CHASE JOHNSON POWERS TO VENTURA VICTORY

By Lance Jennings

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 28, 2022… Starting fifth, Chase Johnson (Penngrove, California) grabbed the lead from Kyle Edwards on the seventh lap and powered to last Saturday’s win at Ventura Raceway. Racing Keith Ford’s #73 Naturipe / SureCan LLC Triple X, Johnson scored his second $1,500 USAC West Coast Sprint Car victory of the season. Edwards, Tanner Boul, Steve Hix, and point leader Trent Carter rounded out the top-five drivers.

At the drop of starter Kris Kornder’s green flag, Ventura USAC/CRA winner Tanner Boul took the top spot from the pole position. Looking for his first USAC West Coast 360 win, Boul’s hopes were dashed as Edwards slipped by on the second circuit. Edwards set a torrid pace and soon faced the challenges from former track champion Troy Rutherford. Contact between the two knocked Rutherford out of contention, but Edwards would soon have to battle with Johnson. Chase proved to be too strong on this night and lapped the seventh running Hannah Mayhew before taking the checkered flag.

Before earning the seventh win of his career, Chase Johnson qualified second overall and finished second in his heat race to Rick Hendrix. After limited starts, Chase left the Ventura County Fairgrounds ranked thirteenth in the point chase.

Troy Rutherford (Ojai, California) opened the night by winning the “Lucky Pill Draw” presented by High Tech Performance and five free gallons of fuel. The veteran driver then posted his third Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of the campaign with a time of 12.461 seconds over the 19-car roster. Driving his #11 Westco International Consulting / Shine Supply Spike with Ford power, Rutherford won the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers First Heat Race and scored seventeenth in the feature after an early exit. Heading to the October 15th “Championship Night,” Troy sits third in points with a shot at the championship. 

Veteran Rick Hendrix (Palmdale, California) raced to victory in the 10-lap Competition Suspension Incorporated / Vahlco Wheels Second Heat Race. Piloting his #15 Rick’s Gate Works / Wilwood Disc Brakes Maxim, the multi-time USAC Champion was eleventh quick in time trials and scored sixth in the main event. In limited starts, Hendrix is sixteenth in the point standings.

August 27th Ventura winner, “The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa (Garden Grove, California) took the checkered flags in the 10-lap Rod End Supply / Saldana Racing Products Third Heat Race. Racing the May Motorsports’ #8M RDM Mechanics / Keen Concrete Eagle, Roa qualified third overall and scratched before the main event with engine issues. After a couple of starts, the 2016 Champion heads to The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park ranked twenty-second in points.

Gage Rucker (Truxton, Missouri) returned to USAC West Coast action and earned the night’s BR Motorsports / Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award with a tenth place run from nineteenth. Driving the Kruseman Motorsports’ #21K Kruseman Sprint Car and Midget Driving School / Lucas Oil machine, Rucker was nineteenth in qualifications after mechanical issues and ran sixth in his heat race. For his efforts, Gage also earned a copy of Caged Heat, a sprint car racing photo book, courtesy of Steve Lafond. After his first start of 2022, Rucker is ranked thirty-fifth in championship points.

By virtue of his thirteenth place finish, James Herrera (New Cuyama, California) claimed his second Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award” of the season. Racing his #5E Cuyama Buckhorn / The Buck Stop Coffee Stop Maxim, Herrera qualified fourteenth overall and placed sixth in his heat race. The 2015 Santa Maria Champion heads to the upcoming “Championship Night” sitting twelfth in the chase for the championship. 

The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars will take a break before returning to action on Saturday, October 15th, at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park’s (Bakersfield, California) “Championship Night” and “George Snider Classic.” The final point race will also feature the USAC Western States and Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) Midgets.

The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series thanks AMSOIL, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing.com, High Tech Performance, Hoosier Racing Tire, Rod End Supply, ROW Signs and Graphics, Saldana Racing Products, Tear-Off Heaven Fotos, Vahlco Wheels, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Woodland Auto Display for their support.  

For more information on the series, visit usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the series Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 24, 2022 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Troy Rutherford, 11, Rutherford-12.461; 2. Chase Johnson, 73, Ford-12.570; 3. Brody Roa, 8M, May-12.977; 4. Kyle Edwards, 39, Edwards-12.993; 5. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-13.018; 6. Tanner Boul, 99T, Boul-13.141; 7. Cody Majors, 54, Majors-13.171; 8. Tyler Hatzikian, 27, Hatzikian-13.225; 9. Brent Yarnal, 29, Yarnal-13.247; 10. Trent Carter, 13, Carter-13.308; 11. Rick Hendrix, 15, Hendrix-13.351; 12. Chris Ennis, 86, Ennis-13.416; 13. Hannah Mayhew, 43, Mayhew-13.719; 14. James Herrera, 5E, Herrera-13.756; 15. Nathan Byrd, 10K, Kruseman-13.829; 16. Joey Bishop, 45, Bishop-13.883; 17. Elexa Herrera, 16J, Herrera-13.993; 18. Camie Bell, 29C, Bell-14.821; 19. Gage Rucker, 21K, Kruseman-NT.

EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Rutherford, 2. Carter, 3. Majors, 4. Edwards, 5. Mayhew, 6. Rucker, 7. Bishop. NT.

COMPETITION SUSPENSION INCORPORATED / VAHLCO WHEELS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Hendrix, 2. Johnson, 3. Hix, 4. Hatzikian, 5. E.Herrera, 6. J.Herrera. NT.

ROD END SUPPLY / SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Roa, 2. Yarnal, 3. Boul, 4. Ennis, 5. Byrd, 6. Bell. NT.

FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Chase Johnson (5), 2. Kyle Edwards (3), 3. Tanner Boul (1), 4. Steve Hix (2), 5. Trent Carter (11), 6. Rick Hendrix (7), 7. Hannah Mayhew (13), 8. Tyler Hatzikian (9), 9. Brent Yarnal (10), 10. Gage Rucker (19), 11. Joey Bishop (16), 12. Nathan Byrd (15), 13. James Herrera (14), 14. Camie Bell (18), 15. Chris Ennis (12), 16. Elexa Herrera (17), 17. Troy Rutherford (6), 18. Cody Majors (8). NT. 

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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Boul, Laps 2-6 Edwards, Laps 7-30 Johnson

BR MOTORSPORTS / ROD END SUPPLY HARD CHARGER: Gage Rucker (19th to 10th)

WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: James Herrera

HIGH TECH PERFORMANCE LUCKY PILL DRAW: Troy Rutherford

NEW USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Trent Carter-465, 2-Kyle Edwards-450, 3-Troy Rutherford-424, 4-Tanner Boul-361, 5-Joey Bishop-338; 6-Tyler Hatzikian-337, 7-Brent Yarnal-307, 8-Steve Hix-293, 9-Ricky Lewis-290, ---Hannah Mayhew-290.

NEW TOP QUALIFIER POINTS: 1-Troy Rutherford-25, 2-Ricky Lewis-19, 3-Trent Carter-13, 4-Chase Johnson-14, 5-Kyle Edwards-12, 6-Brody Fuson-9, --Steve Hix-9, 8-Tanner Boul-7, --Brody Roa-7, 10-Jake Andreotti-6.

NEW PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Joey Bishop-38, 2-Camie Bell-36, 3-Hannah Mayhew-24, 4-Tyler Hatzikian-22, 5-Travis Buckley-18, 6-Brent Yarnal-15, 7-Troy Rutherford-14, 8-Nathan Byrd-13, 9-Brody Fuson-11, 10-Kyle Edwards-10, --Chase Johnson-10. 

NEXT USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR RACE: October 15 – The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park – Bakersfield, California – “Championship Night” / “George Snider Classic”