PERRIS, CA, Oct. 27 -    Friday night's 20 lap preliminary race at the Perris Auto Speedway marked the 250th event in Sprint Car Racing Association (SCRA) history.  Fittingly, the club's all-time main event winner, Rip Williams, gathered his 52nd career win.

"We come out here and try to win a few races here and there and just feel fortunate enough to get another one,." Williams said while possibly reflecting on an earlier incident in his heat race that left the Sharon Jory / Vista Paint No. 3 Stinger tipped on it's side after contact on the front straight. 

Since Friday night's format provided no opportunity to transfer from a B-Main, Williams' crew had to make some quick repairs just to give him an opportunity to compete in the preliminary main event.  Williams repaid the crew with a supreme effort in his heat race that resulted in an outside second row starting spot in the prelim.

Front row partners Tony Jones and Cory Kruseman battled through the first turn on the opening lap of the race with Kruseman taking control of the top spot down the backstraight.  Kruseman was followed back to the line by Williams, Jones, Richard Griffin and  the Jack Gardner, Jr. / Beach Manufacturing No. 6 Sled driven by Troy Rutherford.

Williams tried a variety of racing lines in the early stages of the race before closing the gap on lap seven.  The yellow flag flew two laps later after Casey Shuman coasted to a stop near the turn three wall. Jay Drake moved the Keith Kunz / Vital911.com No. 67K Stealth into fifth on the restart as Kruseman accepted the green flag. 

One lap after the halfway point of the race, Williams wheelied exiting turn two losing considerable ground to Kruseman.  As it turned out, Kruseman's night would come to an end one lap later after a rear end problem forced the "Kruser" to come to a stop in turn two.        

"I knew the car was going to do that once in awhile if I didn't hit the right spot," Williams said referencing his big wheelie.  "It was going to be a heck of race in the last five laps.  I wasn't too concerned about making up the distance (I lost), I was just waiting for the fuel to go down.  It would have been interest."

As far as the lead was concerned, Williams did his best to make the remainder of the race as uninteresting as possible.   Griffin finished  second the Ron Chaffin / Arizona Race Mart No. 50 Jon Boy.  In time trials, Griffin out-qualified the 58 car field to win the Sander Engineering Fast Time Award.  Drake took advantage of the final restart of the race to finish third ahead of Rutherford.  Rookie driver Lance Gremett finished behind Rutherford to earn his first career SCRA top-five finish.   Rodney Argo, Mike Kirby and Jones joined the top-five in earning automatic births to Saturday's finale.       
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RACE #38 - PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY
PERRIS, CA
Date of Race: 10/27/00

SCRA TIME TRIALS
1. Richard Griffin, Silver City NM, Chaffin 50 , 16.370 2. Rickie Gaunt, Torrance CA, Gardner Jr. 96 , 16.490  3. Jay Drake, Val Verde CA, Kunz 67K , 16.508 4. Rip Williams, Yorba Linda CA, Jory 3 , 16.573  5. Troy Rutherford, Ojai CA, Gardner, Jr 6 , 16.685  6. Adam Mitchell, Escondido CA, Mitchell 99 , 16.751  7. Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix AZ, Lloyd, 41, 16.753  8. Tony Jones, Corona CA, Cowherd 48 , 16.761  9. Cory Kruseman, Ventura CA, Willis 45, 16.844 10. Mike Kirby, Lomita CA, Geurin 5 , 16.885 11. Troy Cline, Santa Clarita CA., Morales 27 , 16.894  12. Ronnie Clark, Tucson AZ, Winter 33 , 16.900  13. Steve Ostling, Corona CA, Pratt 12 , 16.938  14. J Hicks, Torrance CA, Alexander 89 , 16.988 15.  Tom Downing, Lakewood CA, Downing 90 ,  17.015 16. Jimmy May, Santa Paula CA, Witherall 61 , 17.022  17. Michael Smith, Trona CA, Fischer Mtrspts 29 , 17.025  18. Lance Gremett, San Marcos CA, Gremett 85 ,  17.029  19. Bobby Graham, Riverside CA, Silver State 14 , 17.035  20. Alex Grigoreas, Chino CA, Keene 84, 17.045  21. Greg DeCaires, Elk Grove CA, Hasebe 17 , 17.074  22. Rodney Argo, Hawthorne CA, Argo 19, 17.089 23. Cal Smith, Montclair CA, Pratt. 39 , 17.095  24. Bill Rose, Plainfield IN.,Gardner Jr 93, 17.095  25. Jarrett Chaney, Clovis CA, Chaney 69 , 17.112  26. John Scott, Hesperia CA., Scott Mtrsprts 83 , 17.113  27. Casey Shuman, Tempe AZ, Lake Mtrsprts. 2 , 17.131  28. Bob Ellis, Riverside CA., Giardina 59 , 17.136  29. Larry Brown, Bakersfield CA, Brown 36 , 17.137  30. Marc Hart, Ventura CA, Hart 15 , 17.145  31. Jordan Hermansader, Long Beach CA, Acosta 77 , 17.175  32. Greg Taylor, Ojai CA, Witherall 61X, 17.207  33. Rick Becker, Highland CA, Becker 67 , 17.210  34.  Mike Boat, Glendale AZ, Boat 74, 17.240  35. Charles Davis, Jr, Chandler AZ, Sertich 92, 17.285  36. Verne Sweeney, Lomita CA, Sweeney 98, 17.308  37. Danny Sheridan, Santa Maria CA, Sheridan 18, 17.313  38. Mike English, Norwalk CA, Priestley 10 , 17.346  39. Charlie Ekiss, La Mesa CA, Ball 78 , 17.380  40.  Brian Venard, Tustin CA, Venard. 47 , 17.413  41. Kevin Doty, Milan IL, Lloyd 34 , 17.499  42. Tom Stansberry, Bakersfield CA, Stansberry. 75T , 17.510  43.  Chris Rahe, Corona CA, Rahe 37X , 17.560  44.  George Gervais, Mira Loma CA, Gervais 9, 17.582 45. John Franklin, Huntington Bch. CA, Franklin 20, 17.585  46. Bobby Marcum, Verde Valley AZ, Carsten 91SM, 17.614  47. Will Perkins, Victorville CA, Perkins 70 17.625  48. Sid Carlson, San Diego CA, Carlson 73, 17.667  49.  Rick Hinrichsen, Lakeside CA, Lake Mtrsprts 22 , 17.683  50. Frank Hanrahan, Costa Mesa CA, Weber 46, 17.755  51. Steve Venard, Silverado CA, Glover 86, 17.865  52. Jack DeArmond, Jr., Corona CA, DeArmond, Sr. 24, 17.900  53. Dan Tedrick, Hesperia CA, Tedrick 88X, 18.212  54. Tony Everhart, El Cajon CA, Everhart 55 , 18.310 55. Arie Prins, Glen Avon CA, Wall 37, 20.454  56. Jimmy Thornell, Riverside CA, Thornell 52 , 20.933  57.  Dan Hillberg, Whittier CA, Hillberg 82, No Time  58. A.J. Burgin, Selma CA, Burgin 2B, No Time

HEAT 1
1. Jarrett Chaney, 2. Richard Griffin, 3. Greg DeCaires, 4. Cory Kruseman, 5. Troy Rutherford, 6. Steve Ostling, 7. Larry Brown, 8. Michael Smith, 9. Mike Boat,

HEAT 2
1. John Scott, 2. Marc Hart, 3. Rodney Argo, 4. Mike Kirby, 5. Lance Gremett, 6. J Hicks, 7. Rickie Gaunt, 8. Adam Mitchell, 9. Rick Becker,

HEAT 3
1. Jordan Hermansader, 2. Casey Shuman, 3. Jay Drake, 4. Bobby Graham, 5. Mike English, 6. Cal Smith, 7. Troy Cline, 8. Jeremy Sherman, 9. Tom Downing,

HEAT 4
1. Greg Taylor, 2. Bill Rose, 3. Alex Grigoreas, 4. Rip Williams, 5. Tony Jones, 6. Charles Davis, Jr, 7. Ronnie Clark, 8. Bob Ellis, 9. Jimmy May,

D FEATURE
1. Tom Stansberry. 2. Kevin Doty. 3. George Gervais. 4. Chris Rahe. 5. Will Perkins. 6. John Franklin. 7. Sid Carlson. 8. Tony Everhart. 9. Dan Tedrick. 10. Arie Prins, 11, Frank Hanrahan. 12. Jimmy Thornell. 13. Bobby Marcum. 14. Jack DeArmond, Jr.. 15.  Steve Venard,

C FEATURE
1. Mike Boat. 2. Rick Becker. 3. Mike English. 4. Charles Davis, Jr. 5. Danny Sheridan. 6. Tom Stansberry. 7. George Gervais. 8. Verne Sweeney. 9. Brian Venard. 10.  Charlie Ekiss.

A FEATURE (20 Laps)
1. Rip Williams. 2. Richard Griffin. 3. Jay Drake. 4. Troy Rutherford, 5. Lance Gremett. 6. Rodney Argo. 7. Mike Kirby. 8. Tony Jones. 9. John Scott. 10.  Bobby Graham. 11. Greg DeCaires. 12. Jarrett Chaney. 13. Alex Grigoreas. 14. Marc Hart. 15. Mike English. 16. Bill Rose, 17. Greg Taylor. 18. Jordan Hermansader. 19. Cory Kruseman. 20. Casey Shuman.

Laps Led: Kruseman 1-11, Williams 12-20