Perris, California (September 17, 2024).........The cars and stars of the Avanti Windows & Doors USAC CRA Sprint Car Series will return to southern California’s Perris Auto Speedway this Saturday night, September 21 for their 15th championship round.
Promoted by Don Kazarian, the event will also showcase the PAS Senior Sprint Cars, GAS Chassis PAS Young Gun Sprint Cars, PASSCAR Super Stocks, and PASSCAR Factory Stocks. Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California, the Spectator Gates will open at 5:00pm and racing at "America's Premier Dirt Track" will start at 7:00pm. For more event information, visit the track’s website at www.perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134.
USAC/CRA shows at Perris Auto Speedway WILL NOT be live streamed and beware of online scammers with fake video links. Race fans are encouraged to support the race track and watch the races in person.
NOTICE TO RACERS:
- ALL RACERS MUST PURCHASE THEIR USAC LICENSE / MEMBERSHIPS ONLINE PRIOR TO THE EVENT AT USACRACING.COM OR USACLICENSE.COM. (If racers have a membership question, contact Julie Tanaka at julietanaka@aol.com.)
- ENTRY FEE: There is an entry fee due at registration / pill pick.
- TRANSPONDERS: Transponders ARE MANDATORY and will be available to rent.
- ONE WAY RADIOS / RACECEIVERS: One way radios ARE MANDATORY.
- FRONT AXLE TETHER SYSTEMS: Front axle tether systems (2-Chassis, 1-King Pin to King Pin) ARE MANDATORY.
- FULL CONTAINMENT SEATS: Full containment seats ARE MANDATORY.
- COCKPIT ADJUSTABLE SHOCKS: Cockpit adjustable shocks ARE ALLOWED.
- RULE BOOK: The series rule book is online at usacracing.com, appendix E.
Since March 6, 2004, the Lake Perris Fairgrounds has held 256 USAC/CRA Sprint Car events and forty-six different drivers have claimed victory. “The Demon” Damion Gardner leads all series drivers with 51 “home track” wins as Matt Mitchell (twice), David Gasper, A.J. Bender, Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm (twice), and “The Cadillac” Cody Williams have scored PAS wins during the campaign. Nic Faas set the 1-lap track record of 15.833 on February 25, 2012 and the complete Perris USAC/CRA win list is at the end of this release.
Heading to Perris, Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm (Yucaipa, California) holds a slim 7-point lead over the competition. Racing Dino Napier’s #5X Indiana Truck Salvage / B&B Powder Coating DRC, Malcolm ran fifth at Santa Maria on September 7th. To date, Tommy “Thunder” has three four wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, four heat race victories, one In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 86 feature laps led in the campaign. Tommy is tied with Robert Ballou, and “KTJ” Kevin Thomas Jr. with seven career triumphs and will be looking to continue his championship bid with a victory this Saturday night.
R.J. Johnson (Laveen, Arizona) enters Saturday’s event ranked second in the USAC/CRA championship chase. Driving Ricky and Michele Johnson’s #51 JUGO Superfoods / Avanti Windows & Doors Sherman, Johnson earned his second victory of the year at Santa Maria on September 7th. At press time, the multi-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion and 2005 Rookie of the Year also has two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, one semi-main win, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 36 feature laps led on the season. R.J. is currently tied with “The Macho Man” Brady Bacon, “Dynamite” David Cardey, and Richard Vander Weerd with nine series wins and will have his sights on taking over the point lead with a Perris victory.
“The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Corona, California) is third in the point standings. Racing Tom & Christy Dunkel’s #17W Inland Rigging / Dunkel Farms DRC, Williams was the Santa Maria hard charger with a tenth to fourth place run. To date, the 2009 Co-Rookie of the Year has five heat race victories, two In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Hard Charger Awards, ten top-10 finishes, and 11 feature laps led in the campaign. “The Big Game Hunter” is tied with Matt Mitchell with eleven series wins and will be looking for his first USAC/CRA victory of the year on Saturday.
Logan Williams (Yorba Linda, California) sits fourth in the USAC/CRA point chase. Piloting John McCarthy’s #5W Flowdynamics Incorporated / Drinkpak DRC, Williams placed third in the Santa Maria feature. At press time, the 2014 Rookie of the Year has one heat race victory, one In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award, eleven top-10 finishes, and 21 feature laps led to his credit. Logan will have his sights on the first victory of his career at Perris Auto Speedway.
A.J. Bender (San Diego, California) ranks fifth in the chase for the championship. Driving the family owned #21 Bender Pool & Spa / Matrix Construction Services DRC, Bender finished eighth in the September 7th main event at Santa Maria. To date, the 2022 USAC Western States Midget Rookie of the Year has one feature win, six heat race victories, nine top-10 finishes, and 44 feature laps led on the season. A.J. will be looking for his second career win this Saturday night.
Driving the Kittle Motorsports / Gasper Racing #18 DRC backed by Art Klee and Martin Roofing, David Gasper (Goleta, California) leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors. Elexa Herrera, Brent Sexton, Blake Bower, Braden Chiaramonte, Jon DeWees, Joey Bishop, Mark Henry, Tyler Hatzikian, Camie Bell, Aaron Altaffer, Jacob Tuttle, Heath Holdsclaw, Blake Hendricks, and Tom Dunkel are also in contention.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “The Cadillac” Cody Williams, Verne Sweeney, “The Gunslinger” Austin Grabowski, Eddie Tafoya Jr., “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., Grant Sexton, “The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa, Logan Calderwood, Matt Mitchell, Chris Gansen, Gary Marshall Jr., “Flash” Jordan Hermansader, Dan Taylor, Stevie Rogers, and more.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake Perris Drive in Perris, California. Adult tickets are $30, Senior tickets (65 & over) are $25, Kids tickets (6 to 12) are $5, and Children (5 and under) are FREE. The Fairgrounds charges $10 for parking. Advance tickets are available and for more event information, visit the track’s website at perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134.
The Avanti Windows & Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks BillsJerky.net, Factory Wraps, Flowdynamics Incorporated, The Gardner Family (In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner), In Honor of Wiley Miller Sr. and Wiley Miller II, Sexton Fire Protection, WC Friend Company, and Woodland Auto Display, for their support.
For more information on the Avanti Windows & Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit the United States Auto Club (USAC) website at usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC/CRA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS 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, 2019-Damion Gardner, 2020-NO AWARD, 2021-Damion Gardner, 2022-Damion Gardner, 2023-Brody Roa.
2024 AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Tommy Malcolm-927, 2. R.J. Johnson-920, 3. Austin Williams-844, 4. Logan Williams-821, 5. A.J. Bender-815, 6. David Gasper (R)-777, 7. Cody Williams-734, 8. Verne Sweeney-601, 9. Austin Grabowski-580, 10. Eddie Tafoya Jr.-553, 11. Charles Davis Jr.-497, 12. Elexa Herrera (R)-433, 13. Brent Sexton (R)-379, 14. Grant Sexton-314, 15. Brody Roa-307, 16. Logan Calderwood-300, 17. Matt Mitchell-281, 18. Matt McCarthy-254, 19. Ricky Lewis-233, 20. Jeff Dyer-230. The complete point standings can be found at usacracing.com/series-point-standings/cra-sprint
2024 AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 4-Tommy Malcolm, 2-Matt Mitchell, 2-R.J. Johnson, 1-A.J. Bender, 1-Braden Chiaramonte, 1-Charles Davis Jr., 1-David Gasper, 1-Kevin Thomas Jr., 1-Cody Williams.
PERRIS AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC/CRA 1-LAP QUALIFYING RECORD: Nic Faas – 15.833 (02/25/12)
PERRIS AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 51-Damion Gardner, 24-Mike Spencer, 19-Tony Jones, 17-Cory Kruseman, 10-Matt Mitchell, 9-Nic Faas, 8-David Cardey, 8-Richard Vander Weerd, 7-Brody Roa, 7-Rip Williams, 6-Bryan Clauson, 6-Justin Grant, 6-Mike Kirby, 6-Danny Sheridan, 6-Austin Williams, 5-Brady Bacon, 5-Robert Ballou, 5-Rickie Gaunt, 4-Dave Darland, 4-R.J. Johnson, 4-Tommy Malcolm, 3-Charles Davis Jr., 3-Garrett Hansen, 3-Kevin Thomas Jr., 2-Darren Hagen, 2-Jesse Hockett, 2-Levi Jones, 2-C.J. Leary, 2-Blake Miller, 2-Jake Swanson, 2-Cody Williams, 2-Chris Windom, 1-A.J. Bender, 1-Chad Boespflug, 1-Greg Bragg, 1-Daron Clayton, 1-Josh Ford, 1-David Gasper, 1-Josh Hodges, 1-Bud Kaeding, 1-Adam Mitchell, 1-Johnny Rodriguez, 1-Hunter Schuerenberg, 1-Chase Stockon, 1-Scotty Weir, 1-Jason York.
2024 AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
February 24: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Matt Mitchell)
March 16: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: David Gasper)
March 23: Cocopah Speedway – Somerton, AZ (Winner: Charles Davis Jr.)
April 6: Mohave Valley Raceway – Mohave Valley, AZ (Winner: Kevin Thomas Jr.)
April 27: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: A.J. Bender)
May 25: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Matt Mitchell)
June 8: Dirt Track at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway – Bakersfield, CA (Winner: R.J. Johnson)
June 22: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Tommy Malcolm)
July 6: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Winner: Tommy Malcolm)
July 13: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Tommy Malcolm)
August 10: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Winner: Braden Chiaramonte)
August 17: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Cody Williams)
August 31: Dirt Track at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway – Bakersfield, CA (Winner: Tommy Malcolm)
September 7: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Winner: R.J. Johnson)
September 21: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
September 28: Dirt Track at Kevin Harvick’s Kern Raceway – Bakersfield, CA
October 12: Mohave Valley Raceway – Mohave Valley, AZ
October 18: Imperial Valley Raceway – Imperial, CA
October 19: Imperial Valley Raceway – Imperial, CA
November 1: Mohave Valley Raceway – Mohave Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 2: Mohave Valley Raceway – Mohave Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 8: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 9: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
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This schedule is subject to change.
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