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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series
#81 Troy Rutherford. Photo by Steve Lafond / Tear-Off Heaven Fotos.
TROY RUTHERFORD WINS THRILLER AT BAKERSFIELD
By Lance Jennings
BAKERSFIELD, CA – MARCH 23, 2014... With numerous changes for the lead, Ojai’s Troy Rutherford out-dueled Nic Faas in the final laps to claim Saturday’s victory at Bakersfield Speedway. The $1,500 USAC West Coast Sprint Car triumph was Rutherford’s second career series win as the group returns to action this Saturday at Hanford’s Kings Speedway. Faas, Markus Niemela, Danny Faria Jr., and new track record holder Jace Vander Weerd followed Rutherford to the checkered flags.
Austin Liggett, the point leader entering the night, led the first five laps of the main event from the pole position. A hard charging Markus Niemela took over and set the pace until lap seventeen. Nic Faas took advantage of a restart to power past his JFM teammate until Troy Rutherford took over on lap twenty-seven. Faas regrouped and powered to the lead on lap white flag lap. From there, the two veteran drivers raced even harder and it was Rutherford’s night at "The West's Fastest 1/3-Mile High Banked Clay Oval."
In the three point races to date, Troy Rutherford become the third different winner of the campaign. Racing the #81 JD Machine Tech / AAA Propane Maxim, the former VRA Champion earned the first USAC West Coast feature win for car owner Steve Watt. Qualifying fourth out of the twenty-three racers in attendance, Troy was one of five drivers to break Markus Niemela’s one year old track record. Rutherford placed third in his heat race and would leave Bakersfield ranked second in the point standings.
Nic Faas of Huntington Beach was close to winning his first USAC West Coast main event, but had to settle for second at Bakersfield. Piloting Keith Ford’s #73X Berry Pack / King Racing Products Spike, Faas officially led ten laps of the main event as he raced back and forth with Rutherford. The former USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year was third fast in time trials, took second in his heat race, and sits ninth in the point chase.
Also looking for his first series win, Rauma, Finland’s Markus Niemela scored third in the Bakersfield thriller. Driving Keith Ford’s #73 Berry Pack / King Racing Products Spike, Niemela qualified fifth overall and ran fourth in his heat race. Last season’s USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year led twelve laps of the main event and has taken over the point lead heading to Hanford.
For the second race in a row, “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton earned the night’s Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors. The pilot of Junior Bowman’s #2 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / DeBoer & Sons Trucking Bullet came home fourth after starting fourteenth in the feature. The defending champion was fourteenth quick in time trials, won the Deist Safety Heat Race #2, and has climbed to fourth in the standings.
Visalia’s Jace Vander Weerd scored fifth in a photo finish with Faria after restarting at the back of the field. Racing the family owned #88 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Jace earned his first Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and set a new track record. The former USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year ran fourth in his heat race and has risen to third in the West Coast point standings.
“The Bakersfield Bullet” Rusty Carlile claimed victory in the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. Driving his #51 SouthWest Contractors / Taylor Excavation Bullet, Carlile qualified sixteenth overall and scored eighteenth in the feature after a flip ended his night. Rusty walked away uninjured and the former Cotton Classic Champion left his hometown track thirteenth in the point chase.
Riverdale’s “Shifter” Landon Hurst won the night’s Saldana Racing Products Heat Race #3. Piloting the family owned #179 Kings River Commodities / Duinkerken Farms Maxim, Hurst was ninth fast in time trials and claimed seventh in the main event after starting ninth. Last season’s Rookie of the Year sits tenth in point standings heading to Kings Speedway.
Despite several caution flags, the surface of the Bakersfield Speedway remained tacky throughout the program. On lap eleven of the feature, third place Austin Liggett flipped his machine and there was a lengthy delay as safety crews attended to the young racer. Liggett was taken to a local hospital for observation and he is reported to be ok and plans to race at Hanford. Seth Hancock crashed during hotlaps and was unable to continue. Hancock also went to the hospital for observation and is reported to be recovering from a concussion.
The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series will invade Hanford’s Kings Speedway this Saturday, March 29th, for the “Gary Jacob Memorial.” The event will also feature the West Coast Late Models, IMCA Sport Mods, IMCA Stock Cars, and Mini Stocks. Located on the Kings County Fairgrounds at 801 South 10th Avenue, more event information can be found at www.kingsspeedway.net or calling (559) 584-RACE (7223).
The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series would like to thank Amsoil, Hoosier Tire, Chris Kearns Presents, Competition Suspension Inc., Deist Safety, Engler Machine & Tool, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Keizer Wheels, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, Saldana Racing Products, SouthWest Contractors, VanLare Steering Repair, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. For more information, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/#!/pages/USAC-West-Coast-Sprint-Car-Series/369549755817), or Twitter (www.twitter.com/USACwc360).
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USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS:
March 22, 2014 – Bakersfield, California – Bakersfield Speedway
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TIME TRIALS:
1. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-12.597; 2. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-12.616; 3. Nic Faas, 73X, Ford-12.661; 4. Troy Rutherford, 81, Watt-12.668; 5. Markus Niemela, 73, Ford-12.868; 6. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-12.939; 7. Trent Carter, 13, Carter-12.968; 8. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-13.039; 9. Landon Hurst, 179, Hurst-13.083; 10. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-13.122; 11. Davey Pombo, 14, Pombo-13.145; 12. Ricky Kirkbride, 87, Van Meter-13.150; 13. Chris Ennis, 86, Ennis-13.191; 14. Danny Faria Jr., 2, Bowman-13.216; 15. Kevin Barnes, 36B, Barnes-13.245; 16. Rusty Carlile, 51, Carlile-13.250; 17. Dennis Howell, 62, Howell-13.429; 18. Jeff Sibley, 42N, Sibley-13.550; 19. Luke Boles, 56, Boles-13.863; 20. Matt Day, 97, Day-13.984; 21. Garrett Long, 38, Long-14.179; 22. Connor Kassik, 26, Kassik-14.464; 23. Seth Hancock, 51S, Hancock-NT.
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE 1: (10 laps)
1. Rusty Carlile, 2. Chris Ennis, 3. Troy Rutherford, 4. Jace Vander Weerd, 5. Brody Roa, 6. Trent Carter, 7. Matt Day. NT
DEIST SAFETY HEAT RACE 2: (10 laps)
1. Danny Faria Jr., 2. Austin Liggett, 3. Richard Vander Weerd, 4. Markus Niemela, 5. Davey Pombo, 6. Luke Boles, 7. Garrett Long, 8. Dennis Howell. NT
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS HEAT RACE 3: (10 laps)
1. Landon Hurst, 2. Nic Faas, 3. Jeff Sibley, 4. Kevin Barnes, 5. Ricky Kirkbride, 6. Matt Mitchell, 7. Connor Kassik. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Troy Rutherford (3rd), 2. Nic Faas (4th), 3. Markus Niemela (2nd), 4. Danny Faria Jr. (14th), 5. Jace Vander Weerd (6th), 6. Matt Mitchell (7th), 7. Landon Hurst (9th), 8. Brody Roa (10th), 9. Dennis Howell (17th), 10. Richard Vander Weerd (5th), 11. Kevin Barnes (15th), 12. Davey Pombo (11th), 13. Ricky Kirkbride (12th), 14. Luke Boles (22nd), 15. Chris Ennis (13th), 16. Garrett Long (20th), 17. Matt Day (19th), 18. Rusty Carlile (16th), 19. Jeff Sibley (18th), 20. Austin Liggett (1st), 21. Connor Kassik (21st), 22. Trent Carter (8th). NT
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**Liggett and Carlile flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-5 Liggett, Laps 6-17 Niemela, Laps 18-26 Faas, Laps 27-28 Rutherford, Lap 29 Faas, Lap 30 Rutherford.
KEIZER WHEELS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Danny Faria Jr. (14th to 4th)
USAC WEST COAST SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Markus Niemela-167, 2. Troy Rutherford-160, 3. Jace Vander Weerd-147, 4. Danny Faria Jr.-137, 5. Dennis Howell-134, 6. Richard Vander Weerd-134, 7. Matt Mitchell-131, 8. Austin Liggett-130, 9. Nic Faas-122, 10. Landon Hurst-114, 11. Brody Roa-79, 12. Kevin Barnes-76, 13. Rusty Carlile-65, 14. J.J. Yeley-64, 15. Mike Spencer-60, 16. Bud Kaeding-58, 17. Garrett Long-53, 18. Josh Pelkey-52, 19. Chris Ennis-46, --. Marty Hawkins-46.
2014 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
March 29: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Gary Jacob Memorial)
April 25: #Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Verne Brasel Classic)
April 26: #Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA
May 16: #Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA
May 17: #Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA (Chris & Brian Faria Memorial)
May 31: #Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA
June 7: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA
June 21: Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA
July 19: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA
August 2: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Billet Cup / $2,500-to-Win)
August 8: #Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA
August 9: #Chowchilla Speedway - Chowchilla, CA
September 27: *Canyon Speedway - Peoria, AZ (Brawl For It All / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series / Non-Points)
November 6: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval Nationals / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series)
November 20: *Canyon Speedway - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / Non-Points)
November 21: *Canyon Speedway - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / Non-Points)
November 22: *Canyon Speedway - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / $7,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC Southwest Sprints.
# = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC Western Classic Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
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