MSCS SEASON AWARDS

Haubstadt, IN - November 11, 2009.  Kyle Cummins of Princeton, IN, captured his third consecutive Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series driving championship in 2009.  He was among those sent point fund checks and other special awards during the annual MSCS Awards Week which ended November 7th.  He received the largest check in the amount of $1,750 from those awarded to drivers who finished in the top ten positions in points.  He and car owner Mark Cummins also received championship jackets from Hoosier Racing Tire.

Cummins moved into the MSCS points lead after the June 6th race at Jacksonville, IL.  He finished second in the feature that evening.  He finished in the top ten a total of 7 times.  Three of those were third place finishes.  Cummins kept the point lead for the rest of the season with consistent driving performances. The champ qualified for every feature except the one held during the final race at Lawrenceburg.  Ironically that was the night he would receive the season championship trophy.  That night he lost an engine during hot laps.

Ricky Williams of Clinton, OH, finished second in the standings and just 28 points behind Cummins.  William’s share in the point fund was $1,000.  The sixteen year old driver was third in points the year prior as the 2008 MSCS Rookie of the Year.  Williams and the remainder of the top five drivers were awarded plaques from MSCS.

Blake Fitzpatrick of West Terre Haute, IN, finished third in the standings.  He put together an impressive season, his best yet in MSCS competition.  Veteran Hud Cone was fourth in the standings.  The Oakland City, IN, driver picked up a feature win at Florence Speedway.  Adam Nigg was fifth in the overall standings and the leading rookie driver.  Nigg who is from Jasper, IN, received two checks.  The second check was for being the Gross Enterprises MSCS Rookie of the Year for 2009.

The remainder of the top ten includes Robert Ballou, rookie Brandon Mattox, rookie Nic Faas, Jeff Bland Jr., and Jon Stanbrough.  In total 133 drivers competed with MSCS in 2009.  Jon Stanbrough’s 4 feature wins was the most this season for any driver racing in the series.  Those wins propelled Stanbrough to the top of the list as the leading money winner for the season.  Dave Darland was awarded a plaque as the MSCS Hard Charger of the Year.    He earned the honor in being named the Keizer Aluminum Wheels Hard Charger of the Race two different times.

Other post season awards include the AFCO Racing Shocks Top Performer.  Five hundred dollars in merchandise certificates were divided between three drivers.  The AFCO top performers in 2009 were Kyle Cummins, Hud Cone, and Adam Nigg. 

The winner of a complete set of bumpers and nerf bars provided by Race Bumpers.com was Jeff Bland Jr.  A drawing was held with the names of all the drivers included who competed in 60% or more of the races held this season.  “Tuff Brakes” product certificates from Wilwood Engineering were sent to drivers who had competed in at least 60% of the races but finished outside the top ten in points. 

Any other awards or product merchandise offered will be presented or forwarded to the drivers as soon as possible after MSCS receives them from the sponsor.  Thanks to one and all for the support and participation all season long.

Hoosier Tire Midwest Sprint Car Series
Point Standings Released on Oct. 5, 2009
1. Kyle Cummins   648
2. Ricky Williams  620
3. Blake Fitzpatrick  554
4. Hud Cone    516
5. Adam Nigg   501  R
6. Robert Ballou  498 
7. Brandon Mattox 476  R
8. Nic Faas 428  R
9. Jeff Bland Jr. 399
10. Jon Stanbrough  383
11. Brady Short   381
12. Chris Windom 361
13. Kurt Gross  343
14. Scotty Weir 316   
15. Chase Briscoe  291  R
16. Damion Gardner  278
17. Hunter Schuerenberg  277
18. Dave Darland  273
19. Bub Cummings  258  R
20. Craig Budde   256
20. Bryan Clauson  256

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Thunderbowl Raceway finishes off season in style with USAC National & USAC/CRA sanctioned Pacific Coast Nationals this weekend

By Gary Thomas

Tulare, CA – November 10, 2009…The 2009 racing season at the Thunderbowl Raceway will officially come to a close this Saturday and Sunday as the 1/3 mile clay oval plays host to one of the highest profile events in track history with the USAC National and USAC/CRA Wingless 410 Sprint Cars invading the Tulare based facility for the 30th Pacific Coast Nationals. 

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 held last at nearby Kings Speedway in Hanford. This year's revival at the Thunderbowl Raceway will also mark the season finale for the USAC National Sprint Car Series and the champion will be crowned this Sunday night following the 40-lap main event, which will award $12,500 to the winner.

The Tulare County Fairgrounds track has held a number of "big" short track events over the last 10 years, including numerous World of Outlaw shows, as well as the season opener and season finale during the one and only year of the National Sprint Tour in 2006. The Thunderbowl has also held the annual Trophy Cup since '05 and earlier in the decade ran a trio of Thanksgiving weekend 410 sprint car events that drew big names to the track each season.

In addition to all of that the 1/3 mile clay oval also hosted the $20,000 to win U.S. Modified Nationals in '07 and this weekends Pacific Coast Nationals is expected to be right up there with all of those events in the prestige factor. "We're really happy to be bringing this event to Tulare," said Thunderbowl promoter Steve Faria. "With the World of Outlaws not coming back out here in the fall we were looking to bring in another big show and the Pacific Coast Nationals will definitely be a great fit. It's pretty exciting to have all these well known non-wing drivers coming to our track and it should be a great show for the fans."

Former USAC/CRA champion Damion Gardner of Concord, CA has laps in both a winged and wingless sprint car at the Thunderbowl Raceway and comes into the Pacific Coast Nationals with momentum following his big victory in last weekends Budweiser Oval Nationals at the helm of his DG Racing, Pace Lighting No. 71. The former Chili Bowl Midget Nationals winner also scored a big $10,000 victory in USAC National Sprint Car competition at the Lawrenceburg Speedway in early October, which came during just his fourth race back in action after injuries kept him out for nearly a month, following an incident at the Nebraska Raceway Park in August. "The Demon" has won a pair of main events in his Thunderbowl career and currently sits sixth in the National Sprint Car standings.

Coming into the Pacific Coast Nationals having already locked up the USAC National Sprint Car title Avon, Indiana driver Levi Jones will look to finish off the season on a strong note this weekend at the Thunderbowl Raceway. The driver of the Tony Stewart Racing, Chevrolet sponsored No. 20 went into last week's Oval Nationals with just a 27-point lead over Lincoln, Indiana's Dave Darland, however, a tough weekend for Darland allowed Jones to extend the mark to an untouchable 178-point advantage. Jones picked up a victory during the second prelim night this past weekend at the Oval Nationals and brought home a third place finish in Saturday's finale to seal up his third career USAC National Sprint Car championship.

Darland comes into the Thunderbowl looking to rebound after an extremely rough outing at the Oval Nationals that saw him fail to make the main event the final two nights, after running 16th in the feature during the opener on Thursday. "Double D" has long been one of the top open wheel drivers in the country and has championships in the USAC National Sprint Car, Midget and Silver Crown Series, making him one of a select group of racers to have the Triple Crown under his belt. Darland this season has driven his RWB Racing No. 2b sprinter to four National Sprint Car victories and will look to secure the second spot in the series standings this weekend.

Hot on Darland's heels though is Alpine, CA's Cole Whitt, who will bring his Keith Kunz Motorsports, Red Bull No. 67k into the Pacific Coast Nationals just 12-digits behind Darland for the runner-up spot in the USAC National Sprint Car standings. The 18-year-old driver has had a solid '09 campaign and has won a total of 15 main events during the season, including nine at the Kokomo Speedway en route to the track title. Whitt last year captured the USAC National Midget championship and in doing so became the youngest driver to ever accomplish that feat.

Defending USAC National Sprint Car champion Jerry Coons Jr. currently ranks fourth in the standings going into the Pacific Coast Nationals this Saturday and Sunday. By winning both the sprint car and silver crown titles last season the Tuscon, Arizona driver became the fifth driver in USAC history to hold the Triple Crown, after winning the midget title in 2006 and '07. Rounding out the top-five in the USAC National Sprint standings going into the Thunderbowl this weekend is '02 series champion Tracy Hines of Jamestown, Indiana. The former Chili Bowl champ has driven his Tony Stewart Racing No. 21 machine to three National Sprint Car wins this year, with all of those coming on the pavement.

The Lucas Oil USAC/CRA Series has seen an extremely close point fight for much of the season however; Temecula's Mike Spencer has turned up the heat late in the year and comes into the Pacific Coast Nationals holding a 78-point advantage in the standings aboard his Ron Chaffin Racing, Madera Produce No. 50 mount. Spencer captured the Lou Vermeil Classic at the Calistoga Speedway on Labor Day weekend, which marked the first of three straight wins for the defending USAC/CRA champion. Spencer then used the momentum to help score a runner-up finish at last weekends Budweiser Oval Nationals in Perris, where he came very close to winning the event for the first time in his career, until Gardner made the pass with just a few laps remaining in the feature to steal the victory away.

Currently second in the points and continuing to have his best sprint car season to date is "Dynamite" David Cardey, who finished fifth in the main event at the Thunderbowl in May aboard the ITI Performance, Crossno Racing No. 38 sprinter. The Riverside racer finished sixth in the USAC/CRA standings last season and will be looking to rebound this weekend after getting upside down late in the main event at the Oval Nationals, while having a strong run going at the time. Current USAC Western Midget Series point leader Garrett Hansen sits third in the USAC/CRA standings driving the Priestley No. 7 sprint car. The Manhattan Beach driver scored a solid sixth place finish at the Ovals Nationals last weekend and also brought home a fourth place finish in May at the Thunderbowl.

Thunderbowl Raceway wingless 410 track record holder Blake Miller of Yorba Linda comes into the Pacific Coast Nationals ranking fourth in the USAC/CRA standings at the helm of the Gardner Motorsports No. 93 machine. "The Bullet" had a strong night at the Thunderbowl Raceway in May when he began the evening by ripping off a 15.679 in qualifying to re-set his own track record, before charging from ninth to third in the feature. Completing the top five in USAC/CRA points is Santa Maria's "Showtime" Danny Sheridan, who scored a victory and a runner-up finish in a pair of Bandit 360 Series starts at the Thunderbowl Raceway earlier this season in his Kittle Motorsports No. 18.

Indiana resident and Carmichael, CA native Bryan Clauson has had a strong 2009 season and will look to add the Pacific Coast Nationals to his impressive resume this weekend as he competes behind the wheel of the Corey Tucker Racing, Parker Stone sprinter. The immensely talented 20-year-old spent time in the NASCAR ranks, but has come back to sprints and midgets full-time this year and has won 17 main events throughout the season, including a $10,000 triumph at Tri-State Speedway in September and the prestigious Belleville Midget Nationals in August. Clausen also captured the Indiana Midget Week title in June and won opening night of the Oval Nationals this past weekend, before running fourth in Saturday's finale.

Former Thunderbowl Raceway winged 410 sprint car track record holder Kevin Swindell will be in competition at the Pacific Coast Nationals aboard the locally based Roth Motorsports, HR Cattle No. 83 and will be looking to regroup following a tough Oval Nationals last weekend. The Germantown, Tennessee resident picked up a victory for Dennis Roth on prelim night of the Lou Vermeil Classic at Calistoga Speedway and also finished runner-up during Sundays finale. Last season saw him win the Western World Championships at Manzanita Speedway, as well as the Vermeil Classic in Calistoga driving for Nor Cal car owner Tom Rolfe. Swindell's biggest win this year came in May when he made a last lap pass to score victory in the Knoxville Midget Nationals.

The Pacific Coast Nationals will see Grass Valley, CA native Brad Sweet returning to the track in which he made his wingless sprint car debut at back in 2004. The Kasey Kahne Racing driver has experienced much success since hitting the road full-time and has captured prestigious events such as the Belleville Midget Nationals, the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora and the Knoxville Midget Nationals among others. Sweet last year also scored a big triumph at the Tulare Thunderbowl Raceway when he claimed victory at the annual Trophy Cup and this Friday will see the 23-year-old make his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at the Phoenix International Raceway.

Elk Grove's Kyle Larson will hit the Thunderbowl Raceway clay this weekend after making a successful wingless 410 sprint car debut at the Calistoga Speedway on Labor Day weekend. The 17-year-old turned eyes during the two-night show as he quickly adapted at the intimidating half-mile and was running solidly in the top-five when separate issues each night put him further back in the finishing order than he would have liked. At the Pacific Coast Nationals Larson will be behind the wheel of the Stadelhofer Construction, BK Racing sprinter, the same machine he drove to a fifth place finish at the Trophy Cup.

Other drivers expected at the 30th Pacific Coast Nationals will include Warsaw, Missouri's Jesse Hockett; Ventura's Cory Kruseman; Campbell's Bud Kaeding; Phoenix, Arizona's Chad Boat; Riverside's Josh Wise; Yorba Linda's Rip Williams and Matt Mitchell; Jamestown, Indiana's Jon Stanbrough; Visalia's Gregg Bragg; Norco's Tony Jones; Clovis' Peter Murphy; Anderson's Keith Bloom Jr.; Fremont's Shane Golobic and more.

Tickets for the Pacific Coast Nationals will be the same price both nights with Reserved Grandstand seats being $35 and General Admission Bleacher tickets $30. Children under 12 will be half-price in the bleachers. The front gate of the Thunderbowl Raceway will open at 3pm on Saturday November 14 with wheel packing at 4, qualifying at 5 and first race scheduled for 6. Sunday will see the front gate open at 2pm with wheel packing at 3, qualifying at 4 and first race scheduled for 5. Pit passes will be $35 for members and $40 for non-members with the drivers meeting set to be at 3pm on Saturday and 2pm on Sunday. Registration and pill draw will be at 1pm on Saturday and noon on Sunday.

All of the action from the event will be broadcast via live video feed at http://www.usacracing.com/usac_live

More info on the Pacific Coast Nationals can be found at http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com and http://www.usacracing.com

The Thunderbowl Raceway is located at the Tulare County Fairgrounds on the corner of Bardsley and K Streets in Tulare, California.

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PERRIS TO HOST NATIONAL SPRINT CAR MUSEUM SILENT AUCTION & BILLY WILKERSON SPRINT CAR DURING OVAL NATIONALS
 
KNOXVILLE, IOWA  (November 3, 2009)  -  The Perris Auto Speedway in Lake Perris, California, will host the non-profit National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum at this weekend’s Budweiser Oval Nationals. 

Besides hosting the museum foundation’s quarterly board of directors meeting, the dirt track will host a museum-benefit silent auction of unique sprint car racing memorabilia and a display featuring the late Billy Wilkerson’s Don Brown-built, Ernie Duncan-owned 1967 California Racing Association (CRA) championship-winning sprint car.  The beautiful black number 2 sprint car and the auction items will be found under the grandstands on all three nights, November 5-6-7.

According to National Sprint Car Museum executive director Bob Baker, “We are pleased to be heading back to Perris for the Oval Nationals this year, as it is a great event for traditional sprint car racing.  We would like to thank the Kazarian family for making us feel so welcome and Dick Woodland for helping us to honor deceased National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Billy Wilkerson.  Oval Nationals fans will also have the opportunity over the three days to silently bid on some unique memorabilia, including autographed items from Mario Andretti, Ron Shuman and the late Rodger Ward.”

Those seeking more information on the Knoxville-based National Sprint Car Museum are urged to visit their web site at www.sprintcarhof.com.

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14th ANNUAL BUDWEISER OVAL NATIONALS INFORMATION!

(NOVEMBER 2, 2009, PERRIS, CA)

WHAT: 14th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals

WHERE: Perris Auto Speedway

WHEN: November 5th, 6th and 7th

WHO: The USAC/CRA & USAC National Sprint Car Series’.  Also, California Lightning Sprint Cars 6th & 7th) 

PROMOTER: Oval Entertainment

GRAND MARSHALL: National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Emmett Hahn of ASCS and his wife Woketta

THE DRIVERS: The top Sprint Car drivers from around the nation including former Oval Nationals Champions Rip Williams (1997), Rickie Gaunt (1999), Tony Jones (2000), Bud Kaeding (2001, 2002, 2007), Cory Kruseman (2003, 2004), Dave Darland (2005, 2006)

WEDNESDAY: Hauler parking begins at 8:00 AM.  Pit gate opens at 4:00 PM.  Practice session for Oval Nationals entered cars only starts at 5:00 PM.  Free for the fans in the grandstands. 

THURSDAY: Qualifying, five heats races, preliminary mains and a $2,000.00 to win 25 lap main event.  Pit gate opens at noon.  Spectator gates open at 4:00 PM, qualifying at 5:00 PM and first race at 5:30.

FRIDAY: Qualifying, five heats races, preliminary mains and $2,000.00 to win 25 lap main event.  Pit gate opens at noon.  Spectator gates open at 4:00 PM, qualifying at 5:00 PM and first race at 5:30.  California Lightning Sprint Car heat races.

SATURDAY: Pit gate opens at noon.  Spectator gates open at 3:00 PM.  On track autograph session 3:00 – 4:00.  Oval Nationals Annual Corn Hole Tournament 3:30.   Pit Meeting 4:15 (out front with the fans).  Rock Bands Unit 287 and Casual Tease.  Preliminary mains and $12,500.00 to win A main event.  California Lightning Sprint Car main event.

TICKETS: Available at ticket window every day or in advance.  Phone: 800-595-4849 or 951-940-0134. Online: tix.com or perrisautospeedway.com

CAMPING: Available through the Southern California Fair: 951-657-4221

PITS: Open to all fans to meet and mingle with the drivers and see the cars close up until 11:30 AM every day (till 3:30 on Wednesday).

You can keep up with all of the latest news from Perris Auto Speedway on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/perrisautospdwy

OVAL NATIONALS CHAMPIONS 
1996 Jimmy Sills – Placerville, CA
1997 Rip Williams – Yorba Linda, CA
1998 Rodney Argo – Gardena, CA
1999 Rickie Gaunt – Torrance, CA
2000 Tony Jones – Norco, CA
2001 Bud Kaeding – Campbell, CA
2002 Bud Kaeding - Campbell, CA
2003 Cory Kruseman – Ventura, CA
2004 Cory Kruseman - Ventura, CA
2005 Dave Darland – Lincoln, IN
2006 Dave Darland – Lincoln, IN
2007 Bud Kaeding - Campbell, CA
2008 Jesse Hockett – Warsaw, MO

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