PERRIS, CA, JULY 4, 2002 - Rickie Gaunt started 17th for the "Firecracker 50"
Thursday night at the Perris Auto Speedway and went on to win the 30 lap main event.  Confused?  So was Gaunt when the white flag appeared two laps after he took the lead on the 27th lap.   Seems Gaunt was unaware that this year's Fourth of July classic wasn't a scheduled 50 lap race.  

"Hell no, I wasn't paying attention at the pit meeting," confessed Gaunt.  "I thought it was the Firecracker 50.  When the white flag came out, I thought I might win this thing only because I didn't have enough time to screw up."

Gaunt's failure to know the race distance shouldn't tarnish a truly spectacular performance that was worthy of an Independence Day celebration. Truth be known, Gaunt's ninth career NAPA Auto Parts / Auto Trader Magazines SCRA win was just what the Alexander Trucking Team needed to get back on track.

"We had a lot of breaks go our way tonight and we're real hungry," Gaunt said.  "This is only our second podium finish of the year and they've both been wins. Things just went our way tonight and we got lucky."

Speaking of luck, two guys that were on the opposite end of lady luck's good fortune in Las Vegas shared the front row.  Mike Kirby, who flipped violently just five days ago in Vegas, earned the pole after winning his third JE Pistons Dash of the season.  Starting outside of Kirby was Vegas race winner Richard Griffin.  Despite his aches and pains, Kirby led the field into turn one at the start of the race and was trailed at the end of the opening lap by Cory Kruseman, Griffin, Rip Williams and Sander Engineering Fast Qualifier Steve Ostling in the Fischer Motorsports No. 29 Okie.

By the end of the eleventh circuit, the top-five cars were running nose-to-tail.  Kruseman decided to change all that on lap 13 after he took the lead and proceeded to drive away from the second place car.  Kruseman would go on to reach lapped traffic four laps later. 

Williams had just secured the third spot when he touched wheels with the lapped car driven by Danny Faria, Jr. entering turn three on lap 18.  Faria, who captured an impressive heat race victory earlier in the evening, saw his SCRA debut end moments after the contact with Williams.  Faria subsequently flipped after his car slammed into the concrete wall.  He was not injured. Williams returned for the restart and immediately moved ahead of Kirby for the second position.  Kirby retired a few laps later after losing a cylinder.
 
Charles Davis, Jr. showed his strength early, moving from his 14th starting spot to seventh in the first seven laps of the race.  Unfortunately, Davis would lose any hope for victory on lap 25 after he slowed to a stop with a flat left rear tire.  Davis' problems resulted in only the second caution period of the race.

Ostling momentarily grabbed second place on the restart.  This seemed to fire-up Williams, who not only took the runner-up spot back, but then set sail after Kruseman.  Williams briefly held the lead on two occasions during the course of the next two laps only to watch Kruseman take the lead back in textbook fashion with a pair of beautifully timed crossovers in turn four.  The shootout between the two drivers with the most all-time wins at Perris came to an abrupt conclusion on lap 27 after contact left Kruseman and
Williams spun to a stop in turn one. 

This gave the lead to Griffin and the runner-up spot to Gaunt.  Wasting little time after the restart, Gaunt headed to the high groove where he built enough momentum to squeeze around Griffin for the lead on the back straight.  Once out front, the only anxious moment for the driver of the Mark Alexander owned Stinger came when he was surprised by the white flag.  After the race, Gaunt had a special message for his friend and fellow  competitor J.J. Yeley who phoned him earlier in the week from the Midwest.

"J.J. called me on Monday and left me a message saying that I heard you sucked again Gaunt, and then he hung up.  I want Yeley to know that tonight I won!"  Tony Jones finished second in the Ferreira Dairy No. 87 Avenger ahead of Damion Gardner in the Anne Wilkerson entry.  John Scott drove his Pace Electronic No. 83 TCR from the 18th starting position to edge Ostling for fourth.   
 
###

SCRA RACE #17 - PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY, PERRIS, CA
Date of Race: 07/04/02

SANDER ENGINEERING TIME TRIALS
1. Steve Ostling, Corona CA, Fischer Mtrspts 29, 17.027  2. Tony Jones, Garden Grove CA, Vermeer/Jones 87, 17.263  3. Rip Williams, Yorba Linda CA, Jory 3, 17.330  4. Cory Kruseman, Ventura CA, Willis 1, 17.342  5. Mike Kirby, Torrance CA, Geurin 5, 17.356  6. Mike English, Norwalk CA, Jory 6, 17.374  7. Bobby Cody, (R) Costa Mesa CA, Cody 41, 17.505  8. Richard Griffin, Silver City NM, Chaffin 50, 17.588   9. Bobby Graham, Riverside CA, Crossno 38, 17.617  10. Gary W. Howard, Fontana CA, Ruth 25, 17.629  11. Dan Hillberg, Whittier CA, Hillberg 82 , 17.677  12. Danny Sheridan, Santa Maria CA, DiDonato 57, 17.683  13. Rodney Argo, Gardena CA, Argo 19,17.685  14. Damion Gardner, Concord CA, Wilkerson. 11A, 17.718 15. Charles Davis, Jr, Buckeye AZ, Davis 94, 17.723  16. Verne Sweeney, Lomita CA, Sweeney 98, 17.728  17. Jeremy Sherman, Phoenix AZ, Priestley 7, 17.746  18. Rickie Gaunt, Torrance CA, Alexander 4, 17.746  19. Lance Gremett, San Marcos CA, Gremett 85, 17.905  20. Mel Murphy, Woodcrest CA, Murphy 62, 17.917  21. Nicholas Lima, Industry CA, Lima 30, 17.935  22.    Michael Hinrichsen, Lakeside CA, Lake Mtrsprts. 16, 17.962  23. John Scott, Hesperia CA, Scott Mtrsprts 83, 18.006  24.  Danny Faria, Jr., Tulare CA, Hasebe Mtrsprts. 2H, 18.062  25. Randy Waitman, Ramona CA, Waitman Y69, 18.073  26. Troy Rutherford, Ojai CA, Cheney. 21J , 18.117  27. Mike Spencer, Temecula CA, Engstrom 44, 18.145  28. Jack DeArmond, Jr., Corona CA, DeArmond, Jr. 24, 18.170  29. Casey Shuman, Tempe AZ, Pratt 12, 18.272  30. Adam Mitchell, Escondido CA, Mitchell 99, 18.275  31.  Cal Smith, Montclair CA, Pratt 39, 18.410 32. Mark Heidenreich, (R) Upland CA, Heidenreich 22, 18.540  33. Tom Wilhelm, (R) Temecula CA, Wilhelm 64, 18.614  34. Keith Williamson, Pomona CA, Williamson 95, 18.677  35. Bob Ferro, Sherman Oaks CA, Ferro 91X, 18.800  36. Tom Downing, Lakewood CA, Downing 90, 19.091 37. Bill Goforth, (R) Apple Valley CA, Goforth 56, 19.911 38. David Sinsley, Torrance CA, Sinsley 69X, 20.827  39. Brian Venard, Tustin CA, Venard. 47, No Time  40. Steve Venard, Silverado CA, Glover 49, No Time

C FEATURE  
1. Keith Williamson. 2. Tom Downing. 3. Bob Ferro. 4. Tom Wilhelm. 5. David Sinsley, 6. Bill Goforth.

HEDMAN HEDDERS HEAT 1
1. Bobby Graham, 2. Steve Ostling, 3. Jeremy Sherman, 4. Mike Kirby, 5. Casey
Shuman, 6. Randy Waitman, 7. Rodney Argo, 8. Nicholas Lima, 9. Keith Williamson,

SHAVER ENGINES HEAT 2
1. Rickie Gaunt, 2. Tony Jones, 3. Troy Rutherford, 4. Damion Gardner, 5. Adam Mitchell, 6. Mike English, 7. Tom Downing, 8. Michael Hinrichsen, 9. Gary W. Howard,

SPIN TECH MUFFLERS HEAT 3
1. Charles Davis, Jr, 2. John Scott, 3. Rip Williams, 4. Mike Spencer, 5. Bobby Cody, 6. Dan Hillberg, 7. Bob Ferro, 8. Lance Gremett,

STINGER CHASSIS HEAT 4
1. Danny Faria, Jr., 2. Richard Griffin, 3. Cory Kruseman, 4. Danny Sheridan, S. Jack DeArmond, Jr,, 6. Mel Murphy, 7. Mark Heidenreich, 8. Verne Sweeney, 9. Tom Wilhelm,

JE PISTONS DASH
1. Mike Kirby. 2. Richard Griffin. 3. Cory Kruseman. 4. Rip Williams. 5. Steve Ostling. 6. Tony Jones. 7.  Danny Sheridan. 8. Bobby Graham.

B FEATURE
1. Mike English. 2. Rodney Argo. 3. Verne Sweeney, 4. Adam Mitchell. 5. Bobby
Cody. 6. Dan Hillberg. 7. Jack DeArmond, Jr.. 8. Casey Shuman. 9. Nicholas Lima. 10. Keith Williamson. 11. Mel Murphy. 12. Bob Ferro. 13. Randy Waitman, 14. Mark Heidenreich. 15. Gary W. Howard. 16. Cal Smith. 17. Tom Downing. 18, Lance Gremett. 19. Tom Wilhelm.

A FEATURE (30 Laps)
1. Rickie Gaunt. 2. Tony Jones. 3. Damion Gardner, 4. John Scott. 5. Steve Ostling. 6. Richard Griffin. 7. Rodney Argo. 8. Bobby Graham. 9. Mike Spencer. 10. Danny Sheridan. 11. Jeremy Sherman. 12. Cory Kruseman, 13. Rip Williams. 14. Adam Mitchell. 15.  Dan Hillberg. 16.  Verne Sweeney, 17. Troy Rutherford. 18. Charles Davis, Jr. 19. Mike English. 20. Mike Kirby.  21. Danny Faria, Jr.  22. Bobby Cody.
Laps Led: Kirby 1-12, Kruseman 13-26, Gaunt 27-30