By Lance Jennings
PERRIS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 3, 2022… In one of the closest finishes in recent memory at Perris Auto Speedway, Matt Mitchell (Yorba Linda, California) won last Saturday’s “Sokola Shootout.” With a winning margin of 0.053 seconds over a surging “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., Mitchell earned the eighth AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car triumph of his career. Piloting his #37 Roy Miller Freight Lines / Campbell Brothers Storage Maxim, Matt led all 30-laps to score the win over hard charger Davis, point leader “The Demon” Damion Gardner, “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams, and “The Cadillac” Cody Williams.
Starting on the outside of the front row, Mitchell got the jump on Austin Williams to grab the lead. Mitchell soon began to increase his lead as a torrid battle for position followed. As the laps counted down, most of the field had preferred to run the outside groove but Davis found the bottom line to his linking and moved forward. Charles broke free from the pack once in the runner-up spot and set his sights after Mitchell. Coming for the checkered flags, it was a sprint to the finish and Mitchell emerged victorious.
Before claiming his first win of the season, Matt Mitchell was seventh quick in time trials and won the 10-lap Flowdynamics Incorporated / Laserworx Manufacturing / Factory Wraps First Heat race. The former USAC West Coast 360 Champion left the Lake Perris Fairgrounds ranked fourth in the point standings.
A.J. Bender (San Diego, California) got the action underway by earning his first career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award with a time of 16.601 over the 24-car roster. Driving the family owned #21 Bender Pool & Spa / K&R Motorsports DRC, Bender ran second to Mitchell in his heat race and finished twelfth in the feature. At press time, the USAC Western States Midget Series point leader is twentieth in USAC/CRA points.
Jake Hodges (Camarillo, California) earned the first USAC/CRA heat race win of his career. Racing his #4 Laserworx Manufacturing / Race Crafters Manufacturing Maxim, Hodges qualified fourteenth overall, won the 10-lap Billsjerky.net / Laserworx Manufacturing / Factory Wraps Second Heat Race, and placed twentieth in the main event. In limited action, Jake sits thirtieth in the chase for the championship.
“The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa (Garden Grove, California) returned to USAC/CRA action and topped the 10-lap In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Third Heat Race. Piloting the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Eagle, Roa was ninth fast in time trials and earned the Shawn McDonald Memorial Feature Award with a sixth place finish in the main event. In limited starts, the 2019 USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Champion ranks fourteenth in championship points.
“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) nearly won the “Sokola Shootout” by earning the night’s Hard Charger Award / Best Passing Job honors with a second place run from seventh. Driving his #47 MP Environmental Services / Black Magic Bead Breaker DRC, Davis qualified fourth overall and scored eighth in his heat race after being collected in a tangle. The multi-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion is currently second in the point standings.
Kyle Edwards (Fountain Valley, California) earned the Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award at the “Sokola Shootout.” Racing the family owned #39E Safehouse Security / Van Dyne Engineering Triple X, Edwards was fifteenth quick in time trials and placed fifth in his heat race. In limited action, the veteran driver is thirty-fourth in the USAC/CRA point chase.
Eddie Tafoya Jr. (Chino Hills, California) took home the Shawn McDonald Memorial Qualifying Award by qualifying sixth overall. Piloting the family owned #51T Specialty Fasteners / Bell Helmets DRC, Tafoya placed sixth in his heat race and finished eighth in the main event. The former USAC/CRA and USAC SouthWest Rookie of the Year heads to Bakersfield ranked fifth in the championship point standings.
On Saturday, May 14th, the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will make their first of two appearances at Bakersfield Speedway. For more event information, visit bakersfieldspeedway.com.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks Billsjerky.net, Factory Wraps, Flowdynamics Incorporated, The Gardner Family (In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner), Hoosier Racing Tires, Laserworx Manufacturing, Woodland Auto Display, BR Motorsports, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing, In Memory of Shawn McDonald, Rod End Supply, Vahlco Wheels, and Wilwood Disc Brakes for their support.
For more information on the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC/CRA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
USAC/CRA AMSOIL SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: July 30, 2016 – Perris, California – Perris Auto Speedway
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Ronnie Gardner, 92M, Sertich-16.626; 2. Danny Faria Jr., 17V, Faria-16.832; 3. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-16.872; 4. Damion Gardner, 4, Alexander-16.911; 5. Mike Spencer, 4S, Gansen-16.957; 6. Jake Swanson, 92, Sertich-16.979; 7. Max Adams, 5M, Adams-17.039; 8. Parker Colston, 64, Gore-17.043; 9. Logan Williams, 5, Jory-17.060; 10. Richard VanderWeerd, 10, VanderWeerd-17.068; 11. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-17.069; 12. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-17.107; 13. Matt Mitchell, 21AZ, Burkhart-17.127; 14. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-17.179; 15. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-17.266; 16. Anthony Lopiccolo, 36, Springstead-17.408; 17. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.464; 18. Tommy Malcom, 5X, Napier-17.466; 19. Kenny Perkins, 0K, Perkins-17.632; 20. Jeremy Ellertson, 98, Ellertson-17.641; 21. Verne Sweeney, 98V, Tracy-17.880; 22. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-17.939; 23. Andrew Sweeney, 98JR, Tracy-18.074; 24. Matt Stewart, 84, Stewart-18.323; 25. Jeff Dyer, 39, Cal-Sun-18.425; 26. Austen Figueroa, 49, Bach-18.747.
EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. D.Gardner, 2. Mitchell, 3. R.Vander Weerd, 4. R.Gardner, 5. Lopiccolo, 6. Adams, 7. Hix, 8. Dyer, 9. Perkins. NT
DJ SAFETY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Roa, 2. Bender, 3. Spencer, 4. Faria, 5. Ellertson, 6. A.Sweeney, 7. Gansen, 8. Figueroa, 9. Colston. NT
CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE / KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. J.Vander Weerd, 2. A.Williams, 3. Swanson, 4. C.Williams, 5. L.Williams, 6. Malcolm, 7. V.Sweeney, 8. Stewart. 3:02.06
BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Adams, 2. L.Williams, 3. Colston, 4. Malcolm, 5. Perkins, 6. V.Sweeney, 7. Ellertson, 8. Gansen, 9. A.Sweeney, 10. Stewart, 11. Hix, 12. Dyer, 13. Lopiccolo, 14. Figueroa. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Matt Mitchell, 2. Austin Williams, 3. Ronnie Gardner, 4. Jake Swanson, 5. Cody Williams, 6. Logan Williams, 7. Mike Spencer, 8. Tommy Malcolm, 9. Damion Gardner, 10. Matt Stewart, 11. Verne Sweeney, 12. Richard Vander Weerd, 13. Chris Gansen, 14. Andrew Sweeney, 15. Max Adams, 16. Kenny Perkins, 17. Brody Roa, 18. Jace Vander Weerd, 19. Danny Faria Jr., 20. A.J. Bender, 21. Parker Colston, 22. Jeremy Ellertson. NT
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**Faria flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-17 Spencer, Laps 18-25 D.Gardner, Lap 26 Spencer, Laps 27-30 Mitchell.
BR MOTORSPORTS / KING RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Matt Mitchell (13th to 1st)
NEW USAC/CRA AMSOIL SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-R.Vander Weerd-526, 2-Swanson-520, 3-D.Gardner-519, 4-Roa-492, 5-Spencer-489, 6-A.Williams-464, 7-C.Williams-342, 8-L.Williams-336, 9-Adams-328, 10-Gansen-319;
NEXT USAC/CRA AMSOIL SPRINT CAR RACE: August 27 – Perris (CA) Auto Speedway – “California Racers Hall of Fame Night”