DAMION GARDNER MAKES HISTORY AT PERRIS WITH HOWARD CLASSIC WIN

By Lance Jennings

PERRIS, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 21, 2022… After taking command from Brody Roa on the tenth lap, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, California) led the rest of the way to win last Saturday’s “Glenn Howard Classic” at Perris Auto Speedway. For Gardner, the 30-lap main event was his sixth AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car victory of the season as Matt Mitchell, Roa, hard charger Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm, and “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams chased the 9-time champion to the checkered flag.

Piloting Mark Alexander’s #1 PerformanceOnline.com / Carman Trucking Spike, “The Demon” began his night by earning his series leading 104th career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award. Gardner had bested the 24-car roster and his time of 16.202 seconds was the fastest lap of the year at the half-mile oval. Next, the point leader ran second to Malcolm in his heat race and then proceeded win his fifth “Glenn Howard Classic.” In addition, Damion captured his 108th West Coast non-winged 410 (CRA-SCRA-USAC/CRA) victory to break a tie with 3-Time CRA Champion Dean Thompson (107) as the all-time winner. 

In victory circle, Gardner remarked, “It’s a true honor to beat Dean. He came down the first day I ever came down here (February 9, 2002) and told me I was something special. I didn’t know who he was and later it meant a lot to me.” Damion left the Lake Perris Fairgrounds with a 114-point advantage over the competition.

Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm (Corona, California) raced to victory in the night’s 10-lap Flowdynamics Incorporated / Laserworx Manufacturing / Factory Wraps First Heat Race. Driving Dino Napier’s #5X Indiana Truck Salvage / B&B Powder Coating DRC, Malcolm was tenth quick in time trials and earned the In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award with a tenth to sixth place run. Tommy ranks fifth in the point chase as the series will return to Perris Auto Speedway on October 1st. 

“The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa (Garden Grove, California) won his fourth heat race of the campaign in the 10-lap Billsjerky.net / Laserworx Manufacturing / Factory Wraps sponsored event. Racing the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Eagle, Roa qualified eighth overall and ran third in the main event after leading the first nine circuits. Running a limited schedule, the 2019 USAC SouthWest Champion sits eighth in points on the strength two feature wins and strong finishes. 

Matt Mitchell (Yorba Linda, California) scored the victory in the 10-lap In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Third Heat Race. Driving his #37 J.W. Mitchell Motorsports / Roy Miller Freight Lines Maxim, Mitchell was ninth quick in time trials and ran second to Gardner in the “Glenn Howard Classic.” The 2014 USAC West Coast Sprint Car Champion left Perris ranked second in the point standings.

By virtue of his thirteenth place finish, Chris Gansen (Verdemont Heights, California) earned the night’s Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award.” Piloting the family owned #4G Trench Shoring / Cam 2 Blue Blood Oil Maxim, Gansen qualified seventeenth overall, placed fourth in his heat race, and raced to thirteenth in the “Howard Classic” after starting sixteenth. 

Matt McCarthy (Riverside, California) took home the Shawn McDonald Memorial Qualifying Award by timing in sixth quick overall. Driving the family owned #28M Flowdynamics Incorporated / Drinkpak DRC, McCarthy placed fifth in his heat race and scored twelfth in the main event. The 2017 Rookie of the Year is tenth in the point chase as the series returns to their home track on October 1st.

“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) claimed the night’s Shawn McDonald Memorial Feature Award with a sixth place finish in the “Glenn Howard Classic.” Racing his #47 MP Environmental / Black Magic Bead Breaker DRC, Davis qualified fifth overall and ran second to Roa in his heat race. As this writing goes to press, the 7-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion is ninth in the point standings.

On Saturday, October 1st, the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will return to Perris Auto Speedway (Perris, California) for their last tune up race before November’s Oval Nationals.” For more information on the sixteenth point race, 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: September 17, 2022 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California – “Glenn Howard Classic”

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Damion Gardner, 1, Alexander-16.202; 2. Cody Williams, 44, Williams-16.348; 3. Austin Williams, 2, Williams-16.442; 4. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-16.471; 5. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-16.511; 6. Matt McCarthy, 28M, McCarthy-16.532; 7. Kyle Edwards, 39E, Edwards-16.539; 8. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-16.540; 9. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-16.565; 10. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-16.604; 11. Logan Williams, 5W, McCarthy-16.681; 12. Danny Sheridan, 12, Allen-16.708; 13. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-16.779; 14. Chris Bonneau, 15, Bonneau-16.848; 15. Austin Grabowski, 72, Grabowski-16.850; 16. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-17.121; 17. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.141; 18. Brent Owens, 71, Martin-17.385; 19. Dan Taylor, T5, Taylor-17.700; 20. Logan Calderwood, 6, Calderwood-17.734; 21. Shane Sexton, 74, Sexton/Gatlin-17.871; 22. Nate Schank, 1$, Schank-17.900; 23. Gary Marshall Jr., 23, Bellegante-23.945; 24. Grant Sexton, 18, Sexton-NT.

FLOWDYNAMICS INCORPORATED / LASERWORX MANUFACTURING / FACTORY WRAPS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Malcolm, 2. Gardner, 3. Tafoya, 4. Bender, 5. Edwards, 6. Sweeney, 7. Schank, 8. Taylor. 2:56.44

BILLSJERKY.NET / LASERWORX MANUFACTURING / FACTORY WRAPS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Roa, 2. Davis, 3. Bonneau, 4. Gansen, 5. Calderwood, 6. C.Williams, 7. L.Williams, 8. Marshall. NT.

IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Mitchell, 2. Grabowski, 3. A.Williams, 4. Sheridan, 5. McCarthy, 6. Owens, 7. S.Sexton. 3:17.02

FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Damion Gardner (6), 2. Matt Mitchell (1), 3. Brody Roa (2), 4. Tommy Malcolm (10), 5. Austin Williams (5), 6. Charles Davis Jr. (3), 7. Danny Sheridan (11), 8. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (12), 9. Kyle Edwards (9), 10. Austin Grabowski (14), 11. Chris Bonneau (13), 12. Matt McCarthy (8), 13. Chris Gansen (16), 14. Shane Sexton (19), 15. Logan Calderwood (18), 16. Nate Schank (20), 17. Dan Taylor (17), 18. Cody Williams (7), 19. Verne Sweeney (15), 20. A.J. Bender (4), 21. Gary Marshall Jr. (21), NT.

--------------------------- 

**G.Sexton flipped during hotlaps. L.Williams flipped during the second heat. 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1-9 Roa, Laps 10-30 Gardner. 

IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER HARD CHARGER: Tommy Malcolm (10th to 4th)

WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Chris Gansen

SHAWN MCDONALD MEMORIAL QUALIFIER: Matt McCarthy 

SHAWN MCDONALD MEMORIAL FEATURE AWARD: Charles Davis Jr.

NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Damion Gardner-1034, 2-Matt Mitchell-920, 3-Austin Williams-878, 4-Eddie Tafoya Jr.-844, 5-Tommy Malcolm-734, 6-Logan Williams-731, 7-Cody Williams-693, 8-Brody Roa-662, 9-Charles Davis Jr.-634, 10-Matt McCarthy-587.

NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE: October 1 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California