USAC/CRA & USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CARS CLASH AT CANYON SPEEDWAY PARK
By Lance Jennings
MARCH 6, 2019... The sixteenth season for the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will open this Friday, March 8th, at Peoria, Arizona’s Canyon Speedway Park. Promoted by Doug Gabbard, the two-night “2nd Annual Spring Showcase” is co-sanctioned with the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars and will also feature the Arizona Differential Modifieds, Askrens Trucking / Flexi Flyer Sport Mods, Allscapes Sport Mods, and Micro Sprints. The Friday spectator gates will open at 5:00pm, time trials at 7:10pm, with racing scheduled to begin at 7:30pm. On Saturday, the front gates will open at 5:00pm, time trials at 6:40pm, and race is scheduled for 7:00pm. For more event and ticket information, visit www.canyonspeedwaypark.com or call 602.258.RACE (7223). In addition, there will be an Open Practice on Thursday, March 7th, at 7:00pm.
NOTICE TO RACERS:
- MUFFLERS ARE NOT REQUIRED AT CANYON SPEEDWAY PARK.
- FRONT AXLE TETHER SYSTEMS (2-Chassis, 1-King Pin to King Pin) ARE MANDATORY.
- FULL CONTAINMENT SEATS ARE MANDATORY.
- Hoosier Tires are required on all four corners with the 105/16 Medium and the 105/18 Hard as the only approved right rear tires. The “Medium” is also legal with the USAC National, USAC SouthWest, USAC West Coast, and VRA Sprint Cars.
- Cockpit adjustable shocks ARE ALLOWED.
- USAC/CRA charges a $25 entry fee to all competitors and the series rule book can be found online at www.usacracing.com.
- USAC MEMBERSHIPS can be purchased at the track or online at www.usaclicense.com.
- USAC BONUS / Any racer who enters every event for both the AMSOIL USAC/CRA and Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car schedules will have their entry fees reimbursed at the end of the year.
Canyon Speedway Park has hosted sixteen USAC/CRA Sprint Car events. Defending champion, “The Demon” Damion Gardner won last year’s event and Bryan Clauson leads the series with five triumphs. “The People’s Champion” Dave Darland set the 1-lap track record of 13.072 on November 15, 2014 and the Peoria win list is at the end of this release.
When the checkered flags flew at Perris on November 10th, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, CA) clinched his sixth consecutive (seventh overall) AMSOIL USAC/CRA title. Racing Mark Alexander’s #4 Trench Shoring / Weld Racing Spike, Gardner posted five feature wins, six Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, one dash win, fourteen heat race victories, twenty top-10 finishes, and 155 feature laps led in 2018. “The Demon” won last year’s “Spring Showcase” and will be looking for his eighty-first series victory.
Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA) finished second in the USAC/CRA point standings. Driving the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Maxim, Roa had three feature wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, seven heat race victories, one semi-main win, three hard charger awards, twenty-one top-10 finishes, and 94 feature laps led to his credit. The second generation driver has six career series wins and will have his sights on adding the “Spring Showcase” win to his resume.
“The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, CA) placed third in the chase for the championship. Piloting Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics DRC, Williams had two feature wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one hard charger award, seventeen top-10 finishes, and 9 feature laps led in the campaign. With seven career series wins, Austin is the new driver of the Moose Racing #92 and will be looking to start his championship bid with a Peoria triumph.
“The Cadillac” Cody Williams (Corona, CA) ranked fourth in the championship point standings. Racing Jack Jory’s #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Williams posted three Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, seventeen top-10 finishes, and 24 feature laps led on the year. The former Victorville Sprint Car Champion will run a limited schedule and may miss the action at Canyon Speedway Park.
Jake Swanson (Anaheim, CA) placed fifth in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car point chase. Racing John Grau and Mike Burkhart’s #34AZ Western Premier Hauling / KSE Custom Drywall DRC, Swanson finished the year with one feature win, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, three hard charger awards, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 43 feature laps led on the season. Jake has two career USAC/CRA wins in Arizona and will be looking to top the ‘Spring Showcase.”
Last season, Joel Rayborne (West Covina, CA) earned Rookie of the Year honors and finished sixteenth in the point chase. Driving the Don Blair Racing #12B H&H Flat Heads / Okie Race Cars entry, Rayborne’s best finish was eleventh at Santa Maria on August 4th. The young driver will have his sights on his first feature win at Canyon Speedway Park.
R.J. Johnson, Max Adams, Logan Williams, “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., Chris Gansen, “Thunder” Tommy Malcolm, Ryan Bernal, A.J. Bender, Matt McCarthy, Justin Grant, Chase Johnson, Austin Ervine, Logan Seavey, and Austin Liggett rounded out the top-20 in last year’s point standings.
Entering Friday’s event, C.J. Leary (Greenfield, IN) leads the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest point chase. Isaac Chapple, Brody Roa, Josh Hodges, Jake Swanson, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., Dennis Gile, Ryan Cully, and Michael Curtis round out the top-10 drivers.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Missouri’s Hunter Schuerenberg, Oklahoma’s Jason McDougal, and more.
Canyon Speedway Park is located at 9777 West Carefree Highway in Peoria, Arizona. To get to the track, take Lake Pleasant Parkway, then 1.3 miles west on Carefree Highway. For both nights, Adult Tickets are $25, Seniors (60 and over) and Military Tickets are $20, and Children (11 and under) are FREE.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks All Coast Construction, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Flowdynamics, Hoosier Tire, Pyrotect Racing Cells, 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 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, 2017-Damion Gardner, 2018-Damion Gardner.
PEORIA AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 5-Bryan Clauson, 3-Damion Gardner, 2-R.J. Johnson, 1-Dave Darland, 1-Tracy Hines, 1-Mike Martin, 1-Mike Spencer, 1-Chase Stockon, 1-Jake Swanson.
SPRING SHOWCASE WINNER: 2018-Damion Gardner.
2019 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
March 8: #Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Spring Showcase)
March 9: #Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Spring Showcase)
March 30: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (So-Cal Showdown)
April 13: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA – (Sokola Shootout)
May 4: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
May 11: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA
May 25: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Salute to Indy)
June 29: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
July 6: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Doug Fort Memorial)
July 13: #Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
August 17: #Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (California Racers Hall of Fame Night)
August 31: Calistoga Speedway – Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic / CSW)
September 1: Calistoga Speedway – Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic / CSW)
September 2: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA (CSW)
September 5: TBA
September 6: Merced Speedway – Merced, CA (CSW)
September 7: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (CSW)
September 21: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Glenn Howard Classic)
September 28: #Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
November 7: *#Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 8: *#Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 9: *#Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 15: *#Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 16: *#Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Cars.
# = Co-Sanctioned Event with Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars.
CSW = California Sprint Week.
This schedule is subject to change.
