(OCTOBER 28, 2008, PERRIS, CALIFORNIA) The wait is finally over and this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 30th through November 1st, Don Kazarian's famous Perris Auto Speedway will host the 13th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals presented by Temecula Valley Pipe & Supply. Each night is a full points paying event for the Southern California base Lucas Oil USAC/CRA Sprint Cars and the Midwest based USAC National Sprint Car Series. In addition to all of the USAC/CRA stars, 16 of the top 20 in USAC National Sprint Car points have already entered the event. A complete list of the entries as of October 27th is listed below.
Past champions Rip Williams, Rodney Argo, Rickie Gaunt, Tony Jones, Bud Kaeding, Cory Kruseman and Dave Darland have all pre-entered the event.
Festivities will kick off on Wednesday night, October 29th, when the track hosts a practice session for Oval Nationals cars only. The practice is free for fans in the grandstands. Spectator gates will open at 5:00 PM.
The pits will be open to all fans each day until approximately 12:30 PM. Fans will be able to see the cars up close, watch the crews work on the cars, buy team shirts and meet many of the teams and drivers.
Thursday and Friday, the Riverside County clay oval will host preliminary action for the Saturday's finale. Each night will include qualifying, heat races, preliminary and A main events. Many insiders say the Thursday and Friday shows supply the most exciting and intense racing of the year as drivers fight to gather points to get into Saturday's A main event. Spectator gates will open at 4:00 PM on both Thursday and Friday.
In addition to the racing, The PAS will be celebrating Halloween on Friday with free candy and pumpkin coloring contests for the kids. There will be separate Halloween costume contests for the adults and the kids with a bicycle being given to the winner of the kids portion of the contest.
Saturday will feature a bevy of fun and entertainment for the fans beginning at noon with the Oval Nationals Annual Corn Hole (bean bag) Tournament. Fans who want to participate are urged to inquire at the souvenir stand on Thursday and Friday on when to sign up for the tournament and arrive early on Saturday. Early arriving fans on Saturday will be able to meet and get autographs from all the drivers and see the cars close up as they will line the main spectator entrance. Fans will also be able to rock to the sounds of the popular Southern California band Unit 287 featuring Jonas Domkus, Joe Hardy and Ryan Manna.
On the track Saturday, the action will feature preliminary mains and a showdown 40-lap, $12,500.00 to win Budweiser Oval Nationals A main event. Spectator gates will open at 3:00 PM on Saturday.
Intriguing story heading into the Oval Nationals is the fight for the USAC National Sprint Car championship. Jerry Coons Jr., a native of Tucson, Arizona who resides in Plainfiled, Indiana during the racing season, leads Olney, Illinois' Levi Jones by two points in the standings. They will fight for points all three nights at the Oval Nationals before heading to the series finale next week in Phoenix, Arizona.
CAR # DRIVER RESIDENCE ENTRANT
2 – Jesse Hockett – Warsaw, MO – Duke McMillen
2A - Robert Ballou - Rocklin, CA - Tony Smiley
2B - Dave Darland - Lincoln, IN - RWB Motorsports
3 - Rip Williams – Yorba Linda, CA – Sharon Jory
4 - Tony Jones - Norco, CA - Mark Alexander
4X - Shane Cottle - Kokomo, IN - Larry Contos
6 – Shon Deskins – Phoenix, AZ – Shon Deskins
7 - Garrett Hansen - Manhattan Bch, CA - M&M Motorsports
8 – Ronnie Case – Camarillo, CA – Ronnie Case
8A - Charles Davis Jr. - Buckeye, AZ - Tony Smiley
9 - Brad Sweet - Grass Valley, CA - Kasey Kahne Racing
10 – Darren Hagen – Riverside, CA – R&B Racing
10T – Jeff Bland Jr. – Bloomington, IN – R&B Racing
10X – Lawrence O'Connor – Port Hardy, BC, Canada – Royal Adderson
11- Hunter Schuerenberg – Sikeston, MO – Jeff Walker
12 - John Aden - Hesperia, CA - Don Blair
15 – R.J. Johnson – Phoenix, AZ – Bobby Martin
16 – Nadine Gardner – Norco, CA – Nadine Gardner
17B - Brett Burdette - Sunman, IN - Joe Burdette
17F - Nic Faas - Huntington Bch, CA - Nic Faas
18 - Danny Sheridan - Santa Maria, CA - Brian Kittle
19 - Rodney Argo - Gardena, CA - Don Argo
19T - Brandon Thomson - Norwalk, CA - Fred Thomson
20 - Levi Jones - Olney, IL - Tony Stewart Racing
21 - Tracey Hines - Newcastle, IN - Tony Stewart Racing
21K - Cory Kruseman - Ventura, CA - Kruseman Motorsports
23 – Joe Gunderson – Beaumont, CA – John Bellegante
25X – TBA - - Jack Gardner Jr.
29 – Bud Kaeding – Campbell, CA – BK Motorsports
30 - Chad Boat – Phoenix, AZ – Billy Boat
32 – Jordan Hermansador – Long Beach, CA – Rase Marketing & Management
32X – Casey Shuman – Tempe, AZ – Rex Foster
37 - Matt Mitchell - Yorba Linda, CA - JW Mitchell Motorsports
38 – David Cardey – Riverside, CA – Glenn Crossno
40 – Royal Adderson – Moreno Valley, CA - Royal Adderson
41K - Henry Clarke - Villa Park, CA - Kruseman Motorsports
44 – Cody Williams – Yorba Linda, CA – Sharon Jory
50 – Mike Spencer – Temecula, CA - Ron Chafin Motorsports
51 - Rusty Carlisle - Bakersfield, CA - Rusty Carlisle
55 – Tony Everhart – El Cajon, CA – Tony Everhart
62 - Adam Frith-Smith - O'Neals, CA - Mike Frith Smith
67 – Dustin Morgan – Owosso, OK – Keith Kunz Motorsports
67K – Cole Whitt – Alpine, CA – Keith Kunz Motorsports
67X – TBA - - Keith Kunz Motorsports
69 - Jerry Coons Jr - Plainfield, IN - Dynamics Inc.
71 – Damion Gardner - Pittsboro, IN – Damion Gardner/Leffler Racing
71K - Austin Mero - Kingsburg, CA - Kruseman Motorsports
73 – Josh Ford – Camarillo, CA – Keith Ford
75 - Alan Ballard - Bakersfield, CA - Ray Stansberry
83 – Daron Clayton – Sikeston, MO – Glenn Crossno
84 – Ludvig Solberg – Upland, CA – Bill Persall
85 – Brien Kinney – Cherry Valley, CA – Bill Persall
91T Jim Thomson - Norwalk, CA - Fred Thomson
92 - Gregg Bragg - Visalia, CA - Tom Sertich
93 - Blake Miller – Yorba Linda, CA – Jeff Gardner
93J – Rickie Gaunt – Torrance, CA – Jeff Gardner
96 – Tyler Brown – Norco, CA – Nadine Gardner
99 - Brady Bacon - Broken Arrow, OK - Kasey Kahne Racing
PAST OVAL NATIONALS CHAMPIONS
1996 Jimmy Sills
1997 Rip Williams
1998 Rodney Argo
1999 Rickie Gaunt
2000 Tony Jones
2001 Bud Kaeding
2002 Bud Kaeding
2003 Cory Kruseman
2004 Cory Kruseman
2005 Dave Darland
2006 Dave Darland
2007 Bud Kaeding
Tickets for the 13th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals are available by calling 1-800-595-4849. Tickets are also available on the Internet at: perrisautospeedway.com or tix.com Anyone wishing more information could contact Perris Auto Speedway at (951) 940-0134.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, home of the Southern California Fair, approximately one hour east of Los Angeles and one hour North of San Diego. To get to the track, take the 215 freeway, exit at the Ramona Expressway and go two miles east to the fairgrounds.
Video and DVD productions of all USAC/CRA races at The PAS dating back to 2004 are available from Jeff Kristensen's Raceway Video. For more information on these productions you can call: (818) 618-9764 or visit the web site at: racewayvido.com.
[email protected] is the only authorized Internet address to issue official media news released from The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval Entertainment
