USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS RETURN TO PERRIS FOR “SALUTE TO INDY”
By Lance Jennings
MAY 25, 2022... The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to Perris Auto Speedway, this Saturday, May 28th, for the “Salute to Indy.” Promoted by Don Kazarian, the prestigious event will also feature the PAS Senior Sprint Cars, PAS Young Gun Sprint Cars, and IMCA Modifieds plus “Power of Purple Night” benefiting the American Cancer Society Relay For Life Riverside County East. Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California, the Spectator Gates will open at 5:00pm and racing at "America's Premier Dirt Track" will start at 7:00pm. For more event information, visit the track’s website at 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.
NOTICE TO RACERS:
- 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. .)
- APPROVED/LEGAL TIRES: Due to the current tire shortages, ANY Hoosier Right Rear Tire is legal for competition until further notice. All four corners must be Hoosier.
- 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.
- ENTRY FEE: There is an entry fee due at registration / pill pick.
- TRANSPONDERS: Transponders ARE MANDATORY and will be available to rent.
- ONE WAY RADIOS / RACECEIVERS: One way radios ARE MANDATORY.
- FRONT AXLE TETHER SYSTEMS: Front axle tether systems (2-Chassis, 1-King Pin to King Pin) ARE MANDATORY.
- FULL CONTAINMENT SEATS: Full containment seats ARE MANDATORY.
- COCKPIT ADJUSTABLE SHOCKS: Cockpit adjustable shocks ARE ALLOWED.
- RULE BOOK: The USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series Rule Book can be found online at usacracing.com.
- 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.
Since March 6, 2004, the Lake Perris Fairgrounds has held 235 AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car events and forty-two different drivers have claimed victory. “The Demon” Damion Gardner leads all drivers with 50 “home track” wins, including the “So-Cal Showdown” on March 26th. The April 30th “Sokola Shootout” was won by Matt Mitchell. Nic Faas set the 1-lap track record of 15.833 on February 25, 2012 and a complete USAC/CRA win list at Perris is at the end of this release.
The annual "Salute to Indy" has been a Southern California tradition going back to 1948 when Dempsey Wilson claimed the checkered flags with the original California Racing Association. When Perris Auto Speedway opened their doors in 1996, the Riverside County oval brought the tradition back and NASCAR driver J.J. Yeley scored the victory. Last year, Brody Roa added the prestigious race to his resume as he was followed by R.J. Johnson, Matt Mitchell, Damion Gardner, and Charles Davis Jr. The “Salute to Indy” win list is at the bottom of the release.
Heading to the tenth point race, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, California) has a 128-point advantage over the competition. Piloting Mark Alexander’s #1 PerformanceOnline.com / Carman Trucking Spike, Gardner finished nineteenth at Bakersfield Speedway on May 14th. As this writing goes to press, the nine-time champion has posted five feature wins, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, six heat race victories, eight top-10 finishes, and 126 feature laps led to his credit. The “World’s Fastest Sprint Car Driver” has ninety-four series wins and will be looking to claim his fifth “Salute to Indy.”
After finishing ninth at Bakersfield, “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, California) has climbed to second in the chase for the championship. Racing the family owned #2 Digalert / Full Throttle Scissor Lift Rental DRC, Williams has one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, two heat race victories, seven top-10 finishes, and 6 feature laps led in the campaign. The 2009 Co-Rookie of the Year has career triumphs and will have his sights on winning his third “Salute to Indy.”
Matt Mitchell (Yorba Linda, California) has climbed to third in the USAC/CRA point chase. Driving his #37 Roy Miller Freight Lines / Campbell Brothers Storage Maxim, Mitchell charged from thirteenth to second at Bakersfield. At press time, the 2014 USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Champion has one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one heat race victory, one semi-main win, two hard charger awards, seven top-10 finishes, and 30 feature laps led on the season. Matt has seven career USAC/CRA triumphs and will be looking to top his third “Salute to Indy.”
“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) ranks fourth in the championship standings. The pilot of the #47 MP Environmental Services / Black Magic Bead Breaker DRC skipped Bakersfield to compete in the Midwest. To date, the 1993 CRA Rookie of the Year has two heat race victories, one Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award, one Hard Charger Award, six top-10 finishes, and 11 feature laps led on the season. The seven-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion has four USAC/CRA triumphs and might miss this year’s “Salute to Indy.”
Eddie Tafoya Jr. (Chino Hills, California) sits fifth in the USAC/CRA standings. Driving the family owned #51T Specialty Fasteners / DRC Chassis entry, Tafoya raced to fifth at Bakersfield after starting eleventh. At press time, the 2019 USAC/CRA and USAC SouthWest Rookie of the Year has one Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award and six top-10 finishes on the season. This Saturday, Eddie will have his sights on his first USAC/CRA win at Perris Auto Speedway.
Nate Schank (Santa Rosa, California) leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors and ranks twelfth in the point chase. The pilot of the family owned #1$ Joe Hunt Magnetos / Industrial Machine Maxim will be looking for his first victory at the “Salute to Indy.”
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Logan Williams, “The Cadillac” Cody Williams, Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm, Chris Gansen, Matt McCarthy, Verne Sweeney, “T-Dub” Trent Williams, Austin Grabowski, Brody Roa, A.J. Bender, Jeff Dyer, Kyle Edwards, Jake Hodges, “Showtime” Danny Sheridan, Steve Hix, Dan Taylor, 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 & over) are $25, Kids tickets (6 to 12) are $5, and Children (5 and under) are FREE. The Fairgrounds charges $10 for parking. Advance tickets are available and for more event information, visit the track’s website at perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks BillsJerky.net, Factory Wraps, Floracing.com, Flowdynamics Incorporated, The Gardner Family (In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner), Hoosier Racing Tires, Laserworx Manufacturing, Woodland Auto Display, BR Motorsports, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, In Memory of Shawn McDonald, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Vahlco Wheels, 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.
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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, 2021-Damion Gardner
2022 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 5-Damion Gardner, 1-Ryan Bernal, 1-Austin Liggett, 1-Matt Mitchell, 1-Cody Williams.
PERRIS AMSOIL USAC/CRA 1-LAP QUALIFYING RECORD: Nic Faas – 15.833 (02/25/12)
PERRIS AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 50-Damion Gardner, 24-Mike Spencer, 19-Tony Jones, 17-Cory Kruseman, 9-Nic Faas, 8-David Cardey, 8-Richard Vander Weerd, 7-Matt Mitchell, 7-Rip Williams, 6-Bryan Clauson, 6-Mike Kirby, 6-Danny Sheridan, 6-Austin Williams, 5-Rickie Gaunt, 5-Justin Grant, 4-Robert Ballou, 4-Dave Darland, 4-R.J. Johnson, 4-Brody Roa, 3-Brady Bacon, 3-Garrett Hansen, 3-Kevin Thomas Jr., 2-Charles Davis Jr., 2-Darren Hagen, 2-Jesse Hockett, 2-Levi Jones, 2-Blake Miller, 2-Jake Swanson, 2-Chris Windom, 1-Chad Boespflug, 1-Greg Bragg, 1-Daron Clayton, 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-Scotty Weir, 1-Jason York.
"SALUTE TO INDY" WINNERS: 1948-Dempsey Wilson, 1949-Bob Denny, 1950-NO RACE, 1951-NO RACE, 1952-Colby Scroggin, 1953-Bob Denny, 1954-Harry Stockman, 1955-Rosie Roussel, 1956-Art Bisch, 1957-Ray Clark, 1958-Bud Rose, 1959-Roy Prosser, 1960-NO RACE, 1961-Jack Brunner, 1962-Colby Scroggin, 1963-Billy Cantrell, 1964-Hal Minyard, 1965-NO RACE, 1966-Bruce Walkup, 1967-Bob Hogle, 1968-Billy Wilkerson, 1969-Billy Wilkerson, 1970-NO RACE, 1971-Dick Zimmerman / Don Hamilton, 1972-Billy Wilkerson, 1973-Billy Wilkerson, 1974-Jimmy Oskie, 1975-Clark Templeman, 1976-Mike Shaw, 1977-John Redican, 1978-Dean Thompson / Tony Simon, 1979-Bobby Olivero, 1980-Bubby Jones / Dean Thompson / Dean Thompson, 1981-Dean Thompson / Dean Thompson, 1982-Dean Thompson / Bubby Jones, 1983-Rip Williams / Bubby Jones, 1984-Bubby Jones, 1985-Eddie Wirth, 1986-Bubby Jones, 1987-Mike Sweeney, 1988-Lealand McSpadden, 1989-Brad Noffsinger, 1990-Ron Shuman, 1991-NO RACE, 1992-NO RACE, 1993-NO RACE, 1994-NO RACE, 1995-NO RACE, 1997-Cory Kruseman, 1998-Mike Kirby, 1999-Troy Rutherford, 2000-Richard Griffin, 2001-Cory Kruseman, 2002-Mike Kirby, 2003-Damion Gardner, 2004-Damion Gardner, 2005-Cory Kruseman, 2006-Tony Jones, 2007-Blake Miller, 2008-RAIN, 2009-Blake Miller, 2010-David Cardey, 2011-Matt Mitchell, 2012-Mike Spencer, 2013-Matt Mitchell, 2014-Damion Gardner, 2015-Richard Vander Weerd, 2016-Austin Williams, 2017-Damion Gardner, 2018-Austin Williams, 2019-Hunter Schuerenberg, 2020-CANCELLED, 2021-Brody Roa. (Some events were two day shows or twin main events.)
2022 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Damion Gardner-673, 2. Austin Williams-545, 3. Matt Mitchell-544, 4. Charles Davis Jr.-497, 5. Eddie Tafoya Jr.-474, 6. Logan Williams-465, 7. Cody Williams-410, 8. Tommy Malcolm-394, 9. Chris Gansen-345, 10. Matt McCarthy-335, 11. Verne Sweeney-327, 12. Nate Schank ®-324, 13. Trent Williams-297, 14. Chase Johnson-289, 15. Austin Grabowski-268, 16. Brody Roa-258, 17. Ricky Lewis ®-235, 18. Mike Martin-213, 19. Shane Sexton-208, 20. A.J. Bender-202, 21. Jeff Dyer-151, 22. Logan Calderwood-144, 23. Kyle Edwards-141, 24. Austin Liggett-135, 25. Jake Hodges-123, 26. Dustin Cormany-114, 27. Travis Buckley-109, 28. Ryan Bernal-106, 29. Danny Parrish-102, 30. Tanner Boul-92, 31. Danny Sheridan-90, 32. Jonas Reynolds-88, 33. Jess Beckett-87, 34. Steve Hix-75, 35. Dustin Burkhart-74, 36. Brody Fuson-66, 37. Dan Taylor-65, 38. Chris Bonneau-61, 39. Shon Deskins-61, 40. Randy Nelson-57, 41. Dawson Faria-53, ---. Ikaika O'Brien-53, 43. J.J. Yeley-47, 44. Gary Marshall Jr.-44, 45. Richard McCormick-42, 46. Austin Ervine-37, 47. Stevie Sussex-35, ---. Christopher Muraoka-35, ---. Gordon Rodgers-35, 50. Andrew Sweeney-34, 51. Trent Carter-30, 52. Joel Rayborne-28, 53. Ben Worth-26, 54. Ryan Timmons-24, 55. Sterling Cling-13, 56. Tuesday Calderwood-10, ---. Jim Vanzant-10, ---. Camie Bell-10.
2022 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE:
January 27: Cocopah Speedway – Yuma, AZ (Winner: Damion Gardner)
January 28: Cocopah Speedway – Yuma, AZ (Winner: Damion Gardner)
January 29: Cocopah Speedway – Yuma, AZ (Winner: Damion Gardner)
March 4: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (Rained Out)
March 5: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA (Rained Out)
March 26: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Damion Gardner)
April 1: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA (Winner: Austin Liggett)
April 2: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (Winner: Ryan Bernal)
April 23: Mohave Valley Raceway – Mohave Valley, AZ (Winner: Damion Gardner)
April 30: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Matt Mitchell)
May 14: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA (Winner: Cody Williams)
May 28: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Salute to Indy)
June 11: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
June 25: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Bubby Jones & Ray Sheetz Memorial)
July 2: TBA (CANCELLED)
July 8: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA (Spanky Mathews Memorial)
July 9: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
August 6: TBA
August 20: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (California Racers Hall of Fame Night)
September 3: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA
September 4: TBA
September 17: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Glenn Howard Classic)
October 1: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
October 8: Mohave Valley Raceway – Mohave Valley, AZ
October 28: *Cocopah Speedway – Yuma, AZ (Western World Championships)
October 29: *Cocopah Speedway – Yuma, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 3: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 4: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 5: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Cars.
TBA = To Be Announced.
This schedule is subject to change.