By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – APRIL 23, 2012… After a break in the schedule, the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will be back in action this Saturday, April 28th, at Don Kazarian’s Perris Auto Speedway. “The Power of Purple: Relay for Life Fundraiser benefiting the American Cancer Society” showcase will also feature the California Lightning Sprints and PAS 360 Senior Sprint Cars. The spectator gates will open at 5:00pm, with racing at “America’s Premier Dirt Track” to begin at 7:00pm.
Nic Faas of Huntington Beach leads the point standings heading into Saturday’s event. Driving Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / Competition Suspension Inc. Spike, the 2008 Rookie of the Year won the Perris season opener on February 25th and claimed second on March 31st. Faas will be looking to extend his point lead with a feature win on Saturday.
Temecula’s Mike Spencer swept the March 31st show and earned the “Dean Thompson Award” for his efforts. Piloting Ron Chaffin’s #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim, the 4-time USAC/CRA Champion set fast time, won his heat race, and bested Faas to win the feature. Spencer is currently second in points and has his sights on making history with another title.
Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda is third in the championship chase. Driving the J.W. Mitchell Motorsports’ #37 Mancha Realtors / Sierra Springs Water Maxim, Matt has two third place finishes on the year. The former USAC Western Midget Series Rookie of the Year has been running with the USAC 360s during off weekends and will be looking to score his first Perris victory of 2012.
Hollister’s Ryan Bernal is currently fourth in standings. Splitting time between the Kittle Motorsports’ #18 Pace Lighting Sherman and Keith Ford’s #73 King Racing Products Spike, Bernal has a second and fourth place run on the season. The Santa Maria track champion won last Friday’s Western Classic Sprint main event at Watsonville and would like to add a USAC/CRA feature to his resume.
Sitting fifth in the point chase is Brody Roa of Buena Park. Piloting the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Spike, Roa placed eighth on March 31st after claiming seventh at the Perris opener. Brody is moving up the ranks and wants to break through with a win on Saturday.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Yorba Linda’s Austin, Cody and “The Ripper” Rip Williams, “Dynamite” David Cardey of Riverside, Camarillo’s Josh Ford, Richard and Jace Vander Weerd of Visalia, Ventura’s Cory Kruseman, and many more.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. Adult tickets are $25, Senior tickets (65 and over) are $20, and $5 for Children (6-12). For more information, please visit www.perrisautospeedway.com or call (951) 940-0134.
To catch all of the action of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series at Perris Auto Speedway, Mike Truex’s Loudpedal Productions has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com. In addition, Perris Auto Speedway offers a live pay per view feed at www.circletracknetwork.com. The live feed is scheduled to begin at 5:30pm PST.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series would like to thank Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Diversified Machine Inc., Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Integra Shocks, Keizer Wheels, LRB Inc. Race Products, Ringers Gloves, Rod End Supply, SBI Fuel Systems, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support.
For more information on the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.
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USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1-Nic Faas-141, 2-Mike Spencer-134, 3-Matt Mitchell-131, 4-Ryan Bernal-121, 5-Brody Roa-93, 6-Austin Williams-82, 7-David Cardey-77, 8-Greg Alexander-69, 9-David Bezio-69, 10-Josh Ford-68, 11-Rip Williams- 65, 12- Richard VanderWeerd- 63, 13- Seth Wilson- 63, 14- Jace VanderWeerd- 59, 15-Cory Kruseman-53, 16-Jake Swanson-47, 17-Cody Williams-42, 18-Tony Everhart-25, 19-Casey Shuman-24, 20-Bud Kaeding-21.
2012 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
April 28: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
May 19: Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway – Hanford, CA
May 26: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Salute To Indy)
June 2: Cocopah Speedway – Yuma, AZ
June 15: **Ocean Speedway – Watsonville, CA
June 16: **Santa Maria Speedway – Santa Maria, CA
July 4: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Firecracker 30)
July 28: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (California Racers Hall of Fame Night)
August 10: **Ocean Speedway – Watsonville, CA
August 11: **Santa Maria Speedway – Santa Maria, CA (Wagscash)
August 18: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
September 1: **Calistoga Speedway – Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic)
September 2: **Calistoga Speedway – Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic)
September 5: **Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA (Non-Points)
September 15: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
October 6: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Southern California Fair)
October 26: *Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
October 27: *Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
November 2: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Budweiser Oval Nationals)
November 3: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Budweiser Oval Nationals)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC National Sprints.
** = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC Western Classic Racing Series.
This schedule is subject to change.