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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series
MATT MITCHELL WINS PERRIS SOKOLA SHOOTOUT!
by Lance Jennings
PERRIS, CALIFORNIA – MAY 3, 2022… In one of the closest finishes in recent memory at Perris Auto Speedway, Matt Mitchell (Yorba Linda, California) won last Saturday’s “Sokola Shootout.” With a winning margin of 0.053 seconds over a surging “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., Mitchell earned the eighth AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car triumph of his career. Piloting his #37 Roy Miller Freight Lines / Campbell Brothers Storage Maxim, Matt led all 30-laps to score the win over hard charger Davis, point leader “The Demon” Damion Gardner, “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams, and “The Cadillac” Cody Williams.
Starting on the outside of the front row, Mitchell got the jump on Austin Williams to grab the lead. Mitchell soon began to increase his lead as a torrid battle for position followed. As the laps counted down, most of the field had preferred to run the outside groove but Davis found the bottom line to his linking and moved forward. Charles broke free from the pack once in the runner-up spot and set his sights after Mitchell. Coming for the checkered flags, it was a sprint to the finish and Mitchell emerged victorious.
Before claiming his first win of the season, Matt Mitchell was seventh quick in time trials and won the 10-lap Flowdynamics Incorporated / Laserworx Manufacturing / Factory Wraps First Heat race. The former USAC West Coast 360 Champion left the Lake Perris Fairgrounds ranked fourth in the point standings.
A.J. Bender (San Diego, California) got the action underway by earning his first career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award with a time of 16.601 over the 24-car roster. Driving the family owned #21 Bender Pool & Spa / K&R Motorsports DRC, Bender ran second to Mitchell in his heat race and finished twelfth in the feature. At press time, the USAC Western States Midget Series point leader is twentieth in USAC/CRA points.
Jake Hodges (Camarillo, California) earned the first USAC/CRA heat race win of his career. Racing his #4 Laserworx Manufacturing / Race Crafters Manufacturing Maxim, Hodges qualified fourteenth overall, won the 10-lap Billsjerky.net / Laserworx Manufacturing / Factory Wraps Second Heat Race, and placed twentieth in the main event. In limited action, Jake sits thirtieth in the chase for the championship.
“The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa (Garden Grove, California) returned to USAC/CRA action and topped the 10-lap In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Third Heat Race. Piloting the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Eagle, Roa was ninth fast in time trials and earned the Shawn McDonald Memorial Feature Award with a sixth place finish in the main event. In limited starts, the 2019 USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Champion ranks fourteenth in championship points.
“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) nearly won the “Sokola Shootout” by earning the night’s Hard Charger Award / Best Passing Job honors with a second place run from seventh. Driving his #47 MP Environmental Services / Black Magic Bead Breaker DRC, Davis qualified fourth overall and scored eighth in his heat race after being collected in a tangle. The multi-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion is currently second in the point standings.
Kyle Edwards (Fountain Valley, California) earned the Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award at the “Sokola Shootout.” Racing the family owned #39E Safehouse Security / Van Dyne Engineering Triple X, Edwards was fifteenth quick in time trials and placed fifth in his heat race. In limited action, the veteran driver is thirty-fourth in the USAC/CRA point chase.
Eddie Tafoya Jr. (Chino Hills, California) took home the Shawn McDonald Memorial Qualifying Award by qualifying sixth overall. Piloting the family owned #51T Specialty Fasteners / Bell Helmets DRC, Tafoya placed sixth in his heat race and finished eighth in the main event. The former USAC/CRA and USAC SouthWest Rookie of the Year heads to Bakersfield ranked fifth in the championship point standings.
On Saturday, May 14th, the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will make their first of two appearances at Bakersfield Speedway. For more event information, visit bakersfieldspeedway.com.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks Billsjerky.net, Factory Wraps, Flowdynamics Incorporated, The Gardner Family (In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner), Hoosier Racing Tires, Laserworx Manufacturing, Woodland Auto Display, BR Motorsports, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, FloRacing, In Memory of Shawn McDonald, Rod End Supply, Vahlco Wheels, and Wilwood Disc Brakes for their support.
For more information on the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC/CRA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: April 30, 2022 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California – “Sokola Shootout”
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-16.601; 2. Cody Williams, 44, Williams-16.641; 3. Damion Gardner, 1, Alexander-16.773; 4. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-16.779; 5. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-16.787; 6. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-16.847; 7. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-16.853; 8. Austin Williams, 2, Williams-16.863; 9. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-16.932; 10. Trent Williams, 52V, Williams-16.952; 11. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.026; 12. Logan Williams, 5W, McCarthy-17.192; 13. Austin Grabowski, 72, Grabowski-17.230; 14. Jake Hodges, 4, Hodges-17.311; 15. Kyle Edwards, 39E, Edwards-17.515; 16. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-17.556; 17. Nate Schank, 1$, Schank-17.746; 18. Danny Sheridan, 12, Allen-17.968; 19. Dan Taylor, T5, Taylor-17.986; 20. Jonas Reynolds, 0, Reynolds-18.043; 21. Shane Sexton, 74, Sexton/Gatlin-18.104; 22. Joel Rayborne, 12B, Blair-18.577; 23. Gary Marshall Jr., 23, Bellegante-19.439; 24. Matt McCarthy, 28M, McCarthy-NT.
FLOWDYNAMICS INCORPORATED / LASERWORX MANUFACTURING / FACTORY WRAPS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Mitchell, 2. Bender, 3. Sweeney, 4. T.Williams, 5. Taylor, 6. Rayborne, 7. Grabowski, 8. Davis. NT.
BILLSJERKY.NET / LASERWORX MANUFACTURING / FACTORY WRAPS SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Hodges, 2. Malcolm, 3. A.Williams, 4. C.Williams, 5. Gansen, 6. Schank, 7. Reynolds, 8.Marshall. NT.
IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Roa, 2. Gardner, 3. Sheridan, 4. L.Williams, 5. Edwards, 6. Tafoya, 7. Sexton, 8. McCarthy. NT.
FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Matt Mitchell (2), 2. Charles Davis Jr. (7), 3. Damion Gardner (4), 4. Austin Williams (1), 5. Cody Williams (5), 6. Brody Roa (9), 7. Tommy Malcolm (3), 8. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (8), 9. Austin Grabowski (13), 10. Trent Williams (10), 11. Logan Williams (12), 12. A.J. Bender (6), 13. Kyle Edwards (15), 14. Nate Schank (17), 15. Verne Sweeney (16), 16. Chris Gansen (11), 17. Jonas Reynolds (20), 18. Dan Taylor (19), 19. Joel Rayborne (22), 20. Jake Hodges (14), 21. Danny Sheridan (18), 22. Shane Sexton (21). NT.
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*McCarthy and Marshall did not start feature. Sexton flipped on lap 2 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Mitchell.
HARD CHARGER: Charles Davis Jr. (7th to 2nd)
WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Kyle Edwards
SHAWN MCDONALD MEMORIAL QUALIFYING AWARD: Eddie Tafoya Jr.
SHAWN MCDONALD MEMORIAL FEATURE AWARD: Brody Roa
NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Damion Gardner-637, 2-Charles Davis Jr.-497, 3-Austin Williams-493, 4-Matt Mitchell-470, 5-Eddie Tafoya Jr.-412, 6-Logan Williams-396, 7-Tommy Malcolm-346, 8-Cody Williams-331, 9-Matt McCarthy-296, 10-Nate Schank-290.
NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE: May 14 – Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, California
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