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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series
#73 Ryan Bernal. USAC West Coast Point Leader. Photo by Steve Lombardo.
RYAN BERNAL LEADS USAC WEST COAST SPRINTS TO TULARE
by Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – APRIL 15, 2013... This Saturday, April 20th, the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series will return to Tulare’s Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway. The event will mark the fourth of five appearances at the lightning fast 1/3-mile clay oval. The winged Rebel Cup 360 Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, and IMCA Stock Cars will join the action packed card. The Front Gates will open at 5:00pm, Hotlaps is 6:00pm followed by time trials, and Racing is scheduled to begin at 7:00pm.
Since March 2010, fifteen USAC West Coast Sprint Car races have been held at the Tulare County Fairgrounds oval. Bud Kaeding leads all drivers with four main event wins, followed by track record holder Ryan Bernal (3), Kyle Larson (2), Craig Stidham (2), Richard Vander Weerd (2), Dean Alexander (1), and Peter Murphy (1).
Heading to Saturday’s race, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal holds a twenty-one point advantage over the competition. Piloting Keith Ford's #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine Spike, Bernal was last week’s BR Motorsports / Racing Optics “Hard Charger” with a fifteenth to second place run at Tulare. The 2-time Santa Maria track champion has two feature wins, three heat race victories, one Woodland Auto Display Dash win, six top-5 finishes, and 39 feature laps led. Ryan will be looking to extend his point lead with another victory at Thunderbowl Raceway.
Bud Kaeding of Campbell is second in the point standings. Driving Junior Bowman's #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Bullet, Kaeding surged to fifth in the closing laps after falling back to ninth. To date, the 3-time USAC Silver Crown Champion has two heat race victories, one Woodland Auto Display Dash win, and four top-5 finishes to his credit. Bud might miss Tulare’s action on Saturday to compete in a USAC/CRA doubleheader in Yuma, Arizona.
By leading all 30-laps to score his second win of the year, Visalia’s Richard Vander Weerd has climbed to third in the point chase. Racing the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Richard has one heat race victory, one semi-main win, five top-5 finishes, two hard charger awards, and 59 feature laps led. Vander Weerd will be looking to return to Tulare’s victory circle on Saturday.
Jace Vander Weerd of Visalia sits fourth in the championship points. Piloting the family owned #88 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Jace was third in last Saturday’s main event. The former USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year has one heat race victory, one Woodland Auto Display Dash win, and four top-5 finishes on the season. Vander Weerd will have his sights on a breakthrough victory at Tulare.
Tipton's "Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. is fifth in the point standings. Driving his #17V Johnston Calf Pens / DeBoer & Sons Trucking Spike, Faria had a flat tire that knocked him out of contention. Unfazed, “Hollywood” charged from the back to claim sixth at the checkered flags. To date, Faria has two heat race victories, one top-5 finish, and 1 feature lap in the campaign. Danny will be looking to score his first main event win of the year this Saturday night.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are "The Rickster" Ricky Kirkbride, “The Bakersfield Bullet” Rusty Carlile, Markus Niemela, Austin Liggett, Rookie Contender Landon Hurst, Jonathan Logan, "The Wild Child" Chris Ennis, Marty Hawkins, Andy Ferris, Jeff Sibley, Matt Day, Kevin Barnes, Dennis Howell, and more.
Tulare’s Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds at the corner of Bardsley and K Streets. Advance tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling the track office at (559) 688-0909. For more event information, visit the track’s website at www.tularethunderbowl.com.
The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, Chris Kearns Presents, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Diversified Machine Inc., Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, SBI Fuel Systems, Saldana Racing Products, Weld Racing, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series in 2013, email PR Director Lance Jennings at [email protected].
For more information on the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/#!/pages/USAC-West-Coast-Sprint-Car-Series/369549755817).
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USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1-Ryan Bernal-263, 2-Bud Kaeding-242, 3-Richard Vander Weerd-238, 4-Jace Vander Weerd-232, 5-Danny Faria Jr.-216, 6-Markus Niemela-177, 7-Rusty Carlile-164, 8-Ricky Kirkbride-152, 9-Austin Liggett-139, 10-Chris Ennis-130.
2013 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
April 20: Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA
April 27: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA
May 11: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Billet Cup)
June 8: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA
June 22: Santa Maria Speedway - Santa Maria, CA (Bud Stanfield Memorial)
July 6: Santa Maria Speedway - Santa Maria, CA (Doug Fort Memorial)
July 20: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA
August 3: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Jim Evett Memorial)
September 7: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA
September 20: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Jim Turner Memorial)
September 21: Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA (John Anthony Sharp Memorial)
September 28: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Brawl For It All / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series / Non-Points)
October 12: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Cotton Classic)
October 31: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval Nationals / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series / Non-Points)
November 14: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / Non-Points)
November 15: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / Non-Points)
November 16: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / $7,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC Southwest Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
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