This message was edited on
September 21, 2011 at
02:46:59 PM by ljennings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
#37 Matt Mitchell. Photo by Lance Jennings.
4TH ANNUAL GLENN HOWARD MEMORIAL AT PERRIS SATURDAY
By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – SEPTEMBER 21, 2011… The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to action this Saturday, September 24th, at Don Kazarian's Perris Auto Speedway for the 4th Annual "Glenn Howard Memorial." Joining the showcase will be the CDCRA Dwarf Cars and WRA Vintage Cars. The spectator gates will open at 5:00pm, with racing set begin at "America's Premier Dirt Track" at 7:00pm.
The special event honors Glenn Howard, considered by many in the industry as a "racer's racer." Throughout his involvement in racing, Glenn was a crew member, driver, car owner, official, and business man. His So-Cal Performance is recognized as a major parts supplier to racers across the globe. In 1993, Howard became the first president of the Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) and helped to build the foundation of the nationally respected club.
Since Glenn's passing in September 2007, his son Steve has continued to operate So-Cal Performance. A former racer himself, Steve is a major part in organizing the "Glenn Howard Memorial Race" that honors his father and the annual "Louie Vermeil Classic" at Calistoga Speedway. This year, Steve has raised an additional $14,000 in extra contingencies and prize money that will be awarded at Saturday's show. As a special treat, popular racer and 5-time SCRA Sprint Car Champion "The Gasman" Richard Griffin will serve as Grand Marshal. The future National Sprint Car Hall of Fame driver will meet with fans and sign autographs.
"The Cowboy" Tony Jones won the inaugural Glenn Howard Memorial in 2008 behind the wheel of Mark Alexander's silver #4 entry. The following year, USAC National driver Bryan Clauson claimed victory in Corey Tucker's #39 sprinter. In 2010, "The Kruser" Cory Kruseman added the Howard Memorial to his resume at the helm of his #21K machine. This Saturday, a talented roster of drivers will be on hand and each racer will be looking to add their name to the winner's list of this prestigious event.
Heading into the Howard Memorial, Temecula's Mike Spencer holds a thirty-seven point advantage over the competition. Piloting Ron Chaffin's famed #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim, the 3-time defending champion placed fifth at Chico on September 8th. This season, Spencer leads the series with six feature wins, four Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards, six heat race victories, and 121 feature laps led. In addition, he has one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main win and eleven top-10 finishes to his credit. Mike will have his sights set on the Howard Memorial victory as he closes in on another USAC/CRA crown.
Climbing to second in the point chase is Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda. Driving the J.W. Mitchell Motorsports' #37 Mancha Realtors / Sierra Springs Maxim, the former USAC Western Midget Series Rookie of the Year scored third on September 8th. Mitchell leads the series with twelve top-10 finishes and is tied with Spencer with six heat race victories. In addition, Matt has two feature wins, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, and forty-nine main event laps led on the year. Recently, Mitchell has had a string of strong performances and would like to add the Howard Memorial to his win list.
Huntington Beach's Nic Faas is third in the hunt for the championship. Now fifty-six points behind Spencer, the pilot of Mark Alexander's #4 Scott Sales Company / VP Racing Fuels Spike claimed seventh at Chico. The former USAC Western Midget Series Champion has two Sander Engineering Fast Time Awards, five heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, and eleven top-10 finishes on the year. Faas will be looking his first main event win of the year at the Howard Memorial.
Austin Williams of Yorba Linda sits fourth in the standings. Driving Jack Jory's #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Viper, the 2009 Rookie of the Year scored twentieth on September 8th after a flip ended his night. To date, Williams has one feature win, two heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. Semi-Main win, one Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Award, eight top-10 finishes, and thirty feature laps led on the season. This Saturday, the son of Hall of Fame driver Rip Williams will have his eyes set on the Howard Memorial victory.
Visalia's Greg Bragg is fifth in the championship points. Piloting Tom and Laurie Sertich's #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Pacific Business Machine Buckley, Bragg placed twenty-first at Chico after an early flip. In 2011, the 3-Time California Lightning Sprint Champion has three heat race victories, two Keizer Wheels Hard Charger Awards, nine top-10 finishes, and seven main event laps led. Greg and the Moose Racing Team would like to claim the Howard Memorial victory on Saturday.
Campbell's Bud Kaeding, Ventura's Cory Kruseman, Robert Ballou of Rocklin, and Elk Grove's Kyle Larson have also scored feature wins in 2011. Kaeding won the Hanford shootout on May 7th, while Kruseman won the Watsonville show on June 16th and the following night at Santa Maria. Ballou won the first night of the "Louie Vermeil Classic" at Calistoga and Larson won the "Tiner Family Classic" at Chico. Perris Auto Speedway will also host the So-Cal Fair Race on October 8th and the 3-day Budweiser Oval Nationals starting on November 3rd.
Among the other top contenders expected to be in action are Yorba Linda's Cody and "The Ripper" Rip Williams, "Showtime" Danny Sheridan of Santa Maria, Riverside's "Dynamite" David Cardey, Norco's Ronnie Gardner, "Super" Rickie Gaunt of Torrance, and many more.
Local 360 iron-block powered Sprint Cars are welcome to race with USAC/CRA. The 360s can run their local approved tires (all four corners must be Hoosier), but must meet series tech standards and race track muffler rules. The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series does not have an entry fee or charge for transponders, but drivers must have one-way radios. In addition, the series is offering a bonus to the highest finishing 360 team. To be eligible for the $200 cash award from USAC and 20 gallons of methanol from So-Cal Performance, the owner or driver must have a current USAC membership.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. Adult tickets are $20, Senior tickets are $15, and $5 for Active Military and Children. Advance tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.perrisautospeedway.com. For more event information, please visit the track's website or call (951) 940-0134.
To catch all of the action of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series at Perris Auto Speedway, Jeff Kristensen's Raceway Video has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (818) 618-9764 or visit www.racewayvideo.com. In addition, Perris Auto Speedway offers a live pay per view feed of every event at www.pasvideo.com. The live feed is scheduled to begin at 6:00pm PST.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series would like to thank Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Donovan Engineering, Electro Tech Powder Coating, Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror, Keizer Wheels, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sander Engineering, and So-Cal Performance for their support. For more information, visit usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on facebook.
GLENN HOWARD MEMORIAL WINNERS:
2008- Tony Jones
2009- Bryan Clauson
2010- Cory Kruseman
2011- ??
NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINTS:
1. Mike Spencer 810; 2. Matt Mitchell 773; 3. Nic Faas 754; 4. Austin Williams 570; 5. Greg Bragg 508; 6. Cody Williams 463; 7. Danny Sheridan 412; 8. Rip Williams 387; 9. David Cardey 380; 10. Ronnie Gardner 370; 11. Rickie Gaunt 338; 12. Cory Kruseman 336; 13. Richard VanderWeerd 279; 14. Blake Miller 277; 15. Jace VanderWeerd 260; 16. David Bezio 203; 17. Damion Gardner 189; 18. Greg Alexander 181; 19. Danny Faria Jr. 169; 20. Rodney Argo 164.
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT SCHEDULE:
September 24: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
October 8: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
October 28: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ
October 29: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ
November 3: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
November 4: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
November 5: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
November 12: *Giant Chevrolet Kings Speedway - Hanford, CA
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC National Sprint Car Series.
This schedule is subject to change.
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