7/22/2011
Sprint Source
HUNT WORKING ON USAC TITLES SEVEN AND EIGHT IN 2011
LINCOLN, CALIFORNIA (July 22, 2011) – Tony Hunt of Lincoln, CA is well on his way to a drive for seven career USAC titles, and may even claim his eighth title as well, as the six-time champion leads both the USAC Western Classic Racing Series and USAC Western Sprint Car Series standings as both series near their halfway points.
Hunt drives the #56 Metal Works sprint car on dirt and pavement, with his pavement car powered by a Schwanke spec-engine and his dirt car powered by a Wesmar 360. His three wins this season bring him to 55 career USAC victories along with 66 career USAC poles.
The 2010 USAC Western Sprint Car Series champion has had a prolific season in the pavement touring series to this point. Hunt came out of the box swinging with a victory at Madera on April 2 and a second place finish at All American Speedway on May 14.
His Western Sprint Car Series championship efforts were disrupted when he was forced to miss the Rocky Mountain Raceways event on Memorial Day due to a rain delay in the Little 500 at Anderson Speedway. Hunt made the most of his 2011 Little 500 appearance, challenging for the win early in the event before a pit stop error relegated the team to an eighth place finish out of the 33 starters.
Hunt quickly made up points in the series, winning at Madera in June then taking home a fifth place run in the July 2 race at Rocky Mountain. The recent trip to Meridian, ID (outside Boise) boosted Hunt even more. Hunt topped a strong field on the flat quarter-mile oval to win Friday’s feature before officially taking the points lead on a fourth place finish on Saturday.
“Although we had hoped for a better result at this year’s Little 500 our season has been great,” Hunt said. “We experienced some recent misfortunes and a brake failure late in the feature at Stockton but have been able to rebound with solid finishes.
With the USAC Western Sprint Car Series taking a few weeks off until Irwindale on August 27, Hunt’s focus is solely on the upcoming dirt weekend for the USAC Western Classic Racing Series. The USAC Western Classic Racing Series is a brand-new series which encompasses eight California pavement races that are part of the USAC Western Sprint Car Series, while also including eight dirt races.
Hunt’s limited dirt experience has not slowed him down as he recovered from a DNF due to a engine issue in the season opener at Chico to be the second highest finishing Western Classic car on June 17 at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway. Hunt added a fifth place run amongst the Western Classic entries at Santa Maria to give himself a commanding 65 point lead in the series.
“I look forward to building our momentum in the remaining events while we challenge for the championship,” Hunt said. “Getting back on dirt has been a big learning curve and our ability to test has been limited. Each race we’re gaining more confidence. It’s been fun.”
Nine races remain in the USAC Western Classic Racing Series schedule, with Silver Dollar Speedway on August 5 and Placerville Speedway on August 6. Four of the nine races are also USAC Western Sprint Car Series events as well.
Race fans can learn more about Tony Hunt at www.tonyhunt.com
Tony Hunt Motorsports Marketing partners include the following: MW Metal Works, Thompson’s Toyota, eBay Motors, Paul Oil, Redline Oil, Earl's, Intercomp, GoPro, Hoosier, MPD, Justice Brothers, Racing Electronics, Eibach Springs, Wilwood, Simpson, JB Racing Products, Mr. Espresso, Lajoie of Seating, K&N Filters, Hunt's Race World, Carmichael Auto Service, Mettec, Outlaw Graphics, Permatex, Gold's Gym of Lincoln, Meguiar's, Oakley, Scribner Plastics., Flowmaster, Fuel Safe, Star Racing Supply and Blakesley Sports Media.
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Article Credit: Steven Blakesley / Blakesley Sports Media
Submitted By: Steven Blakesley