By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – APRIL 21, 2014… The cars and stars of the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series are set to battle the USAC Western Classic Sprints in a Central Valley doubleheader. This Friday, April 25th, Scott Woodhouse’s Kings Speedway in Hanford will host the “Verne Brasel Classic.” The following night, the traditional sprints will tackle Steve Faria’s Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare.
The “Verne Brasel Classic” will mark the second of five appearances at the Kings County Fairgrounds. On March 29th, Jace Vander Weerd scored his fourth career series win at the “Gary Jacob Memorial.” Since March 2009, thirty-six West Coast Sprint Car races have been held at Hanford’s 3/8-mile clay oval. Richard Vander Weerd leads all drivers with six feature wins followed by Ryan Bernal (5), Danny Faria Jr. (4), and Bud Kaeding (4). Twelve other drivers have claimed Hanford victories and Peter Murphy holds the 1-lap qualifying track record of 15.290 set on March 13, 2010. The action packed card will also feature the IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Mods, and IMCA Stock Cars. The Spectator Gates will open at 5:00pm, Drivers Meeting at 5:30pm, with Racing scheduled at 6:30pm.
Saturday’s event will be the second of five dates at the Tulare County Fairgrounds. On March 14th, veteran Dennis Howell raced to his first series main event win. Since March 2010, eighteen USAC West Coast Sprint Car races have been held at Tulare’s lightning fast 1/3-mile facility. Ryan Bernal and Bud Kaeding are tied for the series lead with four triumphs and Richard Vander Weerd has three wins. Four other drivers have claimed Tulare victories and Bernal holds the 1-lap qualifying track record of 15.158 set on October 8, 2011. The IMCA Modifieds and RaceSaver Wing Sprints will share the spotlight as Spectator Gates will open at 4:00pm, Time Trials at 6:00pm, with Racing scheduled at 7:00pm.
Heading to Friday’s race, Markus Niemela of Rauma, Finland has a twelve point advantage over the competition. Piloting Keith Ford’s #73 Berry Pack / King Racing Products Spike, Niemela claimed fourth at Hanford’s “Jacob Memorial.” To date, the point leader has one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, four top-10 finishes, and 12 feature laps led to his credit. Last season’s USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year will be looking for first USAC West Coast victories at Hanford and Tulare.
After winning the “Gary Jacob Memorial,” Visalia’s Jace Vander Weerd has climbed to second in the point standings. Driving the family owned #88 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Jace has one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, two heat race victories, five top-10 finishes, and 20 feature laps led on the season. The former USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year will have his sights on adding more first place trophies to his collection.
Troy Rutherford of Ojai sits third in the chase for the championship. Racing Steve Watt’s #81 JD Machine Tech / AAA Propane Maxim, Rutherford claimed sixth on March 29th at Kings Speedway. To date, the former VRA Champion has one feature win, one heat race victory, four top-10 finishes, and 3 feature laps led in the campaign. Troy will be one of the favorites to score Hanford and Tulare main event wins.
After taking second at the “Gary Jacob Memorial,” Huntington Beach’s Nic Faas has climbed to fourth in the point chase. Piloting Keith Ford’s #73X Berry Pack / King Racing Products Spike, Faas has one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one heat race victory, seven top-10 finishes, and 10 feature laps led. The former USAC Western Midget Champion will have his sights on his first West Coast wins at Hanford and Tulare.
Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda is fifth in the USAC West Coast point standings. Driving his #37 MPD Racing / ART Enterprises Maxim, Mitchell ran third at Hanford after starting twenty-first. Entering the “Verne Brasel Classic,” the USAC/CRA standout has two Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Awards and three top-10 finishes on the year. Matt will be looking to add his name to the winner’s list at Hanford and Tulare.
Currently sixteenth in the standings, Springville’s Garrett Long leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors. Terra Bella’s Trent Carter, Robert Nuckles of Hanford, and Hanford’s Connor Kassik are also in contention.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., Richard Vander Weerd, “Shifter” Landon Hurst, Dennis Howell, Austin Liggett, Kevin Barnes, Marty Hawkins, “The Wild Child” Chris Ennis, Davey Pombo, “The Rickster” Ricky Kirkbride, Jeff Sibley, “The Bakersfield Bullet” Rusty Carlile, Jonathan Logan, Matt Day, and more.
“The Human Highlight Reel” Geoff Ensign of Sebastopol leads the USAC Western Classic point standings. Ryan Bernal, Richard Vander Weerd, Nic Faas, Trevor Schmid, Matt Mitchell, Marty Hawkins, Landon Hurst, Jace Vander Weerd, and Terry Schank Jr. round out the top-10 drivers. Other WCRS drivers expected to compete are D.J. Johnson, Scott Hall, Jim Richardson, “Wild” Billy Aton, and more.
Kings Speedway is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds at 801 South 10th Avenue in Hanford, California. Grandstand tickets are $15 with Kids 12 and under FREE with paid admission. Camping is available on the fairgrounds and for more event information, visit www.kingsspeedway.net or call 559.584.RACE (7223).
Tulare’s Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K Streets. 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 thanks Amsoil, Hoosier Tire, Chris Kearns Presents, Competition Suspension Inc., Deist Safety, Engler Machine & Tool, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Keizer Wheels, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, Saldana Racing Products, SouthWest Contractors, VanLare Steering Repair, and Woodland Auto Display for their support.
For more information, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/#!/pages/
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USAC WEST COAST SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Markus Niemela-227, 2. Jace Vander Weerd-215, 3. Troy Rutherford-212, 4. Nic Faas-193, 5. Matt Mitchell-190, 6. Danny Faria Jr.-185, 7. Richard Vander Weerd-168, 8. Landon Hurst-157, 9. Dennis Howell-148, 10. Austin Liggett-130, 11. Kevin Barnes-94, 12. Marty Hawkins-90, 13. Chris Ennis-79, –. Brody Roa-79, 15. Davey Pombo-72, 16. Garrett Long-69, 17. Ricky Kirkbride-68, 18. Jeff Sibley-67, 19. Rusty Carlile-65, 20. J.J. Yeley-64.
USAC WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Geoff Ensign-130, 2. Ryan Bernal-125, 3. Richard Vander Weerd-115, 4. Nic Faas-113, 5. Trevor Schmid-102, 6. Matt Mitchell-92, -. Marty Hawkins-92, 8. Landon Hurst-89, 9. Jace Vander Weerd-84, -. Terry Schank Jr.-84, 11. D.J. Johnson-75, –. Scott Hall-75, 13. Jim Richardson-35, 14. Billy Aton-2, 15. Bradley Terrell-1.