By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – OCTOBER 31, 2012… This Friday and Saturday, the cars and stars of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to Don Kazarian’s Perris Auto Speedway for the “17th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals.” Co-sanctioned with the USAC National Series, over fifty entries from across the country will compete in the prestigious $10,000-to-win event. The popular winged California Lightning Sprints and the PAS 360 Senior Sprints will join the action as the spectator gates at “America’s Premier Dirt Track” will open at 4:00pm on Friday and 3:00pm on Saturday.
Track announcers Chris Holt and Scott Daloisio will serve as Grand Marshals and the festivities will kickoff on Thursday night. Scheduled for 6:00pm, a special practice session will be held that is FREE for fans to attend in the grandstands. On Saturday at 3:00pm, the PAS will host an autograph session on the front straightaway for fans to meet their favorite drivers.
Temecula’s Mike Spencer has a lock on his fifth straight championship. Last week at Canyon’s “Hall of Fame Classic,” the pilot of Ron Chaffin’s #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim was fourth on Friday and did not race in Saturday’s main event. To date, Spencer has eight feature wins, twelve Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Awards, five heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Award, nineteen top-5 finishes, and 164 feature laps led. Mike and the Bruce Bromme Jr. led team will be looking to claim their first Oval Nationals.
Nic Faas of Huntington Beach is second in the championship points. Driving Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / Competition Suspension Inc. Spike, the Perris 1-lap track record holder ran seventeenth in last Friday’s prelim and eleventh in the Canyon finale. The year, Faas has earned two feature wins, three Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Awards, five heat race victories, two Ringers Gloves / Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Awards, eleven top-5 finishes, and 43 feature laps led to his credit. The former USAC Western Midget Champion will have his sights on adding the Oval Nationals to his resume.
Sitting third in the point chase is Buena Park’s Brody Roa. Piloting the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Spike, the former Wagsdash Champion scored twenty-second last Friday and ran twelfth in the “Hall of Fame Classic.” To date, Roa has one feature win, two heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Diversified Machine Inc. Semi-Main win, one Keizer Wheels / Ringers Gloves Hard Charger Award, six top-five finishes, and 47 feature laps led. Brody will be looking for his first Perris victory and winning the Oval Nationals.
“The Ripper” Rip Williams of Yorba Linda has climbed to fourth in the standings. Driving Jack Jory’s #3 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, the 2004 Champion scored a sixteenth place finish on Friday and sixth in the Saturday finale. In 2012, Williams has one Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Fast Time Award, two heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Diversified Machine Inc. Semi-Main win, five top-5 finishes, and 13 feature laps led. “The Ripper” won the Oval Nationals in 1997 and will have his sights on adding this year’s trophy to his collection.
Hollister’s Ryan Bernal is fifth in the point chase and did not compete at Canyon’s “Hall of Fame Classic.” To date, the pilot of Keith Ford’s #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine Spike has two feature wins, three heat race victories, one Ringers Gloves / Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, eight top-5 finishes, and 94 feature laps led to his credit. Bernal will be looking to claim his first Perris victory and adding the Oval Nationals to his portfolio.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Yorba Linda’s Austin Williams, “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman of Ventura, Yorba Linda’s “Cadillac” Cody Williams, “Dynamite” David Cardey of Riverside, Visalia’s Richard and Jace Vander Weerd, “Showtime” Danny Sheridan of Santa Maria, Torrance’s “Super” Rickie Gaunt of Torrance, and many more.
Noblesville, Indiana’s Bryan Clauson leads the USAC National Series in a tight battle with “The People’s Champion” Dave Darland (Lincoln, IN). Other series drivers expected to compete are Jon Stanbrough (Avon, IN), Tracy Hines (Wilkinson, IN), “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, CA), “The Madman” Robert Ballou (Rocklin, CA), Chase Stockon (Sullivan, IN), Hunter Schuerenberg (Sikeston, MO), Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, AL),”The Bear” Chris Windom (Canton, IL), and Bobby East (Brownsburg, IN).
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. Advance tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.perrisautospeedway.com. For more event information, please visit the track’s website or call (951) 940-0134.
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 Racing 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).
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 pay per view feed of every event at www.circletracknetwork.com.
OVAL NATIONALS CHAMPIONS:
1996-Jimmy Sills; 1997-Rip Williams; 1998-Rodney Argo; 1999-Rickie Gaunt; 2000-Tony Jones; 2001-Bud Kaeding; 2002-Bud Kaeding; 2003-Cory Kruseman; 2004-Cory Kruseman; 2005-Dave Darland; 2006-Dave Darland; 2007-Bud Kaeding; 2008-Jesse Hockett; 2009-Damion Gardner; 2010-Chris Windom; 2011-Damion Gardner.
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINTS:
1-Mike Spencer-1,293, 2-Nic Faas-959, 3-Brody Roa-932, 4-Rip Williams-865, 5-Ryan Bernal-816, 6-Austin Williams-800, 7-Cory Kruseman-725, 8-Cody Williams-639, 9-David Cardey-465, 10-Matt Mitchell-461.
AMSOIL USAC NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS:
1-Bryan Clauson-1.974, 2-Dave Darland-1,967, 3-Jon Stanbrough-1,901, 4-Tracy Hines-1,778, 5-Damion Gardner-1,732, 6-Robert Ballou-1,663, 7-Chase Stockon-1,646, 8-Levi Jones-1,615, 9-Hunter Schuerenberg-1,612, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-1,528.
2012 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
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.