By Dick Jordan
Nobody has won more USAC Sprint races at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway in the past 12 months than defending two-time AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint car champ Mike Spencer. The Temecula (Calif.) driver will aim for his 11th career USAC win at the half-mile dirt oval when the series resumes there this Saturday.
Spencer hopes to become only the third driver in USAC history to string together three consecutive Sprint car championships. The first was Steve Butler (1986-1988) and Robbie Stanley matched that feat (1991-1993).
Spencer posted his 10th USAC/CRA victory at the PAS March 27 and enters this Saturday’s race as the 2010 point leader. Damion Gardner is second in the standings but will spend most of 2010 chasing the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint car title.
It appears Spencer has a significant head start on the 2010 title after “top-five” finishes in the last two races. The next highest USAC/CRA “regular” in the standings is 78 points back. That’s Danny Sheridan, who was third in the most recent Perris feature. Sheridan has won at least once at Perris each of the past three seasons, including three victories in 2009.
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Mike Spencer-207; 2-Damion Gardner-187; 3-Jerry Coons Jr.-171; 4-Tracy Hines-154; 5-Henry Clarke-150; 6-Chris Windom-147; 7-Levi Jones-143; 8-Robert Ballou-140; 9-Danny Sheridan-129; 10-Bryan Clauson-119.