AUSTIN WILLIAMS REBOUNDS TO PERRIS SALUTE TO INDY VICTORY
By Lance Jennings
MAY 31, 2018... After having a rough start to the season, “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, California) emerged victorious at Perris Auto Speedway last Saturday night. For Williams, the $2,500 “Salute to Indy” feature win was the sixth AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car triumph of his career. Jake Swanson, Max Adams, “The Cadillac” Cody Williams, and Richard Vander Weerd followed Austin to the checkered flags.
Looking for his second win of the year, outside front row starter Brody Roa led the opening laps. Charging from fifth, “The Demon” Damion Gardner grabbed the top spot on lap seven, but his lead was plagued by caution flags. Preferring to run the outside line, Gardner opened up a lead, but Roa was gaining ground. Starting eleventh, Austin Williams worked the bottom groove and managed to slip by Roa and Gardner for the lead. However, another yellow flag erased the pass and gave the lead back to “The Demon.”
Gardner continued to lead the field with Roa giving chase. Another caution flag bunched the field and with twenty-six laps down, disaster struck on the restart. Gardner and Roa tangled on the front stretch and tempers rose in the work area. Crews were able to make repairs and the two drivers rejoined the field.
Inheriting the lead, Austin Williams had a great restart and shook free from all challengers to earn his first win of the season. Driving Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Austin also earned the night’s Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award. Qualifying seventh out of twenty-four racers, the 2009 Rookie of the Year also and ran third in his heat race. Now tied for seventh in points, Austin has two top-10 finishes and 4 feature laps led to his credit.
Jake Swanson (Anaheim, California) finished second in the “Salute to Indy.” Piloting Tom and Laurie Sertich’s #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Phil & Eileen King Triple X, Swanson posted his claimed his sixteenth career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award. Jake placed fourth in his heat race and rose to second in the point chase. To date, the defending USAC West Coast Sprint Champion has one heat race victory, one Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, five top-10 finishes, and 9 feature laps led.
Max Adams (Loomis, California) ran a solid third at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. Racing his #5M ART Speed Equipment / Ken Imler Diesel Performance ART, Adams was sixth fast in time trials and took third in his heat race. The 2016 Rookie of the Year ranks sixth in the standings with four top-10 finishes in the campaign.
“The Cadillac” Cody Williams (Corona, California) drove from seventh to fourth in the 30-lap feature. Driving Jack Jory’s #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, the former Victorville Sprint Champion qualified seventh overall and took third in his heat race. “The Cadillac” is currently fourth in points with one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one heat race victory, and three top-10 finishes on the year.
Richard Vander Weerd (Visalia, California) rebounded from an early stop to claim fifth at the Perris checkered flags. Racing the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Stone Gate Development Maxim, Richard was fourth fast in time trials and won the Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. The 2011 USAC West Coast Sprint Champion is thirteenth in the standings with one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and two top-10 finishes on the season.
“The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, California) raced to victory in the Circle Track Performance / Rod End Supply Heat Race #2. Piloting Mark Alexander’s #4 Trench Shoring / Weld Racing Spike, Gardner qualified second overall and placed eighth in the main event. To date, the six-time champion leads the points with two feature wins, three heat race victories, five top-10 finishes, and 87 feature laps led.
Austin Liggett (Tracy, California) won the Keizer Aluminum Wheels / Rod End Supply Heat Race #3. Driving the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Lucas Oil Maxim, Liggett was fifteenth fast and scored twenty-first in the feature after an early exit. The USAC West Coast point leader is sixteenth in USAC/CRA points with one feature win, one top-10 finish, and 23 feature laps led in the campaign.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to Don Kazarian’s Perris Auto Speedway on Saturday, June 23rd. Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds in Perris, California, the event will also feature the PAS Senior Sprint Cars, and PAS Young Gun Sprint Cars. More event information can be found at www.perrisautospeedway.com or calling 951.940.0134.
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: May 26, 2018 – Perris, California – Perris Auto Speedway – “Salute to Indy”
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Jake Swanson, 92, Sertich-16.620; 2. Damion Gardner, 4, Alexander-16.657; 3. Logan Williams, 5, Jory-16.809; 4. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-16.830; 5. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-16.841; 6. Max Adams, 5M, Adams-16.857; 7. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-16.965; 8. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-17.075; 9. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-17.078; 10. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-17.081; 11. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-17.082; 12. Verne Sweeney, 98V, Tracy-17.096; 13. Ryan Bernal, 73T, Ford-17.119; 14. Kyle Edwards, 39E, Edwards-17.176; 15. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-17.278; 16. Randy Waitman, 90, Waitman-17.383; 17. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.435; 18. Trent Williams, 52V, Williams-17.588; 19. Matt Stewart, 23, Bellegante-18.026; 20. Tony Everhart, 55, Everhart-18.211; 21. Gary Marshall Jr., 72, Marshall-18.257; 22. R.J. Johnson, 42, Cheney-18.671; 23. Wayne Rowett, 14, Males-18.676. 24. Joel Rayborne, 12B, Blair-18.844.
EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. R.Vander Weerd, 2. Bernal, 3. C.Williams, 4. Swanson, 5. J.Vander Weerd, 6. Waitman, 7. Johnson, 8. Stewart. NT
CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Gardner, 2. Roa, 3. A.Williams, 4. Bender, 5. Gansen, 6. Edwards, 7. Rowett, 8. Everhart. 2:55.81
KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS / ROD END SUPPLY THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Liggett, 2. Malcolm, 3. Adams, 4. L.Williams, 5. Sweeney, 6. T.Williams, 7. Marshall, 8. Rayborne. 2:59.13
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. Austin Williams (11th), 2. Jake Swanson (6th), 3. Max Adams (1st), 4. Cody Williams (7th), 5. Richard Vander Weerd (3rd), 6. Tommy Malcolm (9th), 7. A.J. Bender (8th), 8. Damion Gardner (5th), 9. Chris Gansen (17th), 10. Jace Vander Weerd (10th), 11. Brody Roa (2nd), 12. R.J. Johnson (22nd), 13. Verne Sweeney (12th), 14. Randy Waitman (16th), 15. Kyle Edwards (14th), 16. Trent Williams (18th), 17. Matt Stewart (19th), 18. Wayne Rowett (23rd), 19. Joel Rayborne (24th), 20. Gary Marshall Jr. (21st), 21. Austin Liggett (15th), 22. Logan Williams (4th), 23. Ryan Bernal (13th), 24. Tony Everhart (20th). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Roa, Laps 7-26 Gardner, Laps 27-30 A.Williams
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Austin Williams (11th to 1st)
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Damion Gardner-374, 2. Jake Swanson-359, 3. Brody Roa-353, 4. Cody Williams-291, 5. R.J. Johnson-267, 6. Max Adams-239, 7. Austin Williams-231, -. A.J. Bender-231, 9. Tommy Malcolm-225, 10. Logan Williams-191, 11. Chris Gansen-184, 12. Ryan Bernal-152, 13. Richard Vander Weerd-148, 14. Charles Davis Jr.-133, 15. Matt Rossi-126, 16. Austin Liggett-120, 17. Matt McCarthy-118, 18. Danny Faria Jr.-110, 19. Joel Rayborne-93, 20. Tye Mihocko-91.
2018 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE-TRACK-LOCATION
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.