By Lance Jennings
PERRIS, CA – MAY 4, 2014… After problems sidelined Austin Williams on lap 21, Visalia’s Richard Vander Weerd inherited the lead and raced to victory at Perris Auto Speedway. Saturday’s $2,500 triumph was Richard’s first career Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car feature win. Fast qualifier Damion Gardner, Greg Alexander, Nic Faas, and Mike Spencer followed Vander Weerd to the checkered flags.
At the drop of the green flag, “The Cadillac” Cody Williams set the pace from the pole position and led the first three circuits. Cody’s younger brother Austin powered to the lead and began to run away from the field. Looking for his first “home track” victory, Austin’s hopes were erased after a reported broken axle ended his night. Vander Weerd took command and streaked to his first USAC/CRA feature win at “America’s Premier Dirt Track.”
Piloting the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Richard Vander Weerd qualified fourth out of the thirty cars in attendance and placed third in his heat race. The 2011 USAC West Coast Champion started third in the main event and left Perris tenth in USAC/CRA points with two top-10 finishes and 10 feature laps led on the season.
“The Demon” Damion Gardner of Concord finished second in the 30-lap main event. Driving Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / Advanced Racing Suspension Spike, Gardner had been penalized and started twelfth in the main event. Early in the feature, the defending champion was caught in Matt Mitchell’s flip along with A.J. Bender. All three drivers were able to restart and with a damaged racecar, “The Demon” charged his way to the front. Earlier in the night, the point leader earned his series high 55th career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and won the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. To date, Gardner has three feature wins, two fast time awards, three heat race victories, and 45 feature laps led heading to Ventura this Saturday night.
After a late race scramble shuffled the running order, San Pedro’s Greg Alexander earned the Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a third place run from fourteenth. Racing Chuck Tyler Sr.’s #72 Racecrafters Chassis / Barnes Systems machine, Alexander was sixteenth fast in time trials and placed third in his heat race. Currently tied with Ronnie Gardner for fifteenth in the point standings, Greg enjoyed his best finish with USAC/CRA.
Nic Faas of Huntington Beach scored fourth in the Perris feature after a penalty cost him two positions. Crossing the finish line behind Vander Weerd, the pilot of Keith Ford’s #73 Berry Pack / King Racing Products Spike had qualified second overall and ran second in his heat race. Heading to Ventura, the 2008 Rookie of the Year ranks second in points with one heat race victory and four top-10 finishes in the campaign.
Temecula’s Mike Spencer claimed fifth in the wild main event. Driving Ron Chaffin’s #50 Grubstake Mini Storage / Madera Produce Maxim, Spencer was third quick in time trials and won the Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #3. The five-time champion is currently third in USAC/CRA points with two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, two heat race victories, three top-10 finishes, and 11 feature laps led.
For the second race in a row, A.J. Bender of San Marcos earned a heat race victory. Winning the DJ Safety Heat Race #2, the pilot of the family owned #21 K&R Motorsports / Rosson Racing DRC qualified fourteenth overall and was nineteenth in the feature. The California Lightning Sprint veteran is continuing to improve and ranks eighteenth in the point chase.
Ventura’s “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman won the Weld Racing / Pyrotect Racing Cells Heat Race #4. Racing Mark Priestley’s #7 Roy Miller Freight Lines / Sander Engineering Bullet, Kruseman was twelfth fast in time trials and was shuffled back to a sixth place finish after running third. Heading to his hometown track, the 2006 Champion has climbed to sixth in points with three heat race victories and two top-10 finishes on the season.
Logan Williams of Yorba Linda won the 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main. Driving Jack Jory’s #5 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Stinger, Williams qualified seventeenth, placed fifth in his heat race, and scored tenth after starting fifteenth in the feature. Running thirteenth in points, the rookie contender has one Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award and one top-10 finish in 2014.
This Saturday, May 10th, the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will invade Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway for the first time since September 2010. The $2,750-to-win, $350-to-start “All Coast Challenge” and “Fred Thomson Tribute Race” will also showcase the VRA Pro Dwarf Cars. Located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California, more event and ticket information can be found at www.venturaraceway.com or calling 805.648.RACE.
NOTICE TO USAC/CRA COMPETITORS: Thanks to Mike Grosswendt and All Coast Construction, EVERY SPRINT CAR TEAM racing at Ventura this Saturday will receive 2 FREE pit passes and their entry fee WILL BE PAID. All cars must run the Hoosier 105/16 Medium right rear tire and all four corners must be Hoosier. Ventura Raceway has a strict 95db at 100 feet state mandated sound rule and track legal mufflers are Extreme Mufflers (Part #6014-3535 180 Degree, Part #3615-3535), Coast Fabrication (350x625x17-2sVRA), Spintech (180 Degree, 1545P Super Stock Series), B&B Performance (FRAC-0375-S, 180 Degree, with side outlet), and Flowmaster (Hushpower, Part 53545-USAC “Suitcase.”) For more information, visit www.venturaraceway.com.
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 thanks Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Engler Machine & Tool, Extreme Mufflers, Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror, Keizer Wheels, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, 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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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS:
May 3, 2014 – Perris, California – Perris Auto Speedway
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TIME TRIALS:
1. Damion Gardner, 4, Alexander-16.693; 2. Nic Faas, 73, Ford-16.703; 3. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-16.865; 4. Jake Swanson, Sertich-16.912, 5. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-16.916; 6. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-16.946; 7. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-17.020; 8. Rickie Gaunt, 9, McDonald-17.102; 9. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-17.124; 10. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-17.132; 11. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-17.169; 12. Cory Kruseman, 7, Priestley-17.214; 13. Cody Swanson, 36, Springstead-17.270; 14. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-17.296; 15. Seth Wilson, 6W, Wilson-17.384; 16. Greg Alexander, 72, Tyler-17.419; 17. Logan Williams, 5, Jory-17.689; 18. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-17.759; 19. Ryan Bernal, 91X, Ferro-17.822; 20. J.J. Ercse, 14, Springstead-17.825; 21. Don Gansen, 7G, Gansen-17.837; 22. Kenny Perkins, 0K, Perkins-17.840; 23. Cal Smith, 39, Cal-Sun-17.935; 24. Jesse Denome, 6, Denome-18.075; 25. Jeremy Ellertson, 98X, Ellertson-18.249; 26. Tony Everhart, 55, Everhart-18.300; 27. Jack Hawley, 81, Watt-18.447; 28. Gary Potter, 6P, Potter-18.794; 29. Landon Hurst, 179, Hurst-NT; 30. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen- NT
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE #1: (10 laps)
1. Damion Gardner, 2. Brody Roa, 3. Richard Vander Weerd, 4. Cody Swanson, 5. Logan Williams, 6. Jeremy Ellertson, 7. Don Gansen, 8. Landon Hurst. 2:53.82
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE #2: (10 laps)
1. A.J. Bender, 2. Nic Faas, 3. Austin Williams, 4. Kenny Perkins, 5. Jace Vander Weerd, 6. Verne Sweeney, 7. Tony Everhart, 8. Chris Gansen. NT
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #3: (10 laps)
1. Mike Spencer, 2. Matt Mitchell, 3. Cody Williams, 4. Seth Wilson, 5. Cal Smith, 6. Jack Hawley, 7. Ryan Bernal. NT
WELD RACING / PYROTECT RACING CELLS HEAT RACE #4: (10 laps)
1. Cory Kruseman, 2. Jake Swanson, 3. Greg Alexander, 4. J.J. Ercse, 5. Jesse Denome, 6. Gary Potter, 7. Rickie Gaunt. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / ROD END SUPPLY SEMI-MAIN: (12 laps)
1. Logan Williams, 2. Verne Sweeney, 3. Landon Hurst, 4. Chris Gansen, 5. Tony Everhart, 6. Jeremy Ellertson, 7. Jace Vander Weerd, 8. Cal Smith, 9. Don Gansen, 10. Gary Potter. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Richard Vander Weerd (3rd), 2. Damion Gardner (12th), 3. Greg Alexander (14th), 4. Nic Faas (6th), 5. Mike Spencer (5th), 6. Cory Kruseman (9th), 7. Brody Roa (7th), 8. Jake Swanson (4th), 9. Cody Williams (1st), 10. Logan Williams (15th), 11. Cody Swanson (10th), 12. Matt Mitchell (8th), 13. Seth Wilson (13th), 14. Verne Sweeney (16th), 15. Jeremy Ellertson (19th), 16. J.J. Ercse (17th), 17. Austin Williams (2nd), 18. Landon Hurst (21st), 19. A.J. Bender (11th), 20. Chris Gansen (22nd), 21. Tony Everhart (20th), 22. Kenny Perkins (18th). NT
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**Gaunt flipped during the fourth heat. Mitchell flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Cody Williams, Laps 4-20 Austin Williams, Laps 21-30 Richard Vander Weerd.
KEIZER WHEELS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Greg Alexander (14th to 3rd)
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1-Damion Gardner-286, 2-Nic Faas-247, 3-Mike Spencer-228, 4 Matt Mitchell-195, 5-Brody Roa-152, 6-Cory Kruseman-150, 7-Gary Taylor-143, 8-Jake Swanson-141, 9-Cody Williams-139, 10-Richard Vander Weerd-120, 11-Austin Williams-113, 12-R.J. Johnson-108, 13-Logan Williams-104, 14-Cody Swanson-95, 15-Ronnie Gardner-90, —Greg Alexander-90, 17-Josh Pelkey-79, 18-A.J. Bender-75, 19-J.J. Ercse-68, —Seth Wilson-68.