WATSONVILLE, PETALUMA ON TAP FOR CRA SPRINTS

Northern California ovals at Watsonville and Petaluma beckon the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint cars this weekend as drivers try to cut into point leader Damion Gardner’s substantial lead.

Gardner has five feature wins in seven starts so far and has a comfortable 93-point margin over runner-up Nic Faas, whose best finishes have been a second and a third.

Matt Mitchell and Richard Vander Weerd, who stand fourth and seventh respectively in the latest points, are the other two feature winners this season.

Gardner and Marty Hawkins grabbed the two USAC/CRA flags at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville last year, while the series did not compete at Petaluma Speedway in 2013.