USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS HEADLINE PERRIS “CALIFORNIA RACERS HALL OF FAME NIGHT”
By Lance Jennings
AUGUST 16, 2021... The battle for the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Championship resumes this Saturday, August 21st, at Perris Auto Speedway. Promoted by Don Kazarian, the "California Racers Hall of Fame Night" is one of the most anticipated and lucrative dates on the schedule. The open wheel showcase will also feature the PAS Senior Sprints and the Western Racing Association Vintage Cars (Display). Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds in Perris, California, the spectator gates at "America's Premier Dirt Track" will open at 5:00pm and racing is scheduled for 7:00pm. For more event information or advance tickets, visit perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134. For those that cannot be at the races, floracing.com will broadcast a live stream of the night’s action over the internet.
At intermission, there will be a candy giveaway for kids and a USAC/CRA driver/team meet and greet with the fans on the front straightaway.
NOTICE TO RACERS:
- THE 2019 RULE BOOK will be followed in regards to race format and weight rule (1,325 lbs. with driver)
- 2021 APPROVED/LEGAL TIRES: Hoosier RD20, 105/18 HTW, 105/16 Medium, 105/18 Hard, and 105/18 F85A are also legal with the series. Hoosier Tires are mandatory on all four corners.
- ALL RACERS MUST PURCHASE THEIR USAC LICENSE / MEMBERSHIPS ONLINE PRIOR TO THE EVENT AT USACRACING.COM OR USACLICENSE.COM. (If racers have a membership question, contact Julie Tanaka at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .)
- California state protocol calls for competitors, crews, officials, and anyone on the grounds to practice safe social distancing, proper sanitizing, and follow local regulations regarding the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
- 2021 APPROVED/LEGAL MUFFLERS: EXTREME: 6014-3535, 3615-3535; SCHOENFELD: 14272535, 14272735-78; FLOWMASTER: 53545-10, 13516100, 13516101; COAST FABRICATION: 350x625x17-2S; B&B: FRAC-0375S; SPINTECH: 1545P SUPER STOCK
*Failure to comply with the muffler rule will risk disqualification from the event.
- TRANSPONDERS ARE MANDATORY: Series officials will have transponders to rent at the track for those racers that do not have them.
- ONE WAY DRIVER RADIOS ARE MANDATORY.
- FRONT AXLE TETHER SYSTEMS (2-Chassis, 1-King Pin to King Pin) ARE MANDATORY.
- FULL CONTAINMENT SEATS ARE MANDATORY.
- Cockpit adjustable shocks ARE ALLOWED.
The "California Racers Hall of Fame Night" continues the rich tradition of honoring those that have contributed to Southern California Sprint Car Racing. The popular event began in 1996 as the “Jack Kindoll Classic” and when the gates open at 5:00pm, there will be a special autograph session at the PAS Sports Bar. At press time, legends Jimmy Oskie, Brad Noffsinger, Eddie Wirth, John Redican, Stan Atherton, Tony “The Tiger” Simon, and “Super” Rickie Gaunt have confirmed that they will be in attendance. There are rumors of more surprise guests for fans to meet and greet at the autograph session.
At press time, thirteen drivers have won the “California Racers Hall of Fame Night / Jack Kindoll Classic” events. 2006 USAC/CRA Champion, “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman leads all drivers with six victories and Jake Swanson joined the winner’s list in 2019 over Richard Vander Weerd, Brody Roa, “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., and “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams. The race was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic.
Led by Perris and Ascot infield announcer Chris Holt, additional prize money has been raised for Saturday’s “California Racers Hall of Fame Night.” The “Billy Wilkerson Fast Time Award” winner will earn $2,100 and an extra $1,000 if the track record is broken. For the fastest four qualifiers that accept the challenge, the “Junior Kurtz / Bill Simpson Trophy Dash” (four 3-lap rotating dashes) will pay $2,000 to the winner with a $4,000 purse. There is an additional $6,000 in lap money as well as extra cash bonuses up for grabs. A special thanks goes out to Chris Holt and everyone that contributed to the event.
Since March 6, 2004, the Lake Perris Fairgrounds has held 227 AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car events and forty-two different drivers have claimed victory. “The Demon” Damion Gardner leads all drivers with 48 “home track” wins and Nic Faas set the 1-lap track record of 15.833 on February 25, 2012. In the last four “home track” events, Gardner won the “Sokola Shootout,” Brody Roa topped the “70th Running of the Salute to Indy,” Gardner scored the June 19th victory, and “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams topped the July 17th show. A complete series win list at Perris is at the end of this release.
Heading to the tenth point race, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, CA) has a 36-point lead over the competition. Driving Mark Alexander’s #1 PerformanceOnline.com / Carman Trucking Spike, Gardner scored thirteenth at Perris on July 17th. At press time, the eight-time champion has three feature wins, five Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, one Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award, seven top-10 finishes, and 74 feature laps led on the year. The “World’s Fastest Sprint Car Driver” has eighty-86 series wins and will be looking for his fifth “California Racers Hall of Fame Night” triumph.
“The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA) is second in the chase for the championship. Racing the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Eagle, Roa finished second to Austin Williams at Perris on July 17th. To date, the 2019 USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Champion has one feature win, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, three heat race victories, one Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award, seven top-10 finishes and 55 feature laps led in the campaign. With nine career wins, Brody will have his sights on adding the “California Racers Hall of Fame Night” to his resume.
“The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, CA) ranks third in the championship point standings. Piloting Tom and Laurie Sertich’s #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Lucas Oil DRC, Williams charged from fifth to win the July 17th main event at Perris Auto Speedway. At press time, the 2009 Co-Rookie of the Year has one feature win, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, seven top-10 finishes and 32 feature laps led to his credit. “The Big Game Hunter” has ten career wins and will be looking for another “home track” victory.
Chris Gansen (Verdemont Heights, CA) sits fourth in the USAC/CRA point standings. Driving the family owned #4G Trench Shoring / Cam 2 Blue Blood Oil Maxim, Gansen placed seventh at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. To date, the veteran driver has posted one In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award, nine top-10 finishes, and 1 feature lap led on the season. This Saturday night, Chris will have his sights on earning his first victory with USAC/CRA.
Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm (Corona, CA) is fifth in the championship point chase. Racing Dino Napier’s #5X Indiana Truck Salvage / B&B Powder Coating Maxim, Malcolm scored fifteenth in the July 17th Perris feature. At press time, the young driver has one heat race victory and five top-10 finishes in the campaign. Tommy “Thunder” will be looking for the first USAC/CRA win of his career this Saturday night.
Heading to Perris, Austin Grabowksi (Riverside, CA) leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors. Jake Hodges (Camarillo, CA), Ryan Timmons (Pleasant Hill, CA), Brent Owens (Rancho Cucamonga, CA), Ikaika O’Brien (Oahu, HI), and Shane Sexton (Warner Springs, CA) are also in contention.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “The Cadillac” Cody Williams, Matt Mitchell, Verne Sweeney, A.J. Bender, Matt McCarthy, “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., Eddie Tafoya Jr., Logan Williams, “Speedy” Stevie Sussex, Joel Rayborne, Steve Hix, Jeff Dyer, Austin Liggett, “T Dub” Trent Williams, and more.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. Adult tickets are $30, Senior tickets (65 and over) are $25, Kids tickets (6-12) are $5, and Children’s tickets (5 and under) are FREE. Walk up tickets will be sold and advance tickets can be purchased online at perrisautospeedway.com or by calling 951.940.0134.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks All Coast Construction, BillsJerky.com, Component Repair Company, Factory Wraps, Flowdynamics, Hoosier Racing Tire, Huntington Beach Glass and Mirror, In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner, Woodland Auto Display, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing, Loudpedal Productions, Rod End Supply, surfNsprint.com, Saldana Racing Products, Sway-A-Way Torsion Bars, Ultra Shield Race Products, and Wilwood Disc Brakes for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, contact Tony Jones at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or PR Director Lance Jennings at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
For more information on the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit the United States Auto Club (USAC) website at usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC/CRA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
FloRacing.com has live, flag-to-flag coverage of the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series. You can catch the action by subscribing to FloRacing on a monthly or yearly basis to view their huge catalog of live and on-demand auto racing and sporting events.
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS: 2004-Rip Williams, 2005-Damion Gardner, 2006-Cory Kruseman, 2007-Tony Jones, 2008-Mike Spencer, 2009-Mike Spencer, 2010-Mike Spencer, 2011-Mike Spencer, 2012-Mike Spencer, 2013-Damion Gardner, 2014-Damion Gardner, 2015-Damion Gardner, 2016-Damion Gardner, 2017-Damion Gardner, 2018-Damion Gardner, 2019-Damion Gardner, 2020-NO AWARD.
CALIFORNIA RACERS HALL OF FAME NIGHT / JACK KINDOLL CLASSIC WINNERS: 1996-Lee Brewer Jr., 1997-Rip Williams, 1998-Cory Kruseman, 1999-Richard Griffin, 2000-Cory Kruseman, 2001-Cory Kruseman, 2002-Steve Ostling, 2003-Lance Gremett, 2004-Rickie Gaunt, 2005-Cory Kruseman, 2006-Tony Jones, 2007-Cory Kruseman, 2008-Damion Gardner, 2009-Mike Spencer, 2010-Mike Spencer, 2011-Mike Spencer, 2012-Mike Spencer, 2013-Cory Kruseman, 2014-Damion Gardner, 2015-Damion Gardner, 2016-Damion Gardner, 2017-R.J. Johnson, 2018-Austin Williams, 2019-Jake Swanson, 2020-CANCELLED.
2021 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 3-Damion Gardner, 2-Max Adams, 1-Chase Johnson, 1-Brody Roa, 1-Ryan Timmons, 1-Austin Williams.
PERRIS AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 48-Damion Gardner, 24-Mike Spencer, 19-Tony Jones, 17-Cory Kruseman, 9-Nic Faas, 8-David Cardey, 8-Richard Vander Weerd, 7-Rip Williams, 6-Bryan Clauson, 6-Mike Kirby, 6-Matt Mitchell, 6-Danny Sheridan, 6-Austin Williams, 5-Rickie Gaunt, 5-Justin Grant, 4-Robert Ballou, 4-Dave Darland, 4-R.J. Johnson, 3-Garrett Hansen, 3-Brody Roa, 2-Brady Bacon, 2-Darren Hagen, 2-Jesse Hockett, 2-Levi Jones, 2-Blake Miller, 2-Kevin Thomas Jr., 2-Chris Windom, 1-Chad Boespflug, 1-Greg Bragg, 1-Daron Clayton, 1-Charles Davis Jr., 1-Josh Ford, 1-Josh Hodges, 1-Bud Kaeding, 1-C.J. Leary, 1-Adam Mitchell, 1-Johnny Rodriguez, 1-Hunter Schuerenberg, 1-Chase Stockon, 1-Jake Swanson, 1-Scotty Weir, 1-Jason York.
2021 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Damion Gardner-638, 2. Brody Roa-602, 3. Austin Williams-579, 4. Chris Gansen-524, 5. Tommy Malcolm-441, 6. Cody Williams-434, 7. Matt Mitchell-374, 8. Verne Sweeney-368, 9. A.J. Bender-353, 10. Matt McCarthy-340, 11. Danny Faria Jr.-319, 12. Charles Davis Jr.-306, 13. Eddie Tafoya Jr.-297, 14. Logan Williams-277, 15. Austin Grabowski ®-271, 16. Jake Hodges ®-203, 17. Max Adams-195, 18. Ryan Timmons ®-192, 19. Stevie Sussex-189, 20. Joel Rayborne-185, 21. Steve Hix-183, 22. Brent Owens ®-182, 23. Jeff Dyer-155, 24. Austin Liggett-149, 25. Ikaika O'Brien ®-141, 26. Austin Ervine-128, 27. Troy Rutherford-126, 28. Rick Hendrix-119, 29. Shane Sexton ®-117, 30. Dan Taylor ®-106, 31. Davey Ray-105, 32. Kyle Edwards-87, 33. Trent Williams-80, 34. Chase Johnson-78, 35. James Herrera-77, 36. Tanner Boul ®-75, ---. Travis Buckley-75, 38. R.J. Johnson-74, 39. Jonas Reynolds-66, 40. Nate Schank-58, 41. Cal Smith-53, ---. Chris Bonneau-53, 43. Randy Nelson-45, 44. Tyler Hatzikian-42, 45. James Heling-41, 46. Frank Herman-35, 47. Kaleb Montgomery-32, 48. Christopher Muraokoa-31, 49. Tom Hendricks-28, 50. Danny Sheridan-26, 51. Daylin Perreira-10.
2021 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE:
March 12: The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park– Bakersfield, CA (Winner: Ryan Timmons)
March 13: The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park – Bakersfield, CA (Winner: Max Adams)
March 26: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (Winner: Max Adams)
April 24: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Damion Gardner)
May 1: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (CANCELLED)
May 8: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA (Winner: Chase Johnson)
May 22: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Brody Roa)
June 19: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Damion Gardner)
July 3: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Winner: Damion Gardner)
July 16: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (CANCELLED)
July 17: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Austin Williams)
August 14: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (CANCELLED)
August 21: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (California Racers Hall of Fame Night)
September 4: Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic)
September 5: Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic)
September 6: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA
September 25: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Glenn Howard Classic)
October 2: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
October 23: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
November 4: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 5: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 6: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 12: *Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 13: *Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Cars.
This schedule is subject to change.
