From Dick Jordan
Two nights of USAC West Coast Sprint racing unfold this weekend at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. The event follows last Thursday night’s series opener at Las Vegas, Nev. won by Arizona’s Stevie Sussex.
Sussex, of Tempe, Ariz., emerged as the early leader in the West Coast and Southwest Sprint Car standings after capturing the 30-lap feature at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track. He trailed Hunter Schuerenberg for the first 21 laps, then outduelled Schuerenberg and Ryan Bernal for the lead on lap 22 and led the final nine laps for the victory in the Mike Burkhart Stratis Construction/KSE Custom Drywall RSS/Shark.
Bernal, the 2014 USAC Western Classic Champion, took second ahead of 2014 USAC West Coast Champ Matt Mitchell, Charles Davis Jr. and Schuerenberg. The race was part of the track’s “FVP Outlaw Showdown.”
Last year, Bernal appeared in four USAC Sprint races at the 1/3-mile Tulare oval and won all four features. He will try for his fifth consecutive victory there this Friday, with races also slated Saturday.
The Southwest Sprint Cars will resume action March 28 at Canyon Raceway Park in Peoria, Ariz.
2015 USAC West Coast Sprint Car Standings: 1-Stevie Sussex-72, 2-Ryan Bernal-71, 3-Charles Davis Jr.-63, 4-Matt Mitchell-62, 5-Hunter Schuerenberg-57, 6-Colby Copeland-48, 7-Chris Windom-48, 8-Richard Vander Weerd-45, 9-Max Adams-40, 10-R.J. Johnson-39.
2015 USAC Southwest Sprint Car Standings: 1-Stevie Sussex-72, 2-Ryan Bernal-71, 3-Charles Davis Jr.-63, 4-Matt Mitchell-62, 5-Hunter Schuerenberg-57, 6-Colby Copeland-48, 7-Chris Windom-48, 8-Richard Vander Weerd-45, 9-Max Adams-40, 10-R.J. Johnson-39.