FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CARS RETURN TO HANFORD SATURDAY by Lance Jennings SANTA MARIA, CA – JULY 16, 2013... This Saturday, July 20th, the cars and stars of the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series will travel to Kings Speedway in Hanford. The action packed showcase will also feature the winged Rebel Cup 360 Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, and Hobby Stocks. The Spectator Gates will open at 5:30pm and Racing is scheduled for 7pm. Since March 2009, Kings Speedway has showcased thirty-one West Coast Sprint Car races. Point leader Ryan Bernal and Richard Vander Weerd lead all drivers with five victories at the Hanford oval. In 2013, both drivers have claimed main event wins at Kings with Bernal winning the May 11th “Billet Cup” feature and Vander Weerd claiming the June 8th race. Ryan Bernal of Hollister holds a 44 point advantage going to the Saturday showcase at Hanford. On July 6th, the driver of Keith Ford's #73 Berry Pack / King Racing Products Spike had a rough night at Santa Maria. After problems sidelined his regular ride, Ryan jumped into the Ennis #86 and scored twenty-first after an early flip in the feature. The 2011 Rookie of the Year has five main event wins, one Weld Racing Fast Time Award, four heat race victories, one Woodland Auto Display Dash win, one BR Motorsports / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, twelve top-10 finishes, and 85 feature laps led. As this writing goes to press, Bernal is competing in USAC’s “Indiana Sprint Week” and might miss the Hanford event. Visalia’s Richard Vander Weerd is second in the championship point chase. Driving the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Richard did not compete at Santa Maria to race in the Midwest and prepare for “Indiana Sprint Week.” To date, the 2011 Champion has four main event wins, two Weld Racing Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, two Woodland Auto Display Dash wins, one semi-main win, two BR Motorsports / Racing Optics Hard Charger Awards, twelve top-10 finishes, and 101 feature laps led. Like Bernal, Vander Weerd could miss the show at Kings Speedway. "Hollywood" Danny Faria Jr. of Tipton is third in the USAC West Coast point chase. Racing his #17V Johnston Calf Pens / DeBoer & Sons Trucking Spike, Faria finished second to Cory Kruseman at Santa Maria. This year’s Billet Cup point champion has yet to win a main event, but has one Weld Racing Fast Time Award, four heat race victories, one Woodland Auto Display Dash win, one BR Motorsports / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, ten top-10 finishes, and 22 feature laps led to his credit. “Hollywood” and Crew Chief Vinnie Lattner will be looking to claim their first win of 2013 on Saturday. Campbell’s Bud Kaeding is fourth in the point standings. Piloting Junior Bowman's #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Maxim, Kaeding ran third in the July 6th “Doug Fort Memorial.” The defending series champion won last Friday’s USAC Western Classic feature at Watsonville, but has yet to score a West Coast victory in 2013. Currently, Bud has two heat race victories, two Woodland Auto Display Dash win, eleven top-10 finishes, and 7 feature laps led to his credit. On Saturday, Bud will have his sights on claiming his fifth career USAC West Coast win at Hanford. Climbing to fifth in the USAC West Coast standings is Markus Niemela of Rauma, Finland. Driving Steve Watt’s #81 Christian Stover Foundation / Lost Reality Maxim, Niemela scored fifth at Santa Maria Speedway. To date, the hard charging driver has yet to win a main event, but has one Weld Racing Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, one Woodland Auto Display Dash win, one BR Motorsports / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, seven top-10 finishes, and 25 feature laps led on the season. Markus will be looking to claim his first series win at Kings Speedway. Currently eighth in the standings, Riverdale’s Landon Hurst leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors. Jeff Sibley of Oakdale, Terra Bella’s Trent Carter, Garrett Long of Springville, and Springville’s Seth Hancock are also in contention. Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “The Bakersfield Bullet” Rusty Carlile, "The Rickster" Ricky Kirkbride, Kevin Barnes, Austin Liggett, Dennis Howell, Marty Hawkins, Andy Ferris, Matt Day, Kolby Araki, Don Gansen, Chris Gansen, and more. Kings Speedway is located on the Kings County Fairgrounds at 801 South 10th Avenue in Hanford, California. Grandstand tickets are $15 with discounts available for Seniors (55+), Military (with I.D.), and Children 7-12. Kids 6 and under are FREE at all non-special events. Camping is available on the fairgrounds and for more event information, visit www.kingsspeedway.net or call (559) 584-RACE (7223). The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, Chris Kearns Presents, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, SBI Fuel Systems, Saldana Racing Products, Weld Racing, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at [email protected]. For more information on the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series, visit westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/#!/pages/USAC-West-Coast-Sprint-Car-Series/369549755817). ----------------------------------------------- USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1-Ryan Bernal-608, 2-Richard Vander Weerd-564, 3-Danny Faria Jr.-546, 4-Bud Kaeding-513, 5-Markus Niemela-464, 6-Jace Vander Weerd-412, 7-Rusty Carlile-404, 8-Ricky Kirkbride-310, 9-Kevin Barnes-284, 10-Landon Hurst-281, 11-Austin Liggett-266, 12-Jeff Sibley-251, 13-Dennis Howell-250, 14-Marty Hawkins-236, 15-Andy Ferris-226, 16-Chris Ennis-215, 17-Matt Day-197, 18-Kolby Araki-149, 19-D.J. Netto-148, 20-Brody Roa-146. 2013 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE DATE - TRACK - LOCATION July 20: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA August 3: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Jim Evett Memorial) September 7: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA September 20: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Jim Turner Memorial) September 21: Thunderbowl Raceway - Tulare, CA (John Anthony Sharp Memorial) September 28: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Brawl For It All / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series / Non-Points) October 12: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Cotton Classic) October 31: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval Nationals / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series / Non-Points) November 14: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / Non-Points) November 15: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / Non-Points) November 16: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / $7,500-to-Win / Non-Points) ----------------------------------------------- * = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC Southwest Sprints. This schedule is subject to change.