By Scott Daloisio
(Perris, CA, September 18, 2017)
“It is appropriate that Saturday’s 200th USAC/CRA race at The PAS is also the Glenn Howard Classic,” promoter Don Kazarian said on Monday afternoon. “Glenn was very instrumental when the USAC/CRA Series was formed over the winter of 2003-04. It is safe to say that without his input, there may not have been a USAC/CRA Series. Glenn was a man who did everything in racing from being a driver, car owner, racing business owner to being an official. Everyone looked to him for advice and he was liked by everyone he ever came in contact with.”
Kazarian continued about the historic 200th race.
“I had no idea we had hosted that many races in the series until Lance Jennings (USAC PR Man) brought it up,” Kazarian said with a smile. “The first one was the 2004 season opener and Mike Kirby won the main event. It has been a longtime good series and it features the best drivers on the West Coast. We are honored to be its home track.”
Among those good drivers is Laveen, Arizona’s R.J. Johnson. In 2005, then 18-year-old Johnson won the USAC/CRA “Rookie of the Year” award. Since that time, the second-generation driver has won multiple Arizona sprint car championships and over the last three months, he has dominated the last three USAC/CRA races at The PAS. He has won all three of the 30-lap main events (June 24th, July 22nd and August 26th) and he has led 89 of the 90 laps.
Laveen, Arizona’s R.J. Johnson will be looking for his fourth Perris Auto Speedway win in a row on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Lance Jennings.
“The last three races R.J. Johnson has whipped up on the locals,” Kazarian commented. “He has the track dialed in right now and has been running away from the field. With the way he has been making it look easy, you have to throw his hat in the ring as one of the main contenders for November’s Budweiser Oval Nationals presented by All Coast Construction. Good for him. R.J., his dad and the entire crew are great people. It is nice to see them have so much success not only in Arizona, but here as well.”
Trying to stop Johnson from his fourth PAS win in a row will be 5-time USAC/CRA champ and current point leader Damion Gardner of Concord, Brody Roa of Garden Grove, Anaheim’s Jake Swanson, 5-time series “King” Mike Spencer of Temecula, Austin Williams of Yorba Linda and a bevy of other drivers.
The PAS Senior and Young Gun Sprints will also be in action on Saturday and it will be there next to last race of the year. Richard McCormick of Canyon Country holds a 22-point lead over Palmdale’s Rick Hendrix in the Senior Sprints. In the Young Guns, it is much tighter as Hannah Mayhew, a college student from Acton, leads 15-year-old Covina High student Joel Rayborne by a mere four-points.
Adult tickets for Saturday’s race are $25.00. Seniors 65 and older get in for $20.00. Active military members with proper id, teens 13-18 with their school id and gets age 6-12 get in for $5.00. Children 5 and under are free. Parking on the fairgrounds is $8.00.
Advanced tickets for Saturday’s event are available 24-hours a day by calling 1-800-595-4849 or online at http://pas.tix.com/Event.aspx?EventCode=922980. For those who do not wish to purchase advance tickets, there will be plenty of tickets available for everyone at the ticket window on Saturday.
Amsoil USAC/CRA Point Standings
1. Damion Gardner – Concord, CA – 1,135
2. Brody Roa – Garden Grove, CA – 1,062
3. Jake Swanson – Anaheim, CA – 1,049
4. Mike Spencer – Temecula, CA – 869
5. Austin Williams – Yorba Linda, CA – 801
6. Cody Williams – Yorba Linda, CA – 731
7. Logan Williams – Yorba Linda, CA – 675
8. Max Adams – Loomis, CA – 623
9. Chris Gansen – Verdemont Heights, CA – 611
10. Mike McCarthy – Riverside, CA – 524
PAS Senior Sprint Car Point Standings
1. Richard McCormick – Canyon Country, CA – 315
2. Rick Hendrix – Palmdale, CA – 293
3. Ed Schwarz – Santa Fe Springs, CA – 265
4. John Aden – Apple Valley, CA – 246
5. Danny Parrish – Fairbanks, AK – 155
PAS Young Gun Sprint Car Point Standings
1. Hannah Mayhew – Acton, CA – 354
2. Joel Rayborne – West Covina, CA – 350
3. Blade Hildebrand – Yucca Valley – CA – 175
4. Daniel Anderson Venice, CA – 114
5. Malyssa Perkins – Oak Hills, CA – 102
Perris Auto Speedway wants to thank its corporate partners for the 2017 season. All Coast Construction, Amsoil, Ayers Hotel and Spa, Brass and Bass Firearms & Fishing Supplies, Budweiser, Bud’s Tire Pro, Center Point Church, Champion Towing, City of Perris, Country Values Magazine, Daytona Boat & RV Storage, Ed Moore Bullet Proof Driveshaft, Edelbrock, Flowdynamics, Full Throttle Scissor Lift Rental, Green Sheet, HD Industries, Hoosier Tires, Indiana Truck Salvage, K&N Engineering, Living Water’s Hospice, Luke’s Transmission, Moreno Valley Magazine of Values, Paul Oil Company, Pepsi-Cola, Pick-A-Part Auto Salvage, Pole Position, Precision Engine of Murrieta, PrintItNow.com, Scott Sales, Shaver Specialties, Square H, Sunstate Equipment, Swedish Speed, Original Tommy’s Burgers, Trench Shoring, Valley News, Vista Paint and Weedmaps.
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Video and DVD productions of open wheel racing events at Perris Auto Speedway are available from Loudpedal Productions. For more information on these productions you can contact them by calling (805) 844-3854, E-mailing mailto:trtruex@gmail.com or you can visit the website LoudPedal Productions
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds (home of October’s Southern California Fair), approximately one-hour east of Los Angeles and one-hour North of San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, exit on the Ramona Expressway and go three miles east to the fairgrounds.
racesatthepas@aol.com is the only authorized Internet address to issue official media news released from The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval Entertainment.