CARTER DARTS TO 2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR TITLE
Story By Lance Jennings & Stats By Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (December 14, 2022)………When the final checkered flag waved at Kern County on October 15th, Trent Carter became the new USAC West Coast Sprint Car Champion for 2022.
In doing so, the pilot of the family owned #13 Porterville Lock & Safe Maxim became the second past USAC West Coast Sprint Car Rookie of the Year to later win the title along with Austin Liggett.
Consistency and avoiding trouble proved to be the key for Torrance, California’s Carter, a three-time Santa Maria Raceway track champion. After finishing second at the February 26th season opener, Carter posted seven top-5 finishes, two heat race victories, and six feature laps led. In doing so, Carter became the second consecutive winless West Coast champ, following D.J. Johnson in 2021.
Carter, the 2014 Co-Rookie of the Year faced challenges from Troy Rutherford and Kyle Edwards for the championship at the last point race. Troy Rutherford (Ojai, Calif.) was 41 points behind Carter and the owner/driver of the #11 Ford powered Trench Shoring Spike gave a valiant effort by setting fast time and finishing second in the main event. On the strength of one feature win, four fast time awards, three heat race wins, six top-10 finishes, and 36 feature laps led, the former VRA Champion ran second in points despite missing one race.
Kyle Edwards (Fountain Valley, Calif.) was 15 points behind Carter, but a mishap in qualifying nearly ended his night. The family owned #39 Safehouse Security Triple X suffered damage and the crew made repairs. Edwards gave a strong effort but had to retire early from the feature. With one fast time award, four heat race victories, six top-10 finishes, and five feature laps led, the third generation driver settled for third in the standings.
Three drivers had their sights on top Rookie honors at the final point race. Joey Bishop (Camarillo, Calif.) had a one-point lead over Tyler Hatzikian (Murrieta, Calif.) while Brent Yarnal (Phoenix, Ariz.) was also within striking distance. Hatzikian had tied Bishop after qualifying, but Joey gained more points after the heat races.
It all came down to the 30-lap main event where Hatzikian finished eighth, Bishop placed tenth, and Yarnal scored sixteenth. By a slim four point margin, Tyler Hatzikian earned Rookie of the Year honors aboard his #27 Tyler Surfboards Triple X that was a tribute to the famed Bubby Jones / Gas Chem Products car. Tyler finished fifth in the standings with one hard charger award and six top-10 finishes to his credit.
Brody Fuson (Bakersfield, Calif.) and Chase Johnson (Penngrove, Calif.) led all drivers with two victories apiece. Fuson scored a pair of late season wins at Bakersfield Speedway and at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park). Johnson, meanwhile, took top honors in February at Kern County Raceway Park and again in September at Ventura Raceway. Johnson also led all drivers in terms of feature laps led for the second consecutive season with 51.
Past series champion Brody Roa (Garden Grove, Calif.) returned to USAC West Coast victory lane for the fourth consecutive season while three pilots earned their first career series victories: Fuson, plus Oxnard, California’s Ricky Lewis in March at Bakersfield; Ferndale, California’s Daniel Whitley in June at Ventura.
With the championship already decided, a non-points special event was held for the series during the 81st running of the ARP Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura during late November. Ryan Timms (Oklahoma City, Okla.) topped the field of 49 to earn the big victory.
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2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR STAT LEADERS:
Driver Champion: Trent Carter
Rookie of the Year: Tyler Hatzikian
Most Feature Wins: 2-Brody Fuson & Chase Johnson
Laps Led: 51-Chase Johnson
Top-Fives: 7-Trent Carter
Top-Tens: 7-Trent Carter
Fast Qualifying Times: 4-Troy Rutherford
Heat Race Wins: 4-Kyle Edwards
Feature Starts: 8-Camie Bell, Joey Bishop, Tanner Boul, Trent Carter, Kyle Edwards, Tyler Hatzikian & Brent Yarnal
2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS:
POS. PTS. DRIVER, HOMETOWN
1. 531 Trent Carter, Torrance, Calif.
2. 504 Troy Rutherford, Ojai, Calif.
3. 485 Kyle Edwards, Fountain Valley, Calif.
4. 423 Tanner Boul, Auberry, Calif.
5. 390 (R) Tyler Hatzikian, Murrieta, Calif.
6. 386 (R) Joey Bishop, Camarillo, Calif.
7. 350 (R) Brent Yarnal, Phoenix, Ariz.
8. 348 Hannah Mayhew, Acton, Calif.
9. 329 Ricky Lewis, Oxnard, Calif.
10. 325 (R) Camie Bell, Bakersfield, Calif.
11. 303 Steve Hix, Ventura, Calif.
12. 295 Brody Fuson, Bakersfield, Calif.
13. 274 James Herrera, New Cuyama, Calif.
14. 242 Chase Johnson, Penngrove, Calif.
15. 224 (R) Elexa Herrera, New Cuyama, Calif.
16. 212 Cody Majors, Simi Valley, Calif.
17. 185 Rick Hendrix, Palmdale, Calif.
18. 155 Travis Buckley, Auckland, N.Z.
19. 149 (R) Logan Calderwood, Goodyear, Ariz.
20. 143 (R) Jake Andreotti, Castro Valley, Calif.
21. 135 Brody Roa, Garden Grove, Calif.
22. 109 Ryan Timmons, Pleasant Hill, Calif.
23. 107 Jacob Tuttle, Oakley, Calif.
24. 104 (R) Ben Worth, Coalinga, Calif.
25. 98 Nathan Byrd, Goodyear, Ariz.
26. 81 (R) Daniel Whitley, Ferndale, Calif.
27. 76 Jarrett Soares, Discovery Bay, Calif.
28. 74 Matt Day, Bakersfield, Calif.
29. 74 Sterling Cling, Tempe, Ariz.
30. 63 Randy Nelson, Surprise, Ariz.
31. 53 (R) Troy DeGaton, Live Oak, Calif.
32. 35 Jonas Reynolds, Peoria, Ariz.
33. 33 Dale Curran, Bowmanville, Ont.
34. 13 (R) Tuesday Calderwood, Goodyear, Ariz.
**(R) represents a series Rookie of the Year
2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINNERS:
Feb 26: The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park - Bakersfield, CA
WINNER: Chase Johnson (May Motorsports #8m)
Mar 12: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA
WINNER: Ricky Lewis (Stensland-Halley Motorsports #41)
May 21: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA
WINNER: Troy Rutherford (Troy Rutherford #11)
Jun 4: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA
WINNER: Daniel Whitley (Finkenbinder Motorsports #3F)
Aug 27: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA
WINNER: Brody Roa (May Motorsports #8m)
Sep 10: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA
WINNER: Brody Fuson (Bob & Toni Van Meter #51)
Sep 24: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA
WINNER: Chase Johnson (Josh Ford Motorsports #73)
Oct 15: The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park - Bakersfield, CA
WINNER: Brody Fuson (Bob & Toni Van Meter #51)
Nov 26: (SE) Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA
WINNER: Ryan Timms (Timms Racing #5T)
**(SE) represents a non-points special event
2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS:
2-Brody Fuson (Sep 10 at Bakersfield Speedway & Oct 15 at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park)
2-Chase Johnson (Feb 26 at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park & Sep 24 at Ventura Raceway)
1-Ricky Lewis (Mar 12 at Bakersfield Speedway)
1-Brody Roa (Aug 27 at Ventura Raceway)
1-Troy Rutherford (May 21 at Ventura Raceway)
1-Daniel Whitley (Jun 4 at Ventura Raceway)
2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENT FEATURE WINS:
1-Ryan Timms (Nov 26 at Ventura Raceway)
2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE LAPS LED:
51-Chase Johnson
38-Brody Fuson
36-Troy Rutherford
30-Ricky Lewis
24-Brody Roa
17-Steve Hix
12-Sterling Cling
11-Daniel Whitley
6-Trent Carter
5-Kyle Edwards
2-Travis Buckley & Rick Hendrix
1-Tanner Boul
2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR TOP-5 FEATURE FINISHES:
7-Trent Carter
6-Troy Rutherford
5-Kyle Edwards
4-Brody Fuson
3-Chase Johnson & Ricky Lewis
2-Jake Andreotti
2-Steve Hix
1-Tanner Boul, Sterling Cling, Dawson Faria, Hannah Mayhew, Randy Nelson, Brody Roa, Jacob Tuttle & Daniel Whitley
2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR TOP-10 FEATURE FINISHES:
7-Trent Carter
6-Kyle Edwards, Tyler Hatzikian & Troy Rutherford
5-Joey Bishop & Tanner Boul
4-Brody Fuson, Steve Hix, Ricky Lewis, Hannah Mayhew & Brent Yarnal
3-Chase Johnson
2-Jake Andreotti & Travis Buckley
1-Camie Bell, Nathan Byrd, Logan Calderwood, Sterling Cling, Troy DeGaton, Dawson Faria, Rick Hendrix, Elexa Herrera, James Herrera, Chris Muraoka, Randy Nelson, Brody Roa, Gage Rucker, Ryan Timmons, Jacob Tuttle, Bryan Whitley, Daniel Whitley & Ben Worth
2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE STARTS:
8-Camie Bell, Joey Bishop, Tanner Boul, Trent Carter, Kyle Edwards, Tyler Hatzikian & Brent Yarnal
7-James Herrera, Hannah Mayhew & Troy Rutherford
6-Elexa Herrera & Cody Majors
5-Steve Hix & Ricky Lewis
4-Brody Fuson & Rick Hendrix
3-Travis Buckley, Logan Calderwood & Chase Johnson
2-Jake Andreotti, Charlie Butcher, Nathan Byrd, Matt Day, Brody Roa, Jarrett Soares, Ryan Timmons, Jacob Tuttle & Ben Worth
1-Sterling Cling, Dale Curran, Troy DeGaton, Chris Ennis, Dawson Faria, Chris Muraoka, Randy Nelson, Todd Pratt, Jonas Reynolds, Gage Rucker, Bryan Whitley & Daniel Whitley
2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
4-Troy Rutherford
2-Ricky Lewis
1-Jake Andreotti & Kyle Edwards
2022 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR HEAT RACE WINS:
4-Kyle Edwards
3-Troy Rutherford
2-Trent Carter & Cody Majors
1-Tanner Boul, Travis Buckley, Charlie Butcher, Sterling Cling, Dale Curran, Brody Fuson, Rick Hendrix, Ricky Lewis, Brody Roa, Ryan Timmons & Daniel Whitley
ALL-TIME USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS: (FULL POINTS EVENTS)
35-Ryan Bernal
15-Richard Vander Weerd
11-Bud Kaeding
10-Danny Faria Jr. & Austin Liggett
8-Troy Rutherford
7-Brody Roa & Jace Vander Weerd
6-Tristan Guardino, Chase Johnson & Jake Swanson
4-T.J. Smith & Craig Stidham
3-Ryan Timmons
2-Brody Fuson, Geoff Ensign, Wes Gutierrez, D.J. Johnson, Cory Kruseman, Kyle Larson, Matt Mitchell, Davey Pombo & Danny Sheridan
1-Max Adams, Dean Alexander, Shawn Arriaga, Bryan Clauson, Nic Faas, Cody Fendley, Justin Grant, Justyne Hamblin, Kyle Hirst, Josh Hodges, Dennis Howell, Ricky Kirkbride, Ricky Lewis, Mike Martin, Kaleb Montgomery, Peter Murphy, Stevie Sussex & Daniel Whitley
ALL-TIME USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS: (NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENTS)
9-Bryan Clauson
5-Ryan Bernal
3-Brady Bacon & Dave Darland
2-Geoff Ensign, Josh Hodges, R.J. Johnson, Austin Liggett, Mike Spencer, Ryan Timmons & Richard Vander Weerd
1-A.J. Bender, Colby Copeland, Tyler Courtney, Charles Davis Jr., Dennis Gile, Tristan Guardino, Chase Johnson, C.J. Leary, Carson Macedo, Peter Murphy, Brody Roa, Matt Rossi, Terry Schank Jr. & Ryan Timms
USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER CHAMPIONS:
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
2019: Tristan Guardino
2020: None
2021: D.J. Johnson
2022: Trent Carter
USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR ROOKIES OF THE YEAR:
2010: Chris Ennis
2011: Ryan Bernal
2012: Austin Liggett
2013: Landon Hurst
2014: Trent Carter & Garrett Long
2015: Trey Marcham
2016: Ryan Timmons
2017: Brandon Wiley
2018: Britton Bock
2019: J.J. Ringo
2020: None
2021: Jarrett Soares
2022: Tyler Hatzikian
