AUSTIN LIGGETT IS HOT AT HANFORD
By Lance Jennings
JUNE 20, 2017... After temperatures reached triple digits, Austin Liggett (Tracy, California) stormed to last Saturday’s victory at Hanford’s Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds. Held during the Kings County Fair, the 30-lap feature was Liggett’s second USAC West Coast Sprint Car win of the campaign. “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., Jake Swanson, hard charger Cody Majors, and Richard Vander Weerd rounded out the top-five drivers.
Starting on the pole position, Liggett grabbed the early lead and set a fast pace on the Hanford oval. Faria was in hot pursuit and managed to grab the top spot on lap twelve. After caution flags halted the action three laps later, Liggett regained the lead with a “slide job” after the restart. As the laps counted down, Faria and Swanson got close, but the former rookie of the year took the checkered flags.
Piloting the family owned #83 Excel Environmental / Lucas Oil entry, Austin Liggett qualified third out of eighteen racers and won the Keizer Aluminum Wheels / Saldana Racing Products Heat Race #3. After earning the fourth series win of his career, Liggett is fourth in points with two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, three heat race victories, one BR Motorsports / King Racing Products Hard Charger Award, eight top-10 finishes, and 34 feature laps led.
“Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. (Tipton, California) ran second in the Hanford main event after leading three laps. Racing his #17V Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / DeBoer & Sons Trucking Spike, Faria was eighth fast in time trials and won the night’s 10-lap Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Heat Race #2. Heading to Ventura on July 8th, the two-time champion is eighth in the standings with one feature win, one pole shuffle win, five heat race victories, six top-10 finishes, and 53 feature laps led on the year.
Jake Swanson (Anaheim, California) had another strong night with a third place run at Hanford from fifth. Driving Tom and Laurie Sertich’s #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Clackamas Rigging & Transfer XXX, Swanson qualified second overall and ran second to Faria in his heat race. The USAC/CRA standout has climbed to third in points with one feature win, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, two heat race victories, one BR Motorsports / King Racing Products Hard Charger Award, eight top-10 finishes, and 46 feature laps led to his credit.
Cody Majors (Simi Valley, California) earned the night’s BR Motorsports / King Racing Products Hard Charger / “Best Passing Job” honors with a fourth place run from eighth. Racing Steve Watt’s #81M Maxwell Industries / State Ready Mix Maxim, Majors was eleventh quick in time trials and placed third in his heat race. Cody has climbed to sixth in the standings with three heat race victories and seven top-10 finishes on the season.
Ryan Timmons (Pleasant Hill, California) became the third driver in as many races to earn their first Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award. Piloting the family owned #29T Snap-On Tools / NorCal Builders Maxim, Timmons placed third in his heat race and scored seventeenth in the main event. Last season’s Rookie of the Year is currently ninth in the point standings with four top-10 finishes.
In his first USAC West Coast start of 2017, Klint Simpson (Santa Rosa, California) raced to victory in the Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. Driving Ted Finkenbinder’s #3F Western Industrial X-Ray Maxim, Simpson qualified fourth overall and finished seventh at the Kings County Fairgrounds. The Wingless Spec Sprint veteran heads to Ventura ranked forty-third in the point chase.
On Saturday, July 8th, the USAC West Coast Sprint Cars will return to Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway. The “ARP Battle of the Beach Race #2” is co-sanctioned with the VRA Sprints and will also feature California Lightning Sprints, Dwarf Cars, and USAC 600 Micro Sprints. Located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California, more event and ticket information can be found at www.venturaraceway.com or calling 805.648.RACE.
The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series thanks AMSOIL, Hoosier Tire, BR Motorsports, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Chris Kearns Presents, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, King Racing Products, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Ultra Shield Race Products, 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 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
For more information, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com and www.usacracing.com. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC West Coast Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
Loudpedal Productions has USAC West Coast Sprint Car DVDs and videos on demand available for purchase at www.loudpedal.tv and 805.407.7229.
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USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: June 17, 2017 – Hanford, California – Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Ryan Timmons, 29T, Timmons-16.343; 2. Jake Swanson, 92, Sertich-16.366; 3. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-16.461; 4. Klint Simpson, 3F, Finkenbinder-16.545; 5. Michael Faccinto, 81X, Watt-16.724; 6. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-16.793; 7. Shannon McQueen, 7, Van Meter-16.937; 8. Danny Faria Jr., 17V, Faria-16.999; 9. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-17.052; 10. Kyle Smith, 55, Smith-17.106; 11. Cody Majors, 81M, Watt-17.124; 12. Max Adams, 5M, Adams-17.274; 13. Tristan Guardino, 81, Watt-17.372; 14. Brandon Wiley, 33B, Team 33-17.488; 15. Cory Elliott, 11E, Elliott-17.502; 16. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-17.742; 17. Steven Garris, 58, Garris-17.948; 18. Landon Cling, 16K, Kruseman-NT.
EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Simpson, 2. McQueen, 3. Timmons, 4. Guardino, 5. Smith, 6. Hix. NT
BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Faria, 2. Swanson, 3. Majors, 4. Faccinto, 5. Garris, 6. Wiley. NT
KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS / SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Liggett, 2. R.Vander Weerd, 3. Adams, 4. J.Vander Weerd, 5. Cling, 6. Elliott. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. Austin Liggett (1st), 2. Danny Faria Jr. (2nd), 3. Jake Swanson (5th), 4. Cody Majors (8th), 5. Richard Vander Weerd (6th), 6. Max Adams (9th), 7. Klint Simpson (3rd), 8. Michael Faccinto (11th), 9. Jace Vander Weerd (12th), 10. Tristan Guardino (10th), 11. Landon Cling (15th), 12. Shannon McQueen (4th), 13. Kyle Smith (13th), 14. Steve Hix (16th), 15. Steven Garris (14th), 16. Cory Elliott (18th), 17. Ryan Timmons (7th), 18. Brandon Wiley (17th). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-11 Liggett, Laps 12-14 Faria, Laps 15-30 Liggett.
BR MOTORSPORTS / KING RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Cody Majors (8th to 4th)
USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Richard Vander Weerd-648, 2. Jake Swanson-641, 3. Ryan Bernal-628, 4. Jace Vander Weerd-618, 5. Austin Liggett-579, 6. Cody Majors-517, 7. Tristan Guardino-500, 8. Danny Faria Jr.-499, 9. Ryan Timmons-441, 10. Brandon Wiley-394, 11. Steve Hix-360, 12. Max Adams-356, 13. Shannon McQueen-302, 14. Steven Garris-295, 15. Jeff Sibley-270, 16. Joe Stornetta Jr.-260, 17. Geoff Ensign-244, 18. Ryan Stolz-235, 19. Kyle Smith-226, 20. Tye Mihocko-158.
2017 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
July 8: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Battle of the Beach Race #2)
July 28: Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA
July 29: Petaluma Speedway - Petaluma, CA
August 12: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (Bud Stanfield Memorial)
October 7: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (Championship Night)
November 22: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Turkey Night Grand Prix / Non-Points)
November 23: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Turkey Night Grand Prix / Battle of the Beach Race #4 / Non-Points)
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This schedule is subject to change.