|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
#10 Richard Vander Weerd – Sokola Shootout Winner. Photo by Doug Allen.
RICHARD VANDER WEERD SPRINTS TO PERRIS SOKOLA SHOOTOUT WIN
By Lance Jennings
PERRIS, CA – MARCH 9, 2015... Starting fifth, Visalia’s Richard Vander Weerd powered by Matt Mitchell on the eighth lap and stormed to the opening night “Sokola Shootout” win at Perris Auto Speedway. For Vander Weerd, Saturday’s $2,500 Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car triumph was his second series victory as Austin Williams, fast qualifier Mike Spencer, “The Demon” Damion Gardner, and Mitchell rounded out the top five drivers.
Racing the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Stone Gate Development Maxim, Richard Vander Weerd qualified second out of the twenty-eight racers in the pit area. In heat race action, the former USAC West Coast Sprint Champion charged from sixth to claim the night’s second 10-lap event, sponsored by DJ Safety. After the feature win, Vander Weerd sits atop the point charts with a six point advantage heading to Tucson’s “Copper On Dirt.”
Yorba Linda’s Austin Williams had a solid night by finishing second in the 30-lap main event. Driving Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, the former Rookie of the Year was fifth quick in time trials and ran second to Vander Weerd in his heat race. The second generation driver had a great start to his season and left Perris ranked third in the point case.
Piloting Ron Chaffin’s #50 Grubstake Mini Storage / Madera Produce Maxim, Mike Spencer of Temecula scored third in the Sokola Shootout. The five-time champion earned his 58th career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and finished second to R.J. Johnson in his heat race. Starting sixth in the feature, Mike raced hard for 30-laps and is currently second in the point standings.
Concord’s “The Demon” Damion Gardner raced from ninth to score fourth in the Saturday night feature. Driving Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / Weld Racing Spike, Gardner was ninth fast in qualifications and won the Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #3. The defending series champion had a spirited battle with Matt Mitchell in the main event and ranks fourth in the point chase.
Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda led the first seven laps of the “Sokola Shootout” before taking fifth at the checkered flags. Racing his #37 Campbell Bros. Storage / Pit Boss Jacks Maxim, Mitchell qualified sixth overall and ran second to Gardner in his heat race. Last year’s USAC West Coast Sprint Champion battled back and forth with “The Demon” before settling into fifth in the feature and placing fifth in the standings.
Yuma, Arizona’s “The Magic Man” Mike Martin earned the night’s DMI “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a fifteenth place finish from twenty-second. Piloting his #16 Sherwin-Williams / Desert Building Materials Maxim, Martin was twenty-fourth fast in time trials, claimed fifth in heat race, and placed in the semi-main. As this writing goes to press, the former Hall of Fame Classic Winner sits fifteenth in USAC/CRA points.
R.J. Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona took the checkered flags in the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. Racing Bobby Martin’s #51 Weiler Farms / Pecon Builders Maxim, Johnson qualified thirteenth overall and scored nineteenth in the “Sokola Shootout.” The two-time USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Champion will return to USAC/CRA action at Tucson’s “Copper On Dirt” and is currently sixteenth in the standings.
Sebastopol’s “The Human Highlight Reel” Geoff Ensign made a rare Perris start and won the 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main. Piloting Ted Finkenbinder’s #3F Western Industrial X-Ray Eagle, Ensign was eleventh quick in time trials, ran sixth in his heat race, and scored eleventh in the main event. The versatile driver will return to USAC/CRA competition as his schedule allows.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will travel to USA Raceway in Tucson, Arizona for two nights of action starting Friday, March 20th for the Eighth Annual “Copper On Dirt.” Also featuring the West Coast Late Models and the winged ASCS SouthWest Sprint Cars, the event will mark the return of the traditional 410 sprints to the fast 3/8-mile clay oval since February 20, 2010. Advance tickets are on sale and for more information, visit www.raceusaraceway.com or call 520.664.2074.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Diversified Machine Inc., Extreme Mufflers, Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at [email protected].
For more information on the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit www.usacracing.com or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/USAC-CRA-Sprint-Car-Series/167535183297971) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/USAC_CRA). Mike Truex's Loudpedal Productions has DVDs available for purchase that feature the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com.
-----------------------------------------------
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT RACE RESULTS:
March 7, 2015 – Perris, California – Perris Auto Speedway – “Sokola Shootout”
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TIME TRIALS:
1. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-16.393; 2. Richard Vander Weerd, 10 Vander Weerd-16.486; 3. Ronnie Gardner, 93, Gardner-16.502; 4. Hunter Schuerenberg, 73, Ford-16.582; 5. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-16.595; 6. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-16.634; 7. Jake Swanson, 92, Sertich-16.679; 8. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-16.679; 9. Damion Gardner, 4, Alexander-16.713; 10. Rickie Gaunt, 9, McDonald-16.779; 11. Geoff Ensign, 3F, Finkenbinder-16.866; 12. David Bezio, 37X, Bezio-16.879; 13. R.J. Johnson, 51, Martin-16.995; 14. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-17.020; 15. Parker Colston, 64, Colston-17.198; 16. Logan Williams, 5, Jory-17.262; 17. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-17.308; 18. Johnny Bluntach, 58, Bluntach-17.339; 19. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-17.344; 20. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.362; 21. Terry Schank Jr., 1, Gleeson-17.375; 22. Cal Smith, 39, Cal-Sun-17.414; 23. Michael Curtis, 45C, Turner/Wheeler-17.423; 24. Mike Martin, 16, Martin-17.536; 25. Jeremy Ellertson, 98X, Ellertson-17.567; 26. Anthony Lopiccolo, 36, Springstead-17.657; 27. Tobey Sampson, 12B, Blair-18.442; 28. Tony Everhart, 55, Everhart-NT.
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE #1: (10 laps)
1. Johnson, 2. Spencer, 3. Swanson, 4. Schuerenberg, 5. Gaunt, 6. L.Williams, 7. Malcolm, 8. Ellertson, 9. Smith. 2:52.99
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE #2: (10 laps)
1. R.Vander Weerd, 2. A.Williams, 3. C.Williams, 4. Roa, 5. J.Vander Weerd, 6. Ensign, 7. Gansen, 8. Lopiccolo, 9. Curtis. 2:53.39
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #3: (10 laps)
1. D.Gardner, 2. Mitchell, 3. Bezio, 4. R.Gardner, 5. Martin, 6. Schank, 7. Colston, 8. Bluntach, 9. Sampson. 2:54.90
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / ROD END SUPPLY SEMI-MAIN: (12 laps)
1. Ensign, 2. Schank, 3. Gaunt, 4. J.Vander Weerd, 5. Colston, 6. Gansen, 7. L.Williams, 8. Bluntach, 9. Curtis, 10. Martin, 11. Lopiccolo, 12. Malcolm, 13. Ellertson, 14. Sampson, 15. Smith. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Richard Vander Weerd (5th), 2. Austin Williams (2nd), 3. Mike Spencer (6th), 4. Damion Gardner (9th), 5. Matt Mitchell (1st), 6. Jake Swanson (7th), 7. Hunter Schuerenberg (3rd), 8. Ronnie Gardner (4th), 9. Cody Williams (14th), 10. Brody Roa (8th), 11. Geoff Ensign (11th), 12. Rickie Gaunt (10th), 13. David Bezio (12th), 14. Terry Schank Jr. (20th), 15. Mike Martin (22nd), 16. Michael Curtis (21st), 17. Parker Colston (15th), 18. Chris Gansen (19th), 19. R.J. Johnson (13th), 20. Jace Vander Weerd (17th), 21. Logan Williams (16th), 22. Johnny Bluntach (18th). NT
---------------------------
**L.Williams flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-7 Mitchell, Laps 8-30 R.Vander Weerd.
DIVERSIFIED MACHINE INC. HARD CHARGER: Mike Martin (22nd to 15th)
NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Richard Vander Weerd-73, 2. Mike Spencer-67, 3. Austin Williams-66, 4. Damion Gardner-59, 5. Matt Mitchell-56, 6. Jake Swanson-51, 7. Hunter Schuerenberg-50, 8. Ronnie Gardner-48, 9. Cody Williams-42, 10. Brody Roa-38, 11. Geoff Ensign-35, 12. David Bezio-33, 13. Rickie Gaunt-31, 14. Terry Schank Jr.-28, 15. Mike Martin-24, 16. R.J. Johnson-23, 17. Michael Curtis-22, 18. Parker Colston-20, 19. Chris Gansen-18, 20. Logan Williams-14, --. Jace Vander Weerd-14, --. Johnny Bluntach-14, 23. Cal Smith-1, --. Tommy Malcolm-1, --. Jeremy Ellertson-1, --. Anthony Lopiccolo-1, --. Tobey Sampson-1, --. Tony Everhart-1
2015 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE:
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
March 20: USA Raceway - Tucson, AZ (Copper On Dirt)
March 21: USA Raceway - Tucson, AZ (Copper On Dirt)
April 18: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (So Cal Sprint Car Spectacular)
May 2: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
May 9: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA (All Coast Challenge / $5,000-to-Win)
May 23: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Salute To Indy)
June 13: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
July 3: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (Doug Fort Memorial)
July 4: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Firecracker 40)
August 15: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (California Racers Hall of Fame Night)
September 5: Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic / California Sprint Week)
September 6: Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic / California Sprint Week)
September 7: Petaluma Speedway - Petaluma, CA (California Sprint Week)
September 10: Silver Dollar Speedway - Chico, CA (Gold Cup Race of Champions / California Sprint Week)
September 11: Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA (Jim Turner Memorial / California Sprint Week)
September 12: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (California Sprint Week)
September 19: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Glenn Howard Classic)
October 23: Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
October 24: Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
November 12: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Budweiser Oval Nationals)
November 13: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Budweiser Oval Nationals)
November 14: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Budweiser Oval Nationals)
November 19: *USA Raceway - Tucson, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 20: *USA Raceway - Tucson, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 21: *USA Raceway - Tucson, AZ (Western World Championships)
-----------------------------------------------
* = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC National Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
|
