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Western World Championships this weekend at Manzanita Speedway
by Windy McDonald
A practice session Wednesday night for sprint cars entered in this weekend’s NAPA Auto Parts/Budweiser/Parker Store Western World Championships at Manzanita Speedway will be open to the public with no charge for grandstand seats. For many of the drivers entered in the Western which runs Thursday night through Saturday night have not raced on either of Manzy’s tracks this year and need to get acclimated to the clay surface. The practice session will run from 5:00 P.M.. until 9:00 P.M..
The Western format will have the Parker Store 360 sprints, sanctioned by the American Sprint Car Series competing on the one third mile track with their qualifying events, including 20 lap features Thursday and Friday night. The point totals for both nights will be used to line up the championship finals, including a 30 lap feature Saturday night.
The NAPA Budweiser sprints with their big 410 cubic inch engines will be racing Friday night with qualifying races on the big track, including a 25 lap feature.
The Saturday night finale will be forty laps on the half mile track and will determine the USAC National Sprint Car Champion. Jerry Coons, Jr. of Tucson, a two time National Midget Champion, can control his own destiny as he turned a slim two point lead into a comfortable 89 point edge over the defending champion Levi Jones as he finished second in the finals and also scored well in the preliminary races last week at the Open in Perris, CA. A sweep both nights would award the winner 138 points so all Coons must do is earn 50 points during the two nights. Coons is also the points leader in the USAC Silver Crown Series.
It has been a foregone conclusion that Jeremy Sherman will be crowned the Discount tire ASCS sprint car champion. Boring a complete collapse Sherman will become the first driver in the 57 year history of Manzanita Speedway to put together four consecutive titles in a division. He has won 14 ASCS races this year and could break his own record of 16 wins in a season.
Cory Kruseman of Ventura, CA is the defending 360 champion and will be at the wheel of a car fielded by Davis Ellis Racing.
Over 75 drivers have sent in early entries for the Western leading officials to believe the race will draw in excess of 100 cars.
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