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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
#50 Mike Spencer Wins At Thunderbowl Raceway In Tulare. Photo by Korie Layne Lafond.
MIKE SPENCER WINS THRILLER AT TULARE
by Lance Jennings
TULARE, CA – MAY 19, 2013... In one of the most intense main events of 2013, Temecula’s Mike Spencer claimed the $2,500 victory at Tulare’s Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway. With five official lead changes, the five-time champion took control from Ryan Bernal on lap twenty-seven and earned his 34th career Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car win. Bernal, “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., Bud Kaeding, and Matt Mitchell followed Spencer to the checkered flags.
Driving Ron Chaffin’s #50 Grubstake Mini Storage / Madera Produce Maxim, Mike Spencer qualified second overall, ran third in his heat race, and placed third in the dash. Starting third in the feature, Mike briefly held the lead on lap seventeen and regained command ten laps later from Bernal. From there, Spencer raced to his first 30-lap main event triumph of the season. As this writing goes to press, Mike is third in points with two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, three heat race victories, six top-10 finishes, and 27 feature laps led on the year.
Ryan Bernal of Hollister was going for his sixth straight USAC Sprint Car win but had to settle for second after having brake problems. Racing Keith Ford’s #73 King Racing Products / A&A Precision Machine Spike, Bernal was eight fast in time trials, fifth in his heat race, led nine laps, and earned his second Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors. Currently tenth in the standings, Ryan has four top-10 finishes in the campaign.
Tipton’s “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. battled back to third after falling to fifth from the pole position. Making his first USAC/CRA start of 2013, the pilot of the #17V Johnston Calf Pens / DeBoer & Sons Trucking Spike qualified ninth, won the Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1 and won the 6-lap dash. Faria sits twenty-sixth in the championship points as the series returns to Perris for the “Salute to Indy.”
Bud Kaeding of Campbell led laps six to sixteen before scoring fourth at the checkered flags. Racing Junior Bowman’s #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Bullet, the 3-time Oval Nationals Champion was fourth quick in time trials, fourth in his heat race, and fifth in the dash. To date, Kaeding is fourth in the point chase with one Dash win, seven top-10 finishes, and 17 feature laps led to his credit.
Yorba Linda’s Matt Mitchell claimed fifth in Tulare’s 30-lap feature after starting seventh. Piloting his #37 MPD Racing / A.R.T. Enterprises entry, Mitchell qualified third overall and placed fifth in his heat race. The former USAC Western Midget Series Rookie of the Year sits eighth in the standings with one heat race victory and four top-10 finishes in 2013.
“The Demon” Damion Gardner of Concord earned his second Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of the year. Driving Mark Alexander’s #4A Scott Sales Company / Competition Suspension Inc. Spike, Gardner ran third in his heat race and scored sixth in the dash after an early flip. After making repairs, the USAC/CRA point leader raced up to third before fading back to claim sixth in the main event. Currently, Damion has three feature wins, three heat race victories, one dash win, eight top-10 finishes, and 76 feature laps led on the year.
Visalia’s Jace Vander Weerd won the program’s 10-lap DJ Safety Heat Race #2. Racing the family owned #88 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Jace was tenth fast in time trials, fourth in the dash, and ran twelfth in the feature. To date, the 2010 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year is twenty-first win points with one top-10 finish on the season.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will be back in action this Saturday, May 25th, at Perris Auto Speedway for the annual “Salute to Indy.” Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, more event information can be found at www.perrisautospeedway.com or calling (951) 940-0134. 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, BR Motorsports, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Extreme Mufflers, Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror Inc., Kaeding Performance, Keizer Wheels, King Racing Products, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, SBI Fuel Systems, Saldana Racing Products, Weld Racing, 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/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 CAR RACE RESULTS:
May 18, 2013 – Tulare, California – Thunderbowl Raceway
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TIME TRIALS:
1. Damion Gardner, 4A, Alexander-14.853; 2. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-15.015; 3. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-15.283; 4. Bud Kaeding, 29, Bowman-15.329; 5. Nic Faas, 4, Alexander-15.350; 6. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-15.378; 7. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-15.440; 8. Ryan Bernal, 73, Ford-15.468; 9. Danny Faria Jr., 17V, Faria-15.491; 10. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-15.519; 11. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-15.534; 12. Rip Williams, 3, Jory-15.858; 13. Seth Wilson, 1X, Wilson-15.974; 14. D.J. Johnson, 33, Johnson-16.072; 15. Rusty Carlile, 51, Carlile-16.201; 16. Marty Hawkins, 3M, Hawkins-16.448; 17. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-16.906.
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE 1: (10 laps)
1. Danny Faria Jr., 2. Nic Faas, 3. Damion Gardner, 4. Austin Williams, 5. Matt Mitchell, 6. Richard Vander Weerd, 7. Rusty Carlile, 8. Seth Wilson, 9. Cody Williams. NT
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE 2: (10 laps)
1. Jace Vander Weerd, 2. Rip Williams, 3. Mike Spencer, 4. Bud Kaeding, 5. Ryan Bernal, 6. Brody Roa, 7. Marty Hawkins, 8. D.J. Johnson. NT
DASH: (6 laps)
1. Danny Faria Jr., 2. Nic Faas, 3. Mike Spencer, 4. Jace Vander Weerd, 5. Bud Kaeding, 6. Damion Gardner. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Mike Spencer (3rd), 2. Ryan Bernal (10th), 3. Danny Faria Jr. (1st), 4. Bud Kaeding (5th), 5. Matt Mitchell (7th), 6. Damion Gardner (6th), 7. Austin Williams (11th), 8. Nic Faas (2nd), 9. Richard Vander Weerd (9th), 10. Brody Roa (8th), 11. Cody Williams (17th), 12. Jace Vander Weerd (4th), 13. Rip Williams (12th), 14. Seth Wilson (13th), 15. D.J. Johnson (14th), 16. Rusty Carlile (15th), 17. Marty Hawkins (16th). NT
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**Damion Gardner flipped during the dash.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-5 Nic Faas, Laps 6-16 Bud Kaeding, Lap 17 Mike Spencer, Laps 18-26 Ryan Bernal, Laps 27-30 Mike Spencer.
KEIZER WHEELS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Ryan Bernal (10th to 2nd)
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Damion Gardner-528; 2. Nic Faas-507; 3. Mike Spencer-434; 4. Bud Kaeding-415; 5. Cody Williams-331; 6. Austin Williams-323; 7. R.J. Johnson-300; 8. Brody Roa-287; 9. Matt Mitchell-287; 10. Ryan Bernal-242; 11. Rip Williams-233; 12. Charles Davis Jr.-232; 13. Bryan Clauson-210; 14. Mike Martin-191; 15. Seth Wilson-178; 16. Rickie Gaunt-167; 17. David Cardey-166; 18. Richard Vander Weerd-162; 19. David Bezio-132; 20. Markus Niemela-107.
2013 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK – LOCATION
May 25: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Salute To Indy)
June 14: Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA
June 15: Santa Maria Speedway - Santa Maria, CA
July 4: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Firecracker 30)
August 9: Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA
August 10: Santa Maria Speedway - Santa Maria, CA
August 17: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (California Racers Hall of Fame Night)
August 31: **Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic)
September 1: **Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic)
September 14: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Glenn Howard Classic)
October 5: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Southern California Fair Race)
October 25: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
October 26: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
November 1: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 2: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (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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