TULARE HOSTS WEST COAST SPRINTS; SOUTHWEST AT ARIZONA SPEEDWAY; RICHARD, JACE VANDER WEERD 1-2 AT HANFORD
USAC’s West Coast Sprint Cars head for the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare this Saturday night while the USAC Southwest Sprint Cars visit Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek, also Saturday night.
D.J. Johnson resides atop the standings in the West Coast Sprint cars, while Stevie Sussex is the leader in the Southwest series.
Johnson finished fourth in last Saturday’s West Coast race at the Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds in Hanford, Calif. as the Vander Weerd brothers fought to the checkered flag. Richard Vander Weerd of Visalia, Calif. outdueled his brother Jace for the Hanford victory, followed by Jace, Trey Marcham, Johnson and Kyle Smith.
Jace led the first 24 laps, Richard led the next lap, Jace led three more before Richard took the final lead on the white-flag circuit in his Vander Weerd Construction/Stone Gate Development Maxim/Shark.
Johnson holds a slim one-point lead over Brody Roa in the new West Coast points entering the Tulare event, which also features the USAC Western Midgets.
Sussex stands 25 points ahead of defending Southwest champ R.J. Johnson entering Saturday’s race in Queen Creek as a result of a victory at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz. and a second in the series opener at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.
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USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: April 2, 2016 – Hanford, California – Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-15.553; 2. D.J. Johnson, 33, Johnson-15.585; 3. Ricky Kirkbride, 87, Van Meter-15.627; 4. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-15.656; 5. Trey Marcham, 81, Watt-15.767; 6. Corey Ballard, 20, Ballard-15.802; 7. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-15.847; 8. Danny Faria Jr., 17V, Faria-15.871; 9. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd- 15.899; 10. Tristan Guardino, 15T, Guardino-15.913; 11. Jeff Sibley, 42N, Sibley-16.186; 12. Ryan Timmons, 29T, Timmons-16.188; 13. Kyle Smith, 55, Smith-16.190; 14. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-16.528; 15. Troy Rutherford, 11, Rutherford-16.543; 16. Max Adams, 5M, Adams-16.567; 17. Kevin Barnes, 36B, Barnes-16.576; 18. Shannon McQueen, 7, Van Meter-17.375; 19. Cody Majors, 54, Majors-NT.
EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Liggett, 2. Roa, 3. Guardino, 4. R.Vander Weerd, 5. Adams, 6. Smith. NT
DJ SAFETY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Faria, 2. Johnson, 3. Marcham, 4. Sibley, 5. Barnes. NT
BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Kirkbride, 2. Ballard, 3. J.Vander Weeerd, 4. Timmons, 5. McQueen, 6. Rutherford. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Richard Vander Weerd, 2. Jace Vander Weerd, 3. Trey Marcham, 4. D.J. Johnson, 5. Kyle Smith, 6. Max Adams, 7. Ryan Timmons, 8. Tristan Guardino, 9. Jeff Sibley, 10. Cody Majors, 11. Austin Liggett, 12. Ricky Kirkbride, 13. Shannon McQueen, 14. Troy Rutherford, 15. Danny Faria Jr., 16. Corey Ballard, 17. Brody Roa, 18. Kevin Barnes, 19. Steve Hix. NT
**McQueen flipped during third heat.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-24 J.Vander Weerd, Lap 25 R.Vander Weerd, Laps 26-28 J. Vander Weerd, Laps 29-30 R.Vander Weerd.
BR MOTORSPORTS / KING RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Kyle Smith
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NEXT USAC WESTERN SPRINT CAR EVENTS:
DATE: Saturday April 9, 2016
SERIES: USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series
TRACK: Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare, California) – 1/3-mile, dirt oval
EVENT: USAC West Coast Sprint Cars, USAC Western States Midgets, Western RaceSaver Sprints & "Legends Of Kearney Bowl" Vintage Cars
STARTING TIMES:
TICKETS:
TRACK ADDRESS: 6080 Leonard Noel Dr., Tulare, CA 93274
TRACK PHONE: (559) 688-0909
TRACK WEBSITE: http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com/
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DATE: Saturday April 9, 2016
SERIES: USAC Southwest Sprint Car Series
TRACK: Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, Arizona) – 1/3-mile, dirt oval
EVENT:
STARTING TIMES:
TICKETS: 4th Annual “Spring Fling” featuring USAC Southwest Sprint Cars, Sport Mods, Pures & Bombers
TRACK ADDRESS: 47346 N Ironwood Rd, San Tan Valley, AZ 85140
TRACK PHONE: (480) 926-6688
TRACK WEBSITE: http://arizonaspeedway.net/
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USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS AT THUNDERBOWL RACEWAY
1. (10) Ryan Bernal
2. (5) Bud Kaeding
3. (3) Richard Vander Weerd
4. (2) Kyle Larson & Craig Stidham
6. (1) Dean Alexander, Danny Faria, Jr., Dennis Howell, D.J. Johnson, Matt Mitchell, Peter Murphy and Jace Vander Weerd
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2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10)
1. (264) D.J. Johnson (Stockton, CA)
2. (263) Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA)
3. (260) Jace Vander Weerd (Visalia, CA)
4. (219) Trey Marcham (Oklahoma City, OK)
5. (216) Troy Rutherford (Ojai, CA)
6. (203) Richard Vander Weerd (Visalia, CA)
7. (185) Max Adams (Loomis, CA)
8. (173) Tristan Guardino (Fremont, CA)
9. (169) Austin Liggett (Tracy, CA)
10. (147) Jeff Sibley (Oakdale, CA)
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2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10)
1. (159) Stevie Sussex (Phoenix, AZ)
2. (134) R.J. Johnson (Tempe, AZ)
3. (121) Charles Davis, Jr. (Buckeye, AZ)
4. (104) Nick Aiuto (Gilbert, AZ)
5. (102) Josh Pelkey (Peoria, AZ)
6. (95) Matt Rossi (Peoria, AZ)
7. (86) Mike Martin (Yuma, AZ)
8. (79) Bryan Clauson (Noblesville, IN)
9. (74) Tye Mihocko (Peoria, AZ)
10. (74) Dennis Gile (Chandler, AZ)
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2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Jan. 22: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 23: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 24: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Jan. 29: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 30: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Mar. 4: Las Vegas, NV - *** The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Mar. 11: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Rained Out
Mar. 12: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: D.J. Johnson
Mar. 19: Bakersfield, CA - Bakersfield Speedway
WINNER: Troy Rutherford
Apr. 2: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
WINNER: Richard Vander Weerd
Apr. 9: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
Apr. 23: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
May 14: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
Jun. 18: Santa Maria, CA - Santa Maria Raceway
Jun. 25: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
Jul. 22: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
Jul. 23: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
Aug. 6: Santa Maria, CA - Santa Maria Raceway
Aug. 12: Watsonville, CA - Ocean Speedway
Aug. 13: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
Nov. 24: Ventura, CA - (SE) Ventura Raceway
**Races noted with (SE) represent a non-points "special event."
**Races noted with *** represent a race with the USAC Southwest Sprints.
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2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Jan. 22: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 23: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 24: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Jan. 29: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 30: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Mar 4: Las Vegas, NV - *** The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Mar 26: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
Apr 9: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Apr 23: Yuma, AZ - Cocopah Speedway
Apr 30: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
May 7: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
May 28: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
May 29: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
Jun 11: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Jul 2: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Jul 30: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
Aug 17: Lawton, OK - (SE) Lawton Speedway
Aug 18: Sapulpa, OK - (SE) Creek County Speedway
Aug 19: Wichita, KS - (SE) 81 Speedway
Aug 20: Dodge City, KS - (SE) Dodge City Raceway Park
Sep 2: El Paso, TX - ### El Paso Speedway Park
Sep 3: Las Cruces, NM - ### Southern New Mexico Speedway
Sep 17: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Oct 15: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Oct 22: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
Oct 29: Casa Grande, AZ - Central Arizona Speedway
Nov 4: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Nov 5: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
**Races noted with (SE) represent a non-points "special event."
**Races noted with *** represent a race with the USAC West Coast Sprints.
**Races noted with ### represent a "Border Tour" event co-sanctioned with the New Mexico Motor Racing Association Sprints.
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2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR STATISTICS
FEATURE WINS:
1. (1) Bryan Clauson (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4)
(1) D.J. Johnson (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 12)
(1) Troy Rutherford (Bakersfield Speedway on March 19)
(1) Richard Vander Weerd (Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds on April 2)
NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENT FEATURE WINS:
1. (3) Bryan Clauson (Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 22, Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 23 & Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 29)
2. (2) Josh Hodges (Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 24 & Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 30)
FEATURE LAPS LED:
1. (30) D.J. Johnson
2. (29) Troy Rutherford
3. (28) Jace Vander Weerd
4. (21) Bryan Clauson
5. (4) Stevie Sussex
6. (3) Brody Roa & Richard Vander Weerd
8. (2) Brady Bacon
TOP-FIVE FEATURE FINISHES:
1. (3) D.J. Johnson & Brody Roa
3. (2) Jace Vander Weerd & Richard Vander Weerd
5. (1) Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Josh Hodges, Landon Hurst, Austin Liggett, Trey Marcham, Troy Rutherford, Kyle Smith & Stevie Sussex
TOP-TEN FEATURE FINISHES:
1. (4) D.J. Johnson
2. (3) Trey Marcham, Brody Roa & Jace Vander Weerd
5. (2) Max Adams, Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Tristan Guardino, Troy Rutherford, Jeff Sibley, Ryan Timmons & Richard Vander Weerd
13. (1) Dave Darland, Charles Davis, Jr., Geoff Ensign, Ronnie Gardner, Josh Hodges, Landon Hurst, R.J. Johnson, Austin Liggett, Cody Majors, Kyle Smith and Stevie Sussex
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
1. (1) Brody Roa & Jace Vander Weerd
HEAT RACE WINS (presented by Extreme Mufflers, DJ Safety and Brown & Miller Racing Solutions):
1. (2) Bryan Clauson
2. (1) Max Adams, Nick Aiuto, Dave Darland, Charles Davis, Jr., Geoff Ensign, Danny Faria, Jr., Tristan Guardino, D.J. Johnson, Ricky Kirkbride, Austin Liggett and Troy Rutherford
SEMI WINS:
1. (1) Jason Grady and Jace Vander Weerd
FEATURE STARTS:
1. (4) Max Adams, D.J. Johnson, Trey Marcham, Brody Roa, Troy Rutherford & Jace Vander Weerd
7. (3) Kevin Barnes, Danny Faria, Jr., Tristan Guardino, Austin Liggett, Jeff Sibley, Ryan Timmons and Richard Vander Weerd
14. (2) Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Steve Hix, Ricky Kirkbride, Cody Majors, Mike Martin, Shannon McQueen, Kyle Smith and Geoffrey Strole
23. (1) Nick Aiuto, Corey Ballard, Luke Boles, Trent Carter, Dave Darland, Charles Davis, Jr., Cory Elliott, Geoff Ensign, Ronnie Gardner, Dennis Gile, Jason Grady, Johnathon Henry, James Herrera, Josh Hodges, Landon Hurst, R.J. Johnson, Tye Mihocko, Josh Pelkey, Jim Richardson, Matt Rossi, Casey Shuman, Colton Slack, Stevie Sussex and Johnny White
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2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR STATISTICS
FEATURE WINS:
1. (1) Bryan Clauson (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 4)
(1) Stevie Sussex (Canyon Speedway Park on March 26)
NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENT FEATURE WINS:
1. (3) Bryan Clauson (Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 22, Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 23 & Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 29)
2. (2) Josh Hodges (Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 24 & Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 30)
FEATURE LAPS LED:
1. (21) Bryan Clauson
2. (19) Stevie Sussex
3. (13) Charles Davis, Jr.
4. (3) Brody Roa
5. (2) Brady Bacon & Bruce St. James
TOP-FIVE FEATURE FINISHES:
1. (2) Stevie Sussex
2. (1) Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Josh Hodges, R.J. Johnson, Tom Ogle, Josh Pelkey, Brody Roa and Matt Rossi
TOP-TEN FEATURE FINISHES:
1. (2) Charles Davis, Jr., R.J. Johnson & Stevie Sussex
4. (1) Nick Aiuto, Brady Bacon, Chris Bonneau, Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland, Josh Hodges, D.J. Johnson, Trey Marcham, Mike Martin, Tom Ogle, Josh Pelkey, Brody Roa, Matt Rossi and Bruce St. James
HEAT RACE WINS:
1. (2) Charles Davis, Jr.
2. (1) Nick Aiuto, Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland, R.J. Johnson & Mike Martin
SEMI WINS:
1. (1) Jason Grady and Jace Vander Weerd
FEATURE STARTS:
1. (2) Nick Aiuto, Charles Davis, Jr., Dennis Gile, R.J. Johnson, Mike Martin, Tye Mihocko, Josh Pelkey, Matt Rossi & Stevie Sussex
10. (1) Max Adams, Brady Bacon, Chris Bonneau, Dustin Burkhart, Bryan Clauson, Landon Cling, Michael Curtis, Dave Darland, Jason Grady, Tanner Grau, Josh Hodges, Brian Hosford, D.J. Johnson, Matt Lundy, Trey Marcham, Tom Ogle, Andy Reinbold, Brody Roa, Troy Rutherford, Kyle Shipley, Casey Shuman, Colton Slack, Bruce St. James, Jace Vander Weerd
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ALL-TIME USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER FEATURE WINS
1. [23 wins] Ryan Bernal
2. [12 wins] Richard Vander Weerd
3. [10 wins] Bud Kaeding
4. [8 wins] Danny Faria, Jr.
5. [5 wins] Jace Vander Weerd
6. [4 wins] T.J. Smith & Craig Stidham
8. [3 wins] Troy Rutherford
9. [2 wins] Wes Gutierrez, Cory Kruseman, Kyle Larson, Matt Mitchell, Davey Pombo & Danny Sheridan
15. [1 win] Dean Alexander, Bryan Clauson, Nic Faas, Justin Grant, Tristan Guardino, Justyne Hamblin, Josh Hodges, Dennis Howell, D.J. Johnson, Ricky Kirkbride, C.J. Leary, Austin Liggett, Peter Murphy, Brody Roa, Stevie Sussex & Jake Swanson
ALL-TIME USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SPECIAL EVENT FEATURE WINS
1. [9 Special Event Wins] Bryan Clauson
2. [5 Special Event Wins] Ryan Bernal
3. [2 Special Event Wins] Brady Bacon, Dave Darland, Josh Hodges, R.J. Johnson, Mike Spencer & Richard Vander Weerd
9. [1 Special Event Win] Colby Copeland, Charles Davis, Jr., Bud Kaeding, Mike Martin, Peter Murphy, Matt Rossi & Terry Schank, Jr.
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ALL-TIME USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR DRIVER FEATURE WINS
1. [29 wins] R.J. Johnson
2. [12 wins] Charles Davis, Jr.
3. [6 wins] Rick Ziehl
4. [5 wins] Josh Pelkey & Stevie Sussex
6. [4 wins] Mike Martin
7. [3 wins] Matt Rossi
8. [2 wins] Ryan Bernal, Bryan Clauson & Kent Rosevear
11. [1 win] Beau Binder, Shon Deskins, Justin Grant, Josh Hodges, Brandon Lane, Garry Lee Maier, Brody Roa, Mike Spencer & Rick Williams
ALL-TIME USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SPECIAL EVENT FEATURE WINS
1. [8 Special Event Wins] Bryan Clauson
2. [3 Special Event Wins] Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland & R.J. Johnson
6. [2 Special Event Wins] Ryan Bernal, Charles Davis, Jr., Josh Hodges, Mike Martin & Rick Ziehl
11. [1 Special Event Win] Beau Binder, Mike Bonneau, Ronnie Clark, Colby Copeland, Dean Freitas, Blake Hahn, Dennis Krob, C.J. Leary, Austin Liggett, Josh Pelkey, Danny Smith, Mike Spencer & Richard Vander Weerd
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USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS
2010: Craig Stidham; 2011: Richard Vander Weerd; 2012: Bud Kaeding; 2013: Danny Faria, Jr.; 2014: Matt Mitchell; 2015: Danny Faria, Jr.
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USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS
2003: Rick Ziehl; 2004: Beau Binder; 2013: R.J. Johnson; 2014: R.J. Johnson; 2015: R.J. Johnson
