by Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – MARCH 11, 2013… This Friday, March 15th, the point season with the USAC West Coast Sprint Cars will open with a special doubleheader at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway. Joining the action will be the famed World of Outlaw Sprint Cars and IMCA Modifieds (Friday only). The Front Gates will open at 4:00pm with Racing at the lightning fast 1/3-mile to start at 7:00pm.
Campbell’s Bud Kaeding will lead a talented roster of drivers to Steve Faria’s Thunderbowl Raceway. Piloting Junior Bowman’s #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Bullet, Kaeding ran ninth in the Las Vegas “Sin City Showdown” on March 7th. To date, last year’s champion has two top-10 finishes on the year and will be looking to sweep the doubleheader.
For the second straight season, Ryan Bernal finished second in the championship points. Racing Keith Ford’s #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine Spike, Bernal had control of the Las Vegas feature until a late heartbreaking spin knocked him out of contention. Scoring twelfth, the two-time Santa Maria track champion enters Tulare with one heat race victory, two top-5 finishes, and 9 feature laps led. Ryan will be looking to rebound with a pair of Tulare main event wins
Rauma, Finland’s Markus Niemela put together a solid 2012 campaign and finished third in the point chase. Driving Steve Watt’s #81 Lost Reality / SWE Maxim, Niemela did not race at Las Vegas but is a threat to win on any given night. Scoring his best finish at Kings Speedway on April 7th, the star of his own reality show had one fast time award, three heat race victories, seven top-10 finishes, and 17 feature laps led to his credit.
“Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton had a tough season and claimed fourth in the championship standings. The local favorite did not race in the “Sin City Showdown” and will pilot a brand new #17V Johnston Calf Pens / DeBoer & Sons Trucking Spike. The hard charger posted a season best third place finish on May 5th at Santa Maria and had one fast time award, four heat race victories, one hard charger award, and nine top-10 finishes. Look for Faria to put on a show at the Thunderbowl Raceway.
Scoring fifth in the point chase was Visalia’s Richard Vander Weerd. Driving the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, the former champion scored third in his first Las Vegas appearance. To date, Vander Weerd has one semi-main win, two hard charger awards, and five top-10 finishes on the season. Richard will have his sights on taking the checkered flags at Tulare.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “The Rickster” Ricky Kirkbride, “The Bakersfield Bullet” Rusty Carlile, 2012 Rookie of the Year Austin Liggett, Chris Gansen, Kevin Barnes, “The Wild Child” Chris Ennis, Don Gansen, Jace Vander Weerd, Tyler Dolacki, and many more.
Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K Streets. Reserved Grandstand Tickets are $45 and Reserved Bleacher Tickets are $40. Advance tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling the track office at (559) 688-0909. For more event information, visit the track’s website at www.tularethunderbowl.com.
The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, Chris Kearns Presents, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Diversified Machine Inc., Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, SBI Fuel Systems, Saldana Racing Products, Weld Racing, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series for the upcoming season, please email PR Director Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
For more information on the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/#!/pages/
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2013 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
March 15: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
March 16: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
March 23: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA
April 13: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
April 20: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
April 27: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA
May 11: Kings Speedway – Hanford, CA (Billet Cup)
June 8: Kings Speedway – Hanford, CA
June 22: Santa Maria Speedway – Santa Maria, CA (Bud Stanfield Memorial)
July 6: Santa Maria Speedway – Santa Maria, CA (Doug Fort Memorial)
July 20: Kings Speedway – Hanford, CA
August 3: Kings Speedway – Hanford, CA (Jim Evett Memorial)
September 7: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA
September 20: Kings Speedway – Hanford, CA (Jim Turner Memorial)
September 21: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (John Anthony Sharp Memorial)
September 28: *Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Brawl For It All / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series / Non-Points)
October 12: Kings Speedway – Hanford, CA (Cotton Classic)
October 31: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series / Non-Points)
November 14: *Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / Non-Points)
November 15: *Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / Non-Points)
November 16: *Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / $7,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC Southwest Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.