PERRIS, CA, APRIL 13, 2002 - Cory Kruseman rolled to his second straight 30-lap NAPA Auto Parts / Auto Trader SCRA feature win Saturday at the Perris Auto Speedway.  Even though Kruseman doesn't think he'll be able to defend his SCRA title this season, he was pleased to learned that his latest victory helped put him back into the series point lead.    

"To win the SCRA Championship is a neat honor, but we're going to miss some races this year," Kruseman confessed.  "We've got our sites set on winning the Non-Winged World Championship (which starts August 6th in Oskaloosa, IA), but I want to go out and try to better my racing career and hopefully do some things that will help get me to the next level."

From the standpoint of career main event wins, Kruseman's current level speaks for itself.  Now in a category with West Coast legends like Jimmy Oskie and Brad Noffsinger, Kruseman's 54 feature wins leaves him one victory shy of tying Rip Williams' all-time SCRA mark.

Kruseman started the race on the second row behind Damion Gardner who edged Richard Griffin for the win in the JE Pistons Dash.  Griffin would get better of Gardner at the start of the main event and would lead Kruseman, Williams, Gardner, Rickie Gaunt and Mike Kirby at the end of the opening lap.  Verne Sweeney brought the action to an abrupt halt on lap three after he tangled with another car and took a nasty tumble down the back straight.  Fortunately, Sweeney was able to walk away from the accident scene.

Calmly riding the cushion, Griffin set the pace after the restart.  Kruseman rode in second place and used the early laps to learn where his Mike Nigh prepared machine would work the best.  Tony Jones started the main event in tenth and was up to fifth place when contact with Kirby sent him sliding to a stop off the second turn on lap eleven.  Jones entered the evening with the SCRA point lead, but would leave Perris second in series points despite
working his way back to a seventh place finish.

One lap after the restart, Gardner bumped wheels with Williams exiting turn two and took over the third position.  Gardner and Williams were closing in on the leaders when Kruseman nearly spun exiting turn one on lap 18.  Gardner spun trying to avoid hitting Kruseman and left Williams with nowhere to go but into the side of the 20 car. 

This resulted in a caution flag after both drivers ended up parked in turn two.  Kruseman stayed low on the subsequent restart and was able to put the Harlan Willis / WorldGate Networks No. 1 TCR into the lead with a nice drive off the bottom of turn two.

"I really needed the restart to get by Richard because it allowed us to roll the bottom.  The fortunate part of running second is that I was able to try a lot of different lines," Kruseman later said. 

One out front, Kruseman pulled away from the Ron Chaffin owned / Arizona Race Mart No. 50 Jon Boy driven by Griffin.  Kirby found the bottom of the track to his liking late in the race and put the Brad & Nancy Geurin / Statewide Towing No. 5 Stinger into the runner-up spot on lap 26.  Just when it looked like Kirby might have a shot at surprising Kruseman, the yellow flag waved on lap 27 for a Marc Hart spin.

Griffin passed Kirby coming down to accept the green flag on the restart and nearly passed Kruseman as well.  Kirby quickly regrouped and took second place back using the low groove in turn two.  Continuing to work the bottom, Kirby momentarily held the lead exiting turn two on lap 29 only to have Kruseman take it back in turn three.  Griffin slipped into second place coming down to accept the white flag and was briefly within striking distance of Kruseman.  Showing poise under pressure, Kruseman ran a perfect final lap
and comfortably beat Kirby and Griffin to starter Lee Jaskowiak's checkered flag.

"I hit (turns) one and two real well on the final lap," Kruseman smiled.  "I was getting the car sideways enough that I could see over my shoulder and I knew the only pass that they had available was a slide-job, so that was the line I drove."

John Scott put together a nice late race charge of his own and drove the Pace Electronics No. 83 TCR to a fourth place finish after starting 11th.  Scott was, however, outdone for the KSE Products Hard Charger Award by Steve Ostling who drove the Fischer Motorsports entry from 15th to fifth. 
    
SCRA RACE #7 - PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY, PERRIS, CA
Date of Race: 04/13/02

SANDER ENGINEERING TIME TRIALS
1. Troy Rutherford, Ojai CA, Gardner Jr 96, 16.807 2. Mike Kirby, Torrance CA, Geurin 5, 16.956  3. Rickie Gaunt, Torrance CA, Alexander 4, 16.968  4. Cory Kruseman, Ventura CA, Willis 1, 16.987  5. Richard Griffin, Silver City NM, Chaffin 50, 17.024  6. Damion Gardner, Concord CA, Gardner 20, 17.037  7. Rip Williams, Yorba Linda CA, Jory 3, 17.085  8. Mike English, Norwalk CA, Jory 6, 17.107  9. Verne Sweeney, Lomita CA, Sweeney 98, 17.143  10. Tony Jones, Garden Grove CA, Vermeer/Jones 87, 17.207  11.  John Scott, Hesperia CA, Scott Mtrsprts 83, 17.229  12. Brian Venard, Tustin CA, Venard. 47, 17.301  13. Charles Davis, Jr, Buckeye AZ, Davis 94, 17.351 14. Gary W, Howard, Fontana CA, Ruth 25, 17.373  15. Mike Spencer, Temecula CA, Engstrom 44, 17.426  16. Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix AZ, Priestley 7, 17.461 17. Steve Ostling, Corona CA, Fischer Mtrspts 29, 17.507  18. Bobby Graham, Riverside CA, Lancaster 14, 17.515  19. Mike Boat, Glendale AZ, Boat 74, 17.690  20. Rodney Argo, Gardena CA, Argo 19, 17.732  21. Tom Downing, Lakewood CA, Downing 90 , 17.750  22. Jarrett Chaney, Clovis CA, Becker 67, 17.805  23. Danny Sheridan, Santa Maria CA,,DiDonato 57, 17.825  24. Dan Hillberg,
Whittier CA, Hillberg 82, 17.830  25.  Jack DeArmond, Jr., Corona CA,,DeArmond, Jr. 24, 17.862  26. Steve Venard, Silverado CA, Glover 49,  17.865  27. Bob Ferro, Sherman Oaks CA,.Ferro 91X, 17.957  28. Michael Hinrichsen, Lakeside CA, Lake Mtrsprts. 16, 18.003  29. Casey Shuman, Tempe AZ, Pratt 12, 18.115  30. Keith Williamson, Pomona CA, Williamson 95, 18.117  31. Bobby Cody, (R) Costa Mesa CA, Cody 41, 18.213  32. Tony Smiley, Buckeye AZ, Smiley 2, 18.225  33. Mark Heidenreich, (R) Upland CA, Heidenreich 22, 18.311  34. Lance Gremett, San Marcos CA, Gremett 85, 18.314  35. Levi Jones, Olney IL, Crossno 38, 18.360  36. Adam Mitchell, Escondido CA, Mitchell 99, 18.374  37. Marc Hart. Ventura CA.,Hart 15, 18.385  38. Greg Taylor, Ojai CA, Taylor 7T, 18.497  39. Dan Tedrick, Hesperia CA, Tedrick 88, 18.603  40. Eric Severson, (R) Westchester CA, Miller 66, 18.743  41. David Sinsley, Torrance CA, Sinsley 69X, 18.773  42. Mel Murphy, Woodcrest CA, Murphy 62, 18.930  43. Rick Hinrichsen, Lakeside CA, Lake Mtrsprts. 9, No Time  44. Bob Johnson, (R) Perris CA, Johnson 81, No Time  

C FEATURE
1. Lance Gremett. 2. Levi Jones. 3. Adam Mitchell. 4. Marc Hart, 5, Mel Murphy. 6. Dan Tedrick. 7. Rick Hinrichsen, 8. Greg Taylor, 9. David Sinsley. 10.  Bob Johnson. 11. Eric Severson. 12. Mark Heidenreich

HEDMAN HEDDERS HEAT 1
1. Steve Ostling, 2, Richard Griffin, 3. Charles Davis, Jr, 4. Troy Rutherford, 5. Lance Gremett, 6. Jack DeArmond, Jr., 7. Tom Downing, 8. Casey Shuman,,

SHAVER ENGINES HEAT 2
1 Damion Gardner, 2, Gary W. Howard, 3. Mike Kirby, 4. Levi Jones, 5. Bobby
Graham, 6. Tony Jones, 7. Jarrett Chaney, 8. Keith Williamson, 9. Steve Venard,,

SPIN TECH MUFFLERS HEAT 3
1. Rip Williams, 2. Rickie Gaunt, 3. John Scott, 4. Danny Sheridan, 5. Adam Mitchell, 6. Bobby Cody, 7. Mike Boat, 8. Mike Spencer, 9. Bob Ferro,

STINGER CHASSIS HEAT 4
1. Cory Kruseman, 2. Rodney Argo, 3. Mike English, 4. Michael Hinrichsen, 5. Jeremy Sherman, 6. Brian Venard, 7. Dan Hillberg, 8, Tony Smiley, 9. Marc Hart,

JE PISTONS DASH
1. Damion Gardner. 2. Richard Griffin, 3. Cory Kruseman. 4. Rip Williams, 5. Rickie Gaunt. 6. Mike English. 7. Mike Kirby.  8. Troy Rutherford.
 
B FEATURE
1. Tony Jones. 2. Bobby Graham. 3. Jeremy Sherman. 4. Verne Sweeney. 5. Jarrett Chaney. 6. Marc Hart. 7.    Mike Boat. 8. Adam Mitchell. 9. Mike Spencer. 10. Tom Downing. 11.  Keith Williamson. 12. Jack DeArmond, Jr. 13. Brian Venard. 14. Bobby Cody. 15. Dan Hillberg. 16. Lance Gremett. 17.  Steve Venard. 18.  Tony Smiley.

A FEATURE (30 Laps)
1. Cory Kruseman. 2. Mike Kirby, 3. Richard Griffin. 4. John Scott. 5. Steve Ostling. 6. Mike English. 7. Tony Jones, 8. Jeremy Sherman, 9. Gary W. Howard, 10.  Danny Sheridan, 11. Levi Jones. 12.  Damion Gardner. 13. Jarrett Chaney, 14. Rickie Gaunt, 15. Troy Rutherford. 16. Charles Davis, Jr.  17. Bobby Graham. 18. Rip Williams. 19. Marc Hart,  20. Rodney Argo,  21. Verne Sweeney. 22. Michael Hinrichsen.
Laps Led: Griffin 1-17, Kruseman 18-30.

SCRA DRIVER POINTS as of 4/13/02
  CAR   NAME                    HOMETOWN    STARTS  PTS
1   1   Cory Kruseman           Ventura CA          7   412
2   87  Tony Jones              Garden Grove CA 7   405
3   50  Richard Griffin         Silver City NM      7   389
4   96  Troy Rutherford         Ojai CA             7   346
5   7   Jeremy Sherman      Phoenix AZ          7   335
6   29  Steve Ostling           Corona CA           7   333
7   3   Rip Williams            Yorba Linda CA      7   319
8   83  John Scott              Hesperia CA     7   295
9   5   Mike Kirby              Torrance CA     6   277
10  6   Mike English            Norwalk CA          7   230
11  94  Charles Davis, Jr       Buckeye AZ      7   222
12  38  Levi Jones              Olney IL            6   213
13  4   Rickie Gaunt            Torrance CA     7   207
14  96X Tony Elliott                Kokomo IN           6   198
15  20  Damion Gardner          Concord CA          7   190
16  14  Bobby Graham            Riverside CA        7   161
17  25  Gary W. Howard      Fontana CA          5   146
18  2   J.J. Yeley              Phoenix AZ          3   143
19  19  Rodney Argo         Gardena CA      7   126
20  16  Michael Hinrichsen      Lakeside CA     7   109