From Scott Daloisio
(NOVEMBER 1, 2010, PERRIS, CA) Thursday night, when the festivities begin for the 15th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals at Southern California’s famous Perris Auto Speedway, drivers accounting for no less than 11 of the first 14 Oval Nationals championships will be in action seeking another of prized eagle trophies to sit on their mantel piece.
Campbell, California’s Bud Kaeding leads the way with three wins (2001, 2002 and 2007) in the prestigious race. Fellow Californian Cory Kruseman (2003 & 2004) of Ventura and Lincoln, Indiana’s Dave Darland (2005 & 2006) each have two triumphs and hope to join Kaeding on top of the pile by the time Saturday’s 40-lap main event takes the Eddie Ramirez checkered flag. Other past Oval Nationals champions who will be in action this weekend include California’s Rip Williams (1997) who resides in Yorba Linda, Rickie Gaunt of Torrance (1999), Tony Jones who makes his home in Orange (2000) and the reigning champion Damion Gardner from Concord who now lives in Pittsboro, Indiana during the racing season.
Now, if you are prone to make a wager or two, you may be inclined to risk a sawbuck on one of the above-mentioned racing stars. However, you would be well advised to study the remainder of the competition, as this is one toughest fields ever assembled for the Oval Nationals. For instance, would it be wise to pick against two-time Amsoil USAC/CRA champion and current point leader Mike Spencer of Temecula, California? After all, the handsome Cal Poly Pomona engineering graduate has won four main events at The PAS in 2010. Of those four wins, he has earned three Dean Thompson awards by sweeping the show (fastest qualifier, won his heat and the main). Spencer, 29, came close to winning the Oval Nationals with a second place in 2009 when he led 14 laps before losing the lead to Gardner with four laps to remaining.
What about Jamestown, Indiana’s John Stanbrough? All he has done is win more traditional 410 Sprint Car main events than any other driver in the world in this century. And, to pump up his potential win value even more, for the first time ever in the Oval Nationals, he will be driving the famous Foxco #53 that has carried him to most of his victories and strikes fear into the heart of drivers from one corner of Indiana to the other.
NASCAR superstar Tony Stewart is throwing his hired gun into the fight as well. Levi Jones, a native of Illinois who now calls Brownsburg, Indiana home, has won three USAC National Sprint Car championships (2005, 2007 and 2009) and leads the chase this year as the series heads west. He leads the USAC National series with seven wins this year. While Jones has never won the Oval Nationals, he did come close when he finished second to Darland in 2006.
The driver who is currently second to Jones in the National points standings is also a driver to give strong consideration, too. Bryan Clauson, a 21-year-old who was born in Carmichael, California and now lives in Noblesville, Indiana, won the Thursday preliminary and finished fourth in last year’s Oval Nationals A main. A couple weeks later, he smoked the field and led every lap to win the 2nd Annual Glenn Howard Memorial. When a big race with big money is on the line, he should always be one of your favorites.
You can never count out PAS USAC/CRA regulars Danny Sheridan of Santa Maria, David Cardey of Riverside, Yorba Linda’s Matt Mitchell and Visalia’s Greg Bragg. Sheridan is hungry. Even though he has been second in Amsoil USAC/CRA points for most of the 2010 campaign, he is looking for his first win of the season in the Kittle Motorsports #18 and he is definitely due. Cardey, who celebrated his 35th birthday on Halloween, was the hottest driver in the country in the middle of the season when he won five straight times between The PAS and the Victorville Auto Raceway. As of late Mitchell, who’s movie star good looks make him a hit with the female fans, has turned a lot of heads lately with his fearless slide jobs. On October 9th he snared his second ever USAC/CRA win at the Southern California Fair race. Bragg won the USAC/CRA main at The PAS in April and has been hovering in and around the top five in points all season long.
Other visitors with the credentials to keep on your tote sheet include Tucson, Arizona native Jerry Coons Jr., who now lives in Plainfield, Indiana. In 2008, when he won the USAC National Sprint Car and Silver Crown championships, Coons lost the lead in the Oval Nationals A main to the late Jesse Hockett with two laps to go and finished second. Casey Shuman, another Arizona native who now lives in Indiana came within a lap of winning the Oval Nationals in 2007. That year Shuman, who got married a couple of weeks ago in Texas, came into the final night as the top point driver and led ten laps in the main before losing the lead to Bud Kaeding in turn two on the last lap. Two weeks ago Shuman was the hard charger at The PAS when he came from the 14th starting spot to finish fourth in the main event. Never count out Indiana’s Tracy Hines. The 2002 USAC National Sprint Car Champion and 2000 Silver Crown champion is long overdue for a win at The PAS and nothing would be better than a win in the Oval Nationals. Darren Hagen, a 24-year-old native of Riverside who lives in Indiana in the racing season, is filling in for the injured Blake Miller in the Mark Priestley yellow #7 the remainder of the season. They combined to win The PAS season opener in 2007. When they reunited at The PAS two weeks, Hagen had a flat tire in the main, restarted at the back and drove all the way to third!
2010 Kokomo Indiana Speedway champion Chris Windom from Canton, Illinois and two-time Kokomo champion (2004 & 2005) Shane Cottle, who lives in Kokomo, should rate high on your consideration list as well. Villa Park youngster Henry Clarke, another driver who races out of Indiana and who just placed 11th in his first Indy Lites ride at Miami, will be coming home with his first ever USAC National Sprint Car (July 2nd at Toledo) win in his portfolio.
In addition to the drivers mentioned about, many other on the entry list below have to a chance for the crown when the final checkered flag falls this Saturday night. Be sure to handicap all of the drivers in this high stakes race before you make your final decision.
Spectator gates will open at 4:00 PM for the preliminary nights on Thursday and Friday and at 3:00 PM for the Saturday finals.
Advance tickets for the 15th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals are on sale now. You can order by phone at: 1-800-595-4849 or online at perrisautospeedway.com or tix.com
You can keep up with all of the latest news from Perris Auto Speedway on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/perrisautospdwy.
For more information call The PAS at: (951) 940-0134.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds (home of October’s Southern California Fair), approximately one hour east of Los Angeles and one hour North of San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, exit on the Ramona Expressway and go three miles east to the fairgrounds.
Video and DVD productions of all racing events at Perris Auto Speedway are available from Jeff Kristensen’s Raceway Video. For more information on these productions you can call: (818) 618-9764 or visit the web site at: racewayvideo.com.
racesatthepas@aol.com is the only authorized Internet address to issue official media news released from The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval Entertainment
15th ANNUAL BUDWEISER OVAL NATIONALS ENTRY LIST
OK – Kenny Perkins – Victorville, CA – Bill Perkins
007 – Wes Gutierrez – San Martin, CA – WG Motorsports
2 – Austin Williams – Yorba Linda, CA – Jack Jory
2B – Bryan Clauson – Noblesville, IN – RWB Motorsports
3 – Rip Williams – Yorba Linda, CA – Jack Jory
3M – Marty Hawkins – Santa Rosa, CA – Marty Hawkins
4 – Tony Jones – Orange, CA – Mark Alexander
4G – Casey Shuman – Indianapolis, IN – Gerry Cook
4X – Tracy Hines – Wilkinson, IN – Tracy Hines
5 – Justin Grant – West Liberty, IN – Baldwin Brothers Racing
5X – Bobby East – Brownsburg, IN – Klatt Enterprises
7 – Darren Hagen – Riverside, CA – Mark Priestley
7A – John Aden – Apple Valley, CA – John Aden
8 – Shane Cottle – Kokomo, IN – Brat Racing
8X – Jim Richardson – Graeagle, CA – Jim Richardson
9 – Matthew Shedarowich – Mission Viejo, CA – Matthew Shedarowich
10 – Richard Vanderweerd – Visalia, CA – Ron Vanderweerd
10F – Blake Fitzpatrick – West Terre Haute, IN – John Fitzpatrick
11 – Jimmy Crawford – Newbury Park, CA – Jimmy Crawford
11 – Chris Windom – Canton, IL – Jeff Walker
15 – R.J. Johnson – Phoenix, AZ – Bobby Martin
18 – Danny Sheridan – Santa Maria, CA – Brian Kittle
20 – Levi Jones – Brownsburg, IN – Tony Stewart Racing
21K – Cory Kruseman – Ventura, CA – Kruseman Motorsports
23 – Greg Alexander – Torrance, CA – John Bellegante
27 – Cody Kershaw – Oak Park, CA – Rob Kershaw
28 – Ludvig Solberg IV – Rancho Cucamonga, CA – Ludvig Solberg IV
29 – Bud Kaeding – Campbell, CA – Mark Draskovic
30 – TBA – Ron Vanderweerd
37 – Matt Mitchell – Yorba Linda, CA – JW Mitchell Motorsports
37X – Casey Riggs – Shelbyville, IN – Terry Riggs
38 – TBA – Glenn Crossno
44 – Cody Williams – Yorba Linda, CA – Jack Jory
50 – Mike Spencer – Temecula, CA – Ron Chaffin
51 – Rusty Carlile – Bakersfield, CA – Rusty Carlile
53 – Jon Stanbrough – Jamestown, IN – Fox Brothers Racing
55 – Tony Everhart – El Cajon, CA – Tony Everhart
59 – David Cardey – Riverside, CA – David Cardey
66 – Rickie Gaunt – Torrance, CA – David Miller
67 – Henry Clarke – Villa Park, CA – Keith Kunz Motorsports
67K – TBA – Keith Kunz Motorsports
69 – Jerry Coons Jr. – Plainfield, IN – Hoffman Auto/Phillips Motorsports
71 – Damion Gardner – Pittsboro, IN – DG Racing
73 – Josh Ford – Camarillo, CA – Keith Ford
73X – Robert Ballou – Sacramento, CA – Keith Ford
76 – JJ Hughes – Columbus, IN – Hughes Auto Racing
88 – Jace Vanderweerd – Visalia, CA – Ron Vanderweerd
92 – Greg Bragg – Visalia, CA – Tom & Lauri Sertich
92T – Brandon Thomson – Norwalk, CA – Fred Thomson
93 – Ronnie Gardner – Whittier, CA – Jeff Gardner
BUDWEISER OVAL NATIONALS CHAMPIONS
1996 – Jimmy Sills
1997 – Rip Williams
1998 – Rodney Argo
1999 – Rickie Gaunt
2000 – Tony Jones
2001 – Bud Kaeding
2002 – Bud Kaeding
2003 – Cory Kruseman
2004 – Cory Kruseman
2005 – Dave Darland
2006 – Dave Darland
2007 – Bud Kaeding
2008 – Jesse Hockett
2009 – Damion Gardner