By Scott Daloisio
(JUNE 29, 2010, PERRIS, CA) The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will return to action for the first time since July 3rd this Saturday night, July 31st, at Perris Auto Speedway. The USAC Ford Focus Midgets and the Jr Focus Midgets will join the premiere West Coast traditional 410 Sprint Car series on the program. Spectator gates will open at 5:00 PM and the first race will be at 7:00.
News and notes on the program are printed below.
Temecula’s Mike Spencer comes into Saturday’s race with a 51-point lead over Santa Maria’s “Showtime” Danny Sheridan. If Spencer prevails in his quest for the title, it will be his third straight USAC/CRA championship. His violent crash at The PAS on April 10th left him with a mere 12-point lead in the standings. Since then, the 28-year old Cal Poly Pomona engineering graduate has won one main event and added 39 points to his lead.
Could Saturday see the return of 2004 USAC/CRA champion Rip Williams? As of Monday, the 54-year old Yorba Linda resident was hoping to have a car together and racing this Saturday. Williams has not raced in 2010. While working on his car at the season opener at Las Vegas in February, he severed a finger. Doctors in Las Vegas wanted to amputate the finger, but Williams came home to his local doctors and they managed to save it.
Only three drivers have more than one victory in the Amsoil USAC/CRA Series in 2010. Riverside’s David Cardey leads the series with three wins. Spencer and Concord native Damion Gardner have two victories each. Ironically Cardey has confined his USAC/CRA participation to The PAS in 2010 and has won the last three main events in a row. The last time another driver other than Cardey won a USAC/CRA main event at the Riverside County clay oval was nearly four months ago when Visalia’s Greg Bragg won on April 10th. Other winners in the series this year are Levi Jones of Olney, Illinois, Yorba Linda’s “Bullet” Blake Miller and 2006 USAC/CRA champ Cory Kruseman of Ventura.
Past winners in the Amsoil USAC/CRA series still looking for their initial 2010 win include Sheridan, Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda, Norco’s Tony Jones, Nic Faas of Huntington Beach and “Super” Rickie Gaunt of Torrance.
Rip Williams middle son, 19 year old Austin, won the first ever Sprint Car main event of his career last Saturday at the Victorville Auto Raceway. Austin, and older sibling Cody will both be in action at The PAS this Saturday night.
Fans attending Saturday’s race can take a ride in Randy Waitman’s Sprint Car Racing Simulator. At intermission, Waitman will come up from the pit area to challenge the fan with the fastest time.
After Saturday’s race the Amsoil USAC/CRA Series heads to Chris Kearns’ Santa Maria Speedway on August 14th before returning to The PAS on August 28th and then heading north to Calistoga for the annual Louie Vermeil Classic on September 4th and 5th.
Nick Carlson, who won the last USAC Ford Focus Midget feature on June 26th at Bakersfield, leads the point standings heading into this Saturday’s race. The Focus and Jr. Focus races will be staged on The PAS inner quarter-mile track.
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.
Perris Auto Speedway is on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds (home of the 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 two miles east to the fairgrounds.
racesatthepas@aol.com is the only authorized Internet address to issue official media news released from The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval Entertainment
2010 AMSOIL USAC/CRA POINT STANDINGS
1. Mike Spencer – Temecula, CA – 606
2. Danny Sheridan – Santa Maria, CA – 555
3. Cory Kruseman – Ventura, CA – 461
4. Blake Miller – Yorba Linda, CA – 437
5. Matt Mitchell – Yorba Linda, CA – 428
6. Greg Bragg – Visalia, CA – 370
7. Jimmy Crawford – Newbury Park, CA – 326
8. David Cardey – Riverside, CA – 308
9. Cody Williams – Yorba Linda, CA – 293
10. Tony Jones – Norco, CA – 286
2010 AMSOIL USAC/CRA MAIN EVENT WINNERS
David Cardey … 3
Mike Spencer … 2
Damion Gardner … 2
Cory Kruseman … 1
Blake Miller … 1
Greg Bragg … 1
Levi Jones … 1