USAC Regional Racing Round-Up: June 25-27, 2021
STANFILL STANDS TALL AT BLOOMINGTON
Bloomington, Indiana (June 25, 2021)………Bryan Stanfill captured his first career USAC Midwest Regional Midget feature victory Friday night at Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway.Starting fourth, Stanfill (Bakersfield, Calif.) led the final 10 laps of the 15-lap event after taking the lead from Tyler Nelson on the sixth circuit. Nelson later ran into mechanical trouble which knocked him out of the race early, finishing 8th.
Driving the Griffiths Motorsports No. 75AU, Stanfill was followed to the line by defending series champion and new series point leader Chett Gehrke (Broken Arrow, Okla.), Max Adams (Loomis, Calif.), Brayton Lynch (Springfield, Ill.) and Jeff Schindler (Evansville, Ind.).
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USAC MIDWEST REGIONAL MIDGET RACE RESULTS: June 25, 2021 – Bloomington Speedway – Bloomington, Indiana
FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in brackets) 1. Tyler Nelson (#88 Nelson) [2], 2. Chett Gehrke (#10 Moore) [4], 3. Jeff Schindler (#11 Martin) [3], 4. Bryan Stanfill (#75AU Griffiths) [9], 5. Billy Lawless (#17L Lawless) [1], 6. Max Adams (#37 Felker) [8], 7. Jeff Beasley (#83 Beasley) [6], 8. Brayton Lynch (#37s Felker) [7], 9. Kayla Roell (#4K Roell) [5]. NT
FEATURE: (15 laps, starting positions in brackets) 1. Bryan Stanfill [4], 2. Chett Gehrke [2], 3. Max Adams [6], 4. Brayton Lynch [8], 5. Jeff Schindler [3], 6. Billy Lawless [5], 7. Jeff Beasley [7], 8. Tyler Nelson [1], 9. Kayla Roell [9]. NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-5 Tyler Nelson, Laps 6-15 Bryan Stanfill.
USAC MIDWEST REGIONAL MIDGET POINTS: 1-Chett Gehrke-199, 2-Tyler Nelson-188, 3-Bryan Stanfill-176, 4-Jeff Beasley-154, 5-Shane Cottle-150, 6-Chance Crum-107, 7-Kayla Roell-107, 8-Abby Hohlbein-99, 9-Emerson Axsom-75, 10-Thomas Meseraull-74.
NEXT USAC MIDWEST REGIONAL MIDGET RACE: June 30, 2021 – Circle City Raceway – Indianapolis, Indiana
TROY RUTHERFORD SPRINTS TO WEST COAST SPRINT VICTORY AT VENTURA
By: Lance Jennings
VENTURA, CA – JUNE 26, 2021… After facing heavy pressure from Austin Liggett, Troy Rutherford raced to the 30-lap victory at Ventura Raceway. Piloting his #11 Trench Shoring / Grimes Rock Maxim, Rutherford earned the seventh $1,500 USAC West Coast Sprint Car win of his career. 2018 champion Austin Liggett, point leader D.J. Johnson, “T-Dub” Trent Williams, and 2016 Champion Brody Roa chased the veteran driver to the VRA co-sanctioned checkered flags.Ryan Timmons (Pleasant Hill, CA) scored the night’s Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award with a sixth place run from fourteenth. The 2016 Rookie of the Year qualified twelfth overall, took fourth in his heat race, and goes to Merced ranked third in the point standings.
Starting on the pole position, Rutherford grabbed the early lead and set a torrid place at the Ventura County Fairgrounds. As the battle raged behind for position, the former track champion built a solid advantage over the field. Moving from sixth, Liggett had worked his way to second and began to close on the leader. Within several laps, Austin challenged for the top spot and took command on the fourteenth circuit. Once out front, Liggett soon faced traffic that slowed his progress. Rutherford took advantage and powered to the lead on lap seventeen. Austin looked to return the favor and made final challenge off the last corner. With the checkered flags waving in front of a packed grandstand, the night belonged to Rutherford.
At the start of the night, Jacob Tuttle (Oakley, CA) posted his second career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award. The driver of the Ted Finkenbinder’s #3F Eagle registered a time of 12.350 on the fifth-mile oval over the 23-car field. Tuttle finished fifth in his heat race, scored seventeenth in the main event, and sits twenty-eighth in points after his first race of the campaign.
The night’s 10-lap heat race victories went to Johnson (Extreme Mufflers First Heat), Hannah Mayhew (Sway-A-Way Torsion Bars Second Heat), and 2019 Champion, Tristan Guardino (Competition Suspension Incorporated / Ultra Shield Race Products Third Heat).
After scoring thirteenth in the feature, veteran driver Rick Hendrix (Palmdale, CA) claimed the night’s Wilwood Disc Brakes’ Lucky 13 Award. The multi-time USAC Champion was sixteenth quick in time trials, scored fourth in his heat race, and sits twenty-sixth in points after one night of competition.
USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: June 26, 2021 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California – Co-Sanctioned With Ventura Racing Association (VRA)
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Jacob Tuttle, 3F, Finkenbinder-12.350; 2. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-12.435; 3. Trent Williams, 52V, Williams-12.687; 4. Brody Roa, 8M, May-12.700; 5. Kyle Edwards, 39, Edwards-12.831; 6. Jake Hodges, 4, Hodges-12.869; 7. D.J. Johnson, 33, Johnson-12.882; 8. Nate Schank 1$, Schank-12.929; 9. Trent Carter, 13, Carter-12.934; 10. Troy Rutherford, 11, Rutherford-12.939; 11. Bruce Douglass, 13X, Davis-12.947; 12. Ryan Timmons, 29T, Timmons-12.954; 13. Tom Hendricks, 14, Hendricks-12.995; 14. Tanner Boul, 99T, Boul-13.038; 15. Tristan Guardino, 15T, Guardino-13.077; 16. Rick Hendrix, 15, Hendrix-13.166; 17. Hannah Mayhew, 43, Mayhew-13.295; 18. Jarrett Soares, 12, Soares-13.342; 19. Christopher Muraokoa, 25, Muraokoa-13.453; 20. Travis Buckley, 21K, Kruseman-13.890; 21. James Herrera, 5J, Herrera-14.127; 22. Kala Keliinoi, 1K, Kruseman-NT; 23. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-NT.
EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT RACE: (10 laps) 1. Johnson, 2. Roa, 3. Rutherford, 4. Hendrix, 5. Tuttle, 6. Muraokoa, 7. Hendricks. NT.
SWAY-A-WAY TORSION BARS SECOND HEAT RACE: (10 laps) 1. Mayhew, 2. Liggett, 3. Douglass, 4. Edwards, 5. Boul, 6. Buckley, 7. Schank. NT.
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / ULTRA SHIELD RACE PRODUCTS THIRD HEAT RACE: (10 laps) 1. Guardino, 2. Carter, 3. Soares, 4. Timmons, 5. Williams, 6. Hodges, 7. Herrera. NT.
FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Troy Rutherford (1), 2. Austin Liggett (6), 3. D.J. Johnson (3), 4. Trent Williams (10), 5. Brody Roa (5), 6. Ryan Timmons (14), 7. Tristan Guardino (7), 8. Trent Carter (2), 9. Jake Hodges (11), 10. Nate Schank (12), 11. Bruce Douglass (13), 12. Travis Buckley (20), 13. Rick Hendrix (17), 14. Hannah Mayhew (8), 15. Christopher Muraokoa (19), 16. James Herrera (21), 17. Jacob Tuttle (9), 18. Tanner Boul (16), 19. Jarrett Soares (18), 20. Kyle Edwards (4), 21. Tom Hendricks (15). NT.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-13 Rutherford, Laps 14-16 Liggett, Laps 17-30 Rutherford.
ROD END SUPPLY HARD CHARGER: Ryan Timmons (14th to 6th)
WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Rick Hendrix
NEW USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-D.J. Johnson-277, 2-Austin Liggett-260, 3-Ryan Timmons-236, 4-Brody Roa-229, 5-Tanner Boul-148, 6-Kyle Edwards-140, 7-Kaleb Montgomery-137, 8-Cody Fendley-132, 9-Danny Faria Jr.-110, 10-Jake Hodges-91.
NEXT USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR RACE: July 9 – Merced Speedway – Merced, California
SMITH WINS MIDWEST WINGLESS / WINGLESS SPRINTS OKLAHOMA BORDER WAR AT 81
By: Ray Cunningham
Park City, Kansas (June 26, 2021)………From the “agony of defeat” just one week ago to “the thrill of victory” Saturday night at 81 Speedway, Billings, Missouri’s Wesley Smith was back to where he has been most of the 2021 season, celebrating a victory in the 2nd annual Border Showdown featuring the USAC Wholesale Batteries Midwest Wingless Racing Association vs. USAC Wingless Sprints Oklahoma.Smith bested Overland Park, Kansas driver Luke Howard, Odessa, Missouri’s Xavier Doney, Coweta, Oklahoma’s Brett Wilson, and Battlefield, Missouri racer Kory Schudy.
For Smith, driving the John Helm/WSR Racing #12, this was sweet redemption after losing the lead following a green, white, checker finish at Central Missouri Speedway last Saturday in a race he dominated for 24 of the 25 laps.
Saturday night at South Central Kansas’s premier dirt track, Smith was the hunter, chasing teenage gunner Howard, who was having a great run driving the Howard Racing No. 2H wrenched by three-time WAR champ Rick Smith. Smith caught the ever-improving Howard with 10 laps to go after a slight bobble by the Jayhawker on the cushion.
From there, the racing continued to be heart-stopping as Howard chased leader Smith thru lapped traffic along with contenders Doney, Wilson, and the winner of the last two MWRA main events, Schudy, in a race that went 25 laps without a yellow flag.
As the leaders came around for double checkered flags, Smith lost power just before the finish line but was able to withstand the onslaught of “Cool Hand Luke,” and the “X-Man” Doney to win his second Midwest Wingless Sprint feature of 2021, and his fifth overall this season.
Earlier in the evening, on a beautiful night for racing in the Sunflower State, Wesley Smith won his heat race as did WSO point leader and two-time champ Brett Wilson, and Gladstone, Missouri’s Chris Parkinson.
After a weekend off, USAC MWRA will head to Iowa to race on July 10 in the 3rd annual Corn Belt Clash at the famed half-mile oval of Knoxville Raceway, in a non-points special event
USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION & USAC WINGLESS SPRINTS OKLAHOMA RACE RESULTS: June 26, 2021 – 81 Speedway – Park City, Kansas
FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in brackets) 1. 12-Wesley Smith [2], 2. 11w-Wyatt Burks [1], 3. 74-Xavier Doney [6], 4. 28-Kory Schudy [8], 5. 24c-Craig Carroll [7], 6. 21-Harlan Hulsey [4], 7. 31m-Eric Matthews [3]. NT
SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in brackets) 1. 53-Brett Wilson [1], 2. 41-Brad Wyatt [2], 3. 26-Zach Clark [3], 4. 7m-Heath Murry [5], 5. 6s-Spencer Martinez [4], 6. 9-Chad Goff [7], 7. 35-J.C. Wilson [6], 8. 24H-Ty Hulsey [9], 9. 7D-David Baxter [8]. NT
THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, starting positions in brackets) 1. 65-Chris Parkinson [1], 2. 2H-Luke Howard [6], 3. 2-Kyle Lewis [4], 4. 20G-Noah Gass [5], 5. 79-Tim Kent [2], 6. 7x-Lance Silvers [7], 7. 15E-Dakota Earls [3]. NT
ALSO AT THE TRACK: 58-T.J. Cain
FEATURE: (25 laps, starting positions in brackets) 1. Wesley Smith [2], 2. Luke Howard [1], 3. Xavier Doney [3], 4. Brett Wilson [4], 5. Kory Schudy [6], 6. Chris Parkinson [5], 7. Wyatt Burks [8], 8. Chad Goff [14], 9. Craig Carroll [12], 10. Kyle Lewis [9], 11. J.C. Wilson [18], 12. Tim Kent [16], 13. Heath Murry [11], 14. Zach Clark [10], 15. Ty Hulsey [19], 16. Harlan Hulsey [17], 17. Dakota Earls [20], 18. Spencer Martinez [13], 19. Lance Silvers [15]. NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-15 Luke Howard, Laps 16-25 Wesley Smith.
USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Wesley Smith-1275, 2-Kory Schudy-1260, 3-Chris Parkinson-1060, 4-Wyatt Burks-1050, 5-Chad Goff-975, 6-Zach Clark-945, 7-Xavier Doney-875, 8-Dakota Earls-770, 9-Zach Sanders-765, 10-Luke Howard-740.
USAC WINGLESS SPRINTS OKLAHOMA POINTS: 1-Brett Wilson-422, 2-Ty Hulsey-365, 3-Craig Carroll-363, 4-Harlan Hulsey-333, 5-J.C. Wilson-310, 6-Wyatt Burks-269, 7-David Baxter-258, 8-Spencer Martinez-202, 9-Wesley Smith-150, 10-Luke Howard-142.
NEXT USAC WHOLESALE BATTERIES MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR RACE: July 10, 2021 – Knoxville Raceway – Knoxville, Iowa – Brandt Corn Belt Clash (Non-Points Special Event)
NEXT USAC WINGLESS SPRINTS OKLAHOMA RACE: July 16, 2021 – Kansas State Fairgrounds – Hutchinson, Kansas
DAVIS RULES TRI-STATE’S MMSA SUMMER SHOOTOUT
MIDWEST MINI SPRINT ASSOCIATION RESULTS: June 26, 2021 – Tri-State Speedway – Haubstadt, Indiana – Summer Shootout – 41 entriesHOOSIER SPEED QUICK TIME: Jeff Schindler
FEATURE: 1. Justin Davis, 2. Brad Strunk, 3. Jeff Schindler, 4. Kayla Roell, 5. Dean Parker, 6. Cody Gardner, 7. Nolan Kiefer, 8. Aaron Roell, 9. Zach Daum, 10. Jeremy Huebner, 11. Josh Hixson, 12. Sam Alloway, 13. Jac Nickles, 14. Greg Dedrick Jr., 15. Bryan Brewer, 16. Brandon Justus, 17. Brendon Cascadden, 18. Jaylon Mills, 19. Brandon Coffey, 20. Cody Trammell, 21. Aydn Schmidt. NT
CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:
SPEC Racing Engines Heat Winners: Aydn Schmidt, Kayla Roell, Bryan Brewer & Brad Strunk
Rod End Supply Podium, Feature Event: Justin Davis, Brad Strunk & Jeff Schindler
Keizer Aluminum Wheel Top-Five Of The Race: Dean Parker
Wilwood Brakes Good Break Of The Race 7th Place: Nolan Kiefer
Saldana Racing Products Lucky 13th Place: Jac Nickles
Hinchman Top Running Rookie: Nolan Kiefer
Langley Excavating Hard Charger: Samantha Alloway
Bailey Chassis Top Runner: Justin Davis
Hyper Racing Lucky Draw: Brandon Justus
Swat Pest B-Main Winner: Nolan Kiefer & Brandon Justus
AFCO Shocking Moment of the Race: Sam Meny Flipped in Turn 3
Rained Out Events:
June 25
USAC Midwest Thunder SpeeD2 Midgets
Gas City I-69 Speedway
Gas City, Indiana
June 27
USAC Midwest Thunder SpeeD2 Midgets
Kokomo Speedway
Kokomo, Indiana
Canceled Due to Power Outage:
June 26
USAC Midwest Regional Midgets
Wayne County Speedway
Wayne City, Illinois
Sources: USAC PR
Winner Bryan Stanfill (Bakersfield, Calif.) (Chris Pedersen Photo)
#11 Troy Rutherford (Ojai, Calif.) (Lance Jennings Photo)
Winner Wesley Smith (Billings, Mo.) (Lonnie Wheatley Photo)
Winner Justin Davis (Spencer, Ind.)