From DicK Jordan
Rounds four, five and six of the 2015 AMSOIL USAC Sprint Car National Championship unfold this week at East Bay Raceway Park in Gibsonton, Fla. with races Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the 1/3-mile dirt oval.
The final three events in the “Winter Dirt Games VI” mark USAC’s first appearance at East Bay since Damion Gardner’s two-race “sweep” in 2010. A “sweep” of this year’s three races will be worth a $5,000 “Triple Crown Challenge” bonus posted by the East Bay race organizers. A driver who can win two of the three would earn a $500 bonus.
Early favorites include defending AMSOIL Sprint Car National Champion Brady Bacon, Dave Darland and Robert Ballou, winners of last week’s trio of series-opening races at Ocala, Fla. Darland, the all-time leader in terms of USAC Sprint car feature wins with 54, was second to Gardner in the last 2010 East Bay feature and extended his all-time USAC National feature victory streak to 23 consecutive years with his record 54th career AMSOIL National Sprint win Sunday.
East Bay has hosted a total of five USAC races, which included three Ford Focus Midget Series events in 2006. Bryan Clauson posted a second and a seventh behind Gardner in the 2010 races, while 2014 Hoosier Auto Racing Fans Driver of the Year Brady Short had a third and fourth in the two 2010 races.
Bacon, of Broken Arrow, Okla., who won Friday’s 30-lap race at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, trails Chase Stockon by 27 points and Chris Windom by two in the 2015 series standings entering the East Bay races. He led all 30 laps of Friday’s race in the Hoffman Auto Racing Mean Green Triple X/Williams Mopar. Stockon finished second ahead of Windom, Kevin Thomas Jr. and Kyle Cummins.
Ballou, of Rocklin, Calif., led all but one lap of Friday’s Ocala opener in his Ballou Motorsports Blakesley Auto Maxim/Ott. Stockon was second while Bacon, who led lap 12, took third ahead of Jon Stanbrough and Justin Grant.
Darland, of Lincoln, Ind., led all 30 laps Sunday in his Phillips Motorsports Trench Shoring DRC/Foxco, trailed by Windom, Stanbrough, Thomas and Stockon.
Pro Source fast qualifier cash awards at Ocala were garnered by Bacon (Friday and Sunday) and Stockon (Saturday).
This week’s races at East Bay Raceway Park will be streamed live on Xsan.tv.
2015 AMSOIL USAC Sprint Car National Championship Points: 1-Chase Stockon-187; 2-Chris Windom-162; 3-Brady Bacon-160; 4-Robert Ballou-158; 5-Kevin Thomas Jr.-156; 6-Jon Stanbrough-150; 7-Justin Grant-146; 8-Dave Darland-136; 9-Chad Boespflug-119; 10-C.J. Leary-116.