By Robert Mayson
(PERRIS, CA, APRIL 11, 2010) Greg Bragg, Visalia, Calif., jumped from third to first on a lap-28 restart and went on to drive Tom & Lauri Sertich’s Huntington Beach Glass No. 92 Buckley to a their first Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car win Saturday at the Perris Auto Speedway.
“This is awesome because I’ve won in everything I’ve ever driven expect a 410 wingless sprint car,” Bragg said with a tone of relief. “I’ve been with Tom & Lauri for a year and a half and we’ve been close a couple of times. Now that I’ve finally got one, hopefully we can get a few more and keep it going.”
Cody Williams and Nic Faas shared the front row for the 30-lap race. Faas grabbed the lead coming down to accept the green and would set the pace for the first eight laps before a miscue on the turn-two cushion allowed David Cardey to jump into the lead.
Cardey led comfortably until Faas closed-in at the lap-23 mark. Faas continued to apply pressure to the leader as they raced through lapped traffic. The action was haulted on lap-27 after Williams tangled with a lapped car and spun entering turn-one collecting fifth-place Cory Kruseman in the process.
Fast qualifier Danny Sheridan, Santa Maria, Calif., who started ninth, muscled his Kittle Motorsports / Pace Lighting No. 18 Stinger past Faas for second-place after the restart. Moments later, Faas would slow to a stop on the racing surface with mechanical problems. The final two cautions proved helpful to several drivers, especially Bragg who found himself in the third position for the final restart of the race.
“I really didn’t think we had a chance because we were still running eighth at the halfway point of the race,” Bragg recalled. “We started tenth, moved up to sixth, and was fighting for fifth when I got passed by a couple of guys and then the car came around once I got rid of some fuel…I mean it just took off and it was fast.”
The leader Cardey was also fast after he got rid of some fuel. Unfortunately, for Cardey he ran a little too low on fuel heading into turn-one on the restart and suddenly slowed with Sheridan on his bumper. This left the door wide open for Bragg to steal the lead after driving around the outside of Cardey and Sheridan exiting turn-two.
“My plan was to follow Sheridan through the turn and I saw the guy behind me dive under me so I moved up and it was a good thing I did because Cardey checked-up and there was an open lane up top,” Bragg said of his race winning maneuver.
Matt Mitchell, Yorba Linda, Calif., who started the race in the seventh position, drove his J.W. Mitchell / Mancha Realtors No. 37 Maxim to a third-place finish, one spot behind Sheridan.
Tony Jones, Norco, Calif., provided his share of excitement driving his Alexander Trucking / La Villa Restaurant No. 4 DRC from the 18th starting spot to fourth. For his efforts, Jones received “Hard-Charger” honors. Ventura, California’s Jimmy Crawford also turned in a fine performance driving his Steve Gresham Racing Engines No. 11 Triple X to a fifth-place finish after starting the race in the 14th position.
The evening was marred after two-time and defending series champion Mike Spencer flipped during the start of his heat race. Spencer walked into the ambulance under his own power and was later taken and released from a local hospital.