WEST COAST SPRINTS AT KINGS SATURDAY;

TULARE VICTORY GIVES BERNAL 3-FOR-3

Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. hosts the USAC West Coast Sprint cars Saturday night as Finnish driver Markus Niemela continues his quest for a first USAC driving championship. He has a 40-point lead over Matt Mitchell in the latest points after finishing eighth in last Saturday night’s 30-lap race at Thunderbowl Speedway in Tulare, Calif.

Ryan Bernal of Hollister, Calif. wheeled Mike Phulps’ Metal Works/Red Line Oil Maxim to victory at Tulare. He passed Bud Kaeding on lap 18 and led the rest of the way to beat Kaeding, Mitchell, Troy Rutherford and Richard Vander Weerd. Rutherford led the first lap and Kaeding the next 17 before Bernal went to the front.

Jace Vander Weerd of Visalia, Calif. stands third in the standings, seven behind Mitchell, and won the March 29 race at Hanford.

Bernal’s win Saturday was his third in a row in West Coast competition. Nobody has been able to put four together since the series began in 2010.