TROY RUTHERFORD SPRINTS TO VICTORY AT VENTURA
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.
The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars are back in action on Friday, July 9th at Merced Speedway (Merced, CA). The following night, the series will head to the El Dorado County Fairgrounds and clash at Placerville Speedway (Placerville, CA). The USAC Western States Midgets will share the spotlight at both race tracks.
The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series thanks AMSOIL, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing.com, Hoosier Racing Tire, Loudpedal Productions, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sway-A-Way Torsion Bars, Ultra Shield Race Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Woodland Auto Display for their support.
For more information on the series, visit usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
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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 Kelliinoi, 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.
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-13 Rutherford, Laps 14-16 Liggett, Laps17-30 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
