By Scott Daloisio
(Perris, CA, September 12, 2022) This Saturday night, September 17th, Perris Auto Speedway will play host to the 14th annual Glen Howard Memorial. The exciting show will feature the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, Lucas Oil POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprints, and The PAS Senior and Young Gun Sprints. Spectator gates for the open wheel extravaganza will open at 5:00 PM and the first race will be at 7:00.
Saturday’s race honors the late Glen Howard, who was a jack of all trades when it came to racing. He was a driver, car owner, innovator, official, and racing entrepreneur. He spent his entire adult life around the sport and helped hundreds of drivers along the way. Whether it meant advising on setups, driving tips, or letting someone have credit for parts needed to get a car on the track, Howard never turned anyone down. His love for the sport and seeing it survive meant the world to him. Thus, Saturday’s race holds a special meaning for every competitor on the track.
“We started the Glen Howard Memorial in 2008 after Glen passed away,” promoter Don Kazarian said. “At that time, virtually every driver in the series knew Glen. Either as an official, car owner, or through his business. So, right out of the bag, this race was a big deal and everybody really wanted to win it. These days, many of the drivers from the first few editions of the race are no longer racing. Except for a handful of drivers who were racing back then, a majority of the field these days may not have known Glen. However, a crew member or a parent may have been racing or been around him. They have passed on the importance of the race to these younger drivers. Thus, it remains one of the most significant and coveted races on our schedule.”
Staged every year at The PAS, eight different drivers have won the sought-after race. Three of the eight – Damion Gardner, Austin Williams, and Charles Davis Jr. – will be in action on Saturday. Gardner, the nine-time USAC/CRA champion from Concord, California, leads the way with four Glen Howard Memorial wins. Williams, from Corona, has two, and Buckeye, Arizona’s Charles Davis Jr. has one win. Davis’s victory came last year and he warmed up for this week’s race by winning the last sprint car race at The PAS on August 20th. Starting ninth in the 30-lap main event on that night, Davis, driving his brilliant yellow #47, methodically worked his way to the front. In storybook fashion, he blew past Gardner going down the back straightaway on the last lap sending the crowd into a frenzy.
“Many of the people in attendance said it was the greatest race in our 26-year history,” Kazarian stated. “It would be hard to argue that point. Charles Davis junior smoked some of the best drivers west of the Mississippi including the nine-time series champion on the last lap. The ovation he got when he climbed out of that car was incredible. On top of everything else, it could not happen to a nicer guy. He is one of the really good guys in the sport. Anybody who is counting him out this Saturday night, better look back at the video from last month. He is always a contender at Perris Auto Speedway.”
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Charles Davis Jr, the defending Glen Howard Memorial winner, and victor in the last sprint car race
at The PAS in August. Doug Allen Photo.
Glen Howard Memorial Winners
2008 Tony Jones
2009 Bryan Clauson
2010 Cory Kruseman
2011 Nic Faas
2012 Mike Spencer
2013 Nic Faas
2014 Damion Gardner
2015 Damion Gardner
2016 Austin Williams
2017 Damion Gardner
2018 Damion Gardner
2019 Austin Williams
2020 Canceled
2021 Charles Davis Jr.
While the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will headline Saturday’s show, there will also be four other classes in action. The Modifieds will be on hand for their final IMCA points race of 2022. Randy Thornell, who was The PAS Modified champion 15-years-ago, has a commanding 21-point lead over Guatay’s Andy Papp.
For the first time since 2018, lightning sprints will be racing at The PAS. The former home track of the California Lightning Sprint Car Series, Saturday will be the first-ever appearance of the Lucas Oil POWRi Southwest Lightning Sprint Series on the famous half-mile clay oval. Lightnings were a regular part of the PAS schedule from the first year the track opened in 1996 through 2018. Drivers who graduated from the lightning sprints included five-time USAC/CRA champion Mike Spencer, “Dynamite” David Cardey, and USAC National star Darren Hagen.
The PAS Senior and Young Gun Sprint Cars will round out Saturday’s show with heats and main events. Seligman, Arizona’s Richard McCormick is the current point leader in the Senior Sprints, and recent high school graduate Stevie Rogers of Apple Valley leads the way in the Young Guns.
Adult tickets for Saturday’s show are $30.00. Seniors 65 and over get in for $25.00. For kids 6 to 12, it is just $5.00. Children 5 and under are admitted free. There will be plenty of tickets available for everyone at the ticket window on Saturday, this event will not sell out. For those who wish to purchase advance tickets, they are available 24 hours a day online at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7/event/1256365 or by calling 1-800-595-4849. Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in the city of Paris (91767). The fairgrounds charges $10 for parking
Fans can stay up to date on track and driver news on The PAS social media efforts at the links below.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perris-Auto-Speedway/113876798686480?ref=hl
Twitter: Perris Auto Speedway on Twitter.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perrisautospeedway/
Website: http://perrisautospeedway.com/
Perris Auto Speedway wants to thank the following corporate partners. Ahern Equipment Rentals, Anderson Chevrolet, Battery Systems, Chris’ Hauling, City of Perris, Communication Innovations, Daytona Boat & RV Storage, Ed Moore Bullet Proof Driveshaft, Flowdynamics, HD Industries, Heimark/Anheuser Busch, Hoosier Tires, Inland Rigging, Living Water’s Hospice, LKQ Pick Your Part, Luke’s Transmission, Moose Racing, Pepsi-Cola, Performance Online, Pole Position Raceway, PrintItNow.com, Rainbow Bolt & Supply, Rene’s Bar & Grill, Rugged Radios, Shaver Specialties, Square H, Sunoco Race Fuels, Trench Shoring, Upland Rock, Varner Construction and Vista Paint.
Video and DVD productions of all racing sprint cars 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.
DVDs of all the PASSCAR/IMCA racing and Nights of Destruction at The PAS are available from Fourvideos. For more information call (714) 225-9500.