FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series
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BUD KAEDING WINS POMBO/SARGENT CLASSIC AT TULARE

By Lance Jennings
TULARE, CA – MAY 17, 2011... Last Saturday night, Campbell's Bud Kaeding claimed the wingless portion of the Pombo/Sargent Classic at Tulare's Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway. It was not an easy win for the veteran driver, as he bested Hollister's Ryan Bernal to earn his third win of the year with the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series.

With an eight pill drawn for the inversion, Gardena's Greg Alexander and Wes Gutierrez of San Martin shared the front row of the 30-lap main event. At the drop of starter Willie Williams' green flag, the two young drivers led the field into the first turn. Using the bottom line of the Tulare clay oval, Alexander took command as Gutierrez was shuffled back to sixth. Hanford's Jonathan Logan grabbed second, followed by Dennis Howell of Ranch Palos Verdes, Bakersfield's Ricky Kirkbride, and Richard VanderWeerd of Visalia.

As Alexander looked to distance himself from the field, hard charging Ryan Bernal and Bud Kaeding began to make their way to the front. By the fifth circuit, the sixth starting Bernal began to apply pressure to the leader. Railing around the speedway's extreme outside line and banging his right rear tire off the fence, Ryan gathered extra momentum. This move worked to his advantage and he executed a successful pass for the lead.

With Bernal now out front, Alexander tried to battle back, but the new leader was too strong. Kaeding, now in third, made quick work of Alexander for second and gave chase after the leader. As the laps counted down, a yellow flag halted the action. Now bunched together in single file formation, Kaeding was right on Bernal's rear bumper. As the leaders picked up the throttle, Kaeding set for a turn one "slide job" pass on the slick surface. Riding the high line, Bernal kept his determined drive and fought off the challenge. A couple of laps later, the 3-time USAC Silver Crown Champion tried another turn one pass, only to have Bernal squeak through and maintain the lead.

Still within striking distance, Kaeding kept up the pressure. Another shot for the lead was successful as Bernal banged his car off the cushion. By this time, the lead duo had separated themselves from the field. Third running Richard VanderWeerd began to reel in the leaders, but ran out of time to make a challenge. At the checkered flags, it was Kaeding, Bernal, VanderWeerd, Peter Murphy, and Alexander.

Driving Junior Bowman's #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Maxim, Bud Kaeding won his third Tulare main event. Earlier in the program, Kaeding set the standard in Sander Engineering Time Trials over the twenty-four car field. The veteran driver scored fourth in his heat race and is now sixth in the point chase as the series heads to Hanford this Saturday.

After leading ten laps of the main event, Ryan Bernal finished second in Danny Olmstead's #11D S&S Automotive Maxim. The former Wingless Spec Sprint Champion was fifth quick on the night and won his first heat race of the year in the Saldana Racing Products / Keizer Wheels sponsored event. Bernal reclaimed the point lead and currently holds a twenty-nine point advantage.

Piloting the family owned #10 VanderWeerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Richard VanderWeerd claimed third in the Pombo/Sargent Classic. Earlier in the evening, Richard was third fast in qualifications and took fifth in his heat race. Now second in the championship points, the young driver will look to close the gap at Hanford.

Charging from the fifteenth starting spot, Peter Murphy of Clovis took fourth in the main event. Driving the #4 Eberhardt Motorsports' Maxim, backed by Ridgeline Framing and Pro Signs, Murphy was eighteenth fast in time trials and second in his heat race. As this writing goes to press, the veteran driver is ninth in the point standings.

Greg Alexander led the first six laps on the main event before finishing fifth at the checkered flags. Piloting Chuck Tyler's #72 Maxim sponsored by Trench Shoring and Amsoil, Alexander was eleventh quick on the night and scored second in his heat race. Heading into Saturday's action, Greg is currently third in the point chase.

Dennis Howell won the evening's first heat race, backed by Extreme Mufflers. Driving the family owned #62 San Pedro Auto Body / Howell Meyer Racing Maxim, Howell was seventh fast in time trials and ninth in the main event. The USAC Western Midget Series graduate is currently eighth in championship points.

Santa Rosa's Marty Hawkins won the 10-lap DJ Safety Heat Race #3. Piloting the family's #3M Schnee, sponsored by The Toiyabe Group and Blakeley Landscaping, Hawkins was twelfth quick on the night and scored fifteenth in the feature. In limited action, Marty is now sixteenth in the points.

"Showtime" Danny Sheridan earned the night's Keizer Wheels "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job" honors on the night. Starting twenty-fourth in the feature, Danny took the Kittle Motorsports #18 Pace Lighting / PIPE Sherman to seventh at the checkered flags. Sheridan and his crew battled problems all night, but put on a show after borrowing a tail tank from Danny Faria Jr. In just his first start of the year, Danny is twenty-ninth in the standings.

The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series would like to thank Southwest Contractors, Hoosier Tire, Amsoil, BR Motorsports, ButlerBuilt, Competition Suspension Inc., Cory Kruseman's Sprint Car & Midget Driving School, Crow Enterprizes, DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Hinchman-Indy Racing Uniforms, Integra Shocks, Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Port City Racing, Saferacer.com, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support.

The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series will return to action on Saturday, May 21st, at Hanford's Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway. Also on the card will be the Taco Bravo Ocean Sprints vs. ASCS Southern California Sprints, and IMCA Modifieds. Located on the Kings County Fairgrounds in Hanford, California, Reserved Grandstand tickets are $15. Advance tickets are on sale now and camping is available on the fairgrounds. For more event information, visit giantchevroletspeedway.com or call (559) 584-RACE (7223). In addition, fans can visit Giant Chevrolet in Visalia to enter for a ride in the pace car and VIP access.

For more information on the USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Series, please visit westcoastsprintcars.com, usacracing.com, racesantamariaspeedway.com, or follow the series on another site.

USAC WEST COAST 360 SPRINT RACE RESULTS:
May 14, 2011 - Tulare, California - Groppetti Automotive Thunderbowl Raceway
"Pombo/Sargent Classic"

SANDER ENGINEERING TIME TRIALS:
1. Bud Kaeding, 29, Bowman-16.347; 2. Rusty Carlile, 51, Carlile-16.538; 3. Richard VanderWeerd, 10, VanderWeerd-16.539, 4. Nic Faas, 4X, Alexander-16.657; 5. Ryan Bernal, 11D, Olmstead-16.794; 6. Ricky Kirkbride, 87, Van Meter-16.827; 7. Dennis Howell, 62, Howell-16.918; 8. Jonathan Logan, 32, Evett/Logan-16.934; 9. Kolby Araki, 71G, Ishii-17.100; 10. Wes Gutierrez, 007, WG-17.116; 11. Greg Alexander, 72, Tyler-17.159; 12. Marty Hawkins, 3M, Hawkins-17.168; 13. Davey Pombo, 38, Eames-17.180; 14. T.J. Smith, 14, LeGras-17.236; 15. Justyne Hamblin, 8, JH-17.243; 16. Danny Faria Jr., 2, Bowman-17.393; 17. Jace VanderWeerd, 88, VanderWeerd-17.472; 18. Peter Murphy, 4, Eberhardt-17.545; 19. Adam Frith-Smith, 62X, Frith-Smith- 17.777; 20. Nico Russo, 3N, Russo-18.341; 21. Jeff Miller, 5X, Swaim-18.354; 22. Matt Day, 97, Day-18.478; 23. Andrew Murray, 18, Murray-19.064; 24. Danny Sheridan, 18X, Kittle-25.230.

EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE 1: (10 laps)
1. Dennis Howell, 2. Danny Faria Jr., 3. Wes Gutierrez, 4. Bud Kaeding, 5. Davey Pombo, 6. Nic Faas, 7. Matt Day, 8. Adam Frith-Smith. 3:06.33

SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / KEIZER WHEELS HEAT RACE 2: (10 laps)
1. Ryan Bernal, 2. Greg Alexander, 3. Jace VanderWeerd, 4. Jonathan Logan, 5. T.J. Smith, 6. Rusty Carlile, 7. Russo, 8. Andrew Murray. 3:05.15.

DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE 3: (10 laps)
1. Marty Hawkins, 2. Peter Murphy, 3. Ricky Kirkbride, 4. Justyne Hamblin, 5. Richard VanderWeerd, 6. Jeff Miller, 7. Kolby Araki, 8. Danny Sheridan. 3:11.90.

FEATURE: (30 laps - With Starting Positions)
1. Bud Kaeding (8th), 2. Ryan Bernal (6th), 3. Richard VanderWeerd (7th), 4. Peter Murphy (15th), 5. Greg Alexander (1st), 6. Davey Pombo (10th), 7. Danny Sheridan (24th), 8. Ricky Kirkbride (5th), 9. Dennis Howell (4th), 10. Jonathan Logan (3rd), 11. Justyne Hamblin (12th), 12. Danny Faria Jr. (13th), 13. Wes Gutierrez (2nd), 14. T.J. Smith (11th), 15. Marty Hawkins (9th), 16. Nic Faas (17th), 17. Jace VanderWeerd (14th), 18. Rusty Carlile (16th), 19. Kolby Araki (18th), 20. Nico Russo (20th), 21. Matt Day (22nd), 22. Adam Frith-Smith (19th), 23. Jeff Miller (21st), 24. Andrew Murray (23rd). NT.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS:
Laps 1-6 Greg Alexander, Laps 7-16 Ryan Bernal, Laps 17-30 Bud Kaeding.
KEIZER WHEELS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Danny Sheridan (24th to 7th)

NEW WEST COAST 360 SPRINT POINTS:
1. Ryan Bernal 286; 2. Richard VanderWeerd 259; 3. Greg Alexander 253; 4. Wes Gutierrez 249; 5. Jace VanderWeerd 249; 6. Bud Kaeding 219; 7. Justyne Hamblin 209; 8. Dennis Howell 195; 9. Peter Murphy 182; 10. T.J. Smith 178; 11. Danny Faria Jr. 174; 12. Ricky Kirkbride 158; 13. Rusty Carlile 154; 14. Davey Pombo 133; 15. Jonathan Logan 131; 16. Marty Hawkins 112; 17. Nico Russo 101; 18. Cole Peard 76; 19. Matt Day 75; 20. Jeff Miller 69.

NEXT WEST COAST 360 SPRINT RACE:
May 21 - Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway - Hanford, California


King of the West Results:

Fast time: Ian Madsen 13.684

Heat 1: Jonathan Allard, Ian Madsen, Charlie Louden, Kenny Allen, Brent Bjork, Garrett Ishii, Billy Strange Jr.

Heat 2: Tim Kaeding, Willie Croft, Mike Faria, Andy Gregg, Rico Abreu, Dan Simpson, Danielle Simpson

Heat 3: Tommy Tarlton, Craig Stidham, Jason Statler, Peter Murphy, Cory Eliason, Brad Furr, Pat Harvey, Doug Gandy

Heat 4: Evan Suggs, Bobby McMahan, Brad Bumgarner, Brent Kaeding, Bud Kaeding, Mark Barroso, Eli Deshaies

Dash: Jonathan Allard, Tim Kaeding, Tommy Tarlton, Evan Suggs, Brent Kaeding, Willie Croft, Mike Faria, Ian Madsen

Last Chance Qualifier: Cory Eliason, Bud Kaeding, Brad Furr, Garrett Ishii, Brent Bjork, Rico Abreu, Danielle Simpson, Mark Barroso, Doug Gandy, Eli Deshaies, Dan Simpson, Pat Harvey, Billy Strange Jr.

A-main: Tommy Tarlton, Brent Kaeding, Evan Suggs, Ian Madsen, Craig Stidham, Bud Kaeding, Brent Bjork, Peter Murphy, Jason Statler, Brad Furr, Cory Eliason, Brad Bumgarner, Willie Croft, Charlie Louden, Rico Abreu, Bobby McMahan, Garrett Ishii, Kenny Allen, Andy Gregg, Tim Kaeding, Mike Faria, Jonathan Allard