USAC/CRA HONORS RACERS AT TEMECULA AWARDS BANQUET
By Lance Jennings
FEBRUARY 22, 2022... Last Saturday, the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series celebrated their 2021 season at the Longshadow Ranch Vineyard and Winery in Temecula, California. USAC/CRA Director Tony Jones along with Perris Auto Speedway announcers Scott Daloisio and Chris Holt served as master of ceremonies. The event had a western theme and gave recognition to the rookie of the year, top-ten in driver points, top-ten in entrant points, hard charger, mechanic of the year, and special awards. Series champion, “The Demon” Damion Gardner was also honored at the December 11th “USAC Night of Champions” in Indianapolis, Indiana.
A special thanks goes to BillsJerky.com, Factory Wraps, Gordie’s Speed Center, In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner, JJK Roll Off & Disposal, Orange County Tank Testing, Sander Engineering, Schoenfeld Headers, Specialty Fasteners, and Sweeney’s Custom Mufflers for supporting the banquet. Special prizes were given to the teams in attendance.
“The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, CA) was honored for his eighth consecutive (ninth overall) AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car championship. Driving Mark Alexander’s #1 Spike, Gardner posted six feature wins, eight Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, seven heat race victories, 14 top-five finishes, 14 top-ten finishes, two Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Awards,” and 125 feature laps led on the year. Steve Alexander earned the Mechanic of the Year Award and accepted his brother’s Car Owner championship trophy, the ninth of his career. Using a pill draw system, “The Demon” won a wheel, courtesy of Sander Engineering.
“The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA) was celebrated for finishing second in the point chase. Racing the BR Performance #91R Eagle, Roa had two feature wins, three Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, five heat race victories, one semi-main win, 12 top-five finishes, 16 top-ten finishes, two Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Awards,” and 59 feature laps led to his credit.
“The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, CA) finished third in the point standings. Piloting Tom and Laurie Sertich’s #92 DRC, Williams recorded two main event wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, nine top-five finishes, fifteen top-ten finishes, and 72 feature laps led in the campaign. Austin earned a set of headers, courtesy of Schoenfeld.
Chris Gansen (Verdemont Heights, CA) ranked fourth in championship points. Driving the Gansen Engineering Motorsports Maxim, Gansen’s best finish was third place at Kern County on March 12th and Perris on October 23rd. In addition, Chris had one heat race victory, one In Memory of Jeff & Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award, one Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award,” four top-five finishes, fifteen top-ten finishes, and 9 feature lap led on the season. Gansen presented some of his sponsors with a special thank you plaque and won a set of mufflers, courtesy of Schoenfeld.
“The Cadillac” Cody Williams (Norco, CA) placed fifth in the chase for the championship. Racing his #44 DRC, Williams’ best finish was a second place run at Perris on October 23rd. “The Cadillac” also posted three heat race victories, seven top-five finishes, nine top-ten finishes, and 17 feature laps led on the year. Cody took home a set of bolts, courtesy of Specialty Fasteners.
“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, AZ) was honored for finishing sixth in driver points and seventh in owner points. Splitting time between his #47 RSS and the Turner/Wheeler #11C Maxim, Davis had one feature win, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, four heat race victories, one semi-main win, four top-five finishes, eleven top-ten finishes, and 37 feature laps led in the campaign.
Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm (Corona, CA) ranked seventh in driver points and his car owner Dino Napier placed sixth in entrant points. Driving the #5X Maxim, Malcolm’s best finish came at San Tan Valley on October 2nd. Tommy posted five heat race victories, one In Memory of Jeff & Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award, two top-five finishes, eleven top-ten finishes, and two feature laps led to his credit. Malcolm earned a set of mufflers, courtesy of Schoenfeld.
Eddie Tafoya Jr. (Chino Hills, CA) claimed eighth in the championship point standings. Piloting the family owned #51T DRC, Tafoya’s best finish came at Perris on July 17th. The former rookie of the year also had one heat race victory, one semi-main win, two In Memory of Jeff & Chet Gardner Hard Charger Awards, four top-five finishes, and six top-ten finishes on the season. Eddie earned a drum of fuel, courtesy of BillsJerky.com.
Verne Sweeney (Lomita, CA) scored ninth in the chase for the championship. Driving Ken Tracy’s #98 DRC, Sweeney had his best run at Santa Maria with a fifth place finish on July 2nd. The veteran driver also posted two heat race victories, one semi-main win, one In Memory of Jeff & Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award, one Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award,” one top-five finish, six top-10 finishes, and 17 feature laps led on the season. Verne took home a tire courtesy of Goldie’s Speed Center.
Logan Williams (Yorba Linda, CA) returned to USAC/CRA action and finished tenth in the point standings. Racing John “Tom” McCarthy’s #5W DRC, Williams best finish came at Perris on June 19th with a sixth place run. The former rookie of the year recorded one Wilwood Disc Brakes “Lucky 13 Award” and five top-ten finishes in the campaign. Logan won a tire, courtesy of BillsJerky.com.
Austin Grabowski (Riverside, CA) earned rookie of the year honors. Racing his #72 Triple 7, Grabowski had his best finish at Tulare on March 26th with an eighth place run. Austin finished fifteenth in driver and entrant points on the strength of one In Memory of Jeff & Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award and three top-ten finishes. Grabowski took home a drum of fuel, courtesy of BillsJerky.com.
Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm earned the 2021 In Memory of Jeff & Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award. Malcolm had passed the most cars during the main events and earned a $1,000 cash bonus for his efforts.
Julie Tanaka was recognized with the “Evelyn Pratt Award” for her contributions to racing.
Becky Williams earned a special dedication to racing award. The wife of National Sprint Car Hall of Fame driver “The Ripper” Rip Williams and mother to drivers Cody, Austin, and Logan has been part of racing going back to the days of Ascot Park.
Thanks to series sponsors All Coast Construction, BillsJerky.com, Component Repair Company, Factory Wraps, Flowdynamics, Huntington Beach Glass and Mirror, In Memory of Jeff & Chet Gardner, and Woodland Auto Display, over $18,000 was awarded in cash prizes throughout the 2021 season.
Thanks to USAC Western Contingency sponsors Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sway-A-Way Torsion Bars, Ultra Shield Race Products, and Wilwood Disc Brakes, almost $20,000 in product certificates were awarded to USAC/CRA racers in 2021.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series will return to action on Friday, March 4th, at Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway. The following night, the non-winged 410s will battle at the nearby Keller Auto Speedway in Hanford. The USAC Western States and Bay Cities Racing Association (BCRA) Midgets will join the action packed card on both nights.
For more information on the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series, visit usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC/CRA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.
FloRacing.com has live, flag-to-flag coverage of the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series. You can catch the action by subscribing to FloRacing on a monthly or yearly basis to view their huge catalog of live and on-demand auto racing and sporting events.
2022 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE:
January 27: Cocopah Speedway – Yuma, AZ (Winner: Damion Gardner)
January 28: Cocopah Speedway – Yuma, AZ (Winner: Damion Gardner)
January 29: Cocopah Speedway – Yuma, AZ (Winner: Damion Gardner)
February 19: Longshadow Ranch & Winery – Temecula, CA (2021 USAC/CRA Awards Banquet)
March 4: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
March 5: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA
March 26: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (So Cal Showdown)
April 1: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA
April 2: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA (Chris & Brian Faria Memorial)
April 23: Mohave Valley Raceway – Mohave Valley, AZ
April 30: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Sokola Shootout)
May 14: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA
May 28: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Salute to Indy)
June 11: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA
June 25: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Bubby Jones & Ray Sheetz Memorial)
July 2: TBA
July 8: Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, CA (Spanky Mathews Memorial)
July 9: Thunderbowl Raceway – Tulare, CA
August 6: TBA
August 20: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (California Racers Hall of Fame Night)
September 3: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA
September 4: TBA
September 17: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Glenn Howard Classic)
October 1: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA
October 8: Mohave Valley Raceway – Mohave Valley, AZ
October 28: *TBA (Western World Championships)
October 29: *TBA (Western World Championships)
November 3: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 4: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
November 5: *Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Oval Nationals)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Cars.
TBA = To Be Announced.
This schedule is subject to change.