By Lance Jennings
AUGUST 12, 2019… This Saturday, August 17th, the battle for the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car championship resumes at Perris Auto Speedway. Promoted by Don Kazarian, the “California Racers Hall of Fame Night” is also a co-sanctioned grudge race with Arizona’s Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars. The open wheel showcase will also feature the PAS Senior Sprints, PAS Young Gun Sprints, and the Western Racing Association Vintage Cars (Display). Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds in Perris, California, the spectator gates at “America’s Premier Dirt Track” will open at 5:00pm and racing is scheduled for 7:00pm. At intermission, there will be a candy giveaway for kids and a meet and greet with the fans on the front straightaway. For more event information, visit the track’s website at www.perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134.
NOTICE TO RACERS:
– 2019 APPROVED/LEGAL MUFFLERS: EXTREME: 6014-3535, 3615-3535, BILLY BOAT: FRAC-0375S, COAST FABRICATION: 350x625x17-2S, FLOWMASTER: 53545-10, 13516100, 13516101, SCHOENFELD: 14272535, 14272735-78, SPINTECH: 1545P SUPER STOCK. *Failure to comply with the muffler rule will risk disqualification from the event.
– FRONT AXLE TETHER SYSTEMS (2-Chassis, 1-King Pin to King Pin) ARE MANDATORY.
– FULL CONTAINMENT SEATS ARE MANDATORY.
– Hoosier Tires are required on all four corners with the 105/16 Medium, 105/18 Hard, and 105/18 F85A as the only approved right rear tires. The “Medium” is also legal with the USAC National, USAC SouthWest, USAC West Coast, and VRA Sprint Cars.
– Cockpit adjustable shocks ARE ALLOWED.
– USAC/CRA charges a $25 entry fee to all competitors and the series rule book can be found online at usacracing.com.
– USAC MEMBERSHIPS can be purchased at the track or online at usaclicense.com.
– USAC BONUS / Any racer who enters every event for both the AMSOIL USAC/CRA and Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car schedules will have their entry fees reimbursed at the end of the year.
The “California Racers Hall of Fame Night” continues the rich tradition of honoring those that have contributed to Southern California Sprint Car Racing. The popular event began in 1996 as the “Jack Kindoll Classic” and when the gates open at 5:00pm, there will be a special autograph session at the PAS Sports Bar. At press time, legends Jimmy Oskie, Brad Noffsinger, Eddie Wirth, Shane Carson, John Redican, Mike Sweeney, and “The Tempe Tornado” Lealand McSpadden have confirmed that they will be in attendance. There are rumors of more surprise guests for fans to meet and greet at the autograph session.
Led by Perris and Ascot infield announcer Chris Holt, additional prize money has been raised for Saturday’s “California Racers Hall of Fame Night.” Thanks to the Wilkerson Family and the Woodland Auto Display, Saturday’s “Billy Wilkerson Fast Time Award” winner will earn $600. For the fastest four qualifiers that accept the challenge, the “Junior Kurtz Trophy Dash” will pay $1,000 to the winner. The feature winner will take home an extra $1,600 and an extra $500 will go to the main event runner up. The “Ellen Ellis Hard Charger Award” winner will pocket $1,000 and Holt has gathered extra lap money and other bonuses. A special thanks goes out to Chris Holt and everyone that contributed to the event.
To date, there have been 218 USAC/CRA events at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. Since March 6, 2004, 39 different drivers claimed victory at Perris, led by “The Demon” Damion Gardner with 46 victories and Nic Faas set the 1-lap track record of 15.833 on February 25, 2012. During the last five visits, Richard Vander Weerd has two triumphs with other wins scored by Gardner, Brody Roa and Hunter Schuerenberg. The series win list at Perris is at the end of this release.
Entering the eleventh point race, there have been six different winners. Gardner, Roa, Schuerenberg, and Vander Weerd are tied with two victories, while Josh Hodges and Troy Rutherford have one win on the season.
After winning the July 13th race at Perris, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, CA) has regained the point lead and heads to Saturday’s event with a 49 point advantage. Driving Mark Alexander’s #4 Trench Shoring / All Coast Construction Spike, Gardner has two feature wins, six Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, nine top-10 finishes, and 48 feature laps led on the year. Also ranked twelfth in SouthWest points, the seven-time champion leads all drivers with 82 USAC/CRA wins and will be looking for his fifth “California Racers Hall of Fame Night” victory.
Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA) ranks second in the chase for the USAC/CRA championship. Piloting the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Maxim, Roa scored eighteenth at Perris after a driveline problem ended his night. To date, the 2016 USAC West Coast champion has posted two feature wins, one heat race victory, eight top-10 finishes, and 73 feature laps led to his credit. Also leading the USAC SouthWest point standings, Brody is currently tied with “The People’s Champion” Dave Darland, “Super” Rickie Gaunt, and “Showtime” Danny Sheridan with eight career USAC/CRA wins. This Saturday, Roa will have his sights on adding the “California Racers Hall of Fame Night” to his resume.
“The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, CA) sits third in the USAC/CRA point standings. Racing Tom and Laurie Sertich’s #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Lucas Oil DRC, Williams scored sixth in the July 13th main event. At press time, the 2009 Co-Rookie of the Year has one heat race victory, Specialty Fasteners Hard Charger Award, nine top-10 finishes, and 10 feature laps led in the campaign. Currently sitting eleventh in SouthWest points, Austin is tied with Matt Mitchell with seven career USAC/CRA triumphs and will be looking to repeat as the “California Racers Hall of Fame Night” winner.
Jake Swanson (Anaheim, CA) is fourth in the championship point chase. Piloting John Grau & Mike Burkhart’s #34AZ Stratis Construction / KSE Custom Drywall DRC, Swanson scored twentieth at Perris after an early exit. To date, the 2017 USAC West Coast Champion has two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, one heat race victory, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Pyrotect Racing Cells Semi-Main win, six top-10 finishes, and 8 feature laps led to his credit. Jake ranks sixth in USAC SouthWest points and is tied with Max Adams, Tyler Brown, Tyler Courtney, Josh Hodges, Kyle Larson, Troy Rutherford, and Hunter Schuerenberg with two career USAC/CRA victories. This Saturday, Swanson will have his sights on his first win at Perris Auto Speedway.
Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm (Corona, CA) ranks fifth in the point chase. Driving Dino Napier’s #5X Indiana Truck Salvage / Rockstar Coatings Maxim, Malcolm continues to impress after scoring a fourth place finish at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. At press time, the young driver has posted two heat race victories, two Competition Suspension Inc. / Pyrotect Racing Cells Semi-Main wins, and five top-10 finishes on the season. Tommy “Thunder” will be looking to earn the first sprint car win of his career at the “California Racers Hall of Fame Night.”
Currently sitting fourteenth in points, Eddie Tafoya Jr. (Chino Hills, CA) leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors. Steve Hix (Ventura, CA), and Jeff Dyer (Bermuda Dunes, CA) are also in contention.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Chris Gansen, R.J. Johnson, Matt McCarthy, “The Cadillac” Cody Williams, Richard Vander Weerd, A.J. Bender, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., Stevie Sussex, Verne Sweeney, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, Joel Rayborne, “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., Jace Vander Weerd, Matt Mitchell, Austin Liggett, Matt Stewart, and more.
Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA) leads a strong contingent with the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series. R.J. Johnson, Stevie Sussex, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, Jake Swanson, “The Real American” Matt Rossi, Matt Lundy, Michael Curtis, and Chris Bonneau round out the top-10 drivers.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. Adult tickets are $25, Senior tickets (65 and over) are $20, Active Military (with ID), Students (13-18), and Kids tickets (6-12) are $5. Children’s tickets (5 and under) are FREE. For more event information, visit the track’s website at perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks All Coast Construction, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Flowdynamics, Hoosier Racing Tire, Loudpedal Productions, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Saldana Racing Products, Specialty Fasteners, surfNsprint.com, Ultra Shield Race Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, contact PR Director Lance Jennings at lwjennings@earthlink.net.
For more information on the 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.
FloSports has USAC/CRA Sprint Car live videos and on demand coverage available for purchase at floracing.com. A 250-mile blackout from Perris Auto Speedway will be in effect.
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS: 2004-Rip Williams, 2005-Damion Gardner, 2006-Cory Kruseman, 2007-Tony Jones, 2008-Mike Spencer, 2009-Mike Spencer, 2010-Mike Spencer, 2011-Mike Spencer, 2012-Mike Spencer, 2013-Damion Gardner, 2014-Damion Gardner, 2015-Damion Gardner, 2016-Damion Gardner, 2017-Damion Gardner, 2018-Damion Gardner.
CALIFORNIA RACERS HALL OF FAME NIGHT / JACK KINDOLL CLASSIC WINNERS: 1996-Lee Brewer Jr., 1997-Rip Williams, 1998-Cory Kruseman, 1999-Richard Griffin, 2000-Cory Kruseman, 2001-Cory Kruseman, 2002-Steve Ostling, 2003-Lance Gremett, 2004-Rickie Gaunt, 2005-Cory Kruseman, 2006-Tony Jones, 2007-Cory Kruseman, 2008-Damion Gardner, 2009-Mike Spencer, 2010-Mike Spencer, 2011-Mike Spencer, 2012-Mike Spencer, 2013-Cory Kruseman, 2014-Damion Gardner, 2015-Damion Gardner, 2016-Damion Gardner, 2017-R.J. Johnson, 2018-Austin Williams.
2019 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 2-Damion Gardner, 2-Brody Roa, 2-Hunter Schuerenberg, 2-Richard Vander Weerd, 1-Josh Hodges, 1-Troy Rutherford.
PERRIS AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 46-Damion Gardner, 24-Mike Spencer, 19-Tony Jones, 17-Cory Kruseman, 9-Nic Faas, 8-David Cardey, 8-Richard Vander Weerd, 7-Rip Williams, 6-Bryan Clauson, 6-Mike Kirby, 6-Matt Mitchell, 6-Danny Sheridan, 5-Rickie Gaunt, 5-Justin Grant, 4-Robert Ballou, 4-Dave Darland, 4-R.J. Johnson, 4-Austin Williams, 3-Garrett Hansen, 2-Darren Hagen, 2-Jesse Hockett, 2-Levi Jones, 2-Blake Miller, 2-Brody Roa, 2-Kevin Thomas Jr., 2-Chris Windom, 1-Chad Boespflug, 1-Greg Bragg, 1-Daron Clayton, 1-Charles Davis Jr., 1-Josh Ford, 1-Josh Hodges, 1-Bud Kaeding, 1-Adam Mitchell, 1-Johnny Rodriguez, 1-Hunter Schuerenberg, 1-Chase Stockon, 1-Scotty Weir, 1-Jason York.
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Damion Gardner-689, 2. Brody Roa-640, 3. Austin Williams-611, 4. Jake Swanson-511, 5. Tommy Malcolm-467, 6. Chris Gansen-452, 7. R.J. Johnson-405, 8. Matt McCarthy-374, 9. Cody Williams-355, 10. Richard Vander Weerd-316, 11. A.J. Bender-297, 12. Charles Davis Jr.-289, 13. Stevie Sussex-287, 14. Eddie Tafoya Jr. ®-279, 15. Verne Sweeney-277, 16. Mike Martin-264, 17. Steve Hix ®-260, 18. Joel Rayborne-228, 19. Danny Faria Jr.-210, 20. Jace Vander Weerd-199.
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Brody Roa-622, 2. R.J. Johnson-613, 3. Stevie Sussex-576, 4. Charles Davis Jr.-548, 5. Mike Martin-521, 6. Jake Swanson-387, 7. Matt Rossi-381, 8. Matt Lundy-368, 9. Michael Curtis-347, 10. Chris Bonneau-300, 11. Austin Williams-256, 12. Damion Gardner-222, 13. Josh Hodges-202, 14. Jonas Reynolds-201, 15. Isaac Chapple-200, 16. Tommy Malcolm-148, 17. Daylin Perreira-141, 18. Dennis Gile-136, 19. Logan Seavey-127, 20. Jason McDougal-124.