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USAC WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINTS HEAD TO
IRWINDALE
SACRAMENTO,
CALIFORNIA (August 24, 2011) – A pair of tight points battles will highlight this
weekend’s USAC Western Classic Racing Series / USAC Amsoil Western Sprint Car
Series action at TOYOTA Speedway at Irwindale.
A strong field of cars from throughout the West Coast will invade the
state-of-the-art half-mile oval with some of the highest speeds fans will see
all season.
Points for
both the USAC Western Classic Racing Series and USAC Amsoil Western Sprint Car
Series will be awarded during the night’s activities, with Hunt hoping to
defend his lead in both.
21 year-old
Geoff Ensign of Sebastopol, CA has made the 2011 inaugural USAC Western Classic
Racing Series campaign into a classic duel between the rookie driver and
veteran six-time USAC champion Tony Hunt of Lincoln, CA.
Hunt, who has seen all of his career wins on pavement, has been forced
to adapt to the dirt element of the new series while conversely Ensign has had
to acclimate himself with the pavement.
The
championship has closed to just eight points after Ensign picked up his first
career USAC win in the “Mike McCreary Classic” at Placerville Speedway. Fair Oaks’ Shauna Hogg and Alamo’s Scott Pierovich, who won Roseville earlier this year, are also
contenders in the championship following strong runs on the dirt at Chico and Placerville.
Hogg won heat races in both nights of the action in the Richard
Hogg-owned #5 car.
Ensign will
be making his first ever start at TOYOTA Speedway while Hunt recently finished
second in the Turkey Night Grand Prix last year in his #56 Metal Works entry.
Also
expected in action on Saturday night is Ensign’s Ted Finkenbinder Motorsports
teammate Tim Barber of San Francisco who is fifth in the USAC Western
Classic Racing Series standings.
In the USAC
Western Sprint Car Series, Hunt leads Fresno’s Audra Sasselli by just two
points. Hunt has picked up a pair of
wins this season at Madera Speedway, while Ensign won his first career USAC
feature on the dirt at Placerville on August 6.
18 year-old
rookie Cody Gerhardt runs third in the USAC Western Sprint Car Series with a
pair of wins in July ahead of Western Speed teammate Tim Skoglund and 18
year-old Kaplan-Gennuso Racing’s Luis Ramos III to round out the top-five.
Idaho’s Mike Murgoitio has a pair of USAC
Western Sprint Car wins this year and will be in action along with USACRockyMountain points leader Jim Waters.
This
weekend’s race at TOYOTA Speedway will set-up a busy three race dirt swing for
the Classic series, with the prestigious Louie Vermeil Classic at Calistoga on
Labor Day weekend and the Tiner Family Classic during the Gold Cup at Chico up
next on the schedule.
Competitors
will get to business on Friday night with an open practice session before a
full day of practice and qualifying on Saturday. Racing is slated to begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday night. Race fans can find more information,
schedules, and tickets at www.toyotaspeedwayatirwindale.com
More
information on the USAC Western Classic Racing Series is available on Facebook
at keywords “USAC Western Classic Racing Series”. The United States Auto Club is online at www.usacracing.com
The USAC
Western Classic Racing Series is brought to you by: Amsoil, Hoosier Tires West,
and Kaeding Performance.
www.stevenblakesley.com
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