From Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – AUGUST 26, 2013… This Labor Day Weekend, the powerful Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will battle at Calistoga Speedway for the “6th Annual Louie Vermeil Classic.” Co-sanctioned with the USAC Western Classic Racing Series, the popular 2-day event will also feature the Honda USAC Western Midget Series. There will be many pre-race festivities such as a vintage car show, raffles, wine tasting, silent auctions, and beer garden events for fans to enjoy. The Spectator Gates at the Napa County Fairgrounds will open at 5:00pm with racing set to begin at 6:30pm.
Calistoga Operations Manager Tommy Hunt and his staff have raised an impressive purse for the Sprint Cars, as Saturday’s main event will pay $7,500-to-win and the Sunday finale will pay $10,000-to-win. Thanks to Jerry Crowell Racing Shocks and USAC, there is also a healthy bonus available for the top seven 360 cubic-inch powered sprints in attendance. Each night, the top 360 will earn an additional $1,000 and the seventh 360 will pocket $200 at the “Louie Vermeil Classic.” The bonus is listed at the end of this release as Hunt continues to search for additional sponsorship and prize money.
The festivities will actually begin on Friday, August 30th, with the Calistoga Speedway Hall of Fame Dinner. National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Driver Brad Doty will serve as Grand Marshall and Bobby Gerould will host the ceremony. This year’s inductees are Johnny Anderson, Mike Andreetta, Hank Butcher, Mel Fernandez, Hank Hanestad, George Hawkins, Mike McGreevy, Walt Ross and Lem Tolliver.
Entering Saturday’s race, “The Demon” Damion Gardner of Concord holds a 131 point advantage over the competition. Driving Mark Alexander’s #4A Scott Sales Company / Advanced Racing Suspension Spike, Gardner won the $1,500 Walt James Dash and ran second in the Perris feature on August 17th. Currently, the 2010 Louie Vermeil Classic Champion has five feature wins, four Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, six heat race victories, one dash win, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 91 feature laps led. “The World’s Fastest Sprint Car Driver” will be looking for a nice payday at Calistoga as goes for his 47th USAC/CRA victory.
Gardner’s teammate, Huntington Beach’s Nic Faas is second in the USAC/CRA point chase. Piloting Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / Competition Suspension Inc. Spike, Faas scored third in the “California Racers Hall of Fame Night” main event. To date, the former USAC Western Midget Champion has two feature wins, three Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, three heat race victories, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 47 feature laps led to his credit. Nic will have his sights on a Calistoga victory and gaining valuable points on Gardner.
Sitting third in the USAC/CRA point standings is Mike Spencer of Temecula. Racing Ron Chaffin’s #50 Grubstake Mini Storage / Madera Produce Maxim, Spencer earned the $700 Billy Wilkerson Fast Time Award and ran sixth at Perris Auto Speedway. Currently, the five-time USAC/CRA champion has one feature win, four Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, eleven top-10 finishes, and 17 feature laps led. The two-time Louie Vermeil Classic Champion will be looking score his 35th career USAC/CRA feature win and add another Calistoga trophy to his collection.
Yorba Linda’s Matt Mitchell is fourth in the championship point chase. Driving his #37 MPD Racing / A.R.T. Enterprises entry, Mitchell led most of the August 17th Perris feature before engine problems resulted in a fifteenth place finish. To date, the former USAC Western Midget Rookie of the Year has one feature win, four heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main win, nine top-10 finishes, and 58 feature laps led one the season. Matt will have his sights on adding Calistoga’s “Louie Vermeil Classic” to his win list.
After scoring fifth at Perris, “The Cadillac” Cody Williams of Yorba Linda has climbed to fifth in the standings. Racing Jack Jory’s #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Williams has yet to win a main event, but has one heat race victory, one Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, nine top-10 finishes, and 17 feature laps led in 2013. “The Cadillac” will be looking to upset the field and win his first USAC/CRA main event at Calistoga.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Bud Kaeding, Austin Williams, Brody Roa, Ryan Bernal, “The Ripper” Rip Williams, “Super” Rickie Gaunt, Seth Wilson, Ronnie Gardner, and many more. At press time, NASCAR Nationwide Series standout Kyle Larson has committed to Sunday’s finale after racing Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, former SCRA 360 Champion Chad Boespflug will travel from Indiana to join a talented roster of drivers at the “Louie Vermeil Classic.”
Running 9th with USAC/CRA, Hollister’s Ryan Bernal also leads the USAC Western Classic point standings. D.J. Johnson, Tony Hunt, Shauna Hogg, Landon Hurst, Gordon Rodgers, Marty Hawkins, Bud Kaeding, “The Human Highlight Reel” Geoff Ensign, and Richard Vander Weerd round out the top-10 drivers. Other WCRS drivers expected to compete at Calistoga are Jim Richardson, Klint Simpson, Tom Baker, and more.
Per USAC/CRA rules, 360 iron-block powered Sprint Cars can run their local track or series 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. Aluminum block 410 powered cars must run either a Hoosier HT2, HTW (105x18x15), DT3, or F55 Right Rear tire. USAC Western Classic Racing entries must follow series rules to earn championship points. 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 series rules apply. All cars must meet series tech standards and race track muffler rules to compete.
Calistoga Speedway is located on the Napa Valley Fairgrounds at 1435 North Oak Street in Calistoga. Reserved tickets are $30, General Admission Adult tickets are $25, and General Admission Kids tickets (12-4) are $10. For more information, visit www.louievermeilclassic.net, www.calistogaspeedway.org, or call (916) 773-7223.
To catch all of the action of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, Loudpedal Productions has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series would like to thank Hoosier Tire, BR Motorsports, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror Inc., Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Racing Optics, Rugged Radios, Rod End Supply, SBI Fuel Systems, Saldana Racing Products, Weld Racing, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
For more information on the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit www.usacracing.com or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/USAC-
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LOUIE VERMEIL CLASSIC SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS:
2008-Kevin Swindell; 2009-Mike Spencer; 2010-Damion Gardner; 2011-Mike Spencer; 2012-Kyle Hirst.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY 360 SPRINT CAR BONUS:
1) $1,000, 2) $650, 3) $500, 4) $350, 5) $300, 6) $250, 7) $200.
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1-Damion Gardner-957; 2-Nic Faas-826; 3-Mike Spencer-766; 4-Matt Mitchell-645; 5-Cody Williams-591; 6-Bud Kaeding-564; 7-Austin Williams-564; 8-Brody Roa-530; 9-Ryan Bernal-491; 10-Richard Vander Weerd-415; 11-Rip Williams-395; 12-R.J. Johnson-376; 13-David Cardey-313; 14-Jace Vander Weerd-298; 15-Rickie Gaunt-276; 16-Cory Kruseman-265; 17-Markus Niemela-262; 18-Seth Wilson-246; 19-Charles Davis Jr.-232; 20-Bryan Clauson-210.
USAC WESTERN CLASSIC SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1-Ryan Bernal-410; 2-D.J. Johnson-380; 3-Tony Hunt-355; 4-Shauna Hogg-321; 5-Landon Hurst-113; 6-Gordon Rodgers-94; 7-Marty Hawkins-86; 8-Bud Kaeding-73; 9-Geoff Ensign-71; 10-Richard Vander Weerd-68; 11-D.J. Netto-65; 12-Jace Vander Weerd-62; 13-Kolby Araki-38; 14-Austin Liggett-13.