By Scott Daloisio
(Perris, CA, May 21, 2024) This Saturday, May 25th, Perris Auto Speedway will host one of the nation’s oldest sprint car races when the “Salute to Indy,” for the Avanti Windows and Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, takes place on the famous Riverside County half-mile clay oval. Joining the 410 traditional sprint cars on the program will be the GAS Chassis Young Gun Sprint Cars, PAS Senior Sprints, and the PASSCAR Super Stocks and Street Stocks. Spectator gates will open at 5:00 P.M. with racing at 7:00.
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Tommy Malcolm takes a swig of chocolate milk after winning last year’s Salute to Indy. Kenny Lonngren photo.
The “Salute to Indy,” which honors the Indianapolis 500, dates back to 1948 when Dempsey Wilson, whose grandson Seth raced sprint cars at The PAS, captured the inaugural running of the now prestigious race. From 1948 through 1990, the race was contested in all but five years. After legendary Ascot Park closed in 1990, the Salute to Indy was put on ice until The PAS hosted it in 1996. Since its rebirth in the Inland Empire, the famed race has taken place every year except for 2008 when it was canceled by rain, and 2020 when it was wiped out by COVID. This year will be the 27th time The PAS has hosted the race and the 19th time it has been sanctioned by USAC/CRA.
While this weekend’s affair comes 76 years after the race was initially held, it will be the 71st running. You may wonder how that can be as the race did not occur 12-times since its introduction. The answer is simple. Some years in the 1970s and 1980s, Ascot held multiple races over Memorial Day weekend and each race was called the “Salute to Indy”. In 1971, 1978, 1981, 1982, and 1983, there were two “Salute to Indy” races. In 1980, three editions of the race took place on the revered grounds located at 190th and Vermont in Gardena, California.
Over the years, National Sprint Car Hall of Famers Dean Thompson and Bubby Jones recorded the most “Salute to Indy” wins with five victories each. However, all of Thompson’s wins came in years when the race was held multiple times. In addition, three of Jones’s five triumphs took place when the race was held more than one time per year.
Only two drivers have won the race four times. One is National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Billy Wilkerson and the other is nine-time USAC/CRA Sprint Car champion Damion Gardner. Unlike Thompson and Jones, Wilkerson and Gardner’s triumphs all came when the race was only run one time per year. Wilkerson’s victories came at Ascot in 1968, 69,’ 72′ and 73.’ Gardner’s triumphs came in 2003, 04,’ 14,’ and 17′ and all were at The PAS. A complete list of all of the winners is at the end of this release.
In the first 26 Salute to Indy races at The PAS, 17 different drivers have posted wins. Gardner leads the way with four wins. Mike Kirby won the race three times at The PAS. Cory Kruseman, Blake Miller, Matt Mitchell, and “The Big Game Hunter,” Austin Williams, have two wins each. Eleven other drivers have won the race one time on the famous Riverside County half mile.
Past Salute to Indy winners who will be in action on Saturday are Mitchell (2011, 2013), Williams (2016, 2018), Brody Roa (2021), Cody Williams (2022), and defending race champion Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm.
The winner of the Indianapolis 500 is always presented with a bottle of white milk. The same held when the Salute to Indy was first contested at The PAS. However, a suggestion was made that since the Salute to Indy is on dirt, the milk should be chocolate-flavored. Thus, a PAS tradition was born and ever since, the winner has been presented with a bottle of cold chocolate milk.
As mentioned earlier, the only two years the race has not taken place at The PAS since 1996 were in 2008 and in 2020. Other years the race did not take place since its inception were 1950, 1951, 1960, 1965, 1970, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, and 1995.
For Saturday’s Salute to Indy, spectator gates will open at 5:00 p.m. and the first race will take the green flag at 7:00. Adult tickets for the night of exciting dirt track racing and clean family fun are $30.00. Seniors 65 and over get in for $25.00. For kids 6-12 it is only $5.00, and children 5 and under are admitted free. Advance tickets are available online at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7. They can also be ordered by phone at 1-800-595-4849. We will have plenty available at the ticket window on Saturday for fans who do not wish to purchase tickets in advance. The fairgrounds charge $10.00 for parking.
To keep up with everything happening at The PAS, please visit the track’s social media efforts on Facebook and Instagram and visit the website at perrisautospeedway.com.
Perris Auto Speedway is conveniently located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds (home of the Southern California Fair), 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. For directions online, the address to enter is: 18700 Lake Perris Drive and the zip code is 92571.
2024 Perris Auto Speedway Schedule
May 25th “SALUTE TO INDY” AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR SPRINTS, GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES AND PASSCAR SUPER AND STREET STOCKS
June 1st LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8’S, TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
June 22nd AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR SPRINTS, GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES AND PASSCAR STREET AND FACTORY STOCKS
June 29th FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR AND SKY CONCERT” LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION
DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8’S, TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
THE FIRST 1,000 GUESTS WILL RECEIVE A FREE HOT DOG COUPON AND A FREE AMERICAN FLAG.
July 13th AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints, GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUNS SERIES, AND PASSCAR SUPER AND FACTORY STOCKS
August 10th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8’S, TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
August 17th BROTHER BRETT CLASSIC AT THE CALIFORNIA RACER’S HALL OF FAME NIGHT, AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints, GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUNS SERIES AND PASSCAR SUPER AND STREET STOCKS
September 7th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8’S, TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
September 21st AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints, GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUNS SERIES AND PASSCAR SUPER AND FACTORY STOCKS
October 26th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8’S, TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
November 8th 27TH RUNNING OF THE OVAL NATIONALS Featuring AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR SPRINTS, GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES AND PASSCAR SUPER, STREET AND FACTORY STOCKS
November 9th 27TH RUNNING OF THE OVAL NATIONALS Featuring AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR SPRINTS, GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES – JERRY DODD CHAMPIONS NIGHT, PASSCAR SUPER, STREET AND FACTORY STOCKS
THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
The PAS would like to thank all of its 2024 marketing partners.
Avanti Doors and Windows – https://www.avantiwindow.com/
Budweiser- https://us.budweiser.com/
Chris’s Hauling
Ed Pink Racing Engines – edpink.com
Flowdynamics – http://www.flowdynamicsonline.com/
Heimark Distributors – https://heimark.com/
Hoosier Tire – https://www.hoosiertire.com/
Jugo Superfoods – https://jugobrands.com/
Living Waters – https://livingwatershospice.com/
LKQ Pick Your Part – https://www.lkqpickyourpart.com/
Marjon RV’s – https://marjonrvs.com/
Mike’s Produce
Performance Online – https://www.performanceonline.com/
Premier Medical Transportation – https://pmtpremier.com/
Sunoco Race Fuels – https://www.sunocoracefuels.com/
Symbiosis – https://symbiosiscare.com/
Trench Shoring – https://www.trenchshoring.com/
Team Stites – https://teamstites.com/
Vista Paint – https://www.vistapaint.com/
Wind N Sea Towing – https://windnseatowing.com/
4 Wheel Parts – https://www.4wheelparts.com/
For information on 2024 billboard advertising at The PAS, please call 951-940-0134 and ask for Charlie Watson.
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/
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.
mailto:perrisautospeedway1@gmail.com is the only authorized Internet address to issue official media news released from The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval Entertainment.
Salute to Indy Winners
1948 Dempsey Wilson
1949 Bob Denny
1952 Colby Scroggin
1953 Bob Denny
1954 Harry Stockman
1955 Rosie Roussel
1956 Art Bisch
1957 Art Clark
1958 Bud Rose
1959 Ray Prosser
1961 Jack Brunner
1962 Colby Scroggin
1963 Billy Cantrell
1964 Hal Minyard
1966 Bruce Walkup
1967 Bob Hogle
1968 Billy Wilkerson
1969 Billy Wilkerson
1971 Dick Zimmerman
Don Hamilton
1972 Billy Wilkerson
1973 Billy Wilkerson
1974 Jimmy Oskie
1975 Clark Templeman
1976 Mike Shaw
1977 John Redican
1978 Dean Thompson
Tony Simon
1979 Bobby Olivero
1980 Bubby Jones
Dean Thompson
Dean Thompson
1981 Dean Thompson
Dean Thompson
1982 Dean Thompson
Bubby Jones
1983 Rip Williams
1984 Bubby Jones
1985 Eddie Wirth
1986 Bubby Jones
1987 Mike Sweeney
1988 Lealand McSpadden
1989 Brad Noffsinger
1990 Ron Shuman
1996 JJ Yeley
1997 Cory Kruseman
1998 Mike Kirby
1999 Troy Rutherford
2000 Richard Griffin
2001 Mike Kirby
2002 Mike Kirby
2003 Damion Gardner
2004 Damion Gardner
2005 Cory Kruseman
2006 Tony Jones
2007 Blake Miller
2008 Rained Out
2009 Blake Miller
2010 David Cardey
2011 Matt Mitchell
2012 Mike Spencer
2013 Matt Mitchell
2014 Damion Gardner
2015 Richard Vander Weerd
2016 Austin Williams
2017 Damion Gardner
2018 Austin Williams
2019 Hunter Schuerenberg
2021 Brody Roa
2022 Cody Williams
2023 Tommy Malcolm