|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
#21K Cory Kruseman At Santa Maria Speedway. Photo by Lance Jennings.
CORY KRUSEMAN STAYS HOT AT SANTA MARIA
By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – JUNE 18, 2011… After winning the Friday night feature at Watsonville, Ventura's Cory Kruseman claimed Saturday's main event at Chris Kearns' Santa Maria Speedway. Taking the lead on lap twenty-three after Mike Spencer's car suffered mechanical problems, "The Kruser" went on to claim the second match race between the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprints and the USAC Western Racing Classic Series.
Visalia's Richard VanderWeerd got the action underway by earning his first USAC/CRA Sander Engineering Fast Time Award of 2011. With twenty-seven cars signed in, every driver in the pit area wanted a shot at the Rugged Radios $1000 Last Man Standing Trophy Dash. Open to the top four qualifiers that transferred through their heats, drivers pushed harder in time trials and the 10-lap heat races. When all was settled, Richard VanderWeerd would be joined by "Super" Rickie Gaunt, Nic Faas, and Ricky Kirkbride in his 360 powered machine. Faas won all three segments of the dash, followed by VanderWeerd, Gaunt, and Kirkbride.
Temecula's Mike Spencer and Greg Bragg of Visalia shared the front row of the twenty-two car main event. At the drop of the green flag, Spencer took command in his Ron Chaffin owned #50 Madera Produce Maxim. The powerful traditional sprints flew around Santa Maria's 1/3-mile oval and the 3-time defending champion had his sights on a victory and regaining the point lead. Kruseman, Faas, Bragg, and "Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. gave chase during the early going of the feature.
Approximately halfway through the main event, USAC/CRA point leader Matt Mitchell retired early with mechanical problems, scoring a nineteenth place finish. Still out front, Spencer looked to gain some valuable points as drivers raced in close quarters behind him. The cars continued their torrid pace, but unfortunately Mike's car began to slow on lap twenty-two. Later diagnosed as failed quick change gears in the rear end assembly, Spencer finished eighteenth on the night.
Cory Kruseman inherited the lead, followed by Faas, Bragg, Gaunt, VanderWeerd, and Ronnie Gardner. Faas pressured the former series champion, but it was not to be as "The Kruser" led the final eight laps to sweep the USAC/CRA-USAC WCRS doubleheader. Nic Faas, Greg Bragg, Austin Williams, and Rickie Gaunt rounded out the top five drivers.
Driving the #21K Kruseman Motorsports Eagle sponsored by Lucas Oil and Sander Engineering, Ventura's Cory Kruseman was fifth fast in qualifications and third in his heat race. Splitting time with Ventura's 360 Sprints and Midgets, the future hall of fame driver is currently ninth in the USAC/CRA point standings. To date, Kruseman has two feature wins, four top-10 finishes, and forty-five main event laps led in the 2011 campaign.
Nic Faas of Huntington Beach took Mark Alexander's #4 Scott Sales Company / VP Racing Fuels Spike to a runner-up finish. Now third in the championship points, Faas was third fast in time trials, third in his heat race, and won the $1000 Last Man Standing Trophy Dash. The former USAC Western States Midget Champion has one fast time award, four heat race victories, one hard charger award, and five top-10 finishes to his credit.
Visalia's Greg Bragg drove Tom and Laurie Sertich's #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Pacific Business Machine Buckley to third at the checkered flags. Earlier in the program, Bragg was seventh fast in qualifications and fourth in his heat race. Currently fourth in the point chase, the multi-time California Lightning Sprint Champion has one heat race victory, two hard charger awards, and six top-10 finishes on the season.
By virtue of his fourth place finish after starting fifteenth, Yorba Linda's Austin Williams earned the night's Keizer Wheels "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job" honors. Piloting Jack Jory's #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Viper, Williams was fifteenth quick in time trials, fifth in his heat race, and third in the semi-main. Now sixth in the standings, Austin has one heat race victory and four top-10 finishes in 2011.
"Super" Rickie Gaunt of Torrance scored fifth in David Miller's #66 Tom Roberts Design / Barnes Systems Inc. Eagle. Earlier in the night's program, Gaunt was second quick on the night, fourth in his heat race, and third in the dash. The 2004 SCRA Champion is currently fifth in the points, with one semi-main victory, four top-10 finishes, and nine feature laps led on the year.
Yorba Linda's "The Ripper" Rip Williams won his second 10-lap event of the year in the Extreme Mufflers / Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror Heat Race #1. Driving Jack Jory's #3 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Viper, Williams qualified twenty-first on the night and finished twenty-first in the feature after an early exit. The 2004 USAC/CRA Champion is eleventh in the point standings with two top-10 finishes on the year.
Ronnie Gardner of Norco won his first 10-lap race of the year by claiming the Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #2. Piloting the family owned #93 Jamison Engineering / DWT Wheels Sled, Gardner was tenth fast in qualifications and finished seventh in the main event after racing in the top five. Ronnie is currently fourteenth in the series points and has two top-10 finishes to his credit.
Hometown favorite "Showtime" Danny Sheridan of Santa Maria claimed his first 10-lap victory of the year by winning the DJ Safety Heat Race #3. Driving the Kittle Motorsports' #18 Pace Lightning / PIPE Sherman, Danny was nineteenth quick on the night and scored a twentieth place finish after two stops in the main event. Now splitting his time with the USAC West Coast 360 Sprints, Sheridan is fifteenth in USAC/CRA standings with two top-10 finishes on the season.
Fair Oaks' Shauna Hogg scored her second 10-lap event in as many nights by claiming the Electro Tech Powder Coating / Rod End Supply Heat Race #4. Piloting Rich Hogg's Borello Race Engines / Jerry Crowell Racing Shocks #5 Eagle, the veteran pavement driver was sixteenth fast in qualifications and thirteenth in the main event. As the writing goes to press, Shauna is third in the USAC Western Classic Racing Series point chase.
USAC Western Racing Classic Series point leader Tony Hunt of Lincoln won the program's 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main. Driving Mike Phulps' #56 Metal Works / Ebay Motors Maxim, Hunt qualified thirteenth, finished sixth in his heat race, and scored seventeenth in the main event. The multi-time USAC Western Sprint Car Champion has his eyes set on the inaugural WCRS title.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series would like to thank Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Donovan Engineering, Electro Tech Powder Coating, Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror, Keizer Wheels, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and So-Cal Performance for their support. For more information, visit www.usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.
The eighth round of competition for the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will be held Saturday, July 2nd, at Perris Auto Speedway for the annual "Firecracker 30." Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, more event information can be found at www.perrisautospeedway.com or calling (951) 940-0134.
--------------------------------------------------------
AMSOIL USAC/CRA & WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT RACE RESULTS:
June 18, 2011 – Santa Maria, California – Santa Maria Speedway
SANDER ENGINEERING TIME TRIALS:
1. Richard VanderWeerd, 10, VanderWeerd-14.664; 2. Rickie Gaunt, 66, Miller-14.798; 3. Nic Faas, 4, Alexander-14.827; 4. Ricky Kirkbride, 87, Van Meter-14.906; 5. Cory Kruseman, 21K, Kruseman-14.917; 6. Danny Faria Jr., 2X, Bowman-14.965; 7. Greg Bragg, 92, Sertich-14.968; 8. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-15.052; 9. Wes Gutierrez, 007, WG-15.100; 10. Ronnie Gardner, 93, Gardner-15.159; 11. Jace VanderWeerd, 88, VanderWeerd-15.175; 12. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-15.352; 13. Tony Hunt, 56, Phulps-15.360; 14. Geoff Ensign, 3F, Finkenbinder-15.394; 15. Austin Williams, 44, Jory-15.412; 16. Shauna Hogg, 5, Hogg-15.423; 17. Tim Barber, 3T, Finkenbinder-15.426; 18. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-15.458; 19. Danny Sheridan, 18, Kittle-15.490; 20. Tim Sherman Jr., 1JR, Sherman-15.621; 21. Rip Williams, 3, Jory-15.621; 22. Jerry Kobza, 93K, Kobza-15.767; 23. Marty Hawkins, 3M, Hawkins-15.824; 24. Bill Jones, 16J, Jones-16.093; 25. Richard Brace Jr., 21J, Adel-16.131; 26. Jeff Shurley, 50S, Shurley-16.159; 27. Todd Miller, 96, Miller-16.230.
EXTREME MUFFLERS / HUNTINGTON BEACH GLASS & MIRROR HEAT RACE 1: (10 laps)
1. Rip Williams, 2. Richard VanderWeerd, 3. Cory Kruseman, 4. Wes Gutierrez, 5. Tim Barber, 6. Tony Hunt, 7. Richard Brace Jr. NT.
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE 2: (10 laps)
1. Ronnie Gardner, 2. Matt Mitchell, 3. Danny Faria Jr., 4. Rickie Gaunt, 5. Geoff Ensign, 6. Jeff Shurley, 7. Jerry Kobza. NT.
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE 3: (10 laps)
1. Danny Sheridan, 2. Jace VanderWeerd, 3. Nic Faas, 4. Greg Bragg, 5. Austin Williams, 6. Marty Hawkins, 7. Todd Miller. NT.
ELECTRO TECH POWDER COATING / ROD END SUPPLY HEAT RACE 4: (10 laps)
1. Shauna Hogg, 2. Tim Sherman Jr., 3. Mike Spencer, 4. Ricky Kirkbride, 5. Cody Williams, 6. Bill Jones. NT.
RUGGED RADIOS LAST MAN STANDING TROPHY DASH: (9 laps)
1. Nic Faas, 2. Richard VanderWeerd, 3. Rickie Gaunt, 4. Ricky Kirkbride. NT.
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. SEMI-MAIN: (12 laps)
1. Tony Hunt, 2. Cody Williams, 3. Austin Williams, 4. Geoff Ensign, 5. Tim Barber, 6. Marty Hawkins, 7. Richard Brace Jr., 8. Jerry Kobza, 9. Bill Jones, 10. Todd Miller, 11. Jeff Shurley. NT.
FEATURE: (30 laps - With Starting Positions)
1. Cory Kruseman (4th), 2. Nic Faas (6th), 3. Greg Bragg (2nd), 4. Austin Williams (15th), 5. Rickie Gaunt (7th), 6. Richard VanderWeerd (8th), 7. Ronnie Gardner (10th), 8. Danny Faria Jr. (3rd), 9. Wes Gutierrez (9th), 10. Cody Williams (12th), 11. Jace VanderWeerd (11th), 12. Tim Barber (21st), 13. Shauna Hogg (16th), 14. Ricky Kirkbride (5th), 15. Tim Sherman Jr. (19th), 16. Marty Hawkins (22nd), 17. Tony Hunt (13th), 18. Mike Spencer (1st), 19. Matt Mitchell (17th), 20. Danny Sheridan (18th), 21. Rip Williams (20th), 22. Geoff Ensign (14th). NT.
----------------------------
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-22 Mike Spencer, Laps 23-30 Cory Kruseman.
KEIZER WHEELS HARD CHARGER: Austin Williams (15th to 4th)
NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINTS:
1-Matt Mitchell-371; 2-Mike Spencer-366; 3-Nic Faas-348; 4-Greg Bragg-303; 5-Rickie Gaunt-281; 6-Austin Williams-280; 7-Blake Miller-277; 8-David Cardey-273; 9-Cory Kruseman-246; 10-Cody Williams-231.
NEW WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT POINTS:
1-Tony Hunt-353; 2-Geoff Ensign-290; 3-Shauna Hogg-288; 4-Tim Barber-274; 5-Scott Pierovich-264; 6-Jerry Kobza-242; 7-Audra Sasselli-182; 8-Luis Ramos III-160; 9-Brian McClish-160; 10-Tim Sherman Jr.-156.
NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT RACE: July 2 – Perris (CA) Auto Speedway
NEXT WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT RACE: July 9 – Stockton (CA) 99 Speedway
|
