TROY RUTHERFORD TOPS VENTURA FEATURE

By Lance Jennings

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA – MAY 24, 2022… Starting sixth, Troy Rutherford (Ojai, California) took command from Travis Buckley on the second lap and sailed to last Saturday’s 25-lap USAC West Coast Sprint Car triumph at Ventura Raceway. Point leader Ricky Lewis, Trent Carter, Kyle Edwards, and Randy Nelson rounded out the top-five drivers.

Piloting his #11 Trench Shoring / Shine Supply entry, Rutherford quickly sliced his way to the front and set a torrid pace on the Ventura clay oval. Despite several caution flags, Rutherford was in control and maintained the top spot. As the laps counted down, the mandated curfew was approaching and track and series officials were forced to shorten the main event. A lap 23 flip by Hannah Mayhew had erased Troy’s advantage and gave challengers Ricky Lewis and Trent Carter one last shot to steal the win. It was not to be as the night belonged to Rutherford.

For Rutherford, the $1,500 triumph was his first win of the campaign and eighth of his career. The veteran driver now moves into a tie with 2019 champion Tristan Guardino, Peter Murphy, and Jace Vander Weerd for seventh on the series win list. Earlier in the night, Troy earned his first Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of the year by posting a time of 13.974 seconds over the 17-car roster and ran second to Buckley in his heat race. Troy heads to the June 4th Ventura return ranked seventh in the point standings.

Travis Buckley (Auckland, New Zealand) raced to victory in the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. Driving the Kruseman Motorsports’ #21K Lucas Oil / Kruseman Sprint Car and Midget Driving School entry, Buckley was fifth quick in time trials and finished fifteenth in the main event. After finishing sixth in the companion USAC Western States Midget main event, Travis is tied for fifth in the championship point chase.

Kyle Edwards (Fountain Valley, California) won the night’s 10-lap Competition Suspension Incorporated / Vahlco Wheels Heat Race #2. Racing the family owned #39 Safehouse Security / Van Dyne Engineering entry, Edwards qualified tenth overall and charged to fourth in the feature from seventh. Kyle left the Ventura County Fairgrounds ranked third in the chase for the championship.

Making his first start of the season, veteran driver Rick Hendrix (Palmdale, California) earned the night’s Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award with an eleventh place run from seventeenth. Driving his #15 Rick’s Gate Works / Wilwood Disc Brakes Maxim, Hendrix was seventeenth in qualifications and ran seventh in his heat race. The former USAC Western Sprint Car, Western States Midget, and TQ Midget Champion is now twenty-third in points.

By virtue of her thirteenth place finish, Camie Bell (Bakersfield, California) claimed the night’s Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award.” Racing the family owned #29C American Fabrication / Hydraulic Controls TCR, Bell qualified fifteenth overall and finished ninth in her heat race. The rookie contender is currently thirteenth in the point standings.

Before action began at “The Best Little Dirt Track in America,” Elexa Herrera (New Cuyama, California) won the “Lucky Pill Draw Award” presented by High Tech Performance and received five free gallons of fuel. Making her first career start in the family owned #16J Cuyama Buckhorn / The Buck Stop Coffee Shop Stinger, Herrera was fourteenth fast in time trials, ran eighth in her heat race, and scored fourteenth in the main event. Elexa is now twenty-fifth in the point chase. 

The USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Cars will return to Ventura Raceway in Ventura California on Saturday, June 4th. For more event information, visit venturaraceway.com. 

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, 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: May 21, 2022 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Troy Rutherford, 11, Rutherford-13.974; 2. Ricky Lewis, 41, Lewis-14.054; 3. Trent Carter, 13, Carter-14.324; 4. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-14.380; 5. Travis Buckley, 21K, Kruseman-14.464; 6. Tanner Boul, 99T, Boul-14.559; 7. Randy Nelson, 9X, Nelson-14.564; 8. Brent Yarnal, 29, Yarnal-14.575; 9. Joey Bishop, 45, Bishop-14.589; 10. Kyle Edwards, 39, Edwards-14.598; 11. James Herrera, 5J, Herrera-14,623; 12. Tyler Hatzikian, 27, Hatzikian-14.653; 13. Cody Majors, 54, Majors-14.759; 14. Elexa Herrera, 16J, Herrera-15.128; 15. Camie Bell, 29C, Bell-15.129; 16. Hannah Mayhew, 43, Mayhew-16.229; 17. Rick Hendrix, 15, Hendrix-NT.

EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Buckley, 2. Rutherford, 3. Bishop, 4. Nelson, 5. Carter, 6. Majors, 7. Hendrix, 8. J.Herrera, 9. Bell. NT.

COMPETITION SUSPENSION INCORPORATED / VAHLCO WHEELS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Edwards, 2. Boul, 3. Hix, 4. Lewis, 5. Hatzikian, 6. Mayhew, 7. Yarnal, 8. E.Herrera. NT.

FEATURE: (25 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Troy Rutherford (6), 2. Ricky Lewis (5), 3. Trent Carter (4), 4. Kyle Edwards (7), 5. Randy Nelson (8), 6. Steve Hix (3), 7. Brent Yarnal (9), 8. Joey Bishop (10), 9. Tyler Hatzikian (12), 10. James Herrera (11), 11. Rick Hendrix (17), 12. Hannah Mayhew (16), 13. Camie Bell (15), 14. Elexa Herrera (14), 15. Travis Buckley (2), 16. Tanner Boul (1), 17. Cody Majors (13). NT.

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**Mayhew flipped on lap 23 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-2 Buckley. Laps 3-25 Rutherford.

BR MOTORSPORTS / ROD END SUPPLY HARD CHARGER: Rick Hendrix (17th to 11th)

WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Camie Bell

HIGH TECH PERFORMANCE LUCKY PILL DRAW: Elexa Herrera

NEW USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Ricky Lewis-233, 2-Trent Carter-194, 3-Kyle Edwards-180, 4-Tanner Boul-162, 5-Hannah Mayhew-155, --Travis Buckley-155, 7-Troy Rutherford-152, 8-Brent Yarnal-150, 9-Joey Bishop-140, 10-Brody Fuson-136.

NEW TOP QUALIFIER POINTS: 1-Ricky Lewis-13, 2-Trent Carter-7, 3-Kyle Edwards-6, --Tanner Boul-6, --Troy Rutherford-6, 6-Chase Johnson-5, 7-Brody Fuson-4, --Ryan Timmons-4, --Logan Calderwood-4, 10-Steve Hix-3.

NEW PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Travis Buckley-18, 2-Tyler Hatzikian-14, --Hannah Mayhew-14, 4-Camie Bell-13, --Joey Bishop-13, 6-Brent Yarnal-9, --Troy Rutherford-9, 8-Ricky Lewis-8, 9-Bridy Fuson-7, 10-Rick Hendrix-6.

NEXT USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR RACE: June 4 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California