AUSTIN LIGGETT IS KING AT HANFORD
HANFORD, CA – APRIL 5, 2022… After a daring pass on Damion Gardner, Austin Liggett (Linden, CA) led the final six laps to claim last Friday’s triumph at Hanford’s Keller Auto Speedway. Racing the family owned #83 Excel Environmental Services / Liggett Trucking Maxim, the tenth starting Liggett earned the third AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car win of his career. Point leader Gardner, Matt Mitchell, Brody Fuson, and “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. rounded out the top-five at the Kings County Fairgrounds.
Starting on the pole position, A.J. Bender led the opening fifteen laps of the main event. Bender’s hopes for his first series win were dashed by Damion Gardner after a restart. With changing track conditions and a treacherous cushion, Gardner had the race well in hand until Liggett mounted his late charge to victory.
Before scoring the 30-lap victory, Liggett qualified eighth overall, ran fifth in his heat race, and placed third in the 12-lap semi-main. The former USAC West Coast 360 Champion will run a limited schedule with USAC/CRA.
“The Cadillac” Cody Williams (Corona, CA) opened the program by earning his seventh career Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award over the 28-car roster with a time of 15.641. Piloting his #44 W.C. Friend Company / Trench Shoring DRC, Williams scored fourth in the heat race and twenty-second in the feature after engine issues ended his night.
Logan Williams (Yorba Linda, CA) won Hanford’s 10-lap Flowdymanics Incorporated Heat Race #1. Racing John McCarthy’s #5W Flowdynamics Incorporated / Drinkpak DRC, Williams was thirteenth quick in time trials and placed thirteenth in the main event.
“T-Dub” Trent Williams (Apple Valley, CA) raced to victory in the 10-lap BillsJerky.net Heat Race #2. Driving the family owned #52V Victory Boys Performance / Sorrento Homes Maxim, Williams qualified fourteenth overall and raced the ninth in the feature after starting fourteenth.
Logan Calderwood (Goodyear, AZ) took the night’s In Memory of Jim and Chet Gardner Heat Race #3. Piloting the family owned MP Environmental Maxim with 360 power, Calderwood was fifteenth fast in time trials and raced from fifteenth to tenth at Keller Auto Speedway.
Matt Mitchell (Yorba Linda, CA) won the 12-lap Factory Wraps Semi-Main event. Racing his #37 Roy Miller Freight Lines / Campbell Brothers Storage Maxim, Mitchell qualified fourth overall, placed sixth in his heat race, and charged from seventh to third in the feature.
Leading rookie contender, Nate Schank (Santa Rosa, CA) earned the night’s hard charger / best passing job honors with a sixth place finish from twenty-second. Driving the family owned #1$ Hunt Magnetos / Industrial Machine Maxim, Shank was twenty-sixth quick in time trials, ran seventh in his heat race, and finished eighth in the semi-main.
By virtue of this thirteenth place finish, Eddie Tafoya Jr. (Chino Hills, CA) earned Hanford’s Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award. Piloting the family owned #51T Specialty Fasteners / Bell Helmets DRC, Tafoya qualified tenth in Woodland Auto Display Time Trials, placed fifth in his heat race, and finished fifth in the semi.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks BillsJerky.net, Factory Wraps, Flowdynamics Incorporated, The Gardner Family (In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner), Hoosier Racing Tires, Laserworx Manufacturing, Woodland Auto Display, BR Motorsports, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Rod End Supply, and Wilwood Disc Brakes for their support.
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.
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: April 1, 2022 – Keller Auto Speedway – Hanford, California
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Cody Williams, 44, Williams-15.641; 2. Damion Gardner, 1, Alexander-15.715; 3. Austin Williams, 2, Williams-15.744; 4. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-15.810; 5. Austin Grabowski, 72, Grabowski-15.826; 6. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-15.852; 7. Ryan Bernal, 73, Ford-15.880; 8. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-15.911; 9. Ricky Lewis, 41, Lewis-15.925; 10. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-15.969; 11. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-15.977; 12. Brody Fuson, 51, Van Meter-15.981; 13. Logan Williams, 5W, McCarthy-16.008; 14. Trent Williams, 52V, Williams-16.252; 15. Logan Calderwood, 6, Calderwood-16.330; 16. Matt McCarthy, 28M, McCarthy-16.343; 17. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-16.347; 18. Jake Hodges, 4, Hodges-16.416; 19. Dawson Faria, 12B, Faria-16.480; 20. Jeff Dyer, 39, Cal-Sun-16.491; 21. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-16.496; 22. Ryan Timmons, 29T, Timmons-16.513; 23. Steve Hix, 57, Hix-16.611; 24. Tanner Boul, 99T, Boul-16.616; 25. Tuesday Calderwood, 4X, Calderwood-16.807; 26. Nate Schank, 1$, Schank-16.967; 27. Christopher Muraoka, 25, Muraoka-17.778; 28. Travis Buckley, 21K, Kruseman-NT.
FLOWDYNAMICS INCORPORATED FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. L.Williams, 2. McCarthy, 3. Bernal, 4. C.Williams, 5. Tafoya, 6. Mitchell, 7. Timmons, 8. Faria, 9. T.Calderwood, 10. Buckley. NT.
BILLSJERKY.NET SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1.T.Williams, 2. Gardner, 3. Malcolm, 4. Bender, 5. Liggett, 6. Grabowski, 7. Schank, 8. Hix, 9. Dyer. NT.
IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. L.Calderwood, 2. Lewis, 3. A.Williams, 4. Fuson, 5. Davis, 6. Hodges, 7. Sweeney, 8. Boul, 9. Muraoka. NT.
FACTORY WRAPS SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Mitchell, 2; Davis, 3. Liggett, 4. Grabowski, 5. Tafoya, 6. Hodges, 7. Timmons, 8. Schank, 9. Dyer, 10. Boul, 11. Hix, 12. Muraoka, 13. T.Calderwood, 14. Faria, 15. Buckley, 16. Sweeney. NT.
FEATURE: (30 laps, With Starting Positions) 1. Austin Liggett (10), 2. Damion Gardner (5), 3. Matt Mitchell (7), 4. Brody Fuson (12), 5. Charles Davis Jr. (9), 6. Nate Schank (22), 7. Tanner Boul (21), 8. Tommy Malcolm (17), 9. Trent Williams (14), 10. Logan Calderwood (15), 11. Logan Williams (13), 12. Jeff Dyer (19), 13. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (11), 14. Austin Grabowski (8), 15. Matt McCarthy (16), 16. Jake Hodges (18), 17. Austin Williams (4), 18. Ricky Lewis (2), 19. A.J. Bender (1), 20. Ryan Bernal (3), 21. Ryan Timmons (20), 22. Cody Williams (6).
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*Faria flipped on lap 11 of the semi. A.Williams flipped on lap 22 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-15 Bender, Laps 16-24 Gardner, Laps 25-30 Liggett
HARD CHARGER: Nate Schank (22nd to 6th)
WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Eddie Tafoya Jr.