By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – AUGUST 28, 2012… This Labor Day Weekend, September 1st & 2nd, the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to Calistoga Speedway for the 5th Annual Louie Vermeil Classic. Co-sanctioned with the USAC Western Classic Racing Series, the event will also feature the popular USAC Western Midget Series. There will be many pre-race festivities for race fans to enjoy and cars are scheduled to hit the scenic 1/2-mile race track at 5pm.
For the Sprint Cars, Saturday’s main event will pay $3,000-to-win and $300-to-start, as Sunday’s 30-lap finale will pay $5,000-to-win and $500-to-start. Thanks to fundraising efforts from raffles, wine tasting, silent auctions, and beer garden events, additional bonuses will be added to the Louie Vermeil Classic. An autograph session will be held that features past racing legends and current stars. Jack Hewitt will serve as Grand Marshall and will be joined by LeRoy Van Connett, Jimmy Boyd, Shane Carson, Jimmy Oskie, Billy Anderson, and more.
Competitors should note that Calistoga Speedway is located on a California State Fairgrounds and has a mandatory 95db at 100ft muffler rule. Knoxville type mufflers are not allowed and USAC/CRA tire rules (Hoosier HT2, HTW (105x18x15), DT3, or F55 Right Rear tire.) will apply for Aluminum block 410s. Local 360 powered cars can run their approved Hoosier Tires on all four corners. Cars must pass a tech inspection and one-way radios are mandatory for drivers. USAC/CRA charges a $25 entry fee to all competitors, which includes a transponder rental. USAC Western Classic Racing entries must follow series rules to earn championship points.
The Labor Day Weekend Classics at Calistoga will mark the fifteenth and sixteenth events of the USAC/CRA campaign. To date, eight different drivers have stood atop the podium with Mike Spencer leading all drivers with seven feature wins. Nic Faas won the season opener at Perris, while “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., Brody Roa, and Ryan Bernal scored their first USAC/CRA main event wins. Santa Maria features were claimed by Austin Williams and “Showtime” Danny Sheridan, while “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman returned to Perris’ victory circle on August 18th.
Temecula’s Mike Spencer sits atop the point standings in Ron Chaffin’s #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim. The 4-time defending series champion was second at Perris on August 18th and fourth the following night at Victorville. To date, Spencer has nine Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Award, fourteen top-5 finishes, and leads the series with 139 feature laps led. Mike is a 2-time winner of the Louie Vermeil Classic (2009 & 2011) and will be looking to continue his march to another title with feature wins at Calistoga.
Nic Faas of Huntington Beach is second in the championship points. Piloting Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / Competition Suspension Inc. Spike, Faas claimed fourth at Perris and did not start the Victorville feature. The 2008 Rookie of the Year has two Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, two Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Awards, nine top-5 finishes, and 26 feature laps led on the year. Faas holds the USAC Western Midget track record at Calistoga and will be looking to win the Louie Vermeil Classic.
After placing sixth at Perris and third at Victorville, Buena Park’s Brody Roa has climbed to third in the point chase. Driving the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Spike, the Yuma, Arizona feature winner has two heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Diversified Machine Inc. Semi-Main win, one Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Award, four top-5 finishes, and 47 feature laps led. Roa will have his sights on adding Calistoga feature wins to his resume.
Sitting fourth in the standings is Ryan Bernal of Hollister. Piloting Keith Ford’s #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine Spike, Bernal was fifth at Perris and won the Victorville 30-lap feature. The 2-time Santa Maria track champion has two heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Award, seven top-5 finishes, and 76 feature laps led to his credit. The young driver will be looking to add the Louie Vermeil Classic to his list of accomplishments.
Yorba Linda’s Austin Williams is fifth in the championship hunt. Driving Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Viper, Williams scored eighteenth at Perris and was seventh at Victorville. The 2009 Rookie of the Year has four heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Diversified Machine Inc. Semi-Main win, one Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Award, seven top-10 finishes, and 29 feature laps led to his credit. Austin will be looking claim his first victory at the famed Calistoga Speedway.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are “The Ripper” Rip Williams of Yorba Linda, Seth Wilson of Las Vegas, Yorba Linda’s “Cadillac” Cody Williams, Riverside’s “Dynamite” David Cardey, “Showtime” Danny Sheridan of Santa Maria, and many more.
The USAC Western Classic Racing Series is led by Lincoln’s Tony Hunt who has a 24 point advantage over Shauna Hogg of Fair Oaks. Lodi’s Scott Pierovich, Carmichael’s Tom Baker, Gordon Rodgers of Winton, Santa Rosa’s Marty Hawkins, Brian McClish of Santa Rosa, Fresno’s Tim Skoglund, Madera’s Cody Gerhardt, and Taylor Simas of Orland round out the top ten in points.
Calistoga Speedway is located on the Napa Valley Fairgrounds at 1435 North Oak Street in Calistoga. Reserved tickets are $30 and General Admission tickets are $25. For more information, visit www.louievermeilclassic.net or call (916) 773-7223.
To catch the action of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, Mike Truex’s Loudpedal Productions has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com.
Competitors with the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series are welcomed to compete Wednesday, September 8th at Chico’s Silver Dollar Speedway. While not an official point race with USAC/CRA, the event during the Gold Cup Race of Champions will follow USAC Western Classic rules with restricted 410 engines. For more information, visit www.silverdollarspeedway.com or call (530) 350-7275.
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 www.usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/USAC-CRA-Sprint-Car-Series/167535183297971) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/#!/USAC_CRA).
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1-Mike Spencer-955, 2-Nic Faas-769, 3-Brody Roa-674, 4-Ryan Bernal-667, 5-Austin Williams-664, 6-Rip Williams-625, 7-Cory Kruseman-613, 8-Matt Mitchell-461, 9-Cody Williams-450, 10-Seth Wilson-431.
USAC WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS
1-Tony Hunt-562, 2-Shauna Hogg-538, 3-Scott Pierovich-388, 4-Tom Baker-340, 5-Gordon Rodgers-319, 6-Marty Hawkins-233, 7-Brian McClish-209, 8-Tim Skoglund-179, 9-Cody Gerhardt-174, 10-Taylor Simas-155.
LOUIE VERMEIL CLASSIC CHAMPIONS:
2008: Kevin Swindell; 2009: Mike Spencer; 2010: Damion Gardner; 2011: Mike Spencer; 2012: ??
2012 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
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 (Glenn Howard Memorial)
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.