USAC Regional Preview: 6/13/2019
USAC WEST COAST SPRINTS CLASH SATURDAY AT SANTA MARIA’S “RON OTTO MEMORIAL”
#87 Ricky Kirkbride (Lance Jennings Photo)
By Lance Jennings
JUNE 11, 2019… This Saturday, June 15th, the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars will make their second of four appearances at the newly renovated Santa Maria Raceway. Promoted by Nick Duggan, the “Ron Otto Memorial” will also showcase IMCA Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks, American Stocks, Mini Stocks, and the NMRA TQ Midgets. Located in Nipomo, California, the front gates at “The West’s Best Short Track” will open at 4:00pm, time trials at 5:00pm, and racing will begin at 5:30pm. For more information, visit the track’s website at santamariaraceway.com or call 310.493.4900.
Primarily featuring the NMRA TQ Midgets, the “Ron Otto Memorial” has hosted sprint cars for several years. While some details are missing and different series were brought in, Josh Davis won the Bandit 360 Sprint feature in 2005. From 2006 to 2009, “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman, Mike Spencer, Tyler Brown, and Garrett Hansen won under the USAC/CRA 410 banner. In 2010, T.J. Smith claimed the USAC West Coast main event and the shows in 2011 and 2012 were rained out. James Herrera won the local 360 show in 2015, Ryan Bernal topped 2017, and Austin Liggett was victorious in last year’s memorial. A win list for the “Ron Otto Memorial” is at the bottom of this release.
To date, Santa Maria Raceway has held thirty-eight West Coast Sprint Car events and Ryan Bernal leads all drivers with six victories. On August 12, 2017, Max Adams lowered the series track record to 13.384, just above the all-time 360 record of 13.354 by “Showtime” Danny Sheridan on September 11, 2004. Austin Liggett claimed the April 28th main event and the Santa Maria series win list is at the end of this release.
Entering the ninth point race, there have been six different winners. Defending series champion Austin Liggett and Tristan Guardino have two victories, while Brody Roa, Jake Swanson, Chase Johnson, and Troy Rutherford have one win on the season. Rain washed out the May 18th show at Petaluma.
Returning to Santa Maria, Tristan Guardino (Fremont, CA) has a stout 125-point lead over the competition. Driving the family owned #15T Dorso’s Automotive / Allied Auto Stores Maxim, Guardino won last Friday’s nonstop “Chris and Brian Faria Memorial” at Tulare. At press time, the point leader has two feature wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, six top-10 finishes, and 60 feature laps led. Tristan ranks ninth on the series win list and will be looking to add the “Otto Memorial” to his resume.
Ryan Timmons (Pleasant Hill, CA) ranks second in the chase for the championship. Piloting the family owned #29T Timmons Auto & Truck Repair / Evergood Fine Foods Maxim, Timmons finished eighth at the Tulare County Fairgrounds. To date, the 2016 Rookie of the Year has one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one heat race victory, one Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award, and five top-10 finishes to his credit. This Saturday, Ryan will have his sights on his third USAC West Coast triumph.
Koen Shaw (Fresno, CA) sits third in the USAC West Coast point standings. Racing the family owned #88 Shaw Structures Unlimited / PMS Investments KPC, Shaw placed tenth in last Friday’s “Faria Memorial.” At press time, the versatile driver has one heat race victory and three top-10 finishes in the campaign. Koen will be looking for his first career USAC win at Santa Maria Raceway.
After running a close second to Guardino at Tulare, Austin Liggett (Tracy, CA) has climbed to fourth in the championship point chase. Driving the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Liggett Trucking Maxim, the defending champion has two feature wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, two heat race victories, four top-10 finishes, and 41 feature laps led on the season. Austin ranks sixth in feature wins and will have his sights on another “Otto Memorial” victory.
“Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. (Tipton, CA) has risen to fifth in the West Coast point chase. Piloting his #17V Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / DeBoer & Sons Trucking Spike, Faria scored a fourth place finish at Tulare. To date, the two-time champion has two heat race victories and three top-10 finishes on the year. “Hollywood” is tied with Bud Kaeding for third in series victories and will be looking to add his name to the winner’s list of the “Ron Otto Memorial.”
Hannah Mayhew (Acton, CA) leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors. Slater Helt (Harrisonville, MO) and J.J. Ringo (Morgan Hill, CA) are also in contention.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Austin Ervine, Jake Swanson, Michael Faccinto, “The Rickster” Ricky Kirkbride, Steve Hix, Troy Rutherford, T.J. Smith, Cody Majors, Tanner Boul, Brandon Wiley, D.J. Johnson, Ryan Stolz, and more.
Santa Maria Raceway is located 1/4-mile north of the 101/166 interchange at 1900 Hutton Road in Nipomo, California. Adult tickets are $17, Kids Tickets (6-12) are $6, and Kids (5 & Under) are FREE. For more event information, visit the track’s website at santamariaraceway.com or call 310.493.4900.
The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series thanks AMSOIL, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Butlerbuilt Professional Seat Systems, Chris Kearns Presents, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Hoosier Racing Tire, Loudpedal Productions, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Saldana Racing Products, Ultra Shield Race Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
For more information on the series, visit usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content at westcoastsprintcars.com and the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS: 2009-Justyne Hamblin, 2010-Craig Stidham, 2011-Richard Vander Weerd, 2012-Bud Kaeding, 2013-Danny Faria Jr., 2014-Matt Mitchell, 2015-Danny Faria Jr., 2016-Brody Roa, 2017-Jake Swanson, 2018-Austin Liggett.
“RON OTTO MEMORIAL” SPRINT CAR WINNERS: 2005-Josh Davis, 2006-Cory Kruseman, 2007-Mike Spencer, 2008-Tyler Brown, 2009-Garrett Hansen, 2010-T.J. Smith, 2011-RAIN, 2012-RAIN, 2013-NO RACE, 2014-NO RACE, 2015-James Herrera, 2016-NO RACE, 2017-Ryan Bernal, 2018-Austin Liggett.
2019 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR WINS: 2-Tristan Guardino, 2-Austin Liggett, 1-Chase Johnson, 1-Brody Roa, 1- Troy Rutherford, 1-Jake Swanson.
SANTA MARIA USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR WINS: (Includes Non-Point Races) 6-Ryan Bernal, 5-Richard Vander Weerd, 3-Peter Murphy, 3-Danny Sheridan, 3-Jace Vander Weerd, 2-Danny Faria Jr., 2-Tristan Guardino, 2-Cory Kruseman, 2-Austin Liggett, 2-T.J. Smith, 1-Max Adams, 1-Greg Alexander, 1-Wes Gutierrez, 1-Davey Pombo, 1-Brody Roa, 1-Troy Rutherford, 1-Craig Stidham, 1-Ryan Timmons.
2019 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Tristan Guardino-515, 2. Ryan Timmons-390, 3. Koen Shaw-370, 4. Austin Liggett-308, 5. Danny Faria Jr.-294, 6. Hannah Mayhew (R)-273, 7. Austin Ervine-250, 8. Slater Helt (R)-241, 9. Jake Swanson-238, 10. Michael Faccinto-231, 11. Ricky Kirkbride-225, 12. Steve Hix-221, –. Troy Rutherford-221, 14. T.J. Smith-216, 15. Ryan Bernal-206, 16. Cody Majors-203, 17. J.J. Ringo (R)-197, 18. Kyle Edwards-178, 19. Tanner Boul-166, 20. Brody Roa-154.
2019 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE-TRACK-LOCATION
February 27: The Dirt Track at LVMS – Las Vegas, NV (Winner: Brody Roa)
February 28: The Dirt Track at LVMS – Las Vegas, NV (Winner: Jake Swanson)
March 16: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA (Winner: Chase Johnson)
March 23: *Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (Winner: Tristan Guardino)
April 27: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Winner: Austin Liggett)
May 17: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (Winner: Austin Liggett)
May 18: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA (RAINED OUT)
June 1: *Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (Winner: Troy Rutherford)
June 7: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (Winner: Tristan Guardino)
June 15: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Ron Otto Memorial)
August 10: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Bud Stanfield Memorial)
August 24: *Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (ARP Battle at the Beach Race #3)
October 5: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA
October 12: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA
November 27: *Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (Turkey Night Grand Prix / Non-Points)
November 28: *Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (Turkey Night Grand Prix / ARP Battle at the Beach Race #4 / Non-Points)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with VRA Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
April Red Dirt winner Steven Shebester of Mustang, Okla. (Danny Clum Photo)
RED DIRT ROLLS OUT THE RED CARPET FOR USAC WSO FRIDAY
Meeker, Oklahoma (June 10, 2019)………The second of four visits to Red Dirt Raceway by USAC Wingless Sprints Oklahoma comes to Meeker, Okla. this Friday night, June 14, four round three of the 2019 season.
Mustang, Oklahoma’s Steven Shebester captured the victory in the series opener at Red Dirt in April. Layne Himebaugh (Collinsville, Okla.), Andrew Deal (Caney, Kans.), Brett Wilson (Sapulpa, Okla.) and Johnny Kent (Kiefer, Okla.) rounded out the top-five in the show.
Deal won the most recent USAC/WSO round at Creek County Speedway in the final week of April. Deal now leads the standings by 24 points over Danny Smith (Sapulpa, Okla.). Himebaugh, Cameron Hagin (Broken Arrow, Okla.) and J. Kent complete the top-five coming into Friday’s race. Defending series champ Wilson is eighth in the standings.
On Friday, the gates open at 6pm Central, driver draw at 6:15pm at the USAC/WSO table until 7pm, USAC/WSO drivers meeting at 7pm, track drivers meeting at 7:15pm with hot Laps immediately following. Racing starts at 8pm.
Grandstand general admission tickets are just $15. High school students and younger are FREE (must show student ID). Pit passes are $30.
USAC WINGLESS SPRINTS OKLAHOMA POINTS: 1-Andrew Deal-285, 2-Danny Smith-261, 3-Layne Himebaugh-258, 4-Cameron Hagin-252, 5-Johnny Kent-250, 6-Tim Kent-248, 7-Noah Harris-235, 8-Brett Wilson-234, 9-Alison Slaton-210, 10-Waylon Weaver-207.
USAC DMA action at Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Vermont (John DaDalt Photo)
THREE USAC SPEED2 MIDGET SERIES IN ACTION THIS WEEKEND
Speedway, Indiana (June 10, 2019)………USAC Speed2 Midget racing takes to the track this weekend on three dirt ovals in the states of Indiana, Illinois, and Vermont.
First up is Friday’s Midwest Thunder round at Gas City I-69 Speedway in Gas City, Ind. on June 14. Two-time and defending series champion Aaron Leffel (Springfield, Ohio) is two-for-two in MTM action this season, scoring rounds at both Gas City and Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway during the month of May. He leads the standings by 30 markers entering round three of the season.
Spoon River Speedway in Canton, Ill. is back on the plate for the Engler IMRA Midgets for the fourth time this year this Saturday night, June 15. Andy Baugh, of Mason City, Ill. has been the man to beat, winning all three Spoon River meets in 2019, including last Saturday’s race. He’s the defending series champ and leads the standings by just seven ahead of the consistent Tyler Roth (Springfield, Ill.), who’s been the only other driver to defeat Baugh this year, which he did two weeks ago at Macon (Ill.) Speedway.
DMA’s home track of Bear Ridge Speedway in Bradford, Vermont hosts the series for the fourth occasion in 2019. The highly-competitive series has seen parity with three different winners in the first three outings: Seth Carlson (Brimfield, Mass.), Will Hull (Plainfield, Vt.) and Adam Whitney (Warren, Vt.). Hull leads the standings over Carlson by ten points coming in.
Friday at Gas City, the SOD Winged Sprint Cars, UMP Modifieds, Super Streets, Street Stocks and Hornets are on the event card. Pit gates open at 3pm Eastern, front gates at 5pm, hot laps at 6:30pm and racing at 7:30pm. Adult general admission tickets are $18, kids 12 and under are free and pit passes are $30 apiece.
Saturday at Spoon River, the pits open at 4pm Central with grandstands opening at 5pm. Draw will close at 5:30pm with cars hitting the track at 6pm and racing at 7pm. Adult general admission tickets are $10 with admission for kids age 4 thru 10 are $3. All pit passes are $30.
Saturday at Bear Ridge, the Sabil & Sons DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, Wells River Chevrolet DIRTcar Sportsman Coupes, C.A. Miller Limited Late Models and Peanuts Auto Four Cylinders will be on hand with the DMA Midgets. Pits open at 3pm, front gates at 3pm and racing at 6pm. Adult general admission tickets are $10, students 12-17 general admission is $8, seniors 62+ general admission is $8, kids 11 and under general admission is $2.
USAC SPEED2 MIDWEST THUNDER MIDGET POINTS: 1-Aaron Leffel-140, 2-Ian Creager-110, 3-Stratton Briggs-100, 4-Gunnar Lucius-92, 5-Kyle Kriegbaum-86, 6-Cory Guingrich-81, 7-Zane Briggs-76, 8-Patrick Ryan-67, 9-John Heydenreich-64, 10-Jacob Denney-64.
USAC SPEED2 ENGLER IMRA MIDGET POINTS: 1-Andy Baugh-289, 2-Tyler Roth-282, 3-Mark McMahill-229, 4-Daltyn England-219, 5-Jake Sollenberger-210, 6-Jeff Sparks-189, 7-Patrick Ryan-184, 8-John Heitzman-177, 9-Adam Taylor-173, 10-Russell Johnston-171.
USAC DMA SPEED2 MIDGET POINTS: 1-Will Hull-299, 2-Seth Carlson-289, 3-Joe Krawiec-271, 4-Dean Christensen-235, 5-Adam Whitney-233, 6-Justin Phillips-228, 7-Jeff Horn-225, 8-Manny Dias-223, 9-Justin Sheridan-186, 10-Wayne Kohler-186.
(John DaDalt Photo)
DMA MIDGETS TO RACE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE’S NEW FLAT TRACK ON JULY 19
LOUDON, N.H. – New Hampshire Motor Speedway’s newest racing surface, The Flat Track, will host the first ever race under the lights on Friday, July 19.
Friday Night Dirt Duels presented by New England Racing Fuel will be headlined by the U.S. Legend Cars International and the USAC Dirt Midget Association and feature a night of short track racing with NASCAR stars on the 0.25-mile dirt track during the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 weekend.
“We’re always looking for ways we can improve the fan experience and add new features to our race weekend to give fans more opportunities to see the drivers and enjoy racing,” said David McGrath, executive vice president and general manager for New Hampshire Motor Speedway. “The Friday Night Dirt Duels will be a low cost, high energy event with some fan-favorite drivers racing in a short track setting. This is going to be a great show for New England race fans.”
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series drivers Corey LaJoie and Daniel Hemric will race in the 35-lap U.S. Legend Cars International feature event with fellow Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney serving as Grand Marshal. The winner will take home $2,000, which is the largest legends purse in the Northeast this season. LaJoie, Hemric and Blaney will be in town for the Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 on Sunday, July 21 on the 1.058-mile speedway.
“It’s been forever since I drove a legend car and I’ve never raced anything on dirt,” said LaJoie. “I’m sure I’ll figure out the new flat track at NHMS pretty quick and put on a good show with Hemric.”
The 30-lap USAC Dirt Midget Association race marks their first appearance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“This is an incredible opportunity for our teams to be racing at such an iconic venue such as New Hampshire Motor Speedway,” said Mark Hann, series director for USAC Dirt Midget Association. “The fans will be seeing a historic event since this will be the first time that a USAC and NASCAR race takes place on the same weekend at the same facility in New England.”
Heat races start at 7:30 p.m. with gates opening and practice starting at 6:00 p.m. Tickets, which include open garage and pit access, are $10 for adults with kids 12 and under free. This is a typical dirt track setting with standing room style viewing and fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets for seating. While coolers are not allowed at The Flat Track, $3 draft beer or hot dogs will be available while supplies last as part of the speedway’s fans first pricing. This event will replace the Fan Jam, which was previously held in the speedway’s infield.
The Flat Track, located directly behind the North East Motor Sports Museum, is the first track to be built in New England in the last 25 years. Crews turned roughly 186,095 square feet of ground and 3,000 tons of clay to build the 0.25-mile track. Construction began last fall, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on June 6, 2019. Motorcycles will be the first to race on the new surface on June 15 when American Flat Track, “America’s Original Extreme Sport,” takes over the venue during Laconia Motorcycle Week.
For ticket information for all 2019 events at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including the July 19 Friday Night Dirt Duels presented by New England Racing Fuel, the July 19-21 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 race weekend and the September 20-21 Full Throttle Fall Weekend, visit the speedway website at NHMS.com or call Fan Relations at (603) 783-4931.
Contacts:
Kristen Lestock, Communications Director (603) 513-5708 / KLestock@NHMS.com
Shannon Stephens, Communications Manager (603) 513-5706 / SStephens@NHMS.com
LINKS
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Sources: Richie Murray/USAC Media