WEST COAST SPRINTS FRIDAY AT TULARE’S THUNDERBOWL;

LIGGETT WINS LVMS “SIN CITY SHOWDOWN”

Austin Liggett of Tracy, Calif., USAC’s 2012 West Coast Sprint Car “Rookie of the Year,” will lead the series to this Friday night’s event at the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.

Liggett scored his initial USAC West Coast victory in last Thursday night’s 25-lap “Sin City Showdown” at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway Dirt Track. Piloting his Excel Environmental Services/Home Connections Maxim/Reitz, Liggett led all but the first two laps to beat J.J. Yeley, Mike Spencer, Nic Faas and Josh Pelkey. Yeley led the opening two laps of the race.

Thursday’s race also carried “special event” status for the USAC Southwest Sprint Cars, which open their 2014 points calendar March 29 at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz.

Defending West Coast champ Danny Faria Jr. escaped injury in a flip on the aborted start of the feature at Las Vegas. Danny had five top-10s at Tulare last year, his best finish a second.

Ryan Bernal and Richard Vander Weerd won the five races contested at Tulare in 2013. Bernal won three times and Vander Weerd twice.