SPRINTS CLOSE WITH 14TH “HALL OF FAME CLASSIC” AT PEORIA;

BALLOU “SWEEPS” 19TH BUDWEISER “OVAL NATIONALS”

This weekend’s 14th Hose Advantage “Hall of Fame Classic” at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz. concludes the 2014 USAC AMSOIL USAC National and USAC/CRA Sprint Car series seasons. Championships will be determined at the close of Saturday night’s events at the 3/8-mile dirt oval.

Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, Okla. (National) and Damion Gardner of Concord, Calif. (USAC/CRA) sit atop their respective point standings entering the two-night program. Bacon’s lead over Bryan Clauson and Dave Darland stands at 53 and 78 points with enough points to create opportunity for the chasers. Gardner’s lead over runner-up Mike Spencer is a comfortable 210 points as he wraps up what will be his third series title.

Robert Ballou of Rocklin, Calif. stamped himself as the odds-on favorite for this weekend’s races after registering a “clean sweep” of last weekend’s lucrative 19th Budweiser “Oval Nationals” presented by All-Coast Construction at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway.

Ballou’s 40-lap victory Saturday night was worth $20,000 to his Blakesley Auto/Deaton’s Waterfront Services Maxim/Ott team. He led the last 10 laps after passing Spencer on lap 31. He interrupted a race-long battle for the lead between C.J. Leary and Spencer, who traded the lead back and forth for the first 30 laps. Trailing the second-place Spencer at the finish were Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland and Ryan Bernal.

Ballou led the first four and last 17 laps Friday to beat Bacon, Jon Stanbrough, Darland (who led nine laps) and Leary.

Leary was Friday’s Billy Wilkerson Woodland Auto Display fast qualifier while Gardner earned a similar award for Saturday’s qualifying effort.

Brody Roa was injured during Wednesday’s practice session but was released from a local hospital after treatment.