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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
RICHARD VANDER WEERD GOES 2-FOR-2 AT PERRIS
By Lance Jennings
PERRIS, CA – APRIL 19, 2015... Fresh off a Santa Maria USAC 360 triumph, Visalia’s Richard Vander Weerd claimed his second straight Amsoil USAC/CRA win at Perris Auto Speedway. Fighting off champions Mike Spencer and “The Demon” Damion Gardner, Vander Weerd stormed to the $2,500 “So-Cal Showdown” victory. Gardner, Spencer, hard charger Ryan Bernal, and Austin Williams chased the former USAC West Coast Champion across the finish line.
Starting fourth, Richard Vander Weerd piloted the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Stone Gate Development Maxim to his third career USAC/CRA triumph. Qualifying fourth out of twenty-seven racers, Richard also claimed second to Ryan Bernal in his heat race. Taking the lead from Spencer on lap eight, Vander Weerd extended his lead to over half a straightaway. With Spencer and Gardner inching closer, action was halted for a flip by Terry Schank Jr., who walked away uninjured.
With the field restarting nose-to-tail, Spencer managed to pass Vander Weerd for a brief moment. Richard regained the top spot with a power move coming off the second turn and held on to claim the victory in front of a large crowd. To date, Vander Weerd is sixth in the point chase with two feature wins, one heat race victory, two-top 10 finishes, and 70 feature laps led on the season.
“The Demon” Damion Gardner of Concord battled with Spencer for many laps and took second in the “So-Cal Showdown.” Driving Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / Weld Racing Spike, Gardner was second quick in time trials and won the 10-lap DJ Safety Heat Race #2. Returning to Perris on May 2nd, the defending champion has taken over the point lead with one feature win, three heat race victories, four top-10 finishes, and 16 feature laps led to his credit.
Scoring third at Perris Auto Speedway, Temecula’s Mike Spencer led the first seven laps after starting third and briefly recaptured the lead in the closing laps. Racing Ron Chaffin’s #50 Grubstake Mini Storage / Madera Produce Maxim, Spencer qualified fifth overall and placed fourth in his heat race. The five-time champion left his home track ranked second in the standings with two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, and four top-10 finishes on the season.
Making his first USAC/CRA start of 2015, Ryan Bernal of Hollister earned the night’s DMI / Keizer Wheels “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a fourth place run from tenth. Piloting Keith Ford’s #73 Berry Pack / King Racing Products Spike, Bernal was tenth fast in time trials and won the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. The two-time USAC Western Classic Champion left Perris sitting twenty-third in points.
Yorba Linda’s Austin Williams battled hard to claim fifth in the “So-Cal Showdown.” Driving Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Williams qualified third overall and took second to his brother Cody in his heat race. As this writing goes to press, the former USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year is fourth in points with two top-10 finishes on the season.
Jake Swanson of Anaheim claimed his third career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award. Racing Tom and Laurie Sertich’s #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Ram-Bull Racing Victory, Swanson scored ninth in his heat race after mechanical issues, ran second in the semi-main, and scored nineteenth in the main event. The former Rookie of the Year is currently fifth in the standings with three top-10 finishes.
Corona’s “The Cadillac” Cody Williams won the 10-lap Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #3. Piloting Jack Jory’s #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Williams was fifteenth quick in time trials and ran thirteenth in the main event. At press time, “The Cadillac” is seventh in championship points with two top-10 finishes in the year.
Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda won the 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main. Driving his #37 Campbell Bros. Storage / Pit Boss Jacks Maxim, Mitchell qualified sixth overall and scored ninth in his heat race after flipping his mount. The two-time Salute to Indy winner rebounded to win the semi and place sixth in the feature. Matt is currently third in points with one heat race victory, four top-10 finishes and 7 feature laps led in the campaign.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will be back in action on Saturday, May 2nd, at Perris Auto Speedway. Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, more event information can be found at www.perrisautospeedway.com or calling 951.940.0134.
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, Keizer Wheels, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Ultra Shield Race 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.
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS:
April 18, 2015 – Perris, California – Perris Auto Speedway – “So-Cal Showdown”
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TIME TRIALS:
1. Jake Swanson, 92, Sertich-16.607; 2. Damion Gardner, 4, Alexander-16.640; 3. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-16.737; 4. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-16.825; 5. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-16.834; 6. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-16.841; 7. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-16.971; 8. A.J. Bender, 21B, Bender-16.940; 9. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-16.944; 10. Ryan Bernal, 73, Ford-17.071; 11. Ronnie Gardner, 93, Gardner-17.090; 12. Rickie Gaunt, 9, McDonald-17.190; 13. David Bezio, 37X, Bezio-17.312; 14. Cory Kruseman, 21K, Kruseman-17.448; 15. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-17.599; 16. Logan Williams, 5, Jory-17.607; 17. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.615; 18. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-17.637; 19. Cal Smith, 39, Cal-Sun-17.744; 20. Verne Sweeney, 98X, Tracy-17.782; 21. Terry Schank Jr., 1, Gleeson-17.842; 22. Parker Colston, 64, Gore-17.915; 23. Jeremy Ellertson, 98, Ellertson-17.996; 24. Anthony Lopiccolo, 36, Springstead-18.240; 25. Tobey Sampson, 12B, Blair-18.345; 26. Gary Potter, 6P, Potter-19.151; 27. Chris Dyson, 71K, Kruseman-19.301.
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE #1: (10 laps)
1. Bernal, 2. R.Vander Weerd, 3. J.Vander Weerd, 4. L.Williams, 5. Colston, 6. Bezio, 7. Smith, 8. Sampson, 9. Swanson. 2:57.80
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE #2: (10 laps)
1. D.Gardner, 2. Kruseman, 3. R.Gardner, 4. Spencer, 5. Bender, 6. Sweeney, 7. Ellertson, 8. Gansen, 9. Potter. 2:58.19
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #3: (10 laps)
1. C.Williams, 2. A.Williams, 3. Roa, 4. Gaunt, 5. Schank, 6. Malcolm, 7. Lopiccolo, 8. Dyson, 9. Mitchell. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / ROD END SUPPLY SEMI: (12 laps)
1. Mitchell, 2. Swanson, 3. Bezio, 4. Bender, 5. Shank, 6. Gansen, 7. Malcolm, 8. Sweeney, 9. Ellertson, 10. Colston, 11. Lopiccolo, 12. Smith, 13. Dyson, 14. Sampson, 15. Potter. 3:32.13
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Richard Vander Weerd (4th), 2. Damion Gardner (6th), 3. Mike Spencer (3rd), 4. Ryan Bernal (10th), 5. Austin Williams (5th), 6. Matt Mitchell (8th), 7. Jace Vander Weerd (2nd), 8. Brody Roa (1st), 9. Rickie Gaunt (12th), 10. David Bezio (13th), 11. Ronnie Gardner (11th), 12. Cory Kruseman (14th), 13. Cody Williams (15th), 14. Logan Williams (16th), 15. Chris Gansen (17th), 16. Tommy Malcolm (18th), 17. A.J. Bender (9th), 18. Verne Sweeney (19th), 19. Jake Swanson (7th), 20. Terry Schank Jr. (20th), 21. Jeremy Ellertson (22nd), 22. Parker Colston (21st). NT
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**Mitchell flipped during the third heat. Schank flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-7 Spencer, Laps 8-30 R.Vander Weerd,
DMI / KEIZER WHEELS HARD CHARGER: Ryan Bernal (10th to 4th)
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Damion Gardner-260, 2. Mike Spencer-255, 3. Matt Mitchell-217, 4. Austin Williams-175, 5. Jake Swanson-173, 6. Richard Vander Weerd-161, 7. Cody Williams-147, 8. Brady Bacon-136, 9. Brody Roa-122, 10. R.J. Johnson-114, 11. Dave Darland-110, 12. Logan Williams-107, 13. Mike Martin-92, 14. Charles Davis Jr.-88, 15. Ronnie Gardner-85, 16. Josh Hodges-83, 17. Michael Curtis-77, 18. Parker Colston-75, 19. Rickie Gaunt-72, 20. Bruce St. James-69.
2015 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE:
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
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: Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds - 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)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC National Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
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