by Lance Jennings
CHICO, CA – SEPTEMBER 6, 2013… Starting from the pole position, Placerville’s Jimmy Trulli led every lap and fought off all challengers to win Thursday’s “Cavalcade of Gold Cup Memories.” The $2,000 USAC Western Classic Sprint Car victory at Silver Dollar Speedway was the first series win for the veteran driver. Austin Liggett, newly crowned champion Ryan Bernal, Kyle Hirst, and “The Human Highlight Reel” Geoff Ensign followed Trulli to the finish line.
Piloting his #33T El Dorado Fence / S&S Automotive entry, Trulli won the season finale at Chico. Qualifying ninth out of twenty-five cars, the Placerville ace also won the night’s Competition Suspension Inc. / Keizer Wheels Heat Race #3. Jimmy finished his WCRS campaign with two top-five finishes in as many starts.
Austin Liggett of Tracy’s second place run in the “Cavalcade of Gold Cup Memories” was his best WCRS showing of 2013. Driving the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Home Connections Inc. Maxim, Liggett was fourth fast in time trials and fourth in his heat race. Last season’s USAC West Coast Sprint Rookie of the Year claimed tenth in WCRS points with two top-10 finishes and one heat race victory.
Hollister’s Ryan Bernal earned the USAC Western Classic Championship with his third place run from seventh. Racing Ronnie Gardner’s #93 Baldozier Racing / Jamison Engineering Sled, Bernal qualified second, scored fifth in his heat race, and claimed second in the semi-main. Ryan closed out his WCRS season with two feature wins, one heat race victory, one dash win, two Rod End Supply Semi-Main wins, one Kaeding Performance / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, six top-10 finishes, and 67 feature laps led.
Kyle Hirst of Elk Grove raced to fourth in the 30-lap main event after starting eighth. Piloting Willie Croft’s #29 Amerikote Racing / Holey Smokes BBQ, the King of the West Sprint point leader was sixth fast in time trials, eighth in his heat race, and eighth in the shortened semi-main.
Sebastopol’s “The Human Highlight Reel” Geoff Ensign wheeled Annette VanLare’s #5V VanLare Steering Repair / McClish Motorsports A.R.T. to fifth in the main event. The 2011 Champion earned his first Saldana Racing Products / Rod End Supply Fast Time Award of the year and was second in his heat race. Ensign claimed fifth in points with one feature win, five top-10 finishes, and 3 feature laps led to his credit.
Tony Hunt of Lincoln earned the night’s Kaeding Performance / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award with a sixth place run from sixteenth. Driving Mike Phulps’ #56 Metal Works / Red Line Oil Maxim, the 11-time USAC Champion qualified sixteenth, placed eighth in his heat race, and was eleventh in the semi-main. Hunt closed out his WCRS campaign fourth the standings with four top-10 finishes.
In his first WCRS start of 2013, Rohnert Park’s Brett Rollag took his family owned #27 machine to victory in the 8-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. The California Sprint Car Civil War feature winner was thirteenth fast in time trials and claimed tenth in the season finale.
“The Hanford Hornet” Chad Boespflug extended his stay from Indiana and drove to victory in the D.J. Safety Heat Race #2. Racing the Ken Pierson / Dave Vertullo #14 Starr Property Management / A.R.T. Enterprises machine, Boespflug qualified eighth and scored twentieth in the “Cavalcade of Gold Cup Memories.”
Santa Rosa’ Terry Shank Jr. claimed victory in the race shortened Rod End Supply Semi-Main. Piloting Roger Gleeson’s #1 Joe Hunt Magnetos / King Racing Products Spike, the Wingless Spec Sprint veteran was tenth quick in time trials, ninth in his heat race, and seventeenth in the feature.
The USAC Western Classic Racing Series would like to thank Amsoil, Hoosier Tire, BR Motorsports, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, SBI Fuel Systems, and Saldana Racing Products for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
For more information on the USAC Western Classic Racing Series, visit www.usacracing.com or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/
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USAC WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS:
September 5, 2013 – Chico, California – Silver Dollar Speedway – “Cavalcade of Gold Cup Memories”
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / ROD END SUPPLY TIME TRIALS:
1. Geoff Ensign, 5V, VanLare-14.354; 2. Ryan Bernal, 93, Gardner-14.379; 3. Bud Kaeding, 73, Ford-14.519; 4. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-14.544; 5. Andy Forsberg, 7C, Geaney-14.559; 6. Kyle Hirst, 29, Croft-14.610; 7. Andy Gregg, 14R, Arnold-14.631; 8. Chad Boespflug, 14, Pierson/Vertullo-14.652; 9. Jimmy Trulli, 33T, Trulli-14.657; 10. Terry Schank Jr., 1, Gleeson-14.802; 11. D.J. Johnson, 33, Johnson-14.809; 12. Herman Klein, 42X, Klein-14.818; 13. Brett Rollag, 27, Rollag-14.846; 14. Max Adams, 5X, Adams-14.928; 15. Taylor Simas, 7, Simas-14.989; 16. Shawn Wright, 99X, Wright-15.068; 17. Tony Hunt, 56, Phulps-15.114; 18. Jason York, 3F, Finkenbinder-15.118; 19. Scott Hall, 56K, Hall-15.158; 20. Koen Shaw, 88K, Shaw-15.209; 21. Tim Sherman, 1JR, Sherman-15.249; 22. Jim Richardson, 8, Richardson-15.532; 23. Shauna Hogg, 5, Hogg-15.639; 24. Rowdy McClenon, 13, McClenon-15.671; 25. Billy Aton, 26, Aton-NT.
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE 1: (8 laps)
1. Brett Rollag, 2. Geoff Ensign, 3. Shawn Wright, 4. Austin Liggett, 5. Billy Aton, 6. Andy Gregg, 7. Jim Richardson, 8. Scott Hall, 9. Terry Schank Jr. NT
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE 2: (8 laps)
1. Chad Boespflug, 2. D.J. Johnson, 3. Andy Forsberg, 4. Koen Shaw, 5. Ryan Bernal, 6. Shauna Hogg, 7. Max Adams, 8. Tony Hunt. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / KEIZER WHEELS HEAT RACE 3: (8 laps)
1. Jimmy Trulli, 2. Taylor Simas, 3. Bud Kaeding, 4. Herman Klein, 5. Rowdy McClenon, 6. Jason York, 7. Tim Sherman Jr., 8. Kyle Hirst. NT
ROD END SUPPLY SEMI-MAIN: (1 lap)
1. Terry Schank Jr., 2. Ryan Bernal, 3. Jason York, 4. Scott Hall, 5. Tim Sherman Jr., 6. Rowdy McClenon, 7. Andy Gregg, 8. Kyle Hirst, 9. Shauna Hogg, 10. Billy Aton, 11. Tony Hunt, 12. Jim Richardson. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Jimmy Trulli (1st), 2. Austin Liggett (4th), 3. Ryan Bernal (7th), 4. Kyle Hirst (8th), 5. Geoff Ensign (6th), 6. Tony Hunt (16th), 7. Andy Gregg (9th), 8. D.J. Johnson (11th), 9. Herman Klein (12th), 10. Brett Rollag (13th), 11. Koen Shaw (19th), 12. Bud Kaeding (5th), 13. Billy Aton (23rd), 14. Shauna Hogg (21st), 15. Rowdy McClenon (22nd), 16. Jason York (17th), 17. Terry Schank Jr. (10th), 18. Andy Forsberg (3rd), 19. Taylor Simas (14th), 20. Chad Boespflug (2nd), 21. Tim Sherman Jr. (20th), 22. Jim Richardson (24th), 23. Scott Hall (18th), 24. Shawn Wright (15th). NT
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**Shawn Wright flipped on lap 2 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Jimmy Trulli.
KAEDING PERFORMANCE / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Tony Hunt (16th to 6th)
FINAL USAC WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT POINTS:
1-Ryan Bernal-532, 2-Shauna Hogg-482, 3-D.J. Johnson-426, 4-Tony Hunt-401, 5-Geoff Ensign-132, 6-Landon Hurst-113, 7-Bud Kaeding-112, 8-Gordon Rodgers-94, 9-Marty Hawkins-86, 10-Austin Liggett-78.