CARSON SHORT WINS NIGHT #1 OF THE LOUIE VERMEIL CLASSIC

CHICO, CA – SEPTEMBER 4, 2021… In his first start with the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, Carson Short (Marion, IL) led all 30-laps to win the opening night of the 13th Annual Louie Vermeil Classic at Silver Dollar Speedway. Driving Clayton Snow’s #17 United Mold Inc. / Gary Silva Ranches Triple X,, Short started on the pole position and sliced his way through traffic to claim the $5,000 prize. Series point leader, “The Demon’ Damion Gardner, “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams, and Ryan Bernal rounded out the top-five drivers.

Before claiming the main event, Short qualified seventh out of the thirty-five cars in attendance and won the night’s 10-lap All Coast Construction Third Heat Race. The Illinois driver enters the Sunday night finale tied with Gardner in the Vermeil Classic event points.

In Woodland Auto Display Qualifying, eight drivers topped the five year old track record held by Jake Swanson. Tony Gomes (Modesto, CA) set the new standard of 12.972 in Keith Ford’s #73 CAM 2 Blue Blood Racing Oil / Sun Valley AG Transport Triple X.. Gomes flipped in the first 10-lap heat race, scoring eighth, rebounded to win the 12-lap BillsJerky.com Semi-Main and take fifth in the feature.

Matt McCarthy (Riverside, CA) raced to victory in the 10-lap Flowdynamics Incorporated First Heat Race. Piloting the family owned #28M Flowdynamics Incorporated / Drinkpak DRC, McCarthy was twenty-first quick in time trials and placed sixteenth in the main event. The former USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year has climbed to tenth in the championship point chase. 

Nate Schank (Santa Rosa, CA) returned to USAC/CRA action and won the 10-lap Huntington Beach Glass and Mirror Second Heat Race. Racing the family owned #1$ Joe Hunt Magnetos / Industrial Machine Maxim, Schank qualified twenty-second overall and finished fourteenth in the main event. In limited starts, the second generation driver ranks thirty-fourth in series points.

“The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA) topped the 10-lap Component Repair Company Fourth Heat Race. Driving the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Eagle, Roa was twelfth fast in time trials and charged from eleventh to sixth in the main event. The 2019 USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Champion ranks second in USAC/CRA standings and sixth in Louie Vermeil points.

‘Thunder” Tommy Malcolm (Corona, CA) earned the night’s In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award with a twelfth place run from twenty-second. Before earning a $650 bonus, the pilot of Dino Napier’s #5X Indiana Truck Salvage / B&B Powder Coating Maxim was thirty-second fast in time trials, ran fifth in his heat race, and placed sixth in the semi-main. The young driver is sixth in the point standings.

The non-winged USAC/CRA Sprint Cars are back at Silver Dollar Speedway (Chico, CA) for the Sunday finale of the “Louie Vermeil Classic.” The winged 410 NARC King of the West Sprint Cars will share the action packed card. On Monday, September 6th, the traditional 410s will invade the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds and clash at Petaluma Speedway (Petaluma, CA). 

The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks All Coast Construction, BillsJerky.com, Component Repair Company, Factory Wraps, Flowdynamics, The Gardner Family (In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner), Hoosier Racing Tires, Huntington Beach Glass and Mirror, Woodland Auto Display, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Loudpedal Productions, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sway-A-Way Torsion Bars, surfnsprint.com, Ultra Shield Race Products, and Wilwood Disc Brakes for their support. 

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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 4, 2021 – Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, California – “13th Annual Louie Vermeil Classic”

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Tony Gomes, 73, Ford-12.972 (New Track Record); 2. Kalib Henry. 33, Case-13.120; 3. Damion Gardner, 1, Alexander-13.159; 4. Ryan Bernal, 17W, Wood-13.197; 5. Austin Williams, 92, Sertich-13.200; 6. Chase Johnson, 8M, May-13.221; 7. Carson Short, 17, Snow-13.242; 8. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-13.326; 9. Cody Williams, 44, Williams-13.370; 10. Logan Williams, 5W, McCarthy-13.464; 11. Jarrett Soares, 12, Soares-13.482; 12. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-13.482; 13. Shane Hopkins, 51, Sperry-13.552; 14. Kaleb Montgomery, 8, Richardson-13.570; 15. Danny Faria Jr., 17V, Faria-13.611; 16. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-13.665; 17. Trevor Schmid, 2, Schmid-13.666; 18. Daniel Whitley, 3F, Finkenbinder-13.679; 19. Jake Morgan, 2SB, Miller-13.729; 20. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-13.730; 21. Matt McCarthy, 28M, McCarthy-13.847; 22. Nate Schank, 1$, Schank-13.867; 23. Ryan Timmons, 29T, Timmons-13.892; 24. Austin Grabowski, 72, Grabowski-14.007; 25. Bradley Terrell, 3T, Finkenbinder-14.046; 26. Ron Laplant, 69, Laplant-14.061; 27. Gary Paulson, 51X, Paulson-14.180; 28. Cody Smith, 5, Smith-14.220; 29. Tony Richards, 4, Richards-14.298; 30. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-14.321; 31. Sheldon Moniz, 1S, Moniz-14.396; 32. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-14.409; 33. Denny McNary, 77, McNary-14.927; 34. Christopher Muraoka, 25, Muraoka-14.954; 35. Clint Motta, 92Z, Schmid-15.642.

FLOWDYNAMICS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. McCarthy, 2. C.Williams, 3. Schmid, 4. A.Williams, 5. Hopkins, 6. Tafoya, 7. Laplant, 8. Gomes. NT.

HUNTINGTON BEACH GLASS & MIRROR SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Schank, 2. Henry, 3. Johnson, 4. Montgomery, 5. Whitley, 6. Moniz, 7. Motta, 8. L.Williams, 9. Paulson. NT.

ALL COAST CONSTRUCTION THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Short, 2. Gardner, 3. Timmons, 4. Soares, 5. Malcolm, 6. Smith, 7. Morgan, 8. Faria. NT.

COMPONENT REPAIR COMPANY FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Roa, 2. Davis, 3. Gansen, 4. Bernal, 5. Sweeney, 6. Grabowski, 7. Richards, 8. McNary. NT.

BILLSJERKY.COM SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Gomes, 2. Hopkins, 3. Morgan, 4. Tafoya, 5. Faria, 6. Malcolm, 7. L.Williams, 8. Grabowski, 9. Paulson, 10. Moniz, 11. McNary, 12. Whitley, 13. Sweeney, 14. Smith, 15. Richards. NT.

FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Carson Short (1), 2. Damion Gardner (5), 3. Austin Williams (30, 4. Ryan Bernal (4), 5. Tony Gomes (7), 6. Brody Roa (11), 7. Cody Williams (9), 8. Chase Johnson (2), 9. Chris Gansen (8), 10. Charles Davis Jr. (15), 11. Kaleb Montgomery (13), 12. Tommy Malcolm (22), 13. Jarrett Soares (10), 14. Nate Schank (19), 15. Danny Faria Jr. (14), 16. Matt McCarthy (18), 17. Logan Williams (23), 18. Ryan Timmons (20), 19. Shane Hopkins (12), 20. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (21), 21. Trevor Schmid (16), 22. Kalib Henry (6), 23. Jake Morgan (17). NT.

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Terrell, Muraoka, and Sweeney flipped during qualifications. Gomes flipped on lap 1 of the first heat.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Short 

IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER HARD CHARGER: Tommy Malcolm (22nd to 12th)

WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Jarrett Soares 

NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Damion Gardner-784, 2-Brody Roa-745, 3-Austin Williams-677, 4-Chris Gansen-642, 5-Cody Williams-565, 6-Tommy Malcolm-538, 7-Verne Sweeney-422, 8-Danny Faria Jr.-414, 9-Matt Mitchell-408,10-Matt McCarthy-403.

LOUIE VERMEIL CLASSIC POINTS: 1-Damion Gardner-78, -Carson Short-78, 3-Austin Williams-71, 4-Ryan Bernal-69; 5-Tony Gomes-68, 6-Brody Roa-63, 7-Cody Williams-59, 8-Chase Johnson-56, 9-Chris Gansen-52, 10-Charles Davis Jr.-43.

NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE: September 5 – Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, California – “13th Annual Louie Vermeil Classic”