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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
#50 Mike Spencer. Photo by Doug Allen.
MIKE SPENCER GOES 5-FOR-5 AT PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY!
By Lance Jennings
PERRIS, CA – JULY 30, 2012… Last Saturday night, Temecula's Mike Spencer made history by winning his fifth straight Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car main event at Perris Auto Speedway. The $2,500 "California Racers Hall of Fame Night" winner inherited the lead after "Showtime" Danny Sheridan's throttle stuck during the lap-15 caution. Once out front, the 4-time champion sailed to victory trailed by "Dynamite" David Cardey, "The Ripper" Rip Williams, "Super" Rickie Gaunt, and Nic Faas.
Piloting Ron Chaffin's famed #50 Madera Produce / Grubstake Mini Storage Maxim, Mike Spencer won the "Dean Thompson Award" for sweeping the night's regular program. With a season low 24 cars at Perris, Mike set the standard in the Sander Engineering / Rod End Supply Time Trials and won the $500 "Billy Wilkerson Fast Time Award." After scoring third in the Last Man Standing Dash, the point leader won the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1 from sixth. Starting eighth in the 30-lap feature, Spencer steadily made his way to the front and pressured Sheridan for the lead. The two veteran drivers battled hard through traffic and exchanged the lead until misfortune ended Sheridan's night. With the victory, Mike tied "The Demon" Damion Gardner for the most USAC/CRA wins at Perris and has an 88-point lead heading to the Watsonville / Santa Maria doubleheader starting August 10th.
"Dynamite" David Cardey of Riverside had a late surge and earned the night's Ringer's Gloves / Keizer Wheels "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job." Driving Tom & Laurie Sertich's Moose Racing #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Victory Race Cars entry, Cardey placed second after starting eleventh. Earlier in the program, David was eleventh fast in time trials and scored third in his heat race. The former California Lighting Sprint Car Champion is getting settled in the Moosemobile and has sights on a feature win in the near future.
"The Ripper" Rip Williams of Yorba Linda had a torrid battle with Sheridan during the opening laps of the main event. The pilot of Jack Jory's #3 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike raced hard during the feature and claimed third at the checkered flags. The night's LRB Inc. Race Products Award winner qualified sixth quick on the night and won the 10-lap DJ Safety Heat Race #3. Currently seventh in points, the 2004 USAC/CRA Champion has one fast time award and seven top-10 finishes on the year.
Like Cardey, Torrance's "Super" Rickie Gaunt had a late surge and claimed fourth in the "California Racers Hall of Fame Night." Driving David Miller's #66 Tom Roberts Designs / Barnes Systems Eagle, Gaunt qualified third, won the $1,000 Walt James Last Man Standing Dash, and ran fourth in his heat race. The crowd favorite has been running a limited schedule, but still shows the form that won the 2004 SCRA and NWWC Championships.
Nic Faas of Huntington Beach charged to second in the main event before fading to fifth at the checkered flags. Piloting Mark Alexander's #4 Scott Sales Company / Competition Suspension Inc. Spike, Faas was second quick in time trials, fourth in the Walt James Dash, and second in his heat race. Nic is currently second in the point chase and will be looking to make up some ground at Watsonville and Santa Maria.
Santa Maria's "Showtime" Danny Sheridan subbed for Ryan Bernal and won the Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #2. Driving Keith Ford's #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine Spike, Danny qualified eighth and led the main event while battling with "The Ripper" and Spencer. Unfortunately, Sheridan's throttle stuck while leading under caution and he had to spin his machine to a stop. Officially scoring seventeenth, the former Bandit Sprint Car Champion has been running a limited schedule with USAC/CRA.
The traditional 410s will return to action on Friday, August 10th, at John Prentice's Ocean Speedway in Watsonville. Co-sanctioned with the USAC Western Classic Sprints, the event will also feature American Stocks, Micro 600s, Sport Mods, and Wingless Sprints. For more information, visit www.oceanspeedway.com/Watsonville or call 831.622.WINN (9466).
The following night, August 11th, both USAC/CRA and the Western Classic group will travel to Chris Kearns' Santa Maria Speedway. The event will feature a $1,000 Winner-Take-All Wheelie Contest and also showcase Mini Stocks, Mod Lites, and the winged California Lighting Sprints. For more information, visit www.racesantamariaspeedway.com or call 805.922.2232.
To catch all of the action of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series at Perris Auto Speedway, Mike Truex's Loudpedal Productions has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com. In addition, Perris Auto Speedway offers a pay per view feed of every event at www.circletracknetwork.com.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series would like to thank Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Diversified Machine Inc., Extreme Mufflers, Hilborn Fuel Injection, Integra Racing Shocks, Keizer Wheels, LRB Inc. Race Products, Ringers Gloves, Rod End Supply, SBI Fuel Systems, Saldana Racing Products, and Sander Engineering for their support.
For more information on the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit www.usacracing.com/cra or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/USAC-CRA-Sprint-Car-Series/167535183297971) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/#!/USAC_CRA).
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT RACE RESULTS:
July 28, 2012 – Perris, California – Perris Auto Speedway – “California Racers Hall of Fame Night”
SANDER ENGINEERING / ROD END SUPPLY TIME TRIALS:
1. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-16.320; 2. Nic Faas, 4, Alexander-16.647; 3. Rickie Gaunt, 66, Miller-16.669; 4. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-16.775; 5. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-16.844; 6. Rip Williams, 3, Jory-16.855; 7. Ronnie Gardner, 18, Kittle-16.867; 8. Danny Sheridan, 73, Ford-16.895; 9. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-17.038; 10. Cory Kruseman, 7, Priestley-17.069; 11. David Cardey, 92, Sertich-17.090; 12. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-17.246; 13. Greg Alexander, 72, Tyler-17.302; 14. J.J. Ercse, 36, Springstead-17.581; 15. David Bezio, 37X, Bezio-17.589; 16. Cal Smith, 39, Cal Sun-17.645; 17. Johnny McCall, 44J, Morbitzer-17.750; 18. Patrick Clark, 71k, Kruseman-17.849; 19. John Aden, 7A, Aden-17.878; 20. Corey Ballard, 20, Ballard-17.944; 21. Gavin Matlock, 25, Williams-18.328; 22. Mike Collins, 04, Perkins-18.405; 23. Jerry Welton, 62, Welton-18.762; 24. Jon Kairot, 0, Perkins-19.234.
WALT JAMES LAST MAN STANDING DASH: (9 laps)
1. Rickie Gaunt, 2. Austin Williams, 3. Mike Spencer, 4. Nic Faas. NT
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE 1: (10 laps)
1. Mike Spencer, 2. Ronnie Gardner, 3. Cory Kruseman, 4. Austin Williams, 5. Greg Alexander, 6. Corey Ballard, 7. Johnny McCall, 8. Jerry Welton. 2:52.11
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE 2: (10 laps)
1. Danny Sheridan, 2. Nic Faas, 3. David Cardey, 4. Brody Roa, 5. Gavin Matlock, 6. Patrick Clark, 7. Jon Kairot, 8. J.J. Ercse. NT
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE 3: (10 laps)
1. Rip Williams, 2. David Bezio, 3. Cody Williams, 4. Rickie Gaunt, 5. John Aden, 6. Verne Sweeney, 7. Mike Collins. 2:59.69
FEATURE: (30 laps - With Starting Positions)
1. Mike Spencer (8th), 2. David Cardey (11th), 3. Rip Williams (3rd), 4. Rickie Gaunt (6th), 5. Nic Faas (7th), 6. Brody Roa (4th), 7. Greg Alexander (13th), 8. Cody Williams (9th), 9. Cory Kruseman (10th), 10. David Bezio (14th), 11. John Aden (15th), 12. Corey Ballard (16th), 13. Verne Sweeney (12th), 14. Gavin Matlock (19th), 15. Patrick Clark (18th), 16. Jon Kairot (22nd), 17. Danny Sheridan (1st), 18. Mike Collins (20th), 19. Jerry Welton (21st), 20. Austin Williams (5th), 21. Ronnie Gardner (2nd), 22. Johnny McCall (17th). NT
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**Cal Smith flipped during qualifying.
**J.J. Ercse flipped during the second heat.
**Austin Williams flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Rip Williams, Laps 2-11 Danny Sheridan, Lap 12 Mike Spencer, Laps 13-15 Danny Sheridan, Laps 16-30 Mike Spencer.
RINGERS GLOVES / KEIZER WHEELS HARD CHARGER: David Cardey (11th to 2nd)
LRB INC. RACE PRODUCTS AWARD: Rip Williams
NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINTS:
1-Mike Spencer-683, 2-Nic Faas-595, 3-Austin Williams-501; 4-Brody Roa-471, 5-Matt Mitchell-461, 6-Ryan Bernal-458; 7-Rip Williams-438, 8-Cory Kruseman-417, 9-Cody Williams-353, 10-Seth Wilson-313.
2012 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
August 10: **Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA
August 11: **Santa Maria Speedway - Santa Maria, CA
August 18: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
August 19: Route 66 Motorplex - Victorville, CA
September 1: **Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic)
September 2: **Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic)
September 5: **Silver Dollar Speedway - Chico, CA (Non-Points)
September 15: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Glenn Howard Memorial)
October 6: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Southern California Fair)
October 26: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
October 27: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
November 2: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Budweiser Oval Nationals)
November 3: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Budweiser Oval Nationals)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC National Sprints.
** = Co-Sanctioned Event With USAC Western Classic Racing Series.
This schedule is subject to change.
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