“SOKOLA SHOOTOUT” CRA SPRINT OPENER AT PERRIS SATURDAY NIGHT
Saturday night’s “Sokola Shootout” at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway extends the long-running battle for USAC/CRA AMSOIL Sprint Car supremacy between Gardner and Spencer, whose prowess at The PAS is unparalleled.
Gardner, of Concord, Calif., hopes to tie Spencer this year with a fifth series championship. Gardner earned his third in a row last year to go with his 2005 title, while Spencer, of Temecula, Calif., racked up five consecutive titles from 2008-2012. Between them they have amassed 62 Perris triumphs (Gardner 37 and Spencer 25) in USAC/CRA competition. In addition, the two have led a total of 1,559 feature laps at the half-mile oval (Gardner 844 and Spencer 715). Gardner will seek to lead his 50th race at Perris Saturday.
Challengers Saturday are expected to include 2015 USAC/CRA runner-up Richard Vander Weerd and his brother Jace, Jake Swanson, Brody Roa and the Williams brothers, Austin, Cody and Logan.
Saturday’s competitors also include USAC Triple Crown Champion Dave Darland, whose 57 career USAC National Sprint Car feature victories lead the all-time list, and Bryan Clauson, winner of last year’s “Budweiser Oval Nationals” at The PAS.
Spencer’s last Perris victory came in a 2013 West Coast/Southwest Sprint race, while Gardner has posted 11 wins there in the past two years. Vander Weerd was strong in 2015, capturing three early victories at The PAS.
The USAC/CRA AMSOIL Sprint Car Series is reeling from the weekend news of the passing of two of its iconic supporters. The series opens its 2016 calendar Saturday night with the “Sokola Shootout” at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway.
Six-time car owner champion Ron Chaffin of Madera, Calif. passed away Saturday at the age of 77. He fielded the famed #50 car driven by five-time driver champion Mike Spencer. Long-time sponsor Ken Goecke, the owner of Scott Sales in Huntington, Calif., passed away Friday at the age of 64. Four-time series champion Damion Gardner pilots the #4 Scott Sales entry fielded by car owner Mark Alexander.
Saturday’s race honors the legacy of the Sokola family, whose contributions to the sport are well documented. Gary Sokola served as the chief steward for the both CRA and USAC National Sprint Series before his passing in 2000 and his son Mark was a frequent driving competitor in both series.
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UPCOMING AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR EVENTS
DATE:
Saturday, March 5, 2016
SERIES:
AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
TRACK:
Perris Auto Speedway (Perris, California) - 1/2 Mile, Semi-Banked Dirt Oval
EVENT:
"Sokola Shootout" featuring AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, PAS Senior Sprints and PAS Young Guns. "Power of Purple Night" Benefiting the City of Perris Relay for Life and The American Cancer Society.
STARTING TIMES:
Front gates will open at 5:00pm and racing will start around 7:00pm.
TICKETS:
Adults: $25
Seniors (65 & Over): $20
Children (12 & Under): $5
TRACK ADDRESS:
Perris Auto Speedway - 18700 Lake Perris Drive - Perris, CA 92571
TRACK PHONE:
(951) 940-0134
TRACK WEBSITE:
http://www.perrisautospeedway.com/index.html
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PAST “SOKOLA SHOOTOUT” WINNERS
2001: Tony Jones
2002: Jeremy Sherman
2003: Jeremy Sherman
2004: Cory Kruseman
2005: Mike Kirby
2006: Mike Kirby
2009: Rickie Gaunt
2010: Damion Gardner
2011: Mike Spencer
2012: Nic Faas
2013: Bryan Clauson
2014: Damion Gardner
2015: Richard Vander Weerd
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2016 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR
SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Mar 5: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
Apr 16: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
May 7: Ventura, CA – Ventura Raceway
May 28: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
Jun 11: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
Jul 1: Santa Maria, CA – Santa Maria Raceway
Jul 2: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
Jul 30: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
Aug 27: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
Sep 3: Calistoga, CA – Calistoga Speedway
Sep 4: Calistoga, CA – Calistoga Speedway
Sep 5: Petaluma, CA – Petaluma Speedway
Sep 8: Chico, CA – Silver Dollar Speedway
Sep 9: Watsonville, CA – Ocean Speedway
Sep 10: Hanford, CA – Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
Sep 24: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
Sep 30: Peoria, AZ – Canyon Speedway
Oct 1: Peoria, AZ – Canyon Speedway
Oct 15: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
Nov 4: Queen Creek, AZ – Arizona Speedway
Nov 5: Queen Creek, AZ – Arizona Speedway
Nov 10: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
Nov 11: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
Nov 12: Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway
-------------- KEY DEFINITIONS ---------------
Races noted with @@@ represent California Sprint Week
Races noted with ### represent a co-sanctioned event with the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship
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ALL-TIME AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR
DRIVER FEATURE WINS
1. [65 wins] Damion Gardner
2. [37 wins] Mike Spencer
3. [35 wins] Cory Kruseman
4. [20 wins] Tony Jones
5. [11 wins] Bryan Clauson
6. [10 wins] Nic Faas, Mike Kirby & Rip Williams
9. [9 wins] David Cardey
10. [8 wins] Rickie Gaunt
11. [7 wins] Dave Darland & Danny Sheridan
13. [6 wins] Robert Ballou, Ryan Bernal, Levi Jones, Bud Kaeding, Blake Miller & Matt Mitchell
19. [5 wins] Garrett Hansen & Richard Vander Weerd
21. [4 wins] Darren Hagen & Kevin Swindell
23. [3 wins] Jerry Coons Jr., Charles Davis, Jr., Jesse Hockett, Jeremy Sherman, Scotty Weir, Austin Williams & Josh Wise
30. [2 wins] Rico Abreu, Brady Bacon, Tyler Brown, R.J. Johnson, Kyle Larson & Chris Windom
36. [1 win] Alan Ballard, Jayme Barnes, Christopher Bell, Greg Bragg, Daron Clayton, Shane Cottle, Danny Faria, Jr., Ricci Faria, Josh Ford, Marty Hawkins, Tracy Hines, Kyle Hirst, Tim Kaeding, Mike Martin, Adam Mitchell, Brody Roa, Johnny Rodriguez, Jon Stanbrough, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Chase Stockon, Cole Whitt, Cody Williams & Jason York
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ALL-TIME AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR DRIVER 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