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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
#44 “The Cadillac” Cody Williams & Crew in Santa Maria Victory Circle - Photo by Steve Lafond / Tear-Off Heaven Fotos.
CODY WILLIAMS WINS SANTA MARIA “PARTY AT THE COAST”
By Lance Jennings
SANTA MARIA, CA – JULY 6, 2014... Last Saturday, Corona’s “The Cadillac” Cody Williams scored his first career Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car feature win at Santa Maria Speedway. Taking the lead from brother Austin on lap 19, “The Cadillac” shook free from all challengers to win the $2,750 “Party at the Coast” / “Doug Fort Memorial.” Mike Spencer, “The Demon” Damion Gardner, Austin Williams, and Bud Kaeding rounded out the top-five drivers.
Racing Jack Jory’s #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Cody Williams became the 54th different driver to win a USAC/CRA main event. The former National Sprint Car Hall of Fame Rookie of the Year qualified seventh out of the twenty-six racers in attendance and placed second in his heat race. Heading to Perris on August 16th, “The Cadillac” has climbed to fifth in points with one heat race victory, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main win, one Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, six top-10 finishes, and 15 feature laps led.
Charging from fifth, Mike Spencer of Temecula had gotten close to Williams, but claimed second for the second night in a row. Driving Ron Chaffin’s #50 Grubstake Mini Storage / Madera Produce Maxim, Spencer was sixth quick in time trials and took third in his heat race. The five-time champion has tied Nic Faas for second in the standings with one feature win, two heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main win, one Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, nine top-10 finishes, and 51 feature laps led on the year.
Concord’s “The Demon” Damion Gardner took third in Santa Maria’s “Party at the Coast.” Piloting Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / J&D Performance Spike, Gardner qualified fifth overall and won the 10-lap DJ Safety Heat Race #2. The World’s Fastest Sprint Car Driver” heads to Perris with a 111-point lead on the strength of six feature wins, four Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, nine heat race victories, ten top-10 finishes, and 137 feature laps led.
After leading the first 18 laps, Austin Williams of Yorba Linda scored fourth in the “Doug Fort Memorial.” Racing Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Williams was tenth fast in time trials and ran fourth in his heat race. The 2009 Rookie of the Year left Santa Maria ranked eighth in the standings with one feature win, one heat race victory, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main win, five top-10 finishes, and 36 feature laps led in the campaign.
Campbell’s Bud Kaeding earned his first Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics "Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a fifth place run from nineteenth. Piloting Junior Bowman’s #29 Buster & Ziggy Enterprises / Kaeding Performance Maxim, Kaeding qualified nineteenth overall and finished second to Brody Roa in his heat race. The three-time USAC Silver Crown Champion is looking to make a championship bid with the winged King of the West Sprints.
Jake Swanson of Anaheim earned his second Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of the campaign. Racing Tom and Laurie Sertich’s #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Circle Track Performance Victory, Swanson took sixth in his heat race, won the 12-lap Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main, and placed twelfth in the feature. Heading to Perris, the 2012 Rookie of the Year is ninth in the point chase with one Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, five top-10 finishes, and 28 feature laps led.
Huntington Beach’s Brody Roa won the 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. Driving Lee and Norma Leonard’s #48 unsponsored Maxim, Roa was sixteenth fast in time trials and raced to eleventh in the main event after starting sixteenth. The former Wagsdash Champion left Santa Maria ranked seventh in the points with four heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Semi-Main, one Keizer Wheels / Racing Optics Hard Charger Award, and six top-10 finishes on the season.
Matt Mitchell of Yorba Linda raced to victory in the Saldana Racing Products / Circle Track Performance Heat Race #3. Piloting his #37 MPD Racing / ART Enterprises Maxim, Mitchell qualified eighteenth overall and scored eighteenth in the main event. The 2-time “Salute to Indy” winner is currently sixth in the USAC/CRA point standings with one feature win, two heat race victories, six top-10 finishes, and 35 feature laps led.
Hanford’s Connor Kassik earned the night’s Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror Award. Racing the family owned #26 Hanford Toyota / Verdegal Bros. DRC with 360 power, Kassik was twenty-sixth fast in time trials, ran seventh in his heat race, and finished eleventh in the semi-main. The USAC West Coast Sprint Car Rookie of the Year contender missed the transfer to the main event.
Luke Boles of Goleta was the highest ranked 360 entry with a thirteenth place finish at the “Party at the Coast” Earning an extra $200 in his first USAC/CRA appearance, the driver of the family owned #56A Larry’s Auto Parts / Specialty Tool & Bolt TCR qualified twenty-fourth overall and scored fourth in his heat race.
The Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to action on Saturday, August 16th, at Don Kazarian’s Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, California. Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, the “California Racers Hall of Fame Night” will also showcase the PAS Senior Sprints, PAS Young Gun Sprints, and the California Lightning Sprints. For more information, visit www.perrisautospeedway.com or call 951.940.0134.
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).
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: July 5, 2014 – Santa Maria, California – Santa Maria Speedway – “Party at the Coast” / “Doug Fort Memorial”
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY TIME TRIALS:
1. Jake Swanson, 92, Sertich-14.999; 2. Logan Williams, 5, Jory-15.489; 3. Dennis Howell, 62, 15.659; 4. D.J. Johnson, 33, Johnson-15.681; 5. Damion Gardner, 4, Alexander-15.818; 6. Mike Spencer, 50, Chaffin-15.823; 7. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-15.861; 8. Gary Taylor, 04G, Cook-15.874; 9. Nic Faas, 73, Ford-15.894; 10. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-15.969; 11. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-16.017; 12. Ryan Bernal, 56, Phulps-16.028; 13. R.J. Johnson, 51, Martin-16.081; 14. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-16.160; 15. Jeremy Ellertson, 98X, Ellertson-16.171; 16. Brody Roa, 48, Leonard-16.206; 17. Rick Hendrix, 15, Hendrix-16.251; 18. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-16.278; 19. Bud Kaeding, 29, Bowman-16.288, 20. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-16.380; 21. Danny Faria Jr., 2F, Bowman-16.455; 22. Shon Deskins, 4X, Deskins-16.529; 23. Hobie Conway, 3K, Kruseman-16.537; 24. Luke Boles, 56A, Boles-16.555; 25. James Herrera, 16J, Jones-17.689; 26. Connor Kassik, 26, Kassik-17.689.
EXTREME MUFFLERS HEAT RACE #1: (10 laps)
1. Brody Roa, 2. Bud Kaeding, 3. Cody Williams, 4. Austin Williams, 5. Shon Deskins, 6. Jake Swanson, 7. Connor Kassik, 8. D.J. Johnson, 9. R.J. Johnson. NT
DJ SAFETY HEAT RACE #2: (10 laps)
1. Damion Gardner, 2. Jace Vander Weerd, 3. Richard Vander Weerd, 4. Rick Hendrix, 5. Gary Taylor, 6. Logan Williams, 7. Chris Gansen, 8. Hobie Conway, 9. James Herrera. NT
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE HEAT RACE #3: (10 laps)
1. Matt Mitchell, 2. Nic Faas, 3. Mike Spencer, 4. Luke Boles, 5. Ryan Bernal, 6. Dennis Howell, 7. Danny Faria Jr., 8. Jeremy Ellertson. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / ROD END SEMI-MAIN: (12 laps)
1. Jake Swanson, 2. Logan Williams, 3. Gary Taylor, 4. R.J. Johnson, 5. D.J. Johnson, 6. Dennis Howell, 7. Ryan Bernal, 8. Chris Gansen, 9. Shon Deskins, 10. Jeremy Ellertson, 11. Connor Kassik, 12. Hobie Conway, 13. James Herrera, 14. Danny Faria Jr. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Cody Williams (4th), 2. Mike Spencer (5th), 3. Damion Gardner (6th), 4. Austin Williams (2nd), 5. Bud Kaeding (19th), 6. Gary Taylor (11th), 7. Shon Deskins (21st), 8. Nic Faas (3rd), 9. Chris Gansen (20th), 10. Richard Vander Weerd (1st), 11. Brody Roa (16th), 12. Jake Swanson (7th), 13. Luke Boles (22nd), 14. Dennis Howell (9th), 15. Rick Hendrix (17th), 16. D.J. Johnson (10th), 17. R.J. Johnson (13th), 18. Matt Mitchell (18th), 19. Jace Vander Weerd (14th), 20. Logan Williams (8th), 21. Ryan Bernal (12th), 22. Jeremy Ellertson (15th). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-18 Austin Williams, Laps 19.-30 Cody Williams
KEIZER WHEELS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Bud Kaeding (19th to 5th)
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. Damion Gardner-714, 2. Nic Faas-603, --. Mike Spencer-603, 4. Richard Vander Weerd-471, 5. Cody Williams-459, 6. Matt Mitchell-456, 7. Brody Roa-446, 8. Austin Williams-444, 9. Jake Swanson-404, 10. Cory Kruseman-381, 11. Logan Williams-295, 12. Gary Taylor-263, 13. Ryan Bernal-251, 14. Jace Vander Weerd-240, 15. Chris Gansen-200, 16. Cody Swanson-187, 17. R.J. Johnson-160, 18. A.J. Bender-156, 19. Ronnie Gardner-155, 20. Rickie Gaunt-139.
2014 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE:
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
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)
September 5: Ocean Speedway - Watsonville, CA (California Sprint Week / $2,750-to-Win)
September 6: Santa Maria Speedway - Santa Maria, CA (California Sprint Week / $2,750-to-Win)
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)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC National Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
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