.377; 9. Levi Jones, 20, Stewart-15.408; 10. Bryan Clauson, 7, Tucker/BCI/Curb-Agajanian-15.492; 11. Nic Faas, 4x, Alexander-15.565; 12. Kyle Larson, 1L, Buster & Ziggy-15.585 ;13. Troy Rutherford, 11, Rutherford-15.588; 14. Richard VanderWeerd, 10, VanderWeerd-15.626; 15. Peter Murphy, 21, Tarlton-15.635; 16. Robert Ballou, 73, Ford-15.647; 17. Danny Sheridan, 18, Kittle-15.681; 18. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-15.681; 19. Geoff Ensign, 3F, Finkenbinder-15.716; 20. Hunter Schuerenberg, 35, Byram-15.786; 21. Rip Williams, 3, Jory-15.791; 22. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-15.812; 23. Bobby East, 5, Klatt-16.015; 24. Marty Hawkins, 3m, Hawkins-16.127; 25. Cory Kruseman, 7H,Priestley-16.177; 26. Greg Bragg, 92, Sertich-16.190; 27. Daniel Hood, 33, Hood-16.198; 28. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-16.202; 29. Corey Ballard, 20x, Ballard-16.593; 30. Cal Smith, 39, CalSun-16.611; 31. Rodney Argo, 19, Argo-16.822; 32. Jerry Welton, 62jr, Welton-18.130; 33. Jace VanderWeerd, 88, VanderWeerd-NT.
EXTREME MUFFLERS / HUNTINGTON BEACH GLASS & MIRROR HEAT RACE 1: (8 laps)
1. Danny Sheridan, 2. Rip Williams, 3. Levi Jones, 4. Jon Stanbrough, 5. Troy Rutherford, 6. Cory Kruseman, 7. Bud Kaeding, 8. Corey Ballard. NT.
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE 2: (8 laps)
1. Mike Spencer, 2. Brody Roa, 3. Ryan Bernal, 4. Bryan Clauson, 5. Danny Faria Jr., 6. Richard VanderWeerd, 7. Greg Bragg, 8. Cal Smith. NT
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE 3: (8 laps)
1. Geoff Ensign, 2. Bobby East, 3. Nic Faas, 4. Keith Bloom Jr., 5. Peter Murphy, 6. Daniel Hood, 7. Rodney Argo, 8. Chris Windom. NT.
ELECTRO TECH POWDER COATING / ROD END SUPPLY HEAT RACE 4: (8 laps)
1. Kyle Larson, 2. Hunter Schuerenberg, 3. Robert Ballou, 4. Tracy Hines, 5. Cody Williams, 6. Marty Hawkins, 7. Damion Gardner, 8. Jerry Welton. NT.
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. SEMI-MAIN: (12 laps)
1. Bud Kaeding, 2. Damion Gardner, 3. Danny Faria Jr., 4. Peter Murphy, 5. Troy Rutherford, 6. Greg Bragg, 7. Daniel Hood, 8. Richard VanderWeerd, 9. Cody Williams, 10. Corey Ballard, 11. Jerry Welton, 12. Cal Smith. NT.
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Levi Jones (2nd), 2. Keith Bloom Jr. (5th), 3. Ryan Bernal (6th), 4. Jon Stanbrough (4th), 5. Tracy Hines (3rd), 6. Bryan Clauson (1st), 7. Damion Gardner (8th), 8. Peter Murphy (13th), 9. Danny Sheridan (15th), 10. Mike Spencer (16th), 11. Danny Faria Jr. (9th), 12. Rip Williams (19th), 13. Bobby East (21st), 14. Robert Ballou (14th), 15. Hunter Schuerenberg (18th), 16. Brody Roa (20th), 17. Greg Bragg (22nd), 18. Geoff Ensign (17th), 19. Bud Kaeding (7th), 20. Richard VanderWeerd (23rd), 21. Kyle Larson (11th), 22. Nic Faas (10th), 23. Troy Rutherford (12th), 24. Cody Williams (24th). NT.
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**Cory Kruseman flipped during the first heat.
**Chris Windom flipped during the third heat.
**Cody Williams flipped at the start of the feature.
**Nic Faas flipped on lap 1 of the feature.
**Bud Kaeding flipped on lap 15 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Levi Jones.
KEIZER WHEELS HARD CHARGER: Bobby East (21st to 13th)
FINAL AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINTS:
1-Mike Spencer-1,253; 2-Nic Faas-1,178; 3-Matt Mitchell-1,073; 4-Austin Williams-741; 5-Greg Bragg-651; 6-Cody Williams-646; 7-Danny Sheridan-614; 8-Rip Williams-588; 9-Rickie Gaunt-520; 10-Damion Gardner-507.
FINAL AMSOIL USAC NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS:
1-Levi Jones-1,668; 2-Chris Windom-1,569; 3-Jon Stanbrough-1,434; 4-Hunter Schuerenberg-1,408; 5-Tracy Hines-1,303; 6-Damion Gardner-1,296; 7-Robert Ballou-1,269; 8-Bryan Clauson-1,237; 9-Dave Darland-1,119; 10-Bobby East-1,028.
NEW USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS:
1-Bryan Clauson-1,056, 2-Chris Windom-1,024; 3-Levi Jones-1,022; 4-Kyle Larson-1,016; 5-Tracy Hines-991; 6-Bobby East-942; 7-Jerry Coons Jr.-921; 8-Hunter Schuerenberg-864; 9-Jon Stanbrough-854; 10-Darren Hagen-824.