BRODY ROA TOPS USAC/CRA RETURN TO SANTA MARIA

By Lance Jennings

SANTA MARIA, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 8, 2022… History was made last Saturday night as “The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa (Garden Grove, California) won the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car return to Santa Maria Raceway. Retaking the lead for good from Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm on lap 21, Roa went on to earn the seventh victory for an iron-block 360 powered car with the series. Malcolm, hard charger Daniel Whitley, Logan Williams, and Chase Johnson rounded out the top-five drivers.

Starting on the pole position, Roa’s May Motorsports’ #8M RDM Mechanics / Fastenal Eagle fell behind winged driver Kaleb Montgomery at the green flag. Montgomery, who won a USAC 360 show at Santa Maria in 2019, was looking to claim his first non-winged 410 main event. Those hopes were dashed as a multi-car tangle brought out the caution. On the restart, Roa got the jump and held the top spot on the technical surface.

Brody increased his advantage and was well in control of the main event. By the halfway point, the former USAC SouthWest Sprint Car champion was challenged by the fifth starting Malcolm. Malcolm made a bold move and took command on lap sixteen with his sights on his first career victory. After a couple of laps, Roa hit his marks and reeled in the leader. From there, Brody powered to the lead and sailed to his second win in a row.

With his twelfth career USAC/CRA triumph, Brody Roa moves into a tie for fifth overall on the win list with Bryan Clauson. The 2016 USAC West Coast 360 Champion began his night by qualifying seventh out of a season high 31 race cars and scored third in his heat race.

Matt Mitchell (Yorba Linda, California) began the sold out event by claiming his second Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of the season. Piloting his #37 Roy Miller Freight Lines / Campbell Brothers Storage Maxim, Mitchell posted a time of 14.160 on the 1/3-mile clay oval. From there, the former USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Champion placed fourth in his heat race and scored twenty-first in the feature after an early exit.

A.J. Bender (San Diego, California) raced to victory in the 10-lap Flowdynamics Incorporated First Heat Race. Driving the family owned #21 Bender Pool and Spa / Schweitzer Motorsports DRC, Bender was seventeenth fast in time trials and scored twenty-second in the main event.

Veteran driver Verne Sweeney (Lomita, California) easily won the 10-lap BillsJerky.net Second Heat Race. Racing Ken Tracy’s #98 Bill’s ‘Ol Fashion Jerky / Faas Cores DRC, Sweeney qualified eighteenth overall and placed nineteenth after being involved in the first lap tangle.

Daniel Whitley (Ferndale, California) made his first USAC/CRA start of the campaign and won the 10-lap In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Third Heat Race. Piloting Ted Finkenbinder’s #3F Western Industrial X-Ray entry, Whitley qualified nineteenth overall and earned the night’s In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award / Best Passing Job honors with an eighteenth to third place run.

Dawson Faria (Tipton, California) claimed his first USAC/CRA checkered flags at Santa Maria Raceway. Driving the family owned #12BF Hooterville Hay / Quail Farms 360 powered ART, Faria won the night’s 10-lap Laserworx Manufacturing Fourth Heat Race, qualified twentieth in time trials, and finished fifteenth in the main event.

Eddie Tafoya Jr. (Chino Hills, California) won the 12-lap Factory Wraps Semi-Main. Racing the family owned #51T Specialty Fasteners / Bell Helmets DRC, Tafoya was fifth fast in time trials, scored fifth in his heat race, and finished eighth in the 30-lap feature.

By virtue of his thirteenth place finish, Austin Grabowski (Riverside, California) earned the Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award at Santa Maria Raceway. Piloting his #72 Grabowski Speed Shop / Mustang Motel Eagle, the 2021 Rookie of the Year qualified sixteenth overall and placed fourth in the semi-main event. 

On Saturday, August 20th, the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will return to Perris Auto Speedway (Perris, California) for the “California Racers Hall of Fame Night” at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. For more event information, visit perrisautospeedway.com. 

The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks Billsjerky.net, Factory Wraps, Flowdynamics Incorporated, The Gardner Family (In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner), Hoosier Racing Tires, Laserworx Manufacturing, Woodland Auto Display, BR Motorsports, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing, In Memory of Shawn McDonald, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Vahlco Wheels, and Wilwood Disc Brakes for their support. 

For more information on the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit 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.

AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 6, 2022 – Santa Maria Raceway– Santa Maria, California 

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-14.160; 2. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-14.223; 3. Chase Johnson, 73, Ford-14.254; 4. Damion Gardner, 1, Alexander-14.284; 5. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-14.288; 6. Kaleb Montgomery, 3, Montgomery-14.435; 7. Brody Roa, 8M, May-14.498; 8. Austin Williams, 2, Williams-14.515; 9. Cody Williams, 44, Williams-14.529; 10. Nate Schank, 1$, Schank-14.535; 11. Troy Rutherford, 11, Rutherford-14.555; 12. Logan Williams, 5W, McCarthy-14.556; 13. Brody Fuson, 51, Van Meter-14.587; 14. Matt McCarthy, 28M, McCarthy-14.624; 15. Grant Sexton, 18, Sexton-14.687; 16. Austin Grabowski, 72, Grabowski-14.699; 17. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-14.709; 18. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-14.736; 19. Daniel Whitley, 3F, Finkenbinder-14.842; 20. Dawson Faria, 12BF, Faria-14.918; 21. Tanner Boul, 99T, Boul-14.968; 22. Charlie Butcher, 96, Butcher-15.043; 23. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-15.119; 24. James Herrera, 16J, Herrera-15.258; 25. Joel Rayborne, 12B, Blair-15.278; 26. Troy DeGaton, 39T, DeGaton-15.560; 27. Dan Taylor, T5, Taylor-15.862; 28. Joe Pontin Jr., 11O, O’Brien-16.310; 29. Bill Jones, 5J, Herrera-16.800; 30. Camie Bell, 29, Bell-17.883; 31. Vaughn Schott, 67, Schott-NT.

FLOWDYNAMICS INCORPORATED FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bender, 2. C.Williams, 3. Fuson, 4. Mitchell, 5. Tafoya, 6. Rayborne, 7. Jones, 8. Boul. NT.

BILLSJERKY.NET SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Sweeney, 2. Butcher, 3. Malcolm, 4. Montgomery, 5. Schank, 6. McCarthy, 7. DeGaton, 8. Bell. NT.

IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Whitley, 2. Rutherford, 3. Roa, 4. Johnson, 5. Hix, 6. Sexton, 7. Taylor. NT.

LASERWORX MANUFACTURING FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Faria, 2. L.Williams, 3. Gardner, 4. A.Williams, 5. Grabowski, 6. Herrera, 7. Pontin. NT.

FACTORY WRAPS SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Tafoya, 2. Schank, 3. McCarthy, 4. Grabowski, 5. Boul, 6. Rayborne, 7. Herrera, 8. Hix, 9. DeGaton, 10. Pontin, 11. Sexton, 12. Bell, 13. Taylor, 14. Jones. NT.

FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Brody Roa (1), 2. Tommy Malcolm (5), 3. Daniel Whitley (18), 4. Logan Williams (12), 5. Chase Johnson (4), 6. Cody Williams (9), 7. Kaleb Montgomery (2), 8. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (7), 9. Nate Schank (10), 10. Troy Rutherford (11), 11. Brody Fuson (13), 12. Damion Gardner (3), 13. Austin Grabowski (15), 14. Tanner Boul (20), 15. Dawson Faria (19), 16. Joel Rayborne (22), 17. Austin Williams (8), 18. Matt McCarthy (14), 19. Verne Sweeney (17), 20. Charlie Butcher (21), 21. Matt Mitchell (6), 22. A.J. Bender (16). NT. 

---------------------------- 

**Schott flipped during time trials. A.Williams flipped on lap 9 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-15 Roa, Laps 16-20 Malcolm, Laps 21-30 Roa.

IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER HARD CHARGER: Daniel Whitley (18th to 3rd)

WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Austin Grabowski

NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Damion Gardner-876, 2-Matt Mitchell-769, 3-Austin Williams-740, 4-Eddie Tafoya Jr.-724, 5-Logan Williams-709, 6-Cody Williams-616, 7-Tommy Malcolm-610, 8-Brody Roa-560, 9-Nate Schank-500, 9-Matt McCarthy-497, 10-Charles Davis Jr.-496.

NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE:  August 20 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California – “California Racers Hall of Fame Night”