westernracesaversprintseries Archives

Warmerdam gets career first feature win at Western RaceSaver Sprint Series opener

HANFORD, Calif. (Feb. 22) – A third-generation driver earned his IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car career-first feature win Saturday at Keller Auto Speedway. Brendan Warmerdam topped the opening night Van De Pol Western RaceSaver Sprint Series 25-lapper, starting fourth and catching Kyle Rasmussen for the runner-up spot after a long low line run in third. He reeled in Rob Solomon for the lead and pulled away to win by better than a second and a half in a green, white, checkered finish. “I knew 15 laps in that I had the car to win. I knew if I ran smooth laps I could get it done,” said Warmerdam, whose grandfather and father each won multiple track championships at Hanford during their respective careers. “I grew up watching my dad race here. It’s crazy to get my first win at the track where he dominated.” The long-time micro sprint driver is in his second RaceSaver season. An art major at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, he ran a very limited schedule in 2019, collecting four top-five [Read More]

Tulare checkers are Pombo’s Western RaceSaver first

TULARE, Calif. (May 4) – Michael Pombo didn’t lead the most laps, just the one that mattered the most Saturday at Thunderbowl Raceway. Pombo passed older brother Albert on the final circuit of a caution-free 25-lap contest to win his career-first Western RaceSaver Sprint Series feature. He’d run third most of the way, catching Mauro Simone for second on the 18th lap; Pombo made his move to the front coming out of turn two on the white flag lap and took the checkers by a margin of just over three tenth’s of a second. “It was like a dream come true. Ever since I was a kid, it’s always been one of my dreams to win a Sprint Car race,” said Pombo, promptly congratulated by his brother. “The first thing I thought when the race was over was ‘Holy cow, did this really happen?’ Especially at Tulare. That made it even better. Simone, Kyle Rasmussen and Brooklyn Holland completed the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car top five. Pombo had been runner-up to Holland when she raced to [Read More]

Merced RaceSaver checkers are career first for Champlin

MERCED, Calif. (April 6) – Grant Champlin had a pair of top four finishes to show for his first two Western RaceSaver Sprint Series outings of the season. He had his career first IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Series victory to show from his third, Saturday night at Merced Speedway. Champlin chased Grant Duinkerken most of the 30-lapper, gaining ground in traffic and finally taking the lead coming out of turn four with six circuits left. “All the tough guys were here tonight. There was no lack of talent,” said Champlin, who beat defending series champion Duinkerken to the checkers by four car lengths. “It’s good to get this win. It gives you a bump up in your confidence.” He’d run fourth and third in the first two series events of the season, both at Keller Auto Speedway. Kyle Rasmussen, Rob Solomon and Brendan Warmerdam completed Saturday’s top five. Feature results – 1. Grant Champlin; 2. Grant Duinkerken; 3. Kyle Rasmussen; 4. Rob Solomon; 5. Brendan Warmerdam; 6. Ryan Delisle; 7. Monty Ferriera; 8. Brandon Emmett; 9. Mauro [Read More]

Blanchard bests Western RaceSaver foes at Hanford

HANFORD, Calif. (March 29) – Zane Blanchard’s home track was the Friday night site of his first Western RaceSaver Sprint Series feature win of the season. Blanchard made the most of the top side of the Keller Auto Speedway oval in leading all 20 laps of the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car main event at Hanford. After running much of the way in lapped traffic, Blanchard was able to put some distance on the rest of the field following a restart with three circuits to go. “Hanford is my home track. I live about five minutes away,” he said. “We had a lot of family and a lot of friends there. It’s cool to be out there and win in front of that many people.” A three-time series winner in 2017, Blanchard took the checkers ahead of defending tour champion Grant Duinkerken and Grant Champlin. Champlin had started 11th. Monty Ferriera was fourth and 14th starting Mike Schott rounded out the top five. Feature results – 1. Zane Blanchard; 2. Grant Duinkerken; 3. Grant Champlin; 4. Monty Ferriera; [Read More]

Rasmussen rules opener for Western RaceSaver Sprint Series

HANFORD, Calif. (Feb. 23) – Opening night checkers flew for Kyle Rasmussen in the Friday night lidlifter for the Western RaceSaver Sprint Series at Keller Auto Speedway. Rasmussen led the last 10 circuits of the 25-lapper for IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Cars after starting sixth. The winner in his first IMCA Speedway Motors Weekly Racing point season outing of 2019, Rasmussen was chased across the stripe by Mike Schott and Brooklyn Holland. “I had a really good handling car. I could put it wherever I wanted and it worked,” he said. “The engine my grandfather (Ron) built in-house was a monster.” Rasmussen made the top line work in the first set of turns and ran the middle to bottom on the other end of the track. He’d won a couple series events last year, during his first full season in the division. Feature results – 1, Kyle Rasmussen; 2. Mike Schott; 3. Brooklyn Holland; 4. Grant Champlin; 5. Brendan Warmerdam; 6. Connor Danell; 7. Ryan Delisle; 8. Phil Heynen; 9. Lance Jackson; 10. Michael Pombo; 11. Brandon [Read More]