8TH “LOUIE VERMEIL CLASSIC” AT CALISTOGA;

CRA SPRINTS AT PETALUMA NEXT MONDAY

The 8th “Louie Vermeil Classic” unfolds this weekend at Calistoga (Calif.) Speedway and valuable points will be distributed which will impact the 2015 AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car championship.

Three-time defending champion Damion Gardner and five-time champ Mike Spencer are the primary combatants, separated by just 15 points, but Richard Vander Weerd, Austin Williams and Matt Mitchell all have eyes on the big prize as well.

The Saturday and Sunday race program also features the Honda USAC Western Midgets, with feature events for each series each night.

Rico Abreu and Christopher Bell won last year’s “Vermeil” Sprint features. Gardner has five series wins already this year while Spencer has five “podium” finishes this year but is still seeking his first 2015 feature win.