By Lance Jennings
PERRIS, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 16, 2026… After one of the closest finishes in the history of the Avanti Windows & Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, Connor Lundy of Peoria, Arizona emerged victorious at Perris Auto Speedway. After stalking point leader R.J. Johnson during the closing laps, Lundy surged off the final corner in the Matt Lundy owned #97 Apache Transport / JUGO Superfoods Sherman to claim his second consecutive victory by 0.01 seconds. Fast qualifier Johnson was second, “The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa took third, early leader “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams claimed fourth, and Eddie Tafoya Jr. scored fifth in the 30-lap main event.
Laveen, Arizona’s R.J. Johnson opened the program by earning his ninth Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of 2026. Driving the Petty Performance Racing #1P Avanti Windows & Doors / JUGO Superfoods Sherman, Johnson’s set the night’s standard with a time of 16.776 seconds ahead of Roa, Cole Wakim, Lundy, and Williams. For his efforts, R.J. earned an extra $100 bonus from David Siesser.
Johnson followed up his twenty-second career fast time award by topping the 10-lap Sexton Fire Protection First Heat Race. The multi-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion finished ahead of Williams, leading rookie “The Pineapple” Daylin Perreira, Wakim, Brecken Guerrero, Dayton Shelton, and Stevie Rogers. After running second in the feature, R.J. narrowly missed the extra $1,000 “sweep” bonus raised by longtime infield announcer Chris Holt by one position.
“The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa raced to victory in the 10-lap Roy Miller Freight Lines Second Heat Race. Driving the BR Performance owned #91R DRC backed by Chino Ranch and “Biker” Bruce Fischer, the former USAC/CRA champion was followed by Lundy, Tafoya, Connor Speir, Blake Hendricks, Verne Sweeney, and Gary Marshall Jr.
After starting sixth and placing second in the 30-lap feature, R.J. Johnson also earned the night’s Hard Charger Award / “Best Passing Job” honors.
The Avanti Windows & Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will take a short break before returning to action on September 5th and 6th at Calistoga Speedway for the “15th Louie Vermeil Classic.” Located on the scenic Calistoga Fairgrounds in Calistoga, California, the prestigious event will also showcase the “Shark Tales with Andy Calistoga Classic” with winged 360 sprint cars. For more information and advance tickets, visit racecalistogaspeedway.com.
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.
AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 15, 2026 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY / DAVID SIESSER QUALIFICATIONS: 1. R.J. Johnson, 1P, Petty-16.776; 2. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-17.046; 3. Cole Wakim, 17X, Dunkel-17.089; 4. Connor Lundy, 97, Lundy-17.141; 5. Austin Williams, 17W, Dunkel-17.156; 6. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-17.284; 7. Daylin Perreira, 21P, Perreira- 17.308; 8. Blake Hendricks, 14, Hendricks-17.428; 9. Dayton Shelton, 4D, Shelton-17.493; 10. Verne Sweeney, 98, Guerrero-17.879; 11. Brecken Guerrero, 98B, Guerrero-18.054; 12. Connor Speir, 57, Speir-18.093; 13. Stevie Rogers, 11, Rogers-18.745; 14. Gary Marshall Jr., 23, Bellegante-18.798; 15. Bryan Drollinger, 71D, Drollinger-NT.
SEXTON FIRE PROTECTION FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, All Cars Transfer to Feature) 1. R.J. Johnson, 2. Austin Williams, 3. Daylin Perreira, 4. Cole Wakim, 5. Brecken Guerrero, 6. Dayton Shelton, 7. Stevie Rogers. 3:02.22
ROY MILLER FREIGHT LINES SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, All Cars Transfer to Feature) 1. Brody Roa, 2. Connor Lundy, 3. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 4. Connor Speir, 5. Blake Hendricks, 6. Verne Sweeney, 7. Gary Marshall Jr., 3:04.07.
FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Connor Lundy (4), 2. R.J. Johnson (6), 3. Brody Roa (5), 4. Austin Williams (3), 5. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (2), 6. Daylin Perreira (1), 7. Brecken Guerrero (11), 8. Dayton Shelton (9), 9. Connor Speir (12), 10. Gary Marshall Jr. (14), 11. Verne Sweeney (10), 12. Stevie Rogers (13), 13. Cole Wakim (7), 14. Blake Hendricks (8), 15. Bryan Drollinger (15). NT.
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1-15 Austin Williams, Laps 16-29 R.J. Johnson, Lap 30 Connor Lundy.
HARD CHARGER: R.J. Johnson (6 to 2)
NEXT AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACES: September 5&6 – Calistoga Speedway – Calistoga, California – “15th Louie Vermeil Classic”