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USAC Open-Wheel Sprints and Midgets To Do Battle at Madera Speedway This Saturday Night
Another chapter in the long and proud tradition of United States Auto Club (USAC) open-wheel racing at the Madera Speedway will be written into the books this Saturday, July 7 when the best Sprint and Midget drivers and teams from across the Western United States return to the central valley in California to once again challenge the “Fastest 1/3 Mile in the West.”
Highlighting this Saturday’s big open-wheel program will be the Sprint Cars in a 50-lap feature, co-sanctioned by USAC and the California Asphalt Sprintcar Association (CASA). The USAC Midgets, California Paved Ford Focus, Northern California Modified Association (NCMA) Sprints and Western Racing Association (WRA) Vintage Midgets and Sprints will also all be racing.
The powerful Sprints run 360 cubic inch, V-8s that are capable of producing an amazing 750 horsepower while the versatile Midgets run 166 cubic inch, four cylinder engines that produce upwards of 350 horsepower. Both are capable of reaching speeds in excess of 130 mph!
The Midgets and Sprints are the breeding ground for several of the current stars in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series such as 2005 champion Tony Stewart and four-time champion Jeff Gordon. Many of the new young guns of NASCAR, such as Kasey Kahne, J. J. Yeley and Ryan Newman, have also cut their teeth in open-wheel racing.
Chico’s Ryan Kaplan is currently atop both the Lucas Oil Western Sprint Car Series and CASA “Best in the West” standings by a narrow margin over JoJo Helberg. They will have plenty of competition in Madera from drivers such as third generation racer and five-time USAC champion Tony Hunt of Lincoln.
Hunt, the three-time defending (2001, ‘04 and ‘06) series champion also won USAC’s 1992 Russell Pro crown and a 2002 Western Regional Sprint Car championship. Only seven drivers in USAC’s 52-year history have more titles including the legendary A.J. Foyt who won an incredible record 13 USAC championships. He is fifth in the current standings, but is only 30 points behind the leader and despite a pair of second place finishes, he is still seeking his first victory in 2007.
Like open-wheel racing, the name Swanson is synonymous with Madera Speedway and 16-year-old Tanner Swanson, of Kingsburg, will not only be one of the favorites in Saturday’s Sprint Car feature, but a huge favorite amongst the fans in the grandstands as well.
Tanner Swanson finished an impressive third in his USAC Sprint car debut at Roseville on May 26 and then topped that performance by becoming the youngest driver to post a USAC Sprint Car feature victory by going wire to wire in only his second Sprint Car start at Altamont Motorsports Park, near Tracy, on June 16.
Despite his instant success, Tanner sits only tenth in the Sprint Car points after he was forced to miss the first two races of the season due to his commitments in the Ford Focus All American Driver Challenge in North Carolina. In Tanner’s absence his older brother Kody, age 19, stepped into the family owned number 17 car and took the checkered flag in both events!
“What they have done has far exceeded anything I ever accomplished,” said their proud father Mike Swanson, a nine-time Madera track champion in four different divisions. “Driving these cars is a tough job. They are hard to handle.”
Like Gordon and Stewart, both Tanner and Kody Swanson hope to use their USAC open-wheel experience as a springboard into NASCAR Nextel Cup.
The July 7 race will mark the 100th appearance of the USAC Midgets at the storied Madera oval. In 99 previous races at Madera, Davey Hamilton leads with nine career wins, while Billy Vukovich III won eight times and Tony Hunt has seven career Midget wins at the 1/3-mile paved oval.
With two victories already this season Johnny Rodriguez, of El Monte, stands atop the USAC Western Midget Series standings in 2007 just ahead of car owner and teammate Matt Mitchell, of Loma Linda. Mitchell has recently sliced the lead to just nine points by taking second in front of Rodriguez at the Bakersfield Speedway on June 23rd and the win at Altamont on June 16.
Defending two-time USAC Western Midget champion Jerome Rodela, of Whittier, will also be among the favorites in the 30-lap Midget feature.
The Northern California Modified Association Sprints will be making their third 2007 appearance at Madera this Saturday. The versatile non-winged Sprints race at multiple tracks throughout Northern California and Nevada on both asphalt and dirt.
The WRA Vintage Midgets and Sprints are some of the actual racecars that were built and raced from the glory days of Midget racing in the 1940’s. These beautiful vintage cars - also known as the “Moving Museum” - average about 60 years in age and are powered by Offenhousers, V-8 Ford 60’s, Mercurys and other exotic engines of yesteryear.
The drivers of these historic cars average 70 plus years old including 84-year-old Walt James, of Acton, driving the 1948 Ford V-8 flat head engine Sprint and 83-year-old Bill Gerrard, of Santa Ana, driving the Crager Wire Wheels Sprint Car. Fans are encouraged to bring their cameras and visit with the drivers in the pits following the races to learn more about this fabulous by-gone era of motorsports.
Racing fans are also encouraged to come out early and enjoy the Quarter Midgets Nationals that will be taking place on the 1/8-mile oval located right next door to the "Fastest 1/3 Mile in the West.”
Saturday’s USAC Open-Wheel Night at Madera Speedway is a rare opportunity to see the racing stars of tomorrow in the afternoon and the open-wheel stars of today and yesterday do battle in the USAC/CASA Sprints, Midgets, Ford Focus and WRA Sprints/Midgets in the evening all for one ticket price. This is one very special event you do not want to miss!
Ticket prices Saturday, July 7 are only $25.00 for adults, $20.00 for seniors 65 years of age or older, $18.00 for students, active duty military and juniors age 13-17, $5.00 for kids age 6-12 and kids 5 and under are free when accompanied by a paying adult. A family pack ticket (two adults and up to two kids 12 years old and under) is also available for the bargain price of $55.00. Adult fans with a sales receipt from any Save Mart Supermarket store receive a $5 discount at the gate on race days. VISA and MasterCard are welcome at window #3.
The Madera Speedway pit gates will open at 9:00 AM on Saturday, July 7, the grandstands open at 2:00 PM, qualifying begins at 2:30 PM and the first green flag will wave to begin the evening’s racing at approximately 5:00 PM.
The Madera Speedway is located at the Madera County Fairgrounds just off to the west side of Highway 99 at the Cleveland Avenue exit.
For more Madera Speedway information go to www.racemadera.com on the web or call the Info/Race Line at (559) 673-RACE.
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