SEASON REVIEW: GARDNER PLANTS 8TH CONSECUTIVE USAC CRA SPRINT TITLE IN 2021
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (December 22, 2021)………Rich Vogler, A.J. Foyt, Sleepy Tripp, Mel Kenyon, Dave Darland, Bryan Clauson and now Damion Gardner.
In 2021, Gardner (Concord, Calif.) added his name to this exclusive cast of seven drivers to reach 100 career USAC feature victories, adding six more scores during the season.
Moreover, his 8th consecutive series championship, and 9th overall with the AMSOIL USAC CRA Sprint Car Series, made Gardner one of just six individuals to collect at least nine career USAC driving titles, a company he keeps with Foyt, Clauson, Vogler, Tripp and Tony Hunt.
The Concord, Calif. native won three of his six at California’s Perris Auto Speedway in April and June with number 100 arriving in October. A win at Santa Maria (Calif.) Raceway in July was followed by a memorable victory lane speech that put an exclamation mark on his Louie Vermeil Classic victory at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. The sixth and final came in October at Arizona Speedway.
The 38-point margin of victory provided the ninth title for the driver affectionately known as “The Demon” over chief rival Brody Roa. Gardner previously gathered USAC CRA Sprint Car championships in 2005-2013-2014-2015-2016-2017-2018-2019.
Brody Roa (Garden Grove, Calif.) scored twice at Perris in May’s Salute to Indy and in August during California Racers Hall of Fame Night. Roa’s second place standing in the points was his sixth consecutive top-three finish in the final rundown, and his third time as the series runner-up.
For Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, Calif.), it was his third-straight top-three result in the CRA standings, finishing third in 2021 on the strength of a pair of victories, the first coming at Perris in July for the 2009 series Rookie of the Year with the second coming at California’s Petaluma Speedway in September.
Max Adams (Loomis, Calif.), the 2016 USAC CRA Rookie of the Year, became the first driver to reach multiple victories with the series in 2021, winning for the first time with CRA in nearly three years with two early season scores in March at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park in Bakersfield, Calif. and again on March 26 at Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif.
Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.), the four-time USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Champion, migrated west during the month of November to capture two National/CRA co-sanctioned events – prelim nights for both the Oval Nationals at Perris and the Western World Championships at Arizona Speedway.
Similar stories unfolded during the National tour’s venture to the west in November by Jake Swanson (Anaheim, Calif.) who captured a daring victory on the final corner of the final lap at Perris in an Oval Nationals prelim. Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.), meanwhile, took the Oval Nationals finale, the third of his career. Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) was the master in the closer at Arizona Speedway’s Western World.
Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Ariz.) returned to USAC CRA victory lane for the first time in 14 seasons with a triumph at Perris in September. Chase Johnson (Penngrove, Calif.) made it to the checkered flag first in a wildly entertaining and controversial finish at California’s Bakersfield Speedway in May.
Two first-time USAC CRA feature winners dialed up victories in 2021, first by Ryan Timmons in the season opener in March at Kern County, doing so with a 360 c.i. engine versus a field full of 410s. Carson Short (Marion, Ill.) got the job done in the Louie Vermeil Classic opener in September at Silver Dollar.
Chris Gansen (Verdemont Heights, Calif.) finished a career-best 4th in the series standings. Best career points finishes were also earned by 8th place Eddie Tafoya Jr. (Chino Hills, Calif.) and 9th place Verne Sweeney (Lomita, Calif.). Corona, California’s Cody Williams returned to the top-five with a 5th place finish in the points while Corona, California’s Tommy Malcolm took 7th and Yorba Linda, California’s Logan Williams was 10th.
Austin Grabowski (Riverside, Calif.) finished 15th in the standings, tops among all first-year competitors, which earned him 2021 USAC CRA Sprint Car Rookie of the Year honors.
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2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR STAT LEADERS:
Driver Champion: Damion Gardner
Entrant Champion: Mark Alexander #4
Most Wins: 6-Damion Gardner
Rookie of the Year: Austin Grabowski
Most Laps Led: 125-Damion Gardner
Most Top-Fives: 14-Damion Gardner
Most Top-Tens: 16-Brody Roa
Most Fast Qualifying Times: 8-Damion Gardner
Most Heat Race Wins: 7-Damion Gardner
Most Feature Starts: 21-Damion Gardner & Brody Roa
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS:
POS. PTS. DRIVER, HOMETOWN
1 1352 Damion Gardner, Concord, Calif.
2 1314 Brody Roa, Garden Grove, Calif.
3 1183 Austin Williams, Yorba Linda, Calif.
4 1036 Chris Gansen, Verdemont Heights, Calif.
5 993 Cody Williams, Corona, Calif.
6 941 Charles Davis Jr., Buckeye, Ariz.
7 929 Tommy Malcolm, Corona, Calif.
8 708 Eddie Tafoya Jr., Chino Hills, Calif.
9 676 Verne Sweeney, Lomita, Calif.
10 605 Logan Williams, Yorba Linda, Calif.
11 590 Matt McCarthy, Riverside, Calif.
12 589 A.J. Bender, San Diego, Calif.
13 521 Danny Faria Jr., Tipton, Calif.
14 519 Matt Mitchell, Yorba Linda, Calif.
15 492 Austin Grabowski (R), Riverside, Calif.
16 474 Stevie Sussex, Mesa, Ariz.
17 386 R.J. Johnson, Laveen, Ariz.
18 357 C.J. Leary, Greenfield, Ind.
19 354 Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, Okla.
20 345 Tanner Thorson, Minden, Nev.
21 327 Jake Swanson, Anaheim, Calif.
22 316 Max Adams, Loomis, Calif.
23 312 Justin Grant, Ione, Calif.
24 310 Brent Owens (R), Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
25 298 Kevin Thomas Jr., Cullman, Ala.
26 280 Jake Hodges (R), Camarillo, Calif.
27 271 Chris Windom, Canton, Ill.
28 250 Logan Seavey, Sutter, Calif.
29 243 Shane Cottle, Kansas, Ill.
30 223 Joel Rayborne, West Covina, Calif.
31 215 Steve Hix, Ventura, Calif.
32 211 Chris Muraoka (R), Waianae, Hawaii
33 207 Dan Taylor, Reily, Ohio
34 199 Shane Sexton (R), Warner Springs, Calif.
35 195 Ikaika O'Brien (R), Oahu, Hawaii
36 182 Austin Liggett, Tracy, Calif.
37 181 Trent Williams, Apple Valley, Calif.
38 146 Sterling Cling, Tempe, Ariz.
39 141 Nate Schank, Santa Rosa, Calif.
40 138 Austin Ervine, Bakersfield, Calif.
41 130 Chris Bonneau, Peoria, Ariz.
42 123 Tye Mihocko, Phoenix, Ariz.
43 119 Rick Hendrix, Palmdale, Calif.
44 117 Kyle Edwards, Fountain Valley, Calif.
45 115 Jake Helsel, Arlington, Wash.
46 105 Davey Ray, Davenport, Iowa
47 97 Thomas Meseraull, San Jose, Calif.
48 87 Randy Nelson, Peoria, Ariz.
49 77 James Herrera, New Cuyama, Calif.
50 75 Tanner Boul (R), Auberry, Calif.
51 75 Travis Buckley (R), Auckland, N.Z.
52 66 Jonas Reynolds, Peoria, Ariz.
53 53 Cal Smith, Phelan, Calif.
54 41 James Heling, San Bernardino, Calif.
55 40 Daylin Perreira, Hilo, Hawaii
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR ENTRANT POINT STANDINGS:
1 1352 Mark Alexander, Torrance, Calif. (#1)
2 1314 BR Performance, Garden Grove, Calif. (#91R)
3 1183 Tom & Laurie Sertich, Huntington Beach, Calif. (#92)
4 1036 Gansen Engineering Motorsports, San Bernardino, Calif. (#4G)
5 993 Cody Williams, Norco, Calif. (#44)
6 929 Dino Napier, Corona, Calif. (#5x)
7 827 Charles Davis Jr., Buckeye, Ariz. (#47)
8 708 Eddie Tafoya Sr., Chino Hills, Calif. (#51T)
9 676 Ken Tracy, Buena Park, Calif. (#98)
10 605 John McCarthy, Riverside, Calif. (#5w)
11 590 John McCarthy, Riverside, Calif. (#28m)
12 405 Robbie & Gaye Allen, Cottonwood, Ariz. (#12)
13 357 Michael Motorsports, Chino Valley, Ariz. (#77m)
14 354 Dynamics, Inc., Milford, Ohio (#69)
15 345 Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports, Gilbert, Ariz. (#19AZ)
16 327 Team AZ Racing, Danville, Ind. (#21AZ)
17 312 TOPP Motorsports, Rochester, Ind. (#4)
18 298 KT Motorsports, Whitestown, Ind. (#9K)
19 271 Hayward Motorsports, Morrison, Ill. (#19)
20 250 Baldwin-Fox Racing, West Lafayette, Ind. (#5)
21 243 Hodges Motorsports, Albuquerque, N.M. (#74x)
22 232 Yeley Racing, Waddell, Ariz. (#2)
23 215 Steve Hix, Ventura, Calif. (#57)
24 146 Sterling Cling Racing, Tempe, Ariz. (#34)
25 123 Glenn Crossno, Chino Valley, Ariz. (#38)
26 117 Gordon Edwards, Fountain Valley, Calif. (#39E)
27 105 FattFro Motorsports/RayPro, Hoffman Estates, Ill. (#14AJ)
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINNERS:
Mar 12: The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park – Bakersfield, CA
WINNER: Ryan Timmons (Timmons Racing #29)
Mar 13: The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park – Bakersfield, CA
WINNER: Max Adams (Keith Ford #73)
Mar 26: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
WINNER: Max Adams (Keith Ford #73)
Apr 24: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
WINNER: Damion Gardner (Mark Alexander #4)
May 8: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA
WINNER: Chase Johnson (May Motorsports #8m)
May 22: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
WINNER: Brody Roa (BR Performance #91R)
Jun 19: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
WINNER: Damion Gardner (Mark Alexander #4)
Jul 3: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA
WINNER: Damion Gardner (Mark Alexander #4)
Jul 17: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
WINNER: Austin Williams (Tom & Laurie Sertich #92)
Aug 21: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
WINNER: Brody Roa (BR Performance #91R)
Sep 4: Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA
WINNER: Carson Short (Clayton Snow #17)
Sep 5: Silver Dollar Speedway – Chico, CA
WINNER: Damion Gardner (Mark Alexander #4)
Sep 6: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA
WINNER: Austin Williams (Tom & Laurie Sertich #92)
Sep 25: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
WINNER: Charles Davis Jr. (Davis Race Team #47)
Oct 2: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
WINNER: Damion Gardner (Mark Alexander #4)
Oct 23: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
WINNER: Damion Gardner (Mark Alexander #4)
Nov 4: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
WINNER: Jake Swanson (Team AZ Racing #21AZ)
Nov 5: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
WINNER: Brady Bacon (Dynamics, Inc. #69)
Nov 6: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
WINNER: Kevin Thomas Jr. (KT Motorsports #9K)
Nov 12: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
WINNER: Brady Bacon (Dynamics, Inc. #69)
Nov 13: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
WINNER: Logan Seavey (Baldwin-Fox Racing #5)
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS:
6-Damion Gardner (Apr 24 at Perris Auto Speedway, Jun 19 at Perris Auto Speedway, Jul 3 at Santa Maria Raceway, Sep 5 at Silver Dollar Speedway, Oct 2 at Arizona Speedway & Oct 23 at Perris Auto Speedway)
2-Max Adams (Mar 13 at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park & Mar 26 at Thunderbowl Raceway)
2-Brady Bacon (Nov 5 at Perris Auto Speedway & Nov 12 at Arizona Speedway)
2-Brody Roa (May 22 at Perris Auto Speedway & Aug 21 at Perris Auto Speedway)
2-Austin Williams (Jul 17 at Perris Auto Speedway & Sep 6 at Petaluma Speedway)
1-Charles Davis Jr. (Sep 25 at Perris Auto Speedway)
1-Chase Johnson (May 8 at Bakersfield Speedway)
1-Logan Seavey (Nov 13 at Arizona Speedway)
1-Carson Short (Sep 4 at Silver Dollar Speedway)
1-Jake Swanson (Nov 4 at Perris Auto Speedway)
1-Kevin Thomas Jr. (Nov 6 at Perris Auto Speedway)
1-Ryan Timmons (Mar 12 at The Dirt Track at Kern County Raceway Park)
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR FEATURE LAPS LED:
125-Damion Gardner
72-Austin Williams
59-Brody Roa
55-Logan Seavey
37-Charles Davis Jr. & Justin Grant
33-Kevin Thomas Jr.
31-Matt Mitchell
30-Carson Short
28-Max Adams
26-Stevie Sussex
20-Brady Bacon
17-Verne Sweeney & Cody Williams
15-Chase Johnson
13-Tanner Thorson
9-Chris Gansen
7-Ryan Timmons
5-Troy Rutherford
2-Tommy Malcolm & Jake Swanson
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR TOP-5 FEATURE FINISHES:
14-Damion Gardner
12-Brody Roa
9-Austin Williams
7-Charles Davis Jr. & Cody Williams
5-Brady Bacon & C.J. Leary
4-Chris Gansen, Matt Mitchell & Eddie Tafoya Jr.
3-Chase Johnson, Jake Swanson, Kevin Thomas Jr. & Tanner Thorson
2-Max Adams, Justin Grant, Tommy Malcolm, Logan Seavey & Stevie Sussex
1-A.J. Bender, Ryan Bernal, Danny Faria Jr., Tony Gomes, R.J. Johnson, Austin Liggett, Thomas Meseraull, Davey Ray, Carson Short, Verne Sweeney, Ryan Timmons & Daniel Whitley
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR TOP-10 FEATURE FINISHES:
16-Brody Roa
15-Chris Gansen & Austin Williams
14-Damion Gardner
13-Charles Davis Jr.
11-Tommy Malcolm
9-Cody Williams
6-Danny Faria Jr., Stevie Sussex, Verne Sweeney & Eddie Tafoya Jr.
5-Brady Bacon, A.J. Bender, Justin Grant, R.J. Johnson, C.J. Leary, Tanner Thorson, Logan Williams & Chris Windom
4-Chase Johnson, Matt McCarthy, Matt Mitchell & Jake Swanson
3-Max Adams, Shane Cottle, Austin Grabowski & Kevin Thomas Jr.
2-Ryan Bernal, Chris Bonneau, Tony Gomes, Jake Hodges, Logan Seavey, Daniel Whitley & Trent Williams
1-Kyle Edwards, Austin Ervine, Rick Hendrix, Steve Hix, Shane Hopkins, Austin Liggett, Thomas Meseraull, Davey Ray, Nate Schank, Carson Short & Ryan Timmons
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR FEATURE STARTS:
21-Damion Gardner & Brody Roa
20-Chris Gansen, Austin Williams & Cody Williams
19-Tommy Malcolm
17-Charles Davis Jr.
15-Verne Sweeney, Eddie Tafoya Jr. & Logan Williams
14-A.J. Bender
13-Matt McCarthy
12-Austin Grabowski
11-Matt Mitchell
10-Danny Faria Jr.
9-Stevie Sussex
8-R.J. Johnson, Brent Owens & Ryan Timmons
7-Jeff Dyer, Jake Hodges & Chase Johnson
6-Max Adams & Joel Rayborne
5-Brady Bacon, Shane Cottle, Justin Grant, Steve Hix, C.J. Leary, Troy Rutherford, Logan Seavey, Carson Short, Jake Swanson, Dan Taylor, Kevin Thomas Jr., Tanner Thorson & Chris Windom
4-Sterling Cling, Austin Liggett, Ikaika O'Brien & Trent Williams
3-Austin Ervine, Jake Helsel, Rick Hendrix, Tye Mihocko, Kaleb Montgomery, Nate Schank & Shane Sexton
2-Ryan Bernal, Chris Bonneau, Tanner Boul, Travis Buckley, Kyle Edwards, Dennis Gile, Tony Gomes, James Herrera, Shane Hopkins, Thomas Meseraull, Randy Nelson, Davey Ray, Trevor Schmid, Jarrett Soares, Jonas Reynolds & Daniel Whitley
1-Alex Banales, Logan Calderwood, Tyler Hatzikian, James Heling, Tom Hendricks, Kalib Henry, Frank Herman, Ron Laplant, Jake Morgan, Chris Muraoka, Gary Paulson, Danny Sheridan, Cal Smith, Caleb Stelzig & Jace Vander Weerd
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
8-Damion Gardner
3-Brody Roa & Tanner Thorson
1-Charles Davis Jr., Tony Gomes, Chase Johnson, Matt Mitchell, Jake Swanson, Daniel Whitley & Austin Williams
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR HEAT RACE WINS:
7-Damion Gardner
5-Tommy Malcolm & Brody Roa
4-Charles Davis Jr.
3-A.J. Bender, Austin Liggett, Matt McCarthy, Carson Short, Austin Williams & Cody Williams
2-Brady Bacon, Justin Grant, R.J. Johnson, Matt Mitchell, Stevie Sussex, Verne Sweeney & Kevin Thomas Jr.
1-Max Adams, Danny Faria Jr., Chris Gansen, Jake Helsel, Chase Johnson, C.J. Leary, Thomas Meseraull, Davey Ray, Troy Rutherford, Nate Schank, Logan Seavey, Shane Sexton, Caleb Stelzig, Jake Swanson, Eddie Tafoya Jr. & Chris Windom
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR SEMI-FEATURE WINS:
2-Chris Windom
1-Shane Cottle, Charles Davis Jr., Tony Gomes, Jake Hodges, Kaleb Montgomery, Brody Roa, Verne Sweeney, Eddie Tafoya Jr. & Tanner Thorson
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR DASH WINS:
1-C.J. Leary & Matt Mitchell
2021 USAC CRA SPRINT CAR C-MAIN WINS:
1-Shane Cottle
ALL-TIME USAC CRA SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS: (FULL POINTS EVENTS)
1. (89) Damion Gardner
2. (38) Mike Spencer
3. (35) Cory Kruseman
4. (20) Tony Jones
5. (12) Bryan Clauson
6. (11) Austin Williams
7. (10) Nic Faas, Mike Kirby, Brody Roa & Rip Williams
11. (9) Ryan Bernal, David Cardey & Richard Vander Weerd
14. (8) Dave Darland, Rickie Gaunt & Danny Sheridan
17. (7) Brady Bacon & Matt Mitchell
19. (6) Robert Ballou, Justin Grant, R.J. Johnson, Levi Jones, Bud Kaeding, Blake Miller & Kevin Thomas Jr.
26. (5) Garrett Hansen & Jake Swanson
28. (4) Max Adams, Tyler Courtney, Charles Davis Jr., Darren Hagen, Kevin Swindell & Chris Windom
34. (3) Rico Abreu, Jerry Coons Jr., Jesse Hockett, Chase Johnson, Thomas Meseraull, Jeremy Sherman, Chase Stockon, Scotty Weir & Josh Wise
43. (2) Tyler Brown, Josh Hodges, Kyle Larson, Austin Liggett, Troy Rutherford & Hunter Schuerenberg
49. (1) Alan Ballard, Jayme Barnes, Christopher Bell, Chad Boespflug, Greg Bragg, Daron Clayton, Colby Copeland, Shane Cottle, Danny Faria Jr., Ricci Faria, Josh Ford, Marty Hawkins, Tracy Hines, Kyle Hirst, Tim Kaeding, C.J. Leary, Mike Martin, Adam Mitchell, Johnny Rodriguez, Logan Seavey, Carson Short, Jon Stanbrough, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ryan Timmons, Jace Vander Weerd, Cole Whitt, Cody Williams & Jason York
ALL-TIME USAC CRA SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS: (NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENTS)
1. (2) C.J. Leary
2. (1) Tyler Courtney & Justin Grant
USAC CRA SPRINT CAR DRIVER CHAMPIONS:
2004: Rip Williams
2005: Damion Gardner
2006: Cory Kruseman
2007: Tony Jones
2008: Mike Spencer
2009: Mike Spencer
2010: Mike Spencer
2011: Mike Spencer
2012: Mike Spencer
2013: Damion Gardner
2014: Damion Gardner
2015: Damion Gardner
2016: Damion Gardner
2017: Damion Gardner
2018: Damion Gardner
2019: Damion Gardner
2020: None
2021: Damion Gardner
USAC CRA SPRINT CAR ENTRANT CHAMPIONS:
2004: JR Racing #3
2005: Ron Chaffin Motorsports #50
2006: Glenn Crossno #38
2007: Mark Alexander #4
2008: Ron Chaffin Motorsports #50
2009: Ron Chaffin Motorsports #50
2010: Ron Chaffin Motorsports #50
2011: Ron Chaffin Motorsports #50
2012: Ron Chaffin Motorsports #50
2013: Mark Alexander #4
2014: Mark Alexander #4
2015: Mark Alexander #4
2016: Mark Alexander #4
2017: Mark Alexander #4
2018: Mark Alexander #4
2019: Mark Alexander #4
2020: None
2021: Mark Alexander #4
USAC CRA SPRINT CAR ROOKIES OF THE YEAR:
2004: Ronnie Case
2005: R.J. Johnson
2006: Blake Miller
2007: Scotty Weir
2008: Nic Faas
2009: Austin Williams
2010: Jace Vander Weerd
2011: David Bezio
2012: Jake Swanson
2013: Markus Niemela
2014: Logan Williams
2015: Parker Colston
2016: Max Adams
2017: Matt McCarthy
2018: Joel Rayborne & Austin Ervine
2019: Eddie Tafoya Jr.
2020: None
2021: Austin Grabowski