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Ballou & Grant Snare Western World Opening Night Wins

Robert Ballou and Justin Grant reigned victorious after a pair of superb USAC Sprint Car features that put the wraps on Thursday night’s opening leg of the 48th Western World Championships at USA Raceway.

While Ballou pounced on some late-race misfortune for Jerry Coons, Jr., to capture his 18th overall of win of the year in the 30-lap USAC National vs. USAC/CRA feature, Grant took command in the late going as well to take top honors in a frenzied 30-lap USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car main event.

A total of 69 Sprint Cars filled the pit area with 34 competing in the USAC 410-ci ranks and 35 in the 360-ci division with 11 different drivers pulling double duty by competing in both divisions.

USAC National vs. USAC/CRA

Robert Ballou moved one step closer to his first USAC National Sprint Car championship by leading the final half-dozen circuits to pick off his 13th series win of the year aboard the Don Ott-powered Blakesley Auto No. 12 Maxim.

But after a rousing charge from the 14th starting position all the way up to fourth in just three laps and then a move on the fence around Damion Gardner and Bryan Clauson to move up to second on the fifth round, getting that final position proved to be a challenge.

“We knew where we were going, we were going to be up top,” Ballou said afterward. “We were a little too free, I biked it and almost dumped it getting into one there one time.”

By the time Ballou got to second, third-starter Jerry Coons, Jr., had already opened up a half straightaway advantage. Ballou nibbled away at the real estate separating the duo and was poised to challenge as traffic into play on the tenth round, only to have the caution fly for Chris Windom’s tango with the backstretch wall.

Back under way, Ballou biked it big-time getting into turn one on the 14th lap, losing several car-lengths. Traffic came into play soon after with Ballou chasing Tucson native Coons, Jr., as Brady Bacon joined in the lead mix as well.

Coons kept Ballou at bay and had just one more car directly in front of him when he drifted just inches too high exiting turn two on the 26th lap. Coons grazed the wall, danced on the nose for several moments and then went for a hard ride that he was able to walk away from.

Reverting back to the last completed lap, Ballou assumed command on the restart and checked out in the final six-lap dash to the stripe.

“Jerry’s car was probably just as good as ours, he was going to have to make a mistake for me to get by,” Ballou commented.

Bacon crossed the stripe second in the Hoffman Racing No. 69 with Bryan Clauson holding off Thomas Meseraull over the closing circuits to claim the show position. Damion Gardner rounded out the top five after leading the opening circuit with 13th-starter Dave Darland, Kevin Thomas, Jr., 16th-starter Ryan Bernal, Richard Vander Weerd and Tracy Hines completing the top ten.

The first car out for qualifying, Hines sliced nearly a full second off of Bud Kaeding’s track record of 16.281 seconds with a lap of 15.294 seconds before Bacon ultimately set the new standard of 15.275 seconds.

USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast

Stevie Sussex, Gary Taylor and Nick Aiuto all had their moments where they looked to be the car to beat in Thursday’s 30-lap USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car feature event atop the 3/8-mile USA Raceway clay oval.

But it was Ione, CA, native Justin Grant taking command in the late going and pacing the final 10 rounds to post the win aboard the Baldwin Brothers No. 5 entry.

“If I could have put more than ten laps together at some point in the race, it probably wouldn’t have been exciting as it was,” Grant said in victory lane.

After starting third, Grant spent much of the race dicing with Taylor for second. It was a battle for a distant second in the early going, as front row outside starter Sussex gunned into the lead and held a straightaway lead within a handful of laps.

With Taylor still fending off Grant for second, a full half-lap lead for Sussex was erased when Brian Hosford came to a stop with 11 laps in the books.

More than that vanished for Sussex though, as he slowed a lap later and pulled to the infield where he became a spectator for the remaining distance.

While Taylor assumed the point, Aiuto was the one on the move. Just seventh after ten laps, Aiuto was fourth after the Sussex exit and moved around Grant for second on the 17th lap before riding the fence around Taylor for the point one round later.

Aiuto’s lead was short-lived however, as he jumped the cushion in turn four the next time around and grazed the fence. While Aiuto continued on in third, Grant slid past Taylor entering turn one on the 21st lap to take command for keeps.

While Grant slipped away in the final circuits, the battle for position waged in his wake with Brady Bacon joining in on the Taylor-Aiuto fray. Bacon ultimately took third from Aiuto on the 26th round and then slid past Taylor in the final pair of corners for his first of two runner-up finishes on the night.

Taylor settled for third with Bryan Clauson racing from 13th to capture fourth. Brody Roa raced with Clauson through the field, rounding out the top five from 15th as Aiuto slipped to sixth in the closing circuits. Charles Davis, Jr., C.J. Leary, D.J. Johnson and Chris Windom completed the top ten.

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