By Dick Jordan
Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind. will aim for his third victory in his last five Perris Auto Speedway Sprint races when the USAC Amsoil National/CRA Sprint series combine for this Saturday night’s “Sokola Shootout” at the half-mile dirt California oval.
Clauson won last year’s season “Glenn Howard Memorial” finale and a “Perris Oval Nationals” prelim three weeks earlier. He will pilot the Rotondo Weirich/Benic Enterprises RWB Motorsports Maxim/Gaerte Chevy in Saturday night’s event, which also includes the USAC Mopar National/Western Midgets.
Clauson is coming off a dynamic 2009 season which saw him win eight USAC National races and he’s one of four drivers who has finished in the “top-10” in each of the first three races of 2010. He was second and seventh in the openers at Tampa, Fla. and sixth last Sunday at Tucson, Ariz. The series is scheduled to compete at the Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway dirt track this Thursday before heading to Perris.
Saturday’s events honor the memory of former CRA President & USAC official Gary Sokola and his son Mark. Qualifying begins at 3 pm and racing gets under way at 5:45.
Damion Gardner of Concord, Calif. leads the 2010 National standings and defending USAC National Champ Levi Jones of Olney, Ill. leads the CRA points entering Thursday’s races at Las Vegas. Gardner swept both Tampa features and Jones captured last Sunday’s race at Tucson. Gardner is the all-time USAC/CRA victory leader at Perris with 22 career wins. Jones earned his initial Perris win in a Perris Oval Nationals prelim last November.
Rickie Gaunt of Torrance, Calif. is the defending “Sokola Shootout” champion and one of 10 different USAC Sprint winners at Perris in a dozen 2009 races.