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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series
#09S Geoffrey Strole. Photo by Lance Jennings.
USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINTS RETURN TO SANTA MARIA SATURDAY
By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – JUNE 23, 2010… The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series will return to action this Saturday, June 26th, at Chris Kearns' Santa Maria Speedway. The event will mark the twelfth round of competition for the powerful 360 sprints and the third race at "The West's Best Short Track." Also on the card will be the Papich Construction IMCA Modifieds, MMI Services Hobby Stocks, and Powder Puff Mini Stocks. The Front Gates will open at 3:00pm, Time Trials will start at 5:00pm, with Racing at 6:00pm.
On April 17th, "Showtime" Danny Sheridan took the checkered flags in front of his hometown fans. Point leader Craig Stidham followed up with the victory on May 8th. In addition to Saturday's event, the series will return to the Santa Maria clay oval on July 24th, August 28th, and September 18th. The Ron Otto Memorial on August 28th is part of the Southwest Contractors 360 Clash, a four race mini series with a $5000 point fund.
Fresno's Craig Stidham will look to extend his point lead with a Santa Maria win. Driving the Brad Johnson Trucking / KRC Safety #3S Maxim, Stidham leads all drivers with four feature wins, ten top-10 finishes, and six heat race victories. Last Saturday night at Bakersfield, Craig was second quick in time trials, third in his heat race, and second in the main event. The drive in the feature earned Stidham his first King Racing Products Hard Charger award of the year. Heading into the Santa Maria event, the former Rebel Cup Sprint Car champion has a sixty-three point advantage over Davey Pombo.
Throughout his career, Davey Pombo of Kerman has enjoyed success at Santa Maria. Piloting Junior Bowman's Buster & Ziggy #3 Bullet, Pombo has one feature win, ten top-10 finishes, one heat race victory, and one hard charger award. At Bakersfield, Davey earned his second Sander Engineering Fast Time award of the season. The former Santa Maria Sprint Car champion was third in his heat race and after a late race spin, he rebounded to finish eighth in the main event. Look for Pombo to have a strong run on Saturday.
Fresno's T.J. Smith is third in the point standings. Proving that consistency can pay off, the driver of Steve LeGras' UHL Rubber #14 Maxim has nine top-10 finishes and one fast time award. Last Saturday at Bakersfield, Smith was fifth quick in time trials, second in his heat race, and fourth in the feature. The former Plaza Park track champion will be looking for his first series win at Santa Maria.
Sitting fourth in the point chase is Justyne Hamblin of Hanford. Driving the JH Motorsports / Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino #8 Speed Tech machine, Hamblin has one feature win, nine top-10 finishes, two heat race wins, and two hard charger awards. At Bakersfield, the defending series champion was fourth quick in time trials, second in her heat race, and third in the main event. Look for Hamblin to be in the mix on Saturday.
Clovis' Peter Murphy in fifth in the point standings. The versatile driver has found a new ride in Junior Bowman's Buster & Ziggy #11X Bullet. Murphy has seven top-10 finishes, one fast time, and four heat race wins on the season. Absent from Bakersfield's event to compete at Skagit, Washington's Dirt Cup, the former SCRA 360 Sprint Car champion is a fan favorite.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Bakersfield's Rusty Carlile, Visalia's Jace & Richard VanderWeerd, last Saturday's feature winner Ricky Kirkbride of Bakersfield, Hanford's Geoffrey Strole, Visalia's Jesse Mack, Wes Gutierrez of San Martin, "Showtime" Danny Sheridan of Santa Maria, and 4-time Santa Maria track champion "Junkyard" Jimmy Thompson from Arroyo Grande.
The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, Competition Suspension, Cory Kruseman's Sprint Car & Midget Driving School, Crow Enterprizes, DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Hinchman-Indy Racing Uniforms, Integra Shocks, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Kirkey Racing Fabrication, Port City Racing, Saferacer.com, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support.
Santa Maria Speedway is located 1/4-mile north of the 101/166 interchange on Hutton Road. Adult tickets are $16, Senior, Military, and Student tickets (13-17) are $14, Kids tickets (6-12) are $5, and Children’s tickets (5 and under) are FREE. For more event information, visit the track’s website at www.racesantamariaspeedway.com.
For more information on the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series, please visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, www.racesantamariaspeedway.com, or follow the series on facebook.
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USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Craig Stidham 650; 2. Davey Pombo 587; 3. T.J. Smith 534; 4. Justyne Hamblin 527; 5. Peter Murphy 503; 6. Rusty Carlile 473; 7. Danny Faria Jr. 440; 8. Chris Ennis 387; 9. Jace VanderWeerd 382; 10. Richard VanderWeerd 329; 11. Andy Ferris 322; 12. Jonathan Logan 259; 13. Ricky Kirkbride 258; 14. Geoffrey Strole 249; 15. Jesse Mack 243; 16. Wes Gutierrez 234; 17. Danny Sheridan 222; 18. Albert Pombo 191; 19. Jimmy Thompson 187; 20. Dean Alexander 166.
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