This message was edited on
March 30, 2010 at
02:22:52 AM by ljennings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINTS RETURN TO TULARE SATURDAY
By Lance Jennings
TULARE, CA – MARCH 30, 2010…The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series will hold their fourth round of competition this Saturday night, April 3rd, at Tulare's Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway. The popular non-wing sprint cars will also return the following Saturday, April 10th, for the Chris & Brian Faria Memorial. That event will be the first race of the Southwest Contractors 360 Clash mini-series.
"The season has gotten off to a great start and the level of competition is awesome," says Series Promoter Chris Kearns. "You are really going to have to work for a win or a championship in this series."
Visalia's Dean "Kiwi" Alexander scored the victory at Tulare's March 6th season opener. Piloting the McCowan Motorsports #11 Maxim, the New Zealand native held off Fresno's Craig Stidham, "Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton, Visalia's Jace VanderWeerd, and "The Central Valley Samurai" Garrett Ishii from Caruthers.
Since then, the championship battle has really heated up with Danny Faria Jr. taking home the win and the points lead on March 13th at Hanford. "Hollywood" put on a show in his Borges Farms #17V Maxim, as he started sixteenth and battled his way to the front. That charge also earned Faria "Best Passing Job" honors on the night and he was followed by Fresno's T.J. Smith, Kerman's Davey Pombo, Jace VanderWeerd, and Bakersfield's Rusty Carlile.
At last Saturday night's show at Bakersfield, it was Davey Pombo that scored the win. Driving Junior Bowman's Buster & Ziggy sponsored #3 Bullet, Pombo was followed across the finish line by Rusty Carlile, Craig Stidham, Mariposa's Andy Ferris, and Jonathan Logan from Hanford. Danny Faria Jr. suffered some bad luck with an early exit and now trails Stidham, the new series point leader, by 28 points.
Sitting third in the points is Garrett Ishii. The pilot of the MK1 Designs #71G Don Ott powered Maxim finished eighth at Bakersfield after leading the first three laps of the feature. Ishii battled with Bakersfield's Chris Ennis, who is now fourth in the standings, for the early lead. Ennis led the next 13 laps in Allen Ennis' Skarphol Associates #86 777 entry before finishing seventh. T.J. Smith, a former Plaza Park Raceway champion, is currently fifth in the points chase. Smith drove Steve Legraw's UHL Rubber #14 Maxim to a ninth place finish.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Mariposa's Andy Ferris, multi-series and multi-track champion Peter Murphy of Clovis, defending series champion Justyne Hamblin of Hanford, 4-time Santa Maria track champion "Junkyard" Jimmy Thompson of Arroyo Grande, and Visalia's Richard VanderWeerd.
The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, Cory Kruseman's Sprint Car & Midget Driving School, Crow Enterprizes, DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Hinchman-Indy Racing Uniforms, Integra Shocks, Kaeding Performance, Kirkey Racing Fabrication, Port City Racing, and Saferacer.com for their support.
The Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway is located on the Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare. Joining the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars will be the Central California Modifieds. Reserved Grandstand Tickets are $18 and Bleacher Tickets are $15. Advance tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling the track office at (559) 688-0909. For more event information, please visit the track's website at www.tularethunderbowl.com.
For more information on the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series, please visit www.racesantamariaspeedway.com, and www.usacracing.com.
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USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT CAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS – 03/27/10:
- Craig Stidham, 3S- 183
- Danny Faria Jr., 17V- 155
- Garrett Ishii, 71G- 146
- Chris Ennis, 86- 141
- T.J. Smith, 14- 140
- Davey Pombo, 3- 134
- Jonathan Logan, 32- 129
- Rusty Carlile, 51- 123
- Andy Ferris, 4J- 119
- Peter Murphy, 21- 117
- Jace VanderWeerd, 88- 116
- Justyne Hamblin, 8- 116
- Jimmy Thompson, 71R- 110
- Dean Alexander, 11- 103
- Matt Day, 97- 74
- Richard VanderWeerd, 10- 70
- Kevin Barnes, 36B- 61
- Dave Knott, 28- 56
- Jesse Mack, 8M- 52
- Steve Osborne, 9J- 47
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