USAC/CRA & USAC NATIONAL SPRINTS BATTLE FOR $25,000-TO-WIN AT 22ND PERRIS OVAL NATIONALS
By Lance Jennings
NOVEMBER 7, 2017... After a hard fought Western World Championships in Arizona, the AMSOIL USAC/CRA and National Sprint Car Series are ready to clash at Don Kazarian's Perris Auto Speedway for the "22nd Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals, presented by All Coast Construction." Opening with a special Wednesday night practice, close to fifty racers from across the country have entered the three-day event. Capped off with a 40-lap main event on Saturday, the prestigious event has a total purse over $100,000 and will pay $25,000 to the winner. For more event information, visit the track’s website at www.perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134.
NOTICE TO USAC/CRA & NATIONAL COMPETITORS: The Hoosier 105/16 Medium is the ONLY legal right rear tire and all four corners must be Hoosier tires. The Hoosier 105/16 Medium is also the current legal tire with the USAC National, USAC West Coast, USAC SouthWest, and VRA Sprint Cars. Cars must pass a tech inspection and one-way radios are mandatory for drivers. The series rule book can be found online at www.usacracing.com.
The festivities will begin on Wednesday, November 8th with a special practice session for cars that are only entered in the Oval Nationals. Admission to the grandstands is FREE and cars will be on the track around 6:00pm. The concession stand will be open with $2 pizza, $2 soda, and $2 beers for sale. Spectator gates will open at 4:00pm on Thursday & Friday with Racing at 7:00pm. On Saturday, the front gates will open and 3:00pm, an autograph session on the front straightaway will be at 3:00pm, and Racing is set for 6:45pm. The current Oval Nationals pre-entry list is at the end of this release.
This year, “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman will serve as Grand Marshall of the prestigious race. The future hall of fame driver made his sprint car debut in 1994 with the Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) and scored wins at Chico and Imperial as a rookie. Since then, Kruseman won the Non-Wing World Championship (1999), Chili Bowl Championship (2000, 2004), SCRA Sprint Car Championship (2001), Indiana Sprint Week Championship (2002, 2005), USAC/CRA Sprint Car Championship (2006), USAC Western States Midget Championship (2011), and the VRA Midget Championship (2011). In addition, “The Kruser” has won some of the most the prominent races on the West Coast such as the Budweiser Oval Nationals (2003, 2004), 360 Western World Championships (2005, 2006, 2007), Bagley Classic (2001, 2003, 2005) California Racers Hall of Fame Night (2013), Copper On Dirt / Midget (2007), Doug Fort Memorial (2012, 2013), Firecracker (1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009), Glenn Howard Classic (2010), Jack Kindoll Classic (1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007), Louie Vermeil Midget Classic (2010), Ron Otto Memorial (2006), Salute to Indy (1997, 2001, 2005), and Sokola Classic (2004). In USAC/CRA history, Kruseman is currently tied for third with fifteen Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards and ranks third in series wins with 35 victories.
Since 1996, the Budweiser Oval Nationals has been one of the most prestigious events for non-wing sprint car racing across the country. “The Professor” Jimmy Sills won the inaugural event and there have been fourteen different drivers that have claimed the checkered flags. Bud Kaeding, “The People’s Champion” Dave Darland, and “The Demon” Damion Gardner lead all drivers with three Oval National wins. The Oval Nationals winner’s list is at the end of this release.
Entering the twenty-first point race, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, California) has a 132-point lead over the competition. Driving Mark Alexander's #4 Scott Sales Company / Weld Racing Spike, Gardner scored eleventh in last Saturday’s Western World finale at Arizona Speedway. To date, the five-time champion has five feature wins, six Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, eleven heat race victories, sixteen top-10 finishes, and 150 feature laps led on the year. “The World’s Fastest Sprint Car Driver” leads all drivers with 75 career USAC/CRA victories and will be looking to earn his fourth Oval Nationals victory and sixth USAC/CRA crown.
Brody Roa (Garden Grove, California) has reclaimed second in the championship point chase. Racing the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Maxim, Roa led the opening lap before placing sixth in the Western World Championships. At press time, last year’s USAC West Coast Sprint Car Champion has one feature win, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one dash win, three heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Incorporated Semi-Main win, one Saldana Racing Products / Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award, seventeen top-10 finishes, and 61 feature laps led to his credit. Brody has two career USAC/CRA triumphs and will have his sights on adding the Oval Nationals to his resume.
Jake Swanson (Anaheim, California) ranks third in the USAC/CRA point standings. Piloting Tom and Laurie Sertich’s #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Clackamas Rigging and Transfer Triple X, Swanson ran sixteenth in the Arizona Speedway feature. To date, the newly crowned USAC West Coast Sprint Car Champion has five Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, five heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Incorporated Semi-Main win, one Saldana Racing Products / Rod End Supply Hard Charger Award, sixteen top-10 finishes, and 13 feature laps led on the season. Jake has one career USAC/CRA victory and will be looking to score the $25,000 victory at Perris Auto Speedway.
Mike Spencer (Temecula, California) sits fourth in the chase for the championship. Driving the Gansen Engineering Motorsports’ #4S Trench Shoring / Ram-Bull Racing Maxim, Spencer finished nineteenth in the Western World Championships. At press time, the five-time champion has one feature win, four heat race victories, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 45 feature laps led on the year. Mike ranks second with 38 career USAC/CRA wins and will have his sights on his second Oval Nationals triumph.
“The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, California) is fifth in the point standings. Piloting Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Williams placed twentieth in last Saturday’s main event. To date, the 2009 Rookie of the Year has four heat race victories, two Saldana Racing Products / Rod End Supply Hard Charger Awards, and eleven top-10 finishes in the campaign. Austin is tied with Garrett Hansen for twentieth on the USAC/CRA win list and will be looking to earn the $25,000 payday.
Currently tenth in points, Matt McCarthy (Riverside, California) leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors. Kyle Edwards (Fountain Valley, California) is also in contention.
Chris Windom (Canton, Illinois) leads the AMSOIL USAC National point chase. Justin Grant, Kevin Thomas Jr., “Sunshine” Tyler Courtney, Chase Stockon, “The Hanford Hornet” Chad Boespflug, C.J. Leary, “Macho Man” Brady Bacon, “The Madman” Robert Ballou, and “The People’s Champion” Dave Darland round out the top-10 in points.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. Advance tickets are available and for more information, visit the track’s website at www.perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks Hoosier Tire, All Coast Construction, BR Motorsports, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, King Racing Products, Pyrotect Racing Cells, 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, Instagram, and Snapchat 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 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, 2016-Damion Gardner.
BUDWEISER OVAL NATIONALS WINNERS: 1996-Jimmy Sills, 1997-Rip Williams, 1998-Rodney Argo, 1999-Rickie Gaunt, 2000-Tony Jones, 2001-Bud Kaeding, 2002-Bud Kaeding, 2003-Cory Kruseman, 2004-Cory Kruseman, 2005-Dave Darland, 2006-Dave Darland, 2007-Bud Kaeding, 2008-Jesse Hockett, 2009-Damion Gardner, 2010-Chris Windom, 2011-Damion Gardner, 2012-Mike Spencer, 2013-Dave Darland, 2014-Robert Ballou, 2015-Bryan Clauson, 2016-Damion Gardner.
2017 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 5-Damion Gardner, 3-R.J. Johnson, 3-Kevin Thomas Jr., 1-Rico Abreu, 1-Max Adams, 1-Tyler Courtney, 1-Justin Grant, 1-Thomas Meseraull, 1-Brody Roa, 1-Mike Spencer, 1-Chase Stockon, 1-Richard Vander Weerd.
PERRIS AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 43-Damion Gardner, 24-Mike Spencer, 19-Tony Jones, 17-Cory Kruseman, 9-Nic Faas, 8-David Cardey, 7-Rip Williams, 6-Bryan Clauson, 6-Mike Kirby, 6-Matt Mitchell, 6-Danny Sheridan, 6-Richard Vander Weerd, 5-Rickie Gaunt, 4-Robert Ballou, 4-Dave Darland, 4-R.J. Johnson, 3-Garrett Hansen, 2-Darren Hagen, 2-Jesse Hockett, 2-Levi Jones, 2-Blake Miller, 2- Austin Williams, 2-Chris Windom, 1-Chad Boespflug, 1-Greg Bragg, 1-Daron Clayton, 1-Charles Davis Jr., 1-Josh Ford, 1-Justin Grant, 1-Josh Hodges, 1-Bud Kaeding, 1-Adam Mitchell, 1-Johnny Rodriguez, 1-Scotty Weir, 1-Jason York.
2017 BUDWEISER OVAL NATIONALS PRE-ENTRY LIST: (Provided by Perris Auto Speedway) 2-Austin Williams, 4-Damion Gardner, 4D-TBA, 4G-Chris Gansen, 4S-Mike Spencer, 5-Logan Williams, 5-Chris Windom, 5M-Max Adams, 5X-Tommy Malcolm, 7K-Ronnie Gardner, 8-Joe Stornetta Jr., 9K-Kevin Thomas Jr., 10-Richard Vander Weerd, 11-Justin Grant, 17V-Danny Faria Jr., 17GP-Tyler Thomas, 19-Brady Short, 19S Hunter Schuerenberg, 21-A.J. Bender, 21K-Landon Cling, 23C-Tyler Courtney, 28M-Matt McCarthy, 30-C.J. Leary, 32-Chase Stockon, 39-Kyle Edwards, 42-Stevie Sussex, 44-Cody Williams, 51-Eddie Tafoya, 52-Isaac Chapple, 56-Ryan Bernal, 69-Chad Boespflug, 73-Dave Darland, 73T-Carson Macedo, 74X-Josh Hodges, 81-Michael Pickens, 83-Austin Liggett, 88-Jace Vander Weerd, 90-Randy Waitman, 91-Brody Roa, 92-Jake Swanson, 92M-TBA, 98-Verne Sweeney, 98-Jeremy Ellertson.
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Damion Gardner-1405, 2. Brody Roa-1273, 3. Jake Swanson-1254, 4. Mike Spencer-1081, 5. Austin Williams-960, 6. Cody Williams-870, 7. Logan Williams-769, 8. Chris Gansen-723, 9. Max Adams-702, 10. Matt McCarthy-618, 11. Jeremy Ellertson-601, 12. Richard Vander Weerd-560, 13. Kevin Thomas Jr.-535, 14. R.J. Johnson-506, 15. Tyler Courtney-502, 16. Danny Faria Jr.-427, 17. Jace Vander Weerd-409, 18. Tommy Malcolm-393, 19. Chase Johnson-391, 20. Ronnie Gardner-386.
AMSOIL USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Chris Windom-2096, 2. Justin Grant-2093, 3. Kevin Thomas Jr.-2011, 4. Tyler Courtney-1994, 5. Chase Stockon-1875, 6. Chad Boespflug-1843, 7. C.J. Leary-1714, 8. Brady Bacon-1663, 9. Robert Ballou-1638, 10. Dave Darland-1447, 11. Thomas Meseraull-1267, 12. Jarett Andretti-1243, 13. Josh Hodges-1233, 14. Aaron Farney-871, 15. Isaac Chapple-868, 16. Shane Cottle-751, 17. Kyle Cummins-739, 18. Hunter Schuerenberg-606, 19. Jerry Coons Jr.-514, 20. Carson Short-506
2017 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
DATE-TRACK-LOCATION
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)
November 11: *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.
