GARDNER TOPS PERRIS “SOKOLA SHOOTOUT”
By Lance Jennings
APRIL 23, 2018...After securing the lead from Jake Swanson on lap sixteen, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, California) won last Saturday’s “Sokola Shootout” at Perris Auto Speedway. The 30-lap AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car victory was Gardner’s second triumph of the season and the 77th of his career. Fast qualifier Brody Roa, Jake Swanson, “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., and “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. chased “The Demon” to the checkered flags.
Starting fifth, Gardner took command from polesitter “Showtime” Danny Sheridan on the fourth lap. Looking for his third “Sokola Shootout” win, “The Demon” faced changing track conditions and briefly lost the lead to Swanson at the halfway mark. Gardner reclaimed the top spot and soon faced challenges from Swanson and Roa. As several caution and red flags halted the action, Damion had great restarts and powered to the win as Roa and Swanson battled for second.
Piloting Mark Alexander’s #4 Trench Shoring / Weld Racing Spike, Damion Gardner qualified second out of twenty-five racers and won the Circle Track Performance / Rod End Supply Heat Race #2. Heading to the May 5th Ventura show, Gardner leads the standings by 16 points with two feature wins, two heat race victories, three top-10 finishes, and 55 feature laps led.
Brody Roa (Garden Grove, California) stormed from sixth to a second place finish in the “Sokola Shootout.” Racing the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Maxim, Roa earned his fifth career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and ran second to Cody Williams in his heat race. The 2016 USAC West Coast 360 Champion is second in the point chase with three top-10 finishes to his credit.
Jake Swanson (Anaheim, California) led the fifteenth lap and placed third in the Perris Auto Speedway feature. Driving Tom and Laurie Sertich’s #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Phil & Eileen King Triple X, Swanson was third quick in time trials and won the Keizer Aluminum Wheels / Rod End Supply Heat Race #3. The defending USAC West Coast 360 Champion ranks third in the point chase with one Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, three top-10 finishes, and 9 feature laps led.
“Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr. (Tipton, California) started tenth to score fourth in the “Sokola Shootout.” Piloting his #17V Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / DeBoer & Sons Trucking Spike, Faria qualified eleventh overall and ran second to Damion Gardner in his heat race. The two-time USAC West Coast 360 Champion sits twelfth in points with one heat race victory and one top-10 finish on the year.
“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) returned to Perris Auto Speedway and claimed fifth in the main event. Racing his #50 RSS Industries / MP Environmental Services RSS, Davis was fifth fast in time trials and placed third in his heat race. The five-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion ranks sixth in the point standings with two top-10 finishes.
“The Bull” Tye Mihocko (Peoria, Arizona) returned to Perris and earned the night’s Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics “Hard Charger Award / Best Passing Job” honors with an eighth place run from nineteenth. Driving the family owned #5T Dave Wilson Realty / Mears Mechanical Spike, Mihocko qualified twenty-first and ran third in his heat race. To date, “The Bull” is sixteenth in the standings with one top-10 finish.
“The Cadillac” Cody Williams (Corona, California) raced to victory in the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. Piloting Jack Jory’s #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Williams was sixteenth quick in time trials and finished twelfth in the “Sokola Shootout.” The 2008 National Non-Wing Co-Rookie of the Year ranks fifth in the point chase with one top-10 finish on the season.
“The Real American” Matt Rossi (Glendale, Arizona) won the night’s 12-lap Competition Suspension Incorporated Semi-Main. Racing the family owned #02 Apache Scapes / IWR Spike, Rossi qualified tenth overall, finished fifth in his heat race, and scored eleventh in the main event. The 2014 Western World Champion sits ninth in the standings with one top-10 finish in the campaign.
On Saturday, May 5th, the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will invade Jim Naylor’s Ventura Raceway. Located on the Ventura County Fairgrounds at 10 West Harbor Blvd. in Ventura, California, the VRA Dwarf Cars and California Lightning Sprints will share the card. More event and ticket information can be found at www.venturaraceway.com or calling 805.648.RACE.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks Hoosier Tire, All Coast Construction, BR Motorsports, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, King Racing Products, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, surfNsprint.com, Ultra Shield Race Products, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, contact PR Director Lance Jennings at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
For more information on USAC/CRA, visit the United States Auto Club (USAC) website at www.usacracing.com. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC/CRA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
Loudpedal Productions has USAC/CRA DVDs and videos on demand available for purchase at www.loudpedal.tv and 805.407.7229.
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: April 21, 2018 – Perris, California – Perris Auto Speedway – “Sokola Shootout”
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-16.378; 2. Damion Gardner, 4, Alexander-16.571; 3. Jake Swanson, 92, Sertich-16.799; 4. Logan Williams, 5, Jory-16.844; 5. Charles Davis Jr., 50, Davis-16.918; 6. Jason McDougal, 19S, Reinbold/Underwood-16.966; 7. R.J. Johnson, 42, Cheney-16.975; 8. Danny Sheridan, 12, Allen-16.989; 9. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-17.214; 10. Matt Rossi, 02, Rossi-17.219; 11. Danny Faria Jr., 17V, Faria-17.269; 12. Matt McCarthy, 28M, McCarthy-17.277; 13. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-17.290; 14. Verne Sweeney, 98V, Tracy-17.375; 15. Max Adams, 5M, Adams-17.395; 16. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-17.424; 17. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.430; 18. Cal Smith, 39, Cal-Sun-17.566; 19. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-17.600; 20. Matt Stewart, 23, Bellegante-17.645; 21. Tye Mihocko, 5T, Mihocko-17.660; 22. Trent Williams, 52V, Williams-17.938; 23. Randy Waitman, 90, Waitman-18.002; 24. Joel Rayborne, 12B, Blair-18.678; 25. Gary Marshall Jr., 72, Marshall-18.976.
EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. C.Williams, 2. Roa, 3. Malcolm, 4. L.Williams, 5. Rossi, 6. A.Williams, 7. T.Williams, 8. Marshall, 9. Johnson. 2:57.12
CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Gardner, 2. Faria, 3. Davis, 4. Sheridan, 5. Gansen, 6. Stewart, 7. Waitman, 8. Sweeney. NT
KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS / ROD END SUPPLY THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Swanson, 2. Adams, 3. Bender, 4. McCarthy, 5. McDougal, 6. Mihocko, 7. Rayborne, 8. Smith. 3:01.09
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INCORPORATED / ROD END SUPPLY SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Rossi, 2. McDougal, 3. Mihocko, 4. Waitman, 5. A.Williams, 6. Gansen, 7. T.Williams, 8. Stewart, 9. Smith, 10. Rayborne, 11. Marshall, 12. Sweeney, 13. Johnson. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. Damion Gardner (5th), 2. Brody Roa (6th), 3. Jake Swanson (4th), 4. Danny Faria Jr. (10th), 5. Charles Davis Jr. (2nd), 6. Max Adams (13th), 7. R.J. Johnson (23rd), 8. Tye Mihocko (19th), 9. Matt Stewart (18th), 10. Chris Gansen (15th), 11. Matt Rossi (9th), 12. Cody Williams (14th), 13. Logan Williams (3rd), 14. A.J. Bender (8th), 15. Joel Rayborne (22nd), 16. Tommy Malcolm (12th), 17. Austin Williams (17th), 18. Jason McDougal (7th), 19. Randy Waitman (21st), 20. Cal Smith (16th), 21. Trent Williams (20th), 22. Danny Sheridan (1st), 23. Matt McCarthy (11th). NT
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**Sheridan flipped on lap 4 of the feature. A.Williams, McDougal, Malcolm, and Bender flipped on lap 19 of the feature.
**R.J. Johnson used a provisional.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Sheridan, Laps 4-14 Gardner, Lap 15 Swanson, Laps 16-30 Gardner.
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Tye Mihocko (19th to 8th)
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Damion Gardner-237, 2. Brody Roa-221, 3. Jake Swanson-212, 4. R.J. Johnson-164, 5. Cody Williams-154, 6. Charles Davis Jr.-133, 7. Logan Williams-132, 8. A.J. Bender-128, 9. Matt Rossi-126, 10. Austin Williams-119, 11. Max Adams-117, 12. Danny Faria Jr.-110, 13. Tommy Malcolm-109, 14. Matt McCarthy-108, 15. Chris Gansen-106, 16. Tye Mihocko-91, 17. Austin Liggett-79, --. Richard Vander Weerd-79, 19. Chad Boespflug-69, 20. Stevie Sussex-58.
2018 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE-TRACK-LOCATION
May 5: Ventura Raceway - Ventura, CA
May 26: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Salute to Indy)
June 23: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
July 7: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA (Doug Fort Memorial)
August 4: Santa Maria Raceway - Santa Maria, CA
August 18: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (California Racers Hall of Fame Night)
September 1: Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic / California Sprint Week)
September 2: Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic / California Sprint Week)
September 3: Petaluma Speedway - Petaluma CA (California Sprint Week)
September 6: Silver Dollar Speedway - Chico, CA (Gold Cup Race of Champions / California Sprint Week)
September 7: Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA (California Sprint Week)
September 8: Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds - Hanford, CA (California Sprint Week)
September 22: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Glenn Howard Classic)
September 28: Arizona Speedway - San Tan Valley, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
September 29: Arizona Speedway - San Tan Valley, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
October 20: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA
November 2: *Arizona Speedway - San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 3: *Arizona Speedway - San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 8: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Budweiser Oval Nationals presented by All Coast Construction)
November 9: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Budweiser Oval Nationals presented by All Coast Construction)
November 10: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Budweiser Oval Nationals presented by All Coast Construction)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with AMSOIL USAC National Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
