JUSTIN GRANT GOES 2 FOR 2 AT THE PAS!
By Lance Jennings
OCTOBER 22, 2018... Making his second start in the Reinbold/Underwood #19S AME Electrical / Ross Equipment Rentals Spike, Justin Grant (Ione, CA) sprinted to last Saturday’s feature win at Perris Auto Speedway. For Grant, the 30-lap victory was his second AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car triumph of the campaign. “The Demon” Damion Gardner, “T-Mez” Thomas Meseraull, point leader Brody Roa, and “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams followed Grant to the checkered flags.
Starting on the outside of the front row, Brody Roa grabbed the early lead. Within a few laps, the leader faced a serious challenge from Jake Swanson. The two young drivers raced side by side until Swanson grabbed the top spot on lap eight. Charging from sixth, Grant was within striking distance and powered by both drivers to the lead on the next circuit. From there, Grant set a torrid pace on the outside line as Gardner entered the fray with Roa and Swanson. As the three battled for position, Grant stretched out his advantage while racing past slower traffic.
By lap eighteen, Gardner moved to second as Grant had a commanding lead. With the laps counting down, Grant’s progress was slowed by traffic and Gardner began to reel in the leader. However, Grant broke free and scored his second win in as many starts at Perris in his Arizona based ride.
After winning the night before at Kokomo, Indiana, Justin Grant flew to California and nearly swept the Perris program. The USAC National series driver claimed the Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award over the 24 car field, finished third in his heat race, won his third career USAC/CRA feature, and earned the night’s Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award with a sixth to first place run. With two starts, Justin ranks twenty-seventh in the USAC/CRA point chase with two wins and 40 feature laps led to his credit.
“The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, CA) raced from fifth to second at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. Racing Mark Alexander’s #4 Trench Shoring / Weld Racing Spike, Gardner was second fast in time trials and won the night’s Circle Track Performance / Rod End Supply Heat Race #2. The six-time champion is second in the point standings with has five feature wins, six Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, one dash win, twelve heat race victories, sixteen top-10 finishes, and 155 feature laps led on the season.
“T-Mez” Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, CA) slipped by Brody Roa on the last lap to finish third at Perris Auto Speedway. Making his first start in Bill Michael’s #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, the Midwest based driver qualified sixth overall and placed fourth in his heat race. Heading to the Western World Championships on November 2nd at San Tan Valley, Arizona, Meseraull sits fortieth in USAC/CRA points.
After leading the opening laps, Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA) scored fourth in the 30-lap feature. Piloting the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Maxim, Roa was fifth quick in time trials and ran second to Gardner in his heat race. To date, the point leader has three feature wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, six heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Incorporated / Rod End Supply Semi-Main win, two Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger Awards, eighteen top-10 finishes, and 97 feature laps led.
“The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, CA) had a solid night with a fifth place finish at Perris. Driving Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics DRC, Williams qualified third overall and ran third in his heat race. At press time, the 2009 Co-Rookie of the Year is third in the standings with two feature wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one Saldana Racing Products / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, sixteen top-10 finishes, and 9 feature laps led in the campaign.
Matt McCarthy (Riverside, CA) earned his first heat race win of 2018 in the Extreme Mufflers sponsored event. Racing the family owned #28M Flowdynamics Incorporated / Purgeplugs.com Maxim, McCarthy was thirteenth fast in time trials and scored fifteenth in the main event. The 2017 Rookie of the Year sits fourteenth in championship points with two top-10 finishes on the year.
Max Adams (Loomis, CA) won the night’s Keizer Aluminum Wheels / Rod End Supply Heat Race #3. Piloting his #5M ART Speed Equipment / Ken Imler Diesel Performance ART, Adams qualified ninth and scored twenty-third in the feature after an early exit. The 2016 Rookie of the Year ranks seventh in the point chase with one feature win, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 33 feature laps led.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars are back in action for two nights starting Friday, November 2nd at Arizona Speedway in San Tan Valley, Arizona. The “51st Western World Championships” will also showcase the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars. Located at the ET Motopark, more event and ticket information can be found at www.arizonaspeedway.net or calling 480.926.6688.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks Hoosier Tire, All Coast Construction, BR Motorsports, Bullet Impressions, 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: October 20, 2018 – Perris, California – Perris Auto Speedway
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Justin Grant, 19S, Reinbold/Underwood-16.354; 2. Damion Gardner, 4, Alexander-16.369; 3. Austin Williams, 2 Jory-16.631; 4. Jake Swanson, 34AZ, Grau/Burkhart-16.705; 5. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-16.765; 6. Thomas Meseraull, 77M, Michael-16.818; 7. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-16.866; 8. Isaac Chapple, 52, Chapple-16.895; 9. Max Adams, 5M, Adams-16.939; 10. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-16.970; 11. R.J. Johnson, 92, Sertich-17.006; 12. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-17.235; 13. Matt McCarthy, 28M, McCarthy-17.263; 14. Randy Waitman, 90, Waitman-17.289; 15. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.372; 16. A.J. Bender, 42, Cheney-17.434; 17. Logan Williams, 5, Jory-17.543; 18. Joel Rayborne, 12B, Blair-17.567; 19. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-17.624; 20. Jeremy Ellertson, 98E, Ellertson-17.630; 21. Jeff Dyer, 39, Cal-Sun-17.951; 22. Austin Ervine, 51, AJ-18.117; 23. Gary Marshall Jr., 72, Marshall-18.193; 24. Tony Everhart, 55, Everhart-18.389.
EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. McCarthy, 2. Swanson, 3. Grant, 4. Malcolm, 5. C.Williams, 6. Bender, 7. Sweeney, 8. Ervine. 2:58.99
CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE/ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Gardner, 2. Roa, 3. L.Williams, 4. Chapple, 5. Johnson, 6. Waitman, 7. Ellertson, 8. Marshall. 2:57.77
KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS/ROD END SUPPLY THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Adams, 2. Liggett, 3. A.Williams, 4. Meseraull, 5. Gansen, 6. Everhart, 7. Rayborne, 8. Dyer. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. Justin Grant (6th), 2. Damion Gardner, 3. Thomas Meseraull (1st), 4. Brody Roa (2nd), 5. Austin Williams (4th), 6. Jake Swanson (3rd), 7. Austin Liggett (12th), 8. Cody Williams (7th), 9. Isaac Chapple (8th), 10. R.J. Johnson (11th), 11. Tommy Malcolm (10th), 12. Logan Williams (17th), 13. A.J. Bender (16th), 14. Randy Waitman (14th), 15. Matt McCarthy (13th), 16. Verne Sweeney (19th), 17. Chris Gansen (15th), 18. Joel Rayborne (18th), 19. Gary Marshall Jr. (22nd), 20. Jeremy Ellertson (20th), 21. Austin Ervine (21st), 22. Tony Everhart (23rd), 23. Max Adams (9th). NT
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**Dyer flipped during the third heat race.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-7 Roa, Lap 8 Swanson, Laps 9-30 Grant
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Justin Grant (6th to 1st)
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Brody Roa-1362, 2. Damion Gardner-1342, 3. Austin Williams-1176, 4. Cody Williams-1065, 5. Jake Swanson-1012, 6. R.J. Johnson-945, 7. Max Adams-943, 8. Danny Faria Jr.-864, 9. Logan Williams-834, 10. Chris Gansen-783, 11. Tommy Malcolm-646, 12. Ryan Bernal-527, 13. A.J. Bender-512, 14. Matt McCarthy-477, 15. Joel Rayborne-430, 16. Austin Ervine-383, 17. Verne Sweeney-342, 18. Chase Johnson-322, 19. Austin Liggett-311, 20. Geoff Ensign-266.
2018 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE-TRACK-LOCATION
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.
