RANKINE, KOSTECKI EARN “GERHARDT CLASSIC” TRIUMPHS

 


USAC’s Ford Focuses are headed to the East and West coasts this weekend, with races at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, N.C. and Santa Maria, Calif. Friday’s race at Ace Speedway in Atlamahaw opens the 2011 USAC Eastern Ford Focus campaign. The Western Ford Focus and Focus Young Guns compete at Santa Maria Saturday, where the USAC Mopar .25 Midgets will augment the program with an exhibition event.


 


All USAC Mopar .25 Midget drivers will be admitted free to the Altamahaw race and their parents will be admitted for $5.00. The race is in close proximity to this weekend’s USAC 2k11 Mopar .25 “Generation Next” event at Salisbury, N.C. Families must show their USAC hard cards to receive the special ticket offers.


 


Ross Rankine of Willard, Ohio and Brodie Kostecki of Roseville, Calif. earned victories in USAC Ford Focus and Focus Young Guns competition respectively during Saturday night’s “Gerhardt Classic” racing program at Madera (Calif.) Speedway.


 


Rankine won the 50-lap Ford Focus feature, passing Ricky Bowers on the 18th lap and leading the rest of the way in his Western Speed Racing machine. Bowers led the first 17 laps and finished second ahead of Alex Jacobsen, Paul Graham and Jarid Blondel. Kostecki passed Brandon White on the fourth lap of the accompanying 20-lap Young Guns feature and led the last 17 laps in his Ron Sutton’s Winners Circle machine to beat White, Trevor Hunt and fast qualifier Bowers.