This message was edited on
June 17, 2013 at
09:43:11 PM by ljennings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC Western Classic Racing Series
Top 3 drivers at Ocean Speedway. (L-R) Nic Faas (3rd), Damion Gardner (1st), Bud Kaeding (2nd). Photo by Steve Lafond / Tear-Off Heaven Fotos.
LAST LAP PASS AT WATSONVILLE EARNS EMOTIONAL WIN FOR DAMION GARDNER
by Lance Jennings
WATSONVILLE, CA – JUNE 16, 2013... There is an old saying that goes “it is not over until it’s over.” That was certainly the case last Friday night at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway, when Concord’s “The Demon” Damion Gardner executed a last lap “slide job” on Bud Kaeding to take the win. Co-sanctioned with the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, outside front row starter Nic Faas led the first twenty-one laps before Kaeding grabbed the top spot. Bud led the next eight circuits before Gardner’s daring pass took away the victory. Kaeding, Faas, Matt Mitchell, and WCRS point leader Ryan Bernal followed Gardner to the checkered flags.
Prior to the 30-lap feature, both Kaeding and Gardner honored racer Jason Leffler with memorial laps at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds oval. Leffler, who passed away earlier in the week, was good friends with both drivers and Damion’s car owner when he moved to Indiana to race with USAC. In the mid-1990s, Jason competed briefly with the SCRA Sprints before moving up the NASCAR ranks. He will be missed by many in the racing community.
Piloting Mark Alexander’s #4A Scott Sales Company / Competition Suspension Inc. Spike, Damion Gardner out-qualified the 29 car field and earned the Saldana Racing Products / Rod End Supply Fast Time Award. Scoring fourth in his heat race, the USAC/CRA point leader claimed his first career win with the USAC Western Classic Racing Series.
Bud Kaeding of Campbell was looking for his first win of the season and had to settle for second on this night. Racing Junior Bowman’s #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Bullet, the 3-time USAC Silver Crown Champion was third fast in time trials and third in his heat race. With the runner-up finish, Bud moved to third in the USAC/CRA point standings.
Huntington Beach’s Nic Faas led the first 21 laps before falling to Kaeding and scoring third. Driving Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / Competition Suspension Inc. Spike, the former USAC Western Midget Champion qualified seventh and was second in his heat race. To date, Nic is second in the USAC/CRA point chase.
Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda raced to fourth after starting seventh. Piloting his #37 MPD Racing / A.R.T. Enterprises entry, Mitchell was fifth fast in time trials, fifth in his heat race, and won the 12-lap Rod End Supply Semi-Main. To date, the former USAC Western Midget Rookie of the Year is fifth in USAC/CRA standings.
Hollister’s Ryan Bernal was the highest finishing Western Classic car, scoring fifth in the main event. Racing Keith Ford’s #73 Berry Pack / King Racing Products Spike, Bernal qualified eighth and was third in his heat race. Ryan continues to lead the WCRS point chase with two feature wins, three top-10 finishes and 53 feature laps led on the season.
Markus Niemela of Rauma, Finland earned the night’s Kaeding Performance / Racing Optics "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with an eighth place run from nineteenth. Driving Steve Watt’s #18 Christian Stover Foundation / Lost Reality Clothing Maxim, Niemela was twenty-second quick in time trials and second in his heat race.
Fremont’s Shane Golobic race to victory in the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. Piloting Joe Von Schriltz’s #121 Country Builders Construction / ButlerBuilt Maxim, the recent World of Outlaw Sprint winner qualified seventeenth and scored twenty-first in the feature after an early exit.
Austin Liggett of Tracy won the night’s DJ Safety Heat Race #2. Racing the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Home Connections Inc. Maxim, last year’s USAC West Coast Rookie of the Year was tenth fast in time trials and ninth in the 30-lap feature.
“Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton won the Competition Suspension Inc. / Keizer Wheels Heat Race #3. Driving his #17V Johnston Calf Pens / DeBoer & Sons Trucking Spike, Faria qualified fifteenth and claimed thirteenth in the main event.
Yorba Linda’s “The Cadillac” Cody Williams scored the SBI Fuel Systems Heat Race #4 win. Piloting Jack Jory’s #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, the Watsonville USAC/CRA track record holder was twenty-fourth quick in time trials and claimed nineteenth in the feature after a flip ended his night.
The USAC Western Classic Racing Series will return to action this Friday, June 21st, at the Stockton 99 Dirt Track. Located on the San Joaquin County Fairgrounds, the $3,000-to-win and $400-to-start event will also feature Winged 360 Sprints and Spec Modifieds. Advance tickets are on sale and for more information, visit the track's website at www.stockton99.com or call (209) 466-9999.
The USAC Western Classic Racing Series would like to thank Amsoil, Hoosier Tire, BR Motorsports, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, SBI Fuel Systems, and Saldana Racing Products for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at [email protected].
For more information on the USAC Western Classic Racing Series, visit www.usacracing.com or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/WesternClassicSprints).
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA & WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS:
June 14, 2013 – Watsonville, California – Ocean Speedway
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / ROD END SUPPLY TIME TRIALS:
1. Damion Gardner, 4A, Alexander-12.764; 2. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-12.809; 3. Bud Kaeding, 29, Bowman-12.850; 4. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-12.870; 5. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-12.933; 6. Marty Hawkins, 3M, Hawkins-12.982; 7. Nic Faas, 4, Alexander-13.009; 8. Ryan Bernal, 73, Ford-13.053; 9. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-13.067; 10. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-13.071; 11. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-13.077; 12. Cory Kruseman, 7, Priestley-13.147; 13. Landon Hurst, 179, Hurst-13.152; 14. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-13.198; 15. Danny Faria Jr., 17V, Faria-13.204; 16. D.J. Johnson, 33, Johnson-13.286; 17. Shane Golobic, 121, Von Schriltz-13.300; 18. Colby Copeland, 14, Vertullo/Pierson-13.338; 19. Tony Hunt, 56, Phulps-13.361; 20. Klint Simpson, 84, Simpson-13,374; 21. Geoff Ensign, 5V, Van Lare-13.474; 22. Markus Niemela, 81, Watt-13.480; 23. Rip Williams, 3, Jory-13.489; 24. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-13.530; 25. Colton Slack, 17, Slack-13.607; 26. Nathan Washam, 33X, Hood-13.814; 27. James Sweeney, 11X, Lewis-14.452; 28. Shauna Hogg, 5, Hogg-NT; 29. Terry Rothweiler, 17S, Shanoian-NT.
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE 1: (10 laps)
1. Shane Golobic, 2. Richard Vander Weerd, 3. Geoff Ensign, 4. Damion Gardner, 5. Matt Mitchell, 6. Landon Hurst, 7. Colton Slack. NT
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE 2: (10 laps)
1. Austin Liggett, 2. Markus Niemela, 3. Mike Spencer, 4. Jace Vander Weerd, 5. Nathan Washam, 6. Marty Hawkins, 7. Colby Copeland. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / KEIZER WHEELS HEAT RACE 3: (10 laps)
1. Danny Faria Jr., 2. Nic Faas, 3. Bud Kaeding, 4. Tony Hunt, 5, Rip Williams, 6. Brody Roa, 7. James Sweeney. NT
SBI FUEL SYSTEMS HEAT RACE 4: (10 laps)
1. Cody Williams, 2. Cory Kruseman, 3. Ryan Bernal, 4. Austin Williams, 5. D.J. Johnson, 6. Klint Simpson, 7. Shauna Hogg. NT
ROD END SUPPLY SEMI-MAIN: (12 laps)
1. Matt Mitchell, 2. Brody Roa, 3. Colby Copeland, 4. D.J. Johnson, 5. Rip Williams, 6. Colton Slack, 7. Nathan Washam, 8. Marty Hawkins, 9. James Sweeney, 10. Klint Simpson, 11. Shauna Hogg, 12. Landon Hurst. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Damion Gardner (6th), 2. Bud Kaeding (4th), 3. Nic Faas (2nd), 4. Matt Mitchell (7th), 5. Ryan Bernal (1st), 6. Cory Kruseman (11th), 7. Richard Vander Weerd (8th), 8. Markus Niemela (19th), 9. Austin Liggett (9th), 10. Geoff Ensign (18th), 11. Colby Copeland (16th), 12. Brody Roa (10th), 13. Danny Faria Jr. (13th), 14. D.J. Johnson (14th), 15. Jace Vander Weerd (12th), 16. Rip Williams (20th), 17. Tony Hunt (17th), 18. Austin Williams (3rd), 19. Cody Williams (21st), 20. Mike Spencer (5th), 21. Shane Golobic (15th), 22. Shauna Hogg (23rd), 23. Colton Slack (22nd). NT
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**Landon Hurst flipped in the semi-main.
**Colton Slack & Cody Williams flipped in the feature.
**Shauna Hogg used a provisional.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-21 Nic Faas, Laps 22-29 Bud Kaeding, Lap 30 Damion Gardner.
KAEDING PERFORMANCE / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Markus Niemela (19th to 8th)
USAC WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1-Ryan Bernal-254, 2-D.J. Johnson-200; 3-Tony Hunt-186, 4-Colton Slack-167, 5-Shauna Hogg-148, 6-James Sweeney-128, 7-Nathan Washam-113, 8-Klint Simpson-101, 9-Matt Streeter-93, 10-Colby Copeland-93.
2013 USAC WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
June 21: Stockton 99 Dirt Track - Stockton, CA
July 12: Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA (Howard Kaeding Classic)
August 9: *Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA
August 17: Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway - Fernley, NV
August 31: *Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic)
September 1: *Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic)
September 5: Silver Dollar Speedway - Chico, CA (Gold Cup Race of Champions)
TBA: Reno Tahoe Fernley Speedway - Fernley, NV
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series.
This schedule is subject to change.
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