TANNER BOUL SCORES UPSET USAC/CRA WIN AT VENTURA

By Lance Jennings

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 14, 2022… In perhaps the biggest upset in series history, Tanner Boul (Auberry, California) raced to his first AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car win last Saturday at Ventura Raceway. Starting on the pole position, the young driver hit his marks and led all 30-laps to become the 77th winner with the non-winged 410 series. Brody Roa, Troy Rutherford, Max Adams, and fast qualifier Eddie Tafoya Jr., followed Boul to the checkered flags. 

Racing the family owned #99T King Racing Products / BR Motorsports Triple X with an iron block 360 engine, Boul qualified tenth overall and placed third in his heat race. In limited appearances, Tanner left the Ventura County Fairgrounds ranked twenty-second in the point standings. Boul’s $3,000 victory marked the sixth USAC/CRA triumph for a 360 sprint car since 2004.

Eddie Tafoya Jr. (Chino Hills, California) earned the first Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of his career at Ventura. Driving the family owned #51T Specialty Fasteners / DRC Chassis entry, the 2019 Rookie of the Year posted at a time of 12.735 seconds over the 24-car roster. The second generation driver scored fifth in his heat race, finished fifth in the main event after starting seventh, and sits fourth in the point standings.

Austin Grabowski (Riverside, California) won his third consecutive heat race with the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars. Piloting his #72 Grabowski Speed Shop / Mustang Motel Eagle, Grabowski was sixteenth quick in time trials, won the 10-lap Flowdynamics Incorporated / Laserworx Manufacturing / Factory Wraps First Heat Race, and powered from sixteenth to ninth in the main event. The 2021 Rookie of the Year heads to the June 25th “Bubby Jones / Ray Scheetz Memorial” at Perris tied for fourteenth in points.

A.J. Bender (San Diego, California) topped the 10-lap Billsjerky.net / Laserworx Manufacturing / Factory Wraps Second Heat Race. Racing the family owned #21 Bender Pool & Spa / Schweitzer Racing DRC, Bender qualified eleventh overall and charged to sixth in the feature from eleventh. In limited starts, last year’s Turkey Night Grand Prix 360 Sprint Car Winner left Ventura ranked sixteenth in the point chase.

Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm (Corona, California) scored the 10-lap In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Third Heat Race victory. Driving Dino Napier’s #5X Indiana Truck Salvage / B&B Powder Coating DRC, Malcolm was eighteenth fast in qualifying and placed sixteenth in the main event. After the eleventh point race, Tommy “Thunder” is eighth in championship points.

“The Demon” Damion Gardner (Corona, California) earned the night’s In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award / Best Passing Job honors with a twelfth place run from twenty-fourth. Driving Mark Alexander’s #1 PerrformanceOnline.com / Carman Trucking Spike, Gardner had early mechanical problems that resulted in qualifying twenty-fourth overall and then ran fifth in his heat race. The point leader maintains a 115-point advantage heading to Perris Auto Speedway.

“The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, California) earned the Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award at Ventura with a thirteenth place finish after starting twenty-third. Piloting the family owned #2 Digalert / Full Throttle Scissor Lift Rentals DRC, Williams had early mechanical problems that resulted in timing twenty-third quick in qualifying and then scoring eighth in his heat race. Austin heads to the “Bubby Jones / Ray Scheetz Memorial” ranked third in the point standings.

On Saturday, June 25th, the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will return to Perris Auto Speedway (Perris, California) for the “Bubby Jones / Ray Scheetz Memorial.” 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: June 11, 2022 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California 

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-12.735; 2. Troy Rutherford, 11, Rutherford-12.837; 3. Cody Williams, 44, Williams-12.837; 4. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-12.977; 5. Matt McCarthy, 28M, McCarthy-13.032; 6. Max Adams, 73, Ford-13.224; 7. Trent Williams, 52V, Williams-13.232; 8. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-13.288; 9. Ikaika O’Brien, 11O, O’Brien-13.296; 10. Tanner Boul, 99T, Boul-13.319; 11. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-13.365; 12. Kyle Edwards, 39E, Edwards-13.395; 13. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-13.459; 14. Logan Williams, 5W, McCarthy-13.566; 15. Jake Hodges, 4, Hodges-13.586; 16. Austin Grabowski, 72, Grabowski-13.592; 17. Nate Schank, 1$, Schank-13.623; 18. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-13.731; 19. Dan Taylor, T5, Taylor-13.898; 20. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-14.019; 21. Joel Rayborne, 12B, Blair-14.030; 22. Gordon Rodgers, 94, Dusin-16.839; 23. Austin Williams, 2, Williams-NT; 24. Damion Gardner, 1, Alexander-NT.

FLOWDYNAMICS INCORPORATED / LASERWORX MANUFACTURING / FACTORY WRAPS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Grabowski, 2. Sweeney, 3. Boul, 4. Mitchell, 5. Tafoya, 6. Rodgers, 7. Taylor, 8. T.Williams. NT.

BILLSJERKY.NET / LASERWORX MANUFACTURING / FACTORY WRAPS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Bender, 2. Roa, 3. Rutherford, 4. L.Williams, 5. McCarthy, 6. Hix, 7. Schank, 8. A.Williams. NT.

IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Malcolm, 2. Edwards, 3. Adams, 4. C.Williams, 5. Gardner, 6. Rayborne, 7. O’Brien, 8. Hodges. NT.

FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Tanner Boul (1), 2. Brody Roa (2), 3. Troy Rutherford (6), 4. Max Adams (3), 5. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (7), 6. A.J. Bender (11), 7. Matt Mitchell (4), 8. Kyle Edwards (12), 9. Austin Grabowski (16), 10. Logan Williams (14), 11. Trent Williams (9), 12. Damion Gardner (24), 13. Austin Williams (23), 14. Nate Schank (17), 15. Joel Rayborne (21), 16. Matt McCarthy (8), 17. Tommy Malcolm (18), 18. Jake Hodges (15), 19. Ikaika O’Brien (10), 20. Dan Taylor (19), 21. Gordon Rodgers (22), 22. Steve Hix (20), 23. Cody Williams (5), 24. Verne Sweeney (13). NT.

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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Boul.

IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER HARD CHARGER: Damion Gardner (24th to 12th)

WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Austin Williams

NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Damion Gardner-772, 2-Matt Mitchell-657, 3-Austin Williams-649, 4-Eddie Tafoya Jr.-597, 6-Cody Williams-524, 7-Charles Davis Jr.-496, 8-Tommy Malcolm-461, 9-Matt McCarthy-413, 10-Brody Roa-408.

NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE: June 25 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California – “Bubby Jones and Ray Scheetz Memorial”