By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – APRIL 9, 2014… This Saturday, April 12th, history will be made at Perris Auto Speedway as the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Cars and the famed World of Outlaw STP Sprint Cars will share the same card. The “So Cal Sprint Car Spectacular” will also feature the PAS Senior Sprints as fans can witness the final appearance of 20-time Outlaw Champion “The King” Steve Kinser at “America’s Premier Dirt Track.” Advance tickets with a free World of Outlaws “Fan Pit Pass” are available online at www.woosprint.com or by calling 877.395.8606. The spectator gates will open at 4:00pm, USAC/CRA time trials will start at 5:45pm, and racing is scheduled begin at 7:15pm.
NOTICE TO USAC/CRA COMPETITORS: The April 12th “So Cal Sprint Car Spectacular” at Perris is the last race that competitors can run the Hoosier HTW/HT2 Right Rear Tire. After that date, the Hoosier 105/16 Medium will be the ONLY legal right rear tire and all four corners must be Hoosier tires. Fuel-injected iron-block 360 sprints must use the Hoosier 105/16 Medium and carbureted spec sprints can still use their local track legal Hoosier tires with USAC/CRA.
Since March 2004, 161 USAC/CRA Sprint Car races have been held at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. Two-time champion and current point leader The Demon” Damion Gardner leads all drivers with 27 “home track” feature wins followed by Mike Spencer (24), “The Cowboy” Tony Jones (19), “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman (17), and Nic Faas (9). Twenty-five other drivers have claimed Perris victories and Faas holds the 1-lap qualifying track record of 15.833 set on February 25, 2012.
Heading into Saturday’s historic show, Concord’s “The Demon” Damion Gardner holds a 20 point advantage over the competition. Piloting Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / J&D Performance Spike, Gardner has scored wins at Canyon (February 28th) and Perris (March 15th). In addition, “The Demon” has one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one heat race victory, and 18 feature laps led on the season. “The World’s Fastest Sprint Car Driver” will have his sights on his series leading 49th career triumph this Saturday night.
After claiming third at the March 15th “Sokola Shootout,” Nic Faas of Huntington Beach has climbed to second in the point chase. Driving Keith Ford’s #73 Berry Pack / King Racing Products Spike, the former USAC Western Midget Champion has one heat race victory and two top-10 finishes in the campaign. Last Saturday, Faas won a USAC Western Classic feature at Calistoga and will be looking for his eleventh career USAC/CRA victory at the “So Cal Sprint Car Spectacular.”
Phoenix, Arizona’s R.J. Johnson ranks third in the USAC/CRA standings. Racing Bobby Martin’s #51 Weiler Farms / Pecon Builders Maxim, the defending USAC SouthWest Champion finished ninth at Perris on March 15th and ran second at Canyon. Johnson has 5 feature laps led in 2014 and will miss Saturday’s action to compete at Arizona Speedway with the SouthWest series.
Mike Spencer of Temecula has climbed to fourth in the point standings. Piloting Ron Chaffin’s #50 Grubstake Mini Storage / Madera Produce Maxim, Spencer led eleven laps at Perris before scoring second at the checkered flags. To date, the five-time champion has one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and one heat race victory heading into the third point race of the season. Mike will be looking to score his 35th career USAC/CRA victory at Perris Auto Speedway.
Yorba Linda’s Matt Mitchell sits fifth in the championship points. Driving his #37 MPD Racing / A.R.T. Enterprises Maxim, the former USAC Western Midget Rookie of the Year ran fourth in the “Sokola Shootout.” With two top-10 finishes on the year, Mitchell has also raced with the USAC West Coast and Western Classic Sprint Cars in 2014. This Saturday, Matt will have his sights on his sixth USAC/CRA triumph at his “home track.”
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Jake Swanson, “The Cadillac” Cody Williams, Brody Roa, Ronnie Gardner, Richard Vander Weerd, “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman, Logan Williams, Austin Williams, Jace Vander Weerd, “The Ripper” Rip Williams, and more.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. For more racetrack information, visit the track’s website at www.perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Engler Machine & Tool, Extreme Mufflers, Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror, Keizer Wheels, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, Saldana Racing Products, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. . If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
For more information on the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit www.usacracing.com or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/USAC-
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Damion Gardner-142; 2. Nic Faas-122; 3. R.J. Johnson-108; 4. Mike Spencer-103; 5. Matt Mitchell-99; 6. Gary Taylor-92; 7. Jake Swanson-91; 8. Josh Pelkey-79; 9. Cody Williams-75; 10. Brody Roa-61; 11. Charles Davis Jr.-58; 12. Ronnie Gardner-52; –. Richard Vander Weerd-52; 14. Josh Hodges-51; 15. Cory Kruseman-50; –. Mike Martin-50; 17. Colby Copeland-40; 18. Logan Williams-39; 19. Dave Darland-37; 20. Austin Williams-34.