By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – SEPTEMBER 10, 2013… This Saturday, September 14th, the powerful cars of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to Don Kazarian’s Perris Auto Speedway. The “6th Annual Glenn Howard Memorial” will also showcase the PAS Senior 360 Sprint Cars, California Lightning Sprints, and PAS Young Gun Sprint Cars presented by The Sprint Car Driving Experience. The spectator gates at the “Southern California Home of Major League Sprint Car Racing” will open at 5:00pm and racing will start at 7:00pm.
Saturday’s event honors Glenn Howard, considered by many in the industry as a “racer’s racer.” Throughout his involvement in racing, Glenn served as a crew member, driver, car owner, sponsor, official, and business man. Howard’s So-Cal Performance was recognized as a major parts supplier to racers across the globe for many years. In 1993, Glenn became the first president of the Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) and helped to build the foundation of the nationally respected club. After his term was over, Howard remained active in motorsports until his passing in September 2007. Kazarian, Perris Auto Speedway, and the USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series are proud to honor Glenn’s memory with the annual event.
Heading into Saturday, “The Demon” Damion Gardner of Concord holds a 107 point advantage over the competition. Racing Mark Alexander’s #4A Scott Sales Company / Advanced Racing Suspension Spike, Gardner scored second and twenty-second in the 2-day “Louie Vermeil Classic” at Calistoga. To date, the 2005 Champion has five feature wins, four Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, seven heat race victories, one dash win, one Last Man Standing Dash win, fifteen top-10 finishes, and 106 feature laps led. “The World’s Fastest Sprint Car Driver” will be looking for his 47th career USAC/CRA victory at the “Glenn Howard Memorial.”
Gardner’s teammate, Huntington Beach’s Nic Faas is second in the USAC/CRA point standings. Driving Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / Competition Suspension Inc. Spike, Faas claimed fifth and eighth at Calistoga Speedway. The 2011 “Glenn Howard Memorial” winner has two feature wins, three Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main win, fifteen top-10 finishes, and 47 feature laps led on the season. Nic will have his sights on making Saturday’s race the 9th USAC/CRA feature win of his career.
Sitting third in the USAC/CRA point chase is Mike Spencer of Temecula. Piloting Ron Chaffin’s #50 Grubstake Mini Storage / Madera Produce Maxim, Spencer ran third and fourth at the “Louie Vermeil Classic.” The five-time USAC/CRA champion has one feature win, six Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, five heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 38 feature laps led. Last year’s “Howard Memorial” winner will be looking score his 35th career USAC/CRA main event victory.
Yorba Linda’s Matt Mitchell is fourth in chase for the championship. Driving his #37 MPD Racing / A.R.T. Enterprises entry, Mitchell ran eleventh and ninth at Calistoga. 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, ten top-10 finishes, and 58 feature laps led to his credit. Matt will have his sights on the sixth USAC/CRA triumph of his career at the “Glenn Howard Memorial.”
After winning the $7,500 opening night feature and running second in the Calistoga finale, Bud Kaeding of Campbell is fifth in USAC/CRA points. Racing Junior Bowman’s #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Maxim, the 3-time Oval Nationals Champion has 40 feature laps led, one dash win, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main win, and eleven top-10 finishes on the season. Kaeding will be looking for his fifth career USAC/CRA win at the “Glenn Howard Memorial.”
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Austin Williams, “The Cadillac” Cody Williams, Brody Roa, Richard Vander Weerd, “The Ripper” Rip Williams, “Dynamite” David Cardey, Jace Vander Weerd, “Super” Rickie Gaunt, “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman, Seth Wilson, “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., and many more. Local 360 iron-block powered Sprint Cars are welcome to race with USAC/CRA. The 360s can run their local approved Hoosier tires, but must meet series tech standards and race track muffler rules.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. General Adult tickets are $25, Senior tickets (65 and over) are $20, and $5 for Children (6-12). For more information, visit www.perrisautospeedway.com or call (951) 940-0134. Camping is available for $25 at the fairgrounds.
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. In addition, Perris Auto Speedway offers a live pay per view feed at www.circletracknetwork.com and the live feed is scheduled to begin at 5:30pm PST.
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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GLENN HOWARD MEMORIAL WINNERS:
2008-Tony Jones; 2009-Bryan Clauson; 2010-Cory Kruseman; 2011-Nic Faas; 2012-Mike Spencer.
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1-Damion Gardner-1042, 2-Nic Faas-935, 3-Mike Spencer-896, 4-Matt Mitchell-726, 5-Bud Kaeding-694, 6-Austin Williams-672, 7-CodyWilliams-666, 8-Brody Roa-610, 9-Ryan Bernal-551, 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-Bryan Clauson-258; 19-Seth Wilson-246; 20-Charles Davis Jr.-232.