|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
#2 Austin Williams & Crew in Petaluma victory circle. Photo by Mike Grosswendt / surfnsprint.com.
AUSTIN WILLIAMS WINS WILD PETALUMA FEATURE
By Lance Jennings
PETALUMA, CA – JUNE 29, 2014... There is an old saying that goes “it’s not over until it’s over.” With four drivers having a chance to win off the last corner, Yorba Linda’s Austin Williams claimed the checkered flags at Petaluma Speedway. For Williams, the $2,750 Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car triumph was his first win of the campaign. Austin Liggett, fast qualifier “The Demon” Damion Gardner, Mike Spencer, and “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman rounded out the top-five drivers.
Jake Swanson of Anaheim dominated the feature in the Moose Racing #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror Victory. Officially leading 28 laps, Swanson took the white flag and contact with Ryan Bernal knocked both drivers from contention. With green-white-checkers left in the main event, Liggett inherited the top spot. On the restart, Gardner slid to the front in the first corner but Liggett crossed over and regained the lead. The field was in hot pursuit and Spencer made his bid for his second consecutive win on the final lap. In the final turns, Spencer, Liggett, and Gardner bounced around on the Petaluma clay, but it was Williams that powered to the checkered flags.
Racing Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Austin Williams scored his third career USAC/CRA victory after starting on the pole position. Qualifying seventh out of the thirty racers in the pit area, Williams also scored fourth in his heat race. Heading to the Perris-Santa Maria doubleheader, the 2009 Rookie of the Year has climbed to seventh in points with one heat race victory, four top-10 finishes, and 18 feature laps led.
Austin Liggett of Tracy led lap twenty-nine, but had to settle for second at Petaluma Speedway. Piloting the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Home Connections Inc. Spike with 360 power, Liggett was third fast in time trials. The former USAC West Coast Rookie of the Year also ran second in his heat race to Richard Vander Weerd.
Concord’s “The Demon” Damion Gardner was in the mix for the win and claimed third at the checkered flags. Driving Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / J&D Performance Spike, Gardner earned his fourth Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and won the Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. The point leader has an 88-point advantage with five main event wins, seven heat race victories, eight top-10 finishes, and 99 feature laps led on the season.
After winning the previous night at Watsonville, Mike Spencer of Temecula took fourth at Petaluma after starting eighth. Racing Ron Chaffin’s #50 Grubstake Mini Storage / Madera Produce Maxim, Spencer qualified eighth overall and placed fourth in his heat race. The five-time champion left Petaluma ranked third in points with one feature win, two heat race victories, one Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, seven top-10 finishes, and 51 feature laps led.
Ventura’s “The Kruser” Cory Kruseman scored fifth in Petaluma’s 30-lap main event. Piloting Mark Priestley’s #7 Roy Miller Freight Lines / Sander Engineering Bullet, Kruseman was fourth quick in time trials and placed second in his heat race. Heading to Perris and Santa Maria, the 2006 Champion is ninth in the standings with four heat race victories and five top-10 finishes.
Richard Vander Weerd of Visalia earned his first Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a ninth place run from nineteenth. Driving the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim, Vander Weerd qualified nineteenth and won the Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #3. The 2011 USAC West Coast Sprint Champion is ranked fifth in points with one feature win, four heat race victories, six top-10 finishes, and 10 feature laps led on the year.
Hollister’s Ryan Bernal won the 10-lap DJ Safety Heat Race #2. Racing Mike Phulps’ #56 Core Power / Metal Works ART, Bernal was second fast in time trials and scored eighteenth in the feature. The defending USAC Western Classic Champion is currently fourteenth in the USAC/CRA standings with two top-10 finishes.
Brody Roa of Huntington Beach won the Pyrotect Racing Cells / Weld Racing Heat Race #4. Piloting Lee & Norma Leonard’s #48 unsponsored Maxim, Roa qualified twentieth overall and ran thirteenth in the main event. The former Wagsdash Champion left Petaluma ranked sixth in the point chase with two heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main, one Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, and five top-10 finishes in 2014.
Stockton’s D.J. Johnson claimed victory in the 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main. Driving the family owned #33 Unique Breeds / Proplant Farm Services Eagle, Johnson was eleventh quick in time trials, scored seventh in his heat race, and placed sixteenth in the main event.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to action this Friday, July 4th, at Don Kazarian’s Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, California. Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, the $3,000-to-win, $400-to-start “Firecracker 40” will also showcase the PAS Senior Sprints, Young Gun Sprints, and the California Lightning Sprints. For more information, visit www.perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134.
The following night, July 5th, the USAC/CRA 410 Sprints will travel to Santa Maria Speedway in Nipomo, California. The “Party at the Coast” / “Doug Fort Memorial” will also showcase the Honda USAC Western Midgets and Mini Stocks. For more information, visit www.racesantamariaspeedway.com or call 805.315.2023.
To catch all of the action of the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, Loudpedal Productions has DVD videos available for purchase. For more information, call (805) 407-7229 or visit www.loudpedalvideo.com.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks Hoosier Tire, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Inc., DJ Safety, Engler Machine & Tool, Extreme Mufflers, Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror, Keizer Wheels, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Rugged Radios, Saldana Racing Products, Weld Racing, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, email PR Director Lance Jennings at [email protected].
For more information on the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit www.usacracing.com or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/USAC-CRA-Sprint-Car-Series/167535183297971) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/USAC_CRA).
-----------------------------------------------
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT RACE RESULTS:
June 28, 2014 – Petaluma, California – Petaluma Speedway
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TIME TRIALS:
1. Damion Gardner, 4, Alexander-14.129; 2. Ryan Bernal, 56, Phulps-14.197; 3. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-14.270; 4. Cory Kruseman, 7, Priestley-14.358; 5. Jake Swanson, 92, Sertich-14.391; 6. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-14.407; 7. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-14.414; 8. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-14.434; 9. Colby Copeland, 5V, VanLare-14.543; 10. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-14.573; 11. D.J. Johnson, 33, Johnson-14.573; 12. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-14.577; 13. Geoff Ensign, 3F, Finkenbinder-14.594; 14. Nic Faas, 73, Ford-14.608; 15. Joe Stornetta, 9N, Lathrop-14.612; 16. Michael Pickens, 73X, Ford-14.669; 17. Cody Swanson, 36, Springstead-14.728; 18. Chase Johnson, 68, Thomas-14.738; 19. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-14.750; 20. Brody Roa, 48, Leonard-14.762; 21. Trevor Schmid, 2X, Schmid-14.881; 22. Scott Hall, 77J, Campanile-15.095; 23. Logan Williams, 5, Jory-15.123; 24. Jason McIntosh, 33X, McIntosh-15.193; 25. Marty Hawkins, 3M, Hawkins-15.251; 26. Scotty Dupont, 3X, Dupont-15.250; 27. Jim Richardson, 8, Richardson-15.482; 28. Brian Azevedo, 07N, Azevedo-15.644; 29. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-15.15.759; 30. Eli Deschaies, 91RI, Deschaies-15.863.
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE #1: (10 laps)
1. Damion Gardner, 2. Jake Swanson, 3. Cody Swanson, 4. Colby Copeland, 5. Marty Hawkins, 6. Trevor Schmid, 7. Chris Gansen, 8. Geoff Ensign. NT
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE #2: (10 laps)
1. Ryan Bernal, 2. Matt Mitchell, 3. Chase Johnson, 4. Nic Faas, 5. Scott Hall, 6. Cody Williams, 7. Scotty Dupont, 8. Eli Deschaies. NT
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #3: (10 laps)
1. Richard Vander Weerd, 2. Austin Liggett, 3. Joe Stornetta, 4. Austin Williams, 5. Logan Williams, 6. Jim Richardson, 7. D.J. Johnson. NT
PYROTECT RACING CELLS / WELD RACING HEAT RACE #4: (10 laps)
1. Brody Roa, 2. Cory Kruseman, 3. Michael Pickens, 4. Mike Spencer, 5. Jace Vander Weerd, 6. Brian Azevedo, 7. Jason McIntosh. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / ROD END SEMI-MAIN: (12 laps)
1. D.J. Johnson, 2. Cody Williams, 3. Jace Vander Weerd, 4. Geoff Ensign, 5. Scott Hall, 6. Marty Hawkins, 7. McIntosh, 8. Chris Gansen, 9. Trevor Schmid, 10. Brian Azevedo, 11. Logan Williams, 12. Jim Richardson, 13. Scotty Dupont. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Austin Williams (1st), 2. Austin Liggett (4th), 3. Damion Gardner (6th), 4. Mike Spencer (8th), 5. Cory Kruseman (3rd), 6. Matt Mitchell (10th), 7. Nic Faas (14th), 8. Colby Copeland (9th), 9. Richard Vander Weerd (19th), 10. Geoff Ensign (13th), 11. Jace Vander Weerd (12th), 12. Cody Williams (7th), 13. Brody Roa (20th), 14. Marty Hawkins (22nd), 15. Jake Swanson (2nd), 16. D.J. Johnson (11th), 17. Chris Gansen (24th), 18. Ryan Bernal (5th), 19. Cody Swanson (17th), 20. Joe Stornetta (15th), 21. Michael Pickens (16th), 22. Chase Johnson (18th), 23. Scott Hall (21st), 24. Logan Williams (23rd). NT
---------------------------
**Scott Hall flipped during the feature.
**Logan Williams & Chris Gansen used provisionals
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-28 Jake Swanson, Lap 29 Austin Liggett, Lap 30 Austin Williams
KEIZER WHEELS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Richard Vander Weerd (19th to 9th)
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1-Damion Gardner-581, 2-Nic Faas-493, 3-Mike Spencer-472, 4-Matt Mitchell-412, 5-Richard Vander Weerd-384, 6-Brody Roa-354, 7-Austin Williams-352, 8-Cody Williams-336, 9-Cory Kruseman-335, 10-Jake Swanson-321, 11-Logan Williams-254, 12-Jace Vander Weerd-198, 13-Gary Taylor-186, 14-Ryan Bernal-181, 15-Cody Swanson-179, 16-A.J. Bender-156, 17-Chris Gansen-148, 18-Ronnie Gardner-125, 19-Rickie Gaunt-122, 20-Colby Copeland-109.
2014 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE:
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
July 4: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Firecracker 40 / $3,000-to-Win / $400-to-start)
July 5: Santa Maria Speedway - Santa Maria, CA ($2,750-to-Win / $350-to-start)
August 16: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (California Racers Hall of Fame Night)
August 30: Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic / California Sprint Week)
August 31: Calistoga Speedway - Calistoga, CA (Louie Vermeil Classic / California Sprint Week)
September 4: Silver Dollar Speedway - Chico, CA (Gold Cup Race of Champions / California Sprint Week / $2,750-to-Win / $350-to-start)
September 5: Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA (California Sprint Week / $2,750-to-Win / $350-to-start)
September 6: Santa Maria Speedway - Santa Maria, CA (California Sprint Week / $2,750-to-Win / $350-to-start)
September 13: Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Glenn Howard Classic)
October 11: TBA
November 7: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 8: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval Nationals / $20,000-to-Win)
November 14: *Canyon Speedway - Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
November 15: *Canyon Speedway - Peoria, AZ (Hall of Fame Classic)
-----------------------------------------------
* = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC National Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
|
