USAC NATIONAL AND CRA SPRINTS RESUME YEARLY CLASH OUT WEST TO CONCLUDE 2016 SEASON
BY: Richie Murray – USAC Media
When the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars head out west for November’s “Western World Championships” in Queen Creek, Ariz. and the Budweiser “Oval Nationals” at Perris, Calif., it will mark the 13th consecutive year USAC’s AMSOIL National and CRA Sprint Car divisions have hooked up to compete against each other.
In what has become an annual tradition since the creation of the USAC/CRA AMSOIL Sprint Car series, the National series heads to the western part of the United States to finish off its season campaign.
Although, in 2009 and 2010, the series made early season voyages to the west in addition to the season-enders in the fall.
Thus far, 67 races have been contested when the two series have combined. No track has hosted more USAC National/CRA Sprint Car events than has Perris (35), the home of the upcoming Budweiser “Oval Nationals” on Nov. 10-11-12, 2016. The half-mile dirt oval in southern California was the venue of the first National/CRA feature back in 2004, won by Mike Kirby on a preliminary night of the “Ovals.”
The “Oval Nationals” has become a staple of the USAC National and CRA schedule since 2004, annually boasting some of the highest car counts for traditional sprint car racing on the west coast as well as awarding the largest winner’s share of any USAC race all year.
This year’s winner’s check for Saturday night at the “Ovals” is a hefty $25,000, with $1000 being paid out to each feature starter, making it one of the most anticipated events of the year for both fans and competitors alike.
The “Ovals” can also lay claim to being the home of the largest car count ever for a points-paying USAC National Sprint Car race. Mike Spencer topped the field that night in which an astounding seventy-five cars and drivers were on hand for the first prelim at Perris on Nov. 2, 2006!
Perris is among the eight tracks who have hosted combined USAC National and CRA Sprint Car events including fellow Golden State tracks Calistoga Speedway, Thunderbowl Raceway and Kings Speedway.
The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the lone representative for the state of Nevada. Three tracks in the state of Arizona have been home to 24 of these contests – Canyon Speedway Park, USA Raceway and the fabled Manzanita Speedway, which closed its doors in 2009.
Manzanita had been the host of the “Western World Championships” since the event’s inception in 1968. Since then, the event has bounced around throughout Arizona, once calling Canyon home before moving to Tucson’s USA Raceway in 2015 where it returned as a USAC National Sprint Car race for the first time since 2008.
In 2016, however, “Western World” moves to a new venue – Queen Creek’s one-third-mile Arizona Speedway on Nov. 4-5, 2016, marking the USAC National Sprint Cars’ third first-time visit to a track this season (Montpelier and Badlands).
2015 “Western World” winner Bryan Clauson is the winningest driver when it comes to combined USAC National and CRA Sprint Car features with eight. Twenty-seven drivers have scored National/CRA victories since 2004, including expected competitors during the upcoming western swing such as Damion Gardner (7 wins), Dave Darland (5), Bud Kaeding (4), Mike Spencer (3), Chris Windom (2), Brady Bacon (1), Jon Stanbrough (1) and Chase Stockon (1).
Gates open at 4pm and racing begins at 7pm for both nights of the 49th “Western World Championships” at Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek Friday and Saturday night, Nov. 4-5.
The 21st annual Budweiser “Oval Nationals” are set for Thursday-Friday-Saturday, Nov. 10-11-12 at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway.