|
(JANUARY 26, 2005, PERRIS, CA) The Southern
California 2005 Major League season opens this Saturday afternoon. No, we are
not talking about Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. We are talking Major
League Sprint Car Racing featuring the Valvoline USAC/CRA Series presented by
Temecula Valley Pipe & Supply at Perris Auto Speedway.
Popular veteran Rip Williams, of Yorba Linda, California, who sewed up his first
ever series championship last November 20th at The Jack Kindoll Classic at The
PAS, will be after another milestone at the Riverside County clay oval on
Saturday. The wily 48 year-old veteran will be shooting for his 100th career
main event victory. He scored his first ever sprint car main event win 22 year
ago at Ascot Park.
If Williams expects to make it two titles in a row, he will have to fend off a
bevy of open wheel superstars in the series that ends on November 19th at The
PAS. Among his challengers will be Ventura, California's Cory Kruseman. Known to
his legion of fans as "The Kruser," the 34 year-old is returning
full-time to the west coast and will pursue the crown in the Valvoline USAC/CRA
Series. Kruseman spent the past two campaigns racing in Midwest in the USAC
National Sprint Car Series driving a car owned by Nextel Cup Superstar Tony
Stewart. The veteran driver capped each of the past two seasons with $30,000.00
victories in the prestigious Budweiser Oval Nationals at The PAS.
In returning to California, Kruseman will be replacing Mike Kirby in Glen
Crossno's red #38. Kirby, the 1993 CRA Champion from Torrance, California, took
that car to third in the standings while winning six main events in 2004.
Ironically, Kirby, 40, takes over the Mark Alexander ride that took Kruseman to
four west coast wins last year.
Concord, California's Damion Gardner will be back behind the wheel of Ron
Chaffins famous red #50 for the second year in a row in 2005. Last season
Gardner was second to Williams in the point standings. His eight victories were
best in the first year series.
Effervescent "Super Rickie" Gaunt, also of Torrance, and his teammate
Chares Davis Jr. of Buckeye, Arizona, will be in contention for the 2005 title
along with Temecula, California's Mike Spencer and Yorba Linda, California's
Cary Faas. Gaunt brought the curtain down on the 2004 Perris Auto Speedway
campaign with a win in the Jack Kindoll Classic last November. He also won the
2005 SCRA and Non Wing World Championship titles.
The 2005 Valvoline USAC/CRA Series opened last Saturday night at the famous
Manzanita Speedway half-mile in Phoenix, Arizona. Of all the drivers previously
mentioned, only Davis and Spencer finished in the top five at the opener. Davis
was second in the 30-lap main event and Spencer was third. Kirby was sixth,
Kruseman 8th, Williams 11th and Gaunt 15th. Gaunt was trying to chase down race
leader Darren Hagen of Riverside, California when Hagen got together with a
lapped car on lap 21. Gaunt had nowhere to go and got into Hagen ending both of
their nights. Faas won his heat, but flipped in the main and ended up 19th.
Gardner did not make the main.
Lincoln, Indiana's Dave Darland, the 1999 USAC National Sprint Car champion, who
won the season opener at Manzanita last week, will be at The PAS on Saturday
afternoon driving for Glendora, California's Dwight Cheney. In 2002, now NASCAR
Busch Series driver J.J. Yeley took Cheney's car to the win in the only other
sprint car day race staged at The PAS. Other Indiana drivers confirmed for
Saturday's race are Bill Rose of Plainfield and Jon Stanbrough of Jamestown.
In addition, among others in Saturday's field will be California drivers Bobby
Cody of Costa Mesa, Tony Jones of Corona, Troy Rutherford of Ojai, Azusa police
office Nadine Keller, Chico's Jason York, San Clemente's Seth Wilson, 2004
Rookie of the Year "Rocket Ronnie" Case of Camarillo, Castro Valley's
Rick Williams (4th at Manzanita) and New Mexico's Rick Ziehl.
Saturday's program will consist of qualifying, the first ever Snap-on Tools
Trophy Dash, 4 heat races, a B main and 30-lap A main event.
The Perris Auto Speedway 10th Anniversary Season Party starts at noon when the
spectator gates open. Qualifying will start at 1:00 PM. Ramona Tire is giving
away beautiful, large refrigerator schedule magnets for all fans in attendance.
After the races end, the band Euphoria will play in the infield for fans, race
teams and officials.
Perris Auto Speedway is conveniently located on the freeway close Lake Perris
Fairgrounds, home of the Southern California Fair, approximately one hour east
of Los Angeles. Take the 215 Freeway, exit at the Ramona Expressway and go east
two and a half miles to the fairgrounds.
For more information on any event at Perris Auto Speedway, please call (951)
940-0134.
JANUARY 29, 2005 - MANZANITA SPEEDWAY USAC/CRA MAIN EVENT
1. Dave Darland - Lincoln, IN
2. Charles Davis Jr. - Buckeye, AZ
3. Mike Spencer - Temecula, CA
4. Rick Williams - Castro Valley, CA
5. Tracy Hines - New Castle, IN
6. Mike Kirby - Torrance, CA
7. Bill Rose - Plainfield, IN
8. Cory Kruseman - Ventura, CA
9. R.J. Johnson - Phoenix, AZ
10. Chuck Buckman Jr. - Chandler, AZ
11. Rip Williams - Yorba Linda, CA
12. Jimmy Crawford - Ventura, CA
13. Rick Ziehl - Las Cruces, NM
14. Darren Hagen - Riverside, CA
15. Rickie Gaunt - Torrance, CA
16. Seth Wilson - San Clemente, CA
17. Josh Ford - Camarillo, CA
18. Mike Leslie - Peoria, AZ
19. Cary Faas - Yorba Linda, CA
20. Jesse Hockett - Warsaw, MO
21. Justin Marvel - Pittsboro, IN
|
