By Dick Jordan
A month’s hiatus for the USAC West Coast wars ends September 20 when the West Coast Sprint Cars compete at Marysville (Calif.) Raceway Park. A week later the USAC Western Classic Sprints resume action with a “special” non-points race at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz.
Matt Mitchell has vaulted to the point lead in the West Coast standings, while Ryan Bernal continues to hang on to his Western Classic point lead following races last weekend.
Mitchell, of Yorba Linda, Calif., won Friday night’s 30-lap West Coast/Western Classic feature at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. Mitchell took the lead in his MPD Racing/ART Enterprises Maxim/Chrisco on the final lap from Brody Roa to score the win over Roa, Richard Vander Weerd, Marty Hawkins and Bernal. Roa led 28 of the first 29 laps, yielding only to Bernal on lap 14.
Nic Faas of Huntington Beach, Calif. captured Saturday night’s 30-lap USAC West Coast/Western Classic Sprint race at Chowchilla (Calif.) Speedway, leading the final 25 laps in his Berry Pack/King Racing Products Spike/Chevy. He passed Austin Liggett on lap six and never looked back, beating Danny Faria Jr., Roa, Mitchell and Richard Vander Weerd to the checkered flag.
2014 USAC West Coast Sprint Car Standings: 1-Matt Mitchell-659, 2-Markus Niemela-631, 3-Richard Vander Weerd-546, 4-Jace Vander Weerd-530, 5-Ryan Bernal-512, 6-Troy Rutherford-500, 7-Danny Faria Jr.-500, 8-Austin Liggett-490, 9-Nic Faas-465, 10-Dennis Howell-399.
2014 USAC Western Classic Sprint Car Standings: 1-Ryan Bernal-359, 2-Matt Mitchell-333, 3-Nic Faas-324, 4-Richard Vander Weerd-303, 5-Jace Vander Weerd-280, 6-Marty Hawkins-227, 7-Markus Niemela-211, 8-Austin Liggett-189, 9-Danny Faria Jr.-186, 10-D.J. Johnson-173.