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| Kruser Finally Takes Title After Serious Battle With The Demon |
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Cory Kruseman became the third driver in as many years to win the USAC/CRA
Sprint Car Championship. Driving for Glen and Carol Crossno, Kruseman claimed
the 2006 crown with consistency and perseverance.
During the course of the 38-race season, “The Kruser” was forced to overcome more than his share of mechanical woes and on-track mishaps. Still, Kruseman went on to post a series-high 23 Top-5 finishes and took home four feature wins, including two at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway, his hometown track. Kruseman also notched wins at USA Race Park in Tucson, Ariz. and at the Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway in March. For most of the year, however, Kruseman was involved in a seesaw battle with defending series champion Damion Gardner for the point lead. Kruseman was finally able to separate himself from Gardner during the October race at Ventura after “The Demon” tangled with a flipping car and was relegated to a 17th-place finish. The lead blossomed continuously as Gardner corralled three finishes outside the Top 10 in three of the final six races, owed to mechanical problems. Despite suffering some tough luck late in the year in his Ron Chaffin owned Sprinter, Gardner still managed to lead the series with nine feature wins – though none came in the final 13 features – and finished second in driver points. Gardner also led all drivers with 16 fast time awards, including a remarkable streak of six in a row to start the season. Five of those six resulted in Top-5 finishes, including two victories. Tony Jones finished third in series points and ended the year as the hottest driver on the USAC/CRA circuit. Jones was particularly fast at Perris where he won eight main events driving for Mark Alexander, including the season-ending “Jack Kindoll Classic” and a pair of 40-lappers midway through the year. Second only to Gardner in feature wins and fast times (four), Jones also notched 20 Top-5 finishes. Finishing fourth and fifth respectively in series points, Mike Spencer and Danny Sheridan enjoyed breakthrough seasons and each claimed their first USAC/CRA main event wins. In all, Spencer won three main events, including a preliminary feature during the Oval Nationals at Perris, which served as a National feature as well. One month earlier, Sheridan also drove to victory at The PAS. Rip Williams celebrated his 50th birthday this year, but show no signs of slowing down. Williams won the season opener in February at Perris and the August race at Santa Maria (Calif.) Speedway. Williams’ SMS victory also marked the 100th sanctioned win of his illustrious Sprint car career. Williams finished the season ranked sixth in series points. For the second year in a row, Indiana native Dave Darland took home the biggest prize of the season, grabbing the $30,000 payday the goes with winning the Oval Nationals and becoming one of six drivers to win in all three USAC/CRA seasons. One week later, Josh Wise wrapped up his first National Sprint title by winning the prestigious Western World Championships at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Ariz. The USAC/CRA tour once again made a summer stop at Skagit Speedway (Alger, Wash.), with local favorite Jayme Barnes driving to a stunning wire-to-wire 40-lap victory. Charles Davis, Jr., Rickie Gaunt, Jesse Hockett, Levi Jones, Bud Kaeding, Mike Kirby and Jeremy Sherman, were also among the 16 drivers to win main events during the year. Nine of those 16 drivers – Tony and Levi Jones, Wise, Spencer, Sheridan, Barnes, Hockett, Davis and Sherman – were all first-time CRA winners. Rookie of the Year honors went to Blake Miller, who registered seven Top-5 finishes, set fast time at Ventura Raceway and finished seventh in series points. With 22 USAC/CRA sanctioned races, the Perris Auto Speedway once again served as the home track for the series. Johnny Rodriguez was named the “Most Improved Driver.” 2006 Season Summary – USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series No. of Feature Races (Pavement/Dirt): 38 (0/38) Most Feature Starts: Cory Kruseman, Damion Gardner (38) Most Feature Victories: Damion Gardner (9) Most Laps Led: Damion Gardner (223 of 1220; 18 percent) Most Laps Completed: N/A Most Fast Qualifying Times: Damion Gardner (16) Most Poles: N/A Most Heat Wins: Cory Kruseman (14) Most Top Fives: Cory Kruseman (23) Most Top Tens: Cory Kruseman (33) Most Pavement Feature Starts: N/A Most Dirt Feature Starts: Cory Kruseman, Damion Gardner (38) Champion: Cory Kruseman (by 111 points) No. of Drivers Who Started a Feature: 120 No. of Drivers to Lead a Lap: 28 Best Average Finish: Cory Kruseman (5.95) No. of Drivers to Win a Feature: 16 (Damion Gardner, Tony Jones, Cory Kruseman, Mike Spencer, Rip Williams, Josh Wise, Levi Jones, Rickie Gaunt, Charles Davis Jr., Mike Kirby, Jayme Barnes, Jesse Hockett, Jeremy Sherman, Danny Sheridan, Dave Darland, Bud Kaeding) No. of Tracks to Host a Race: 6 (Perris Auto Speedway, Manzanita Speedway, USA Race Park, Ventura Raceway, Santa Maria Speedway, Skagit Speedway) Most Active Track (No. of Races Held): Perris Auto Speedway (22) Most Races Led: Damion Gardner (15) |
