11/10/2010
Sprint Source
Tulare Thunderbowl closes season with USAC Sprints & Midgets Saturday
Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway closes out season this Saturday with USAC sanctioned Pacific Coast Nationals
By Gary Thomas
Tulare, CA – November 10, 2010…The Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway will officially put a cap on the season this Saturday night with the USAC National/CRA Sprint Cars and the USAC National/Western Midgets invading the always exciting track for the 31st running of the Pacific Coast Nationals.
Last year’s Pacific Coast Nationals featured a two-night USAC National/CRA Sprint Car event with Garrett Hansen and Jon Stanbrough claiming main event wins respectively. In 2010 the show has been condensed into a one-night stand with the USAC National/Western Midgets added in to give fans the most bang for their buck possible.
The Pacific Coast Nationals was originally started by J.C. Agajanian in 1962 and was held at the Ascot Park in Gardena until the track's closing in 1990. The event was moved following that, but was stopped after the 1995 season where it was last held at the nearby Kings Speedway in Hanford, until returning to competition last year at the Thunderbowl.
This year's second running of the event at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway will also mark the season finale for the USAC National Sprint Car Series and the champion will be crowned after the main event.
Three-time and defending USAC National Sprint Car champion Levi Jones of Olney, Illinois will look to wrap up his fourth career series title on Saturday night behind the wheel of his Tony Stewart Racing, STP No. 20 machine. Jones has won eight National Sprint Car main events this year, including last Thursday’s opener of the Oval Nationals at Perris, before coming home seventh in Saturday’s finale.
Rounding out the top-five in the overall Amsoil USAC National Sprints standings are Concord, CA’s Damion Gardner, Noblesville, Indiana’s Bryan Clauson, Tucson, Arizona’s Jerry Coons Jr. and New Castle, Indiana’s Tracy Hines. Sitting just nine-points out of fifth is Oval Nationals winner Chris Windom of Canton, Illinois. Windom last Saturday led all 40-laps for his first career Oval Nationals victory at the Perris Auto Speedway.
With just two events remaining in the USAC/CRA season Temecula, CA’s Mike Spencer holds a giant 333-point lead at the top of the standings, as he maintains a stranglehold on a third straight series title. Spencer has claimed five wins this year and is fresh off a fourth place finish at last weekend’s Budweiser Oval Nationals aboard the famed Ron Chaffin Racing No. 50 sprint car. After the Pacific Coast Nationals the USAC/CRA Sprints will close the season on November 27 at Perris Auto Speedway.
Completing the top-five in the USAC/CRA point standings are Santa Maria’s Danny Sheridan, Yorba Linda’s Matt Mitchell, Ventura’s Cory Kruseman and the injured Blake Miller.
A couple special entrants sure to factor in on Saturday will be Campbell’s Bud Kaeding and San Jose’s Tim Kaeding. Bud this season finished second in the USAC Silver Crown Series standings, missing out on his fourth career title by just one-point. He also claimed big victory’s with the USAC National Sprint Cars at the Knoxville Raceway Wingless Nationals and Oskaloosa’s Ultimate Challenge.
“TK” this season has experienced immense success on the West Coast, winning 15 main events overall and this weekend will be taking the wing off of his always potent Roth Motorsports No. 83 mount. T. Kaeding has had limited starts without the wing, but has experienced very good results in those outings.
Other possible sprint car entrants on Saturday will include defending Pacific Coast Nationals winner Jon Stanbrough, Dave Darland, Henry Clarke, David Cardey, Bobby East, Justin Grant, Nick Faas, Casey Riggs, Tony Jones, Gregg Bragg, Keith Bloom Jr. and many more.
The USAC National/Western Midget portion of the night will mark the first Midget event at the Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway and leading the contingent for the two respective series will be Bryan Clauson and Cory Kruseman.
With three nights of racing left Clauson holds a 98-point lead in the National standings over Jerry Coons Jr. In the Western portion there is a tight three-way fight for the title between Kruseman, who leads Alex Shutte by just seven-digits and Robby Josett by 10-digits. Other Midget drivers expected to take to the 1/3 mile clay oval on Saturday will include Tracy Hines, Brad Loyett, Dave Darland, Bobby East, Brad Kuhn, Levi Kones, Brad Sweet, Zach Daum, Kody Swanson, Scott Pierovich, Alex Bowman and more.
The front gate will open at 4pm this Saturday November 13 with qualifying at 6 and racing scheduled for 7. Tickets are $35 for reserved grandstand seats and $30 for general admission bleachers.
More info on the 31st Pacific Coast Nationals can be found at http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com and http://www.usacracing.com or by calling (559) 688-0909
For extra information on the wingless sprint car scene please visit Lance Jennings’ http://www.scrafan.com
The Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California
Submitted By: Gary Thomas
