LIGGETT RECOVERS TO SCORE RON OTTO MEMORIAL WIN 

By Lance Jennings

JUNE 11, 2018... After a lap five tangle sent him to the work area, Austin Liggett (Tracy, California) restarted at the back and sliced his way to victory at Santa Maria Raceway. For Liggett, last Saturday’s “Ron Otto Memorial” triumph was his first $1,500 USAC West Coast Sprint Car win of the campaign. Ryan Timmons, hard charger Kaleb Montgomery, Kyle Edwards, and Britton Bock rounded out the top-five drivers.

Defending champion Jake Swanson took the early lead from the pole position. Looking to run away from the field, Swanson’s run came to an abrupt stop on the third lap with mechanical issues. Recent Tulare winner Tristan Guardino inherited the top spot and began to set a torrid pace. In a bizarre turn of events, Guardino suffered driveline issues two laps later and collected the second running Liggett. Under yellow, Liggett’s crew worked on the damaged car in the “hot pit” and Austin restarted fourteenth.

Ryan Timmons became the third leader of the main event and set his sights on the first win of his career. Timmons was “hooked up” on the Santa Maria clay but several caution flags erased his advantage. As the laps counted down, slower traffic became a factor for the leader and Liggett was gaining ground. With twenty-four laps in the books, a caution flag set up a dash to the finish. With one lapped car separating the leader from second place Liggett, the green flag flew on the restart. Liggett made quick work of the lapper and grabbed the top spot. Timmons tried to counter, but it was not to be as Liggett sailed to the checkered flags.

Piloting the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Lucas Oil Maxim, Austin Liggett earned the night’s Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and ran second to Timmons in his heat race. The point leader heads to Ventura’s June 30th “Battle of the Beach” with a 77-point lead with two heat race victories, seven top-10 finishes, and 34 feature laps led to his credit.

Ryan Timmons (Pleasant Hill, California) led nineteen laps but had to settle for second at the “Ron Otto Memorial.” Driving the family owned #29T Timmons Auto & Truck Repair / Evergood Fine Foods Maxim, Timmons qualified seventh out of nineteen racers and won the night’s Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. The 2016 Rookie of the Year has moved to fourth in points with five top-10 finishes on the season.

Making his second start of 2018, Kaleb Montgomery (Templeton, California) earned Santa Maria’s Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger / “Best Passing Job” honors with a third place run from eighteenth. Racing the family owned #3T Mission Country Properties / Konnected Clothing Maxim, Montgomery was third quick in time trials and scored sixth in his heat race. The rookie contender heads to Ventura ranked twenty-third in the point chase.

Kyle Edwards (Fountain Valley, California) had one of his best nights with the USAC West Coast Sprints with a fourth place run from ninth. Piloting the family owned #39E Safehouse Security / Day Construction Stinger, Edwards qualified twelfth overall and scored third in his heat race. At press time, Kyle ranks twenty-second in the point standings with one top-10 finish.

Britton Bock (Calistoga, California) had a solid run with a fifth place finish at Santa Maria Raceway. Driving his #67 West Evans Motorsports / Abreu Vineyards Eagle, Bock was fifth fast in time trials and placed third in his heat race. The rookie contender heads to Ventura sitting tenth in points with one Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award and five top-10 finishes.

Tristan Guardino (Fremont, California) won Santa Maria’s Keizer Aluminum Wheels / Rod End Supply Heat Race #2. Racing the family owned #15T Dorso’s Automotive / Allied Auto Stores Maxim, Guardino qualified eighth overall and scored seventeenth in the feature after an early exit. The “Faria Memorial” winner left Santa Maria ranked second in the point chase with one feature win, four heat race victories, six top-10 finishes, and 36 feature laps led. 

Jake Swanson (Anaheim, California) won the program’s Competition Suspension Incorporated / Rod End Supply Heat Race #3. Piloting Matt Dale’s #12 Gage Huntley Design / West Evans Motorsports Maxim, Swanson was ninth fast in time trials and scored eighteenth in the feature after an early exit. In limited starts, the 2017 champion is twenty-first in points with two heat race victories, three top-10 finishes, and 23 feature laps led on the year.

On Saturday, June 30th, the USAC West Coast Sprint Cars will make their first of five appearances at Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway. Co-sanctioned with the Ventura Racing Association, the “Battle of the Beach Race #1” will also showcase Dwarf Cars, VRA Senior Sprints, IMCA Modifieds, and Focus Midgets. Located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California, more event 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, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Chris Kearns Presents, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, King Racing Products, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Racing Optics, 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 9, 2018 – Santa Maria, California – Santa Maria Raceway – “Ron Otto Memorial” – co-sanctioned with Santa Maria 360 Sprint Cars

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-13.900; 2. Trent Carter, 13, Carter-14.063; 3. Kaleb Montgomery, 3T, Montgomery-14.078; 4. Shannon McQueen, 7, Van Meter-14.133; 5. Britton Bock, 67, Bock-14.146; 6. Troy Rutherford, 11, Rutherford-14.164; 7. Ryan Timmons, 29T, Timmons-14.178; 8. Tristan Guardino, 15T, Guardino-14.232; 9. Jake Swanson, 12, Dale-14.536; 10. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-14.613; 11. Scotty Farmer, 81, Watt-14.627; 12. Kyle Edwards, 39E, Edwards-14.647; 13. Brandon Wiley, 33B, Team 33-14.697; 14. Jordan Linson, 10J, Linson-14.755; 15. Ryan Stolz, 72, Ford-14.779; 16. Koen Shaw, 88K, Shaw-14.893; 17. Hobie Conway, 7K, Kruseman-15.098; 18. Austin Ervine, 51, AJ-15.411; 19. James Herrera, 5J, Herrera-15.630.

EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Timmons, 2. Liggett, 3. McQueen, 4. Hix, 5. Wiley, 6. Shaw, 7. Herrera. NT

KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Guardino, 2. Farmer, 3. Bock, 4. Conway, 5. Linson, 6. Carter. NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION INCORPORATED / ROD END SUPPLY THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Swanson, 2. Rutherford, 3. Edwards, 4. Stolz, 5. Ervine, 6. Montgomery. NT

FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. Austin Liggett (4th), 2. Ryan Timmons (3rd), 3. Kaleb Montgomery (18th), 4. Kyle Edwards (9th), 5. Britton Bock (8th), 6. Brandon Wiley (13th), 7. Trent Carter (17th), 8. Shannon McQueen (7th), 9. Scotty Farmer (5th), 10. Ryan Stolz (12th), 11. Koen Shaw (16th), 12. Hobie Conway (11th), 13. James Herrera (19th), 14. Austin Ervine (15th), 15. Jordan Linson (14th), 16. Steve Hix (10th), 17. Tristan Guardino (2nd), 18. Jake Swanson (1st). NT

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**Troy Rutherford did not start.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Swanson, Laps 4-5 Guardino, Laps 6-24 Timmons, Laps 25-30 Liggett

SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Kaleb Montgomery (18th to 3rd)

USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Austin Liggett-574, 2. Tristan Guardino-497, 3. Richard Vander Weerd-441, 4. Ryan Timmons-424, 5. Shannon McQueen-419, 6. Koen Shaw-415, 7. Steve Hix-396, 8. Jace Vander Weerd-390, 9. Danny Faria Jr.-367, 10. Britton Bock-366, 11. Austin Ervine-302, 12. Ryan Stolz-284, 13. Ryan Bernal-279, 14. Brandon Wiley-238, 15. Troy Rutherford-189, 16. Trent Carter-167, 17. Max Adams-135, 18. Hobie Conway-131, 19. Brody Roa-117, 20. Colby Copeland-114.

2018 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE

June 30: **Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Battle at the Beach Race #1)

July 14: **Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Battle at the Beach Race #2)

July 28: Bakersfield Speedway - Bakersfield, CA 

August 11: #Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (Bud Stanfield Memorial)

August 25: **Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Battle at the Beach Race #3)

October 6: #Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (Championship Night)

November 21: **Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Turkey Night Grand Prix / Non-Points)

November 22: **Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (Turkey Night Grand Prix / Battle at the Beach Race #4 / Non-Points)

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** = Co-Sanctioned Event with VRA Sprints.

# = Co-Sanctioned Event with Santa Maria 360 Sprints.

This schedule is subject to change.