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| Press Release |
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“Super
Rickie” Gaunt Shoots For Third USAC/CRA Win In A Row At Perris
Auto Speedway |
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(JUNE
21, 2005, PERRIS, CA)
He is loud, he is boisterous and he is colorful, but most
importantly, after winning his second main event in a row at Santa Maria
Speedway last Saturday night “Super Rickie” Gaunt is the hottest driver in
the Valvoline USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series. This
Saturday night when Temecula Valley Pipe & Supply presents the popular 410
series at Perris Auto Speedway, Gaunt will be shooting for the hat trick. Often
referred to as the “John Force of Sprint Car Racing,” the 36 year-old father
of two has never met a microphone he does not like.
His interviews with longtime Southern California racing personality Chris
Holt are more like stand up comedy routines.
The crowd roars with laughter at Gaunt’s take on the racing and his
fellow competitors. Of course, it
does not stop once Holt turns off the microphone.
While most drivers sell t-shirts at their haulers after the races, the
colorful driver from Torrance, California proudly sells shirts, socks and
women’s underwear with his logo emblazoned on them.
And, there was the caper earlier in the year when infield patrons were
getting sprayed with fresh water every time they flushed the urinals.
Track officials were perplexed as to why it kept happening.
Soon they found the reason and it was the handiwork of Gaunt who was
loosening fittings before each race. While
“Super Rickie” Gaunt seems like a laugh a minute – and indeed he is – he
is one serious and very talented racecar driver.
Once he straps himself into his Smiley Crain Service/David Zoriki
Motorsports blue #8A, he means nothing but business.
Last year Gaunt won the SCRA and Non-Wing World Championship titles.
This season he ranks sixth in points with USAC/CRA.
His teammate, Charles Davis Jr. of Buckeye, Arizona, sits fourth in the
standings heading into Saturday’s race. While
Gaunt, who looks resplendent in a Superman style firesuit with his signature
“R” emblazoned on the chest, is ranked sixth in points, he is tied for
second in wins in the second year series with Ventura’s Cory Kruseman.
They each have three victories on the year.
Concord, California’s Damion Gardner leads the category with six. Gaunt’s
win at The PAS two weeks ago was exciting to say the least – especially near
the end. Gaunt started third in the
30-lapper and took lead from Santa Maria, California’s Danny Sheridan on lap
12. The 1999 Oval Nationals
champion controlled the rest of the race, but coming out of turn four and
heading for the white flag, Gaunt got his car completely sideways and almost
slid to a stop! That brought the
huge crowd to it’s feet as Yorba Linda’s Rip Williams, who was running
second, had to momentarily check up before trying to seize the opportunity and
drive around Gaunt. Ventura’s
Kruseman was lurking in third and had the momentum and nearly passed both of
them on the last lap of another crowd-pleasing race at the Riverside County clay
oval. At the checkered flag, Gaunt
narrowly held off his pursuers for the win and then celebrated by jumping on top
of his car and thrusting his hands in the air.
It was typical Rickie Gaunt. On
the championship front, a month ago when the series came to The PAS, Williams
had a 20-point lead over Gardner in the standings.
When the series returns this Saturday, Williams will hold a comfortable
advantage of 105 points. In his
last ten races, “The Ripper” has not finished lower than seventh and has
only finished worse than fourth three times.
He has finished second the last three weeks in a row. Saturday’s
celebration of 800+horsepower racecars will consist of qualifying, the Snap-on
Tools Trophy Dash for the four fast qualifiers, four 10-lap heat races a B main
and a 30-lap A main event. 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. racesatthepas@aol.com
is the only authorized Internet address to issue official media news released
from The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval Entertainment VALVOLINE
USAC/CRA POINT STANDINGS 1.
Rip Williams – Yorba Linda, CA – 945 2.
Damion Gardner – Concord, CA – 840 3.
Cory Kruseman – Ventura, CA – 813 4.
Charles Davis, Jr. –
Buckeye, AZ – 787 5.
Mike Kirby – Torrance, CA
– 781 6.
Rickie Gaunt - Torrance, CA – 634 7.
Alan Ballard- Bakersfield, CA – 463 8.
Seth Wilson, San Clemente, CA – 462 9.
Josh Ford - Camarillo, CA – 461 10.
Tony Jones – Norco, CA –
447 11.
R.J. Johnson – Phoenix, AZ
– 443 12.
Mike Spencer – Temecula,
CA – 430 13.
Steve Ostling – Corona, CA
– 419 14.
Jimmy Crawford – Ventura,
CA – 331 15.
Bobby Cody – Costa Mesa,
CA – 316 16.
Danny Sheridan – Santa
Maria, CA – 311 17.
Danny Ebberts – Canyon
Lake, CA – 267 18.
Jordan Hermansador – Long
Beach, CA – 239 19.
David Cardey – Riverside,
CA – 235 20.
Josh Wise – Riverside, CA
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