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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HAMBLIN CROWNED WEST COAST 360 SPRINT CAR SERIES CHAMPION
(SANTA MARIA, CA - NOVEMBER 30, 2009) When the dust settled after a tough 24-race schedule, it was Hanford’s Justyne Hamblin that emerged with the title of West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series Champion. The inaugural season saw the powerful 360 Sprint Cars battle at the Santa Maria Speedway, Hanford’s Kings Speedway, Bakersfield Speedway, and Ventura Raceway.
It was not an easy task to say the least. The 19-year-old Hamblin battled a roster of talented drivers throughout the season, including title contenders Rusty Carlile and Peter Murphy. Driving the Hamblin Motorsports / Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino / SpeedTech #8 entry, Justyne used consistency to score solid finishes and a victory in front of her hometown fans at the Kings Speedway season finale on October 31st. That victory also earned Hamblin the Kings Speedway Track Championship.
Hamblin emerged with a 12-point cushion over runner-up Rusty Carlile, who had finished second at the Hanford finale. The Bakersfield veteran challenged up to the very last lap of the season to make for an exciting points battle. Carlile piloted the Southwest Contractors / NTS Incorporated #51 entry to Hanford’s victory circle on October 3rd.
Clovis’ Peter Murphy missed several key point races, but managed to finish third in the series standings. On the strength of six victories, coming at Santa Maria, Hanford, and Bakersfield, Murphy had a strong campaign in the Tarlton & Son Inc. / Tachi Palace & Casino #21 Maxim. Peter won Santa Maria’s Bud Stanfield Memorial on October 10th en route to the Santa Maria Speedway Track Championship.
One of the biggest surprises of the 2009 season was rookie Terry Nichols from Delano. Nichols and his team used determination to finish fourth in the final standings. The strong competition and variety of racetracks provided a valuable experience to the young driver of the #33 Twister X sponsored Triple-X. Nichols was the highest driver in series points who did not win a feature event.
Fresno’s T.J. Smith and Kerman’s Davey Pombo finished fifth and sixth respectively in the West Coast 360 points. Smith split his season between the McCowan Motorsports #11 and UHL Rubber #14 entries. Pombo, who had two early season victories at Bakersfield, also split his season between rides sponsored by Southwest Contractors and Brad Downing Performance. Davey won the 360 Grand Slam Series Championship with his strong efforts.
Visalia’s Richard VanderWeerd had an impressive season as he won four features and his twin brother Jace won the March 14th season opener. Veteran driver Craig Stidham won back-to-back features at Hanford on June 20th and 26th. Other drivers to visit victory circle were Jonathan Henry (Ventura), Cory Kruseman (Hanford), Danny Sheridan (Santa Maria), Aaron Altaffer (Hanford), and Greg Alexander (Santa Maria). Henry, Pombo, and Alexander drove to co-sanctioned 360 Grand Slam wins with the Ventura Racing Association (VRA).
In all, the inaugural season for the West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series was a success and look for better things to come in 2010. For more information, visit www.racesantamariaspeedway.com.
WEST COAST 360 SPRINT CAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1. Justyne Hamblin, 8- 842
2. Rusty Carlile, 51- 830
3. Peter Murphy, 21- 689
4. Terry Nichols, 33- 644
5. T.J. Smith, 11/14- 624
6. Davey Pombo, 27/47- 599
7. Jared Little, 25- 595
8. Richard VanderWeerd, 10- 518
9. Jace VanderWeerd, 88- 451
10. Jonathan Logan, 32- 397
11. Ricky Kirkbride, 87- 396
12. Albert Pombo, 35- 393
13. Aaron Altaffer, 21A- 382
14. Geoffrey Strole, 9K- 357
15. Rick Eberhardt, 4- 307
16. Kevin Barnes, 36B- 304
17. Greg Porte, 3G- 290
18. Michael Faccinto, 21T- 252
19. Wes Gutierrez, 11/007- 249
20. Craig Stidham, 3- 243
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