From Lance Jennings
Perris, California (May 24, 2025)………Starting third, Ricky Lewis of Oxnard, California led all 30-laps to score his fifth Avanti Windows and Doors USAC CRA Sprint Car triumph of the season at southern California’s Perris Auto Speedway.
Returning to his #41 Coyote Candle Company / Mesilla Valley Transportation DRC, Lewis had a torrid early race battle with Matt Mitchell until shaking free from all challengers to top the Salute to Indy.
The series point leader scored his ninth career victory by a 3.637 second margin over David Gasper, R.J. Johnson, Mitchell, and “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams.
Defending champion R.J. Johnson opened the Salute to Indy by posting his fourth consecutive Woodland Auto Display / WC Friend Company Access Systems Fast Time Award. Driving the Petty Performance Racing #33p Avanti Windows and Doors / Apache Transport entry, the multi-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion topped the speed charts with a time of 16.437 seconds over the 22 car roster.
Rookie contender Connor Lundy earned his first 10-lap heat race victory with USAC CRA in the In Honor of Wiley Miller Sr. & Wiley Miller II / Sexton Fire Protection First Heat Race. Former Rookie of the Year, Eddie Tafoya Jr. claimed the shortened 8-lap Silbermann Solar / Factory Wraps Second Heat. Former champion “The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa raced to victory in the WC Friend Company Access Systems / In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Third Heat.
Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm earned the In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award with a seventh place run from sixteenth.
For more information on the Avanti Windows & Doors USAC CRA Sprint Car Series, visit www.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 Series Director Tony Jones has announced that the September 6th race scheduled at Perris Auto Speedway has been moved to one week later on Saturday, September 13th. The non-winged USAC CRA Sprints will now share the spotlight with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars.
The Avanti Windows & Doors USAC CRA Sprint Car Series will take a break in the schedule and will return to action on June 21st at Perris Auto Speedway.
AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: May 24, 2025 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California – Salute to Indy
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY / WC FRIEND COMPANY ACCESS SYSTEMS QUALIFYING: 1. R.J. Johnson, 33p, Petty-16.437; 2. Logan Williams, 5w, McCarthy-16.620; 3. David Gasper, 18, Gasper/Kittle-16.673; 4. Ricky Lewis, 41, Lewis-16.734; 5. Cody Williams, 44, Williams-16.736; 6. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-16.756; 7. Austin Williams, 17w, Dunkel-16.769; 8. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-16.931; 9. Cole Wakim, 73, Ford-17.056; 10. Blake Bower, 17x, Dunkel-17.188; 11. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-17.264; 12. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-17.290; 13. Connor Lundy, 97, Lundy-17.376; 14. Brody Wake, 78B, Wake-17.436; 15. Connor Speir, 57S, Speir-17.534; 16. Tommy Malcolm, 5x, Napier-17.534; 17. Andrew Sweeney, 98A, Guerrero-17.635; 18. Verne Sweeney, 98, Guerrero-18.147; 19. Tanner Boul, 99T, Boul-18.346; 20. Elexa Herrera, 5E, Herrera-18.465; 21. Shane Sexton, 74, Sexton-18.579; 22. Brecken Guerrero, 98B, Guerrero-18.772.
IN HONOR OF WILEY MILLER SR. & WILEY MILLER II / SEXTON FIRE PROTECTION FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Connor Lundy, 2. Tommy Malcolm, 3. R.J. Johnson, 4. Ricky Lewis, 5. Austin Williams, 6. Blake Bower, 7. Tanner Boul, 8. Brecken Guerrero. 2:58.52
SILBERMANN SOLAR / FACTORY WRAPS SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, shortened from 10 laps, all transfer to feature) 1. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 2. Logan Williams, 3. Cody Williams, 4. Elexa Herrera, 5. Andrew Sweeney, 6. Brody Wake, 7. A.J. Bender. 2:25.67
WC FRIEND COMPANY ACCESS SYSTEMS / IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to feature) 1. Brody Roa, 2. Matt Mitchell, 3. David Gasper, 4. Connor Speir, 5. Cole Wakim, 6. Verne Sweeney, 7. Shane Sexton. 3:00.35
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Ricky Lewis (3), 2. David Gasper (4), 3. R.J. Johnson (6), 4. Matt Mitchell (1), 5. Austin Williams (7), 6. A.J. Bender (8), 7. Tommy Malcolm (16), 8. Brody Roa (12), 9. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (11), 10. Blake Bower (10), 11. Connor Lundy (13), 12. Andrew Sweeney (17), 13. Connor Speir (15), 14. Cole Wakim (9), 15. Shane Sexton (21), 16. Elexa Herrera (20), 17. Brecken Guerrero (22), 18. Logan Williams (5), 19. Tanner Boul (19), 20. Brody Wake (14), 21. Verne Sweeney (18), 22. Cody Williams (2). NT.
**Brody Wake flipped during lap 1 of the second heat race and lap 21 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Ricky Lewis
IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER HARD CHARGER: Tommy Malcolm (16th to 7th)
AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Ricky Lewis-602, 2-R.J. Johnson-584, 3-David Gasper-511, 4-A.J. Bender-497, 5-Austin Williams-495, 6-Cody Williams-464, 7-Tommy Malcolm-437, 8-Logan Williams-383, 9-Charles Davis Jr.-380, 10-Blake Bower-373.
NEXT AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC CRA SPRINT CAR RACE: June 21, 2025 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California