USAC SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS WILL BE CROWNED AT 52ND WESTERN WORLD
By Lance Jennings
NOVEMBER 12, 2019... After a hard fought Perris Oval Nationals, the AMSOIL USAC/CRA, USAC National, and Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Champions will be crowned at Arizona Speedway’s “52nd Annual Western World Championships presented by San Tan Ford.” Promoted by Jonah Trussel, the prestigious event opens with a practice session on Thursday, November 14th (6:00pm), followed by two nights (November 15 & 16) of intense racing that also features the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midgets and USAC Western States Midgets. Located at 47800 N. Ironwood Road in San Tan Valley, Arizona, the spectator gates on Friday and Saturday will open at 3:00pm with racing scheduled for 6:00pm. For more information, visit the track’s website at arizonaspeedway.net or call 480.926.6688.
NOTICE TO RACERS:
- 2019 APPROVED/LEGAL MUFFLERS: EXTREME: 6014-3535, 3615-3535, BILLY BOAT: FRAC-0375S, COAST FABRICATION: 350x625x17-2S, FLOWMASTER: 53545-10, 13516100, 13516101, SCHOENFELD: 14272535, 14272735-78, SPINTECH: 1545P SUPER STOCK. *Failure to comply with the muffler rule will risk disqualification from the event.
- FRONT AXLE TETHER SYSTEMS (2-Chassis, 1-King Pin to King Pin) ARE MANDATORY.
- FULL CONTAINMENT SEATS ARE MANDATORY.
- Hoosier Tires are required on all four corners with the 105/16 Medium, 105/18 Hard, and 105/18 F85A as the only approved right rear tires. The “Medium” is also legal with the USAC National, USAC SouthWest, USAC West Coast, and VRA Sprint Cars.
- COCKPIT ADJUSTABLE SHOCKS ARE ALLOWED.
- USAC MEMBERSHIPS can be purchased at the track or online at usaclicense.com.
- WEIGHT RULE: 1,325 lbs. with driver.
- The USAC National, USAC/CRA, and USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Rule Book can be found online at usacracing.com.
- USAC BONUS / Any racer who enters every event for both the AMSOIL USAC/CRA and Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car schedules will have their entry fees reimbursed at the end of the year.
PRACTICE SESSION: The festivities will begin on Thursday, November 14th with a special practice session. Admission to the grandstands is FREE and cars will be on the track around 6:00pm. Adult pit passes are $30 and Kids (7-12) pit passes are $10.
Noted as an Arizona tradition since 1968 when Bob Cleberg took the checkered flags at the Manzanita Speedway, the “Western World Championships” has been a premier event for sprint car racing. While the headlining divisions and host tracks may have changed, some of the most notable names in the sport have claimed victory at the Western World. Hall of Fame racers like Jan Opperman, Rick Ferkel, Ron Shuman, Bubby Jones, Lealand McSpadden, Sammy Swindell, and Steve Kinser have stood atop the podium. Last year, “Sunshine” Tyler Courtney added his name to the winner’s list and Justin Grant won the opening night. The winner’s list of the Western World Championships is posted at the end of this release.
To date, there have been nine USAC/CRA events at the fast 1/3-mile clay oval. Since November 4, 2016, eight different drivers claimed victory, led by Chris Windom with two triumphs. R.J. Johnson win the “Hall of Fame Classic” on September 28th and “The Hanford Hornet” Chad Boespflug set the 1-lap track record of 14.625 on November 5, 2016. The track’s series win list is at the end of this release.
Entering the twenty-second point race, there have been thirteen different winners with USAC/CRA. “The Demon” Damion Gardner has three victories, while “The Macho” Man Brady Bacon, Brody Roa, Hunter Schuerenberg, Jake Swanson, Richard Vander Weerd, and “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams are tied with two wins. Josh Hodges, Chase Johnson, R.J. Johnson, C.J. Leary, Austin Liggett, and Troy Rutherford have one win on the season.
Heading to Arizona Speedway, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, CA) has a 59-point lead over the competition. Piloting Mark Alexander’s #4 Trench Shoring / All Coast Construction Spike, Gardner finished third at last Saturday’s finale of the Oval Nationals at Perris Auto Speedway. To date, the seven-time USAC/CRA champion has three feature wins, ten Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, eight heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Pyrotect Racing Cells Semi-Main Win, one Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award, seventeen top-10 finishes, and 86 feature laps led to his credit. “The Demon” leads all drivers with 83 series wins and will be looking for his first Western World triumph.
“The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, CA) ranks second in the chase for the championship. Driving Tom and Laurie Sertich’s #92 Huntington Beach Glass & Mirror / Lucas Oil DRC, Williams scored eighth in the Oval Nationals finale. At press time, “The Big Game Hunter” has two feature wins, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, three heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Pyrotect Racing Cells Semi-Main Win, one Specialty Fasteners Hard Charger Award, nineteen top-10 finishes, and 27 feature laps led in the campaign. The 2009 USAC/CRA Co-Rookie of the Year is tied with Ryan Bernal, David Cardey, and Richard Vander Weerd with nine triumphs and will have his sights on taking the championship from Gardner.
Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA) sits third in the championship point standings. Racing Dwight Cheney’s #42 Racing Optics / Sander Engineering Maxim, Roa had a twenty-sixth place finish last Saturday night. To date, the 2016 USAC West Coast champion has two feature wins, three heat race victories, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 105 feature laps led to his credit. Currently tied with “The People’s Champion” Dave Darland, “Super” Rickie Gaunt, and “Showtime” Danny Sheridan with eight USAC/CRA wins, the USAC SouthWest point leader will be looking to claim the Western World Championships.
Jake Swanson (Anaheim, CA) is fourth in the USAC/CRA point standings. Piloting John Grau and Mike Burkhart’s #34AZ Stratis Construction / KSE Custom Drywall DRC, Swanson placed seventh at the Lake Perris Fairgrounds. At press time, the 2017 USAC West Coast Champion has two feature wins, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, one dash win, six heat race victories, one Competition Suspension Inc. / Pyrotect Racing Cells Semi-Main win, twelve top-10 finishes, and 59 feature laps led on the year. The 2012 USAC/CRA Rookie of the Year is tied with Darren Hagen, Kevin Swindell, and Chris Windom with four victories and will be looking add the “Western World” to his resume.
Chris Gansen (Verdemont Heights, CA) ranks fifth in the USAC/CRA point chase. Driving the family owned #4G Trench Shoring / Circle Track Performance Maxim, Gansen scored a twenty-third place finish at the Perris Oval Nationals. To date, Chris has posted two Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Awards, seven top-10 finishes, and 15 feature laps led in the campaign. Gansen will have his sights on his first career USAC/CRA victory at Arizona Speedway.
Currently ranked ninth in points, Eddie Tafoya Jr. (Chino Hills, CA) leads the chase for Rookie of the Year honors. Steve Hix (Ventura, CA), and Jeff Dyer (Bermuda Dunes, CA) are also in contention.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Tommy “Thunder” Malcolm, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., R.J. Johnson, Matt McCarthy, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, Stevie Sussex, Hunter Schuerenberg, Joel Rayborne, and more.
Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA) leads a strong contingent with the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series. R.J. Johnson, Stevie Sussex, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., Jake Swanson, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams, “The Demon” Damion Gardner, Matt Lundy, and Chris Bonneau round out the top-10 drivers.
C.J. Leary (Greenfield, IN) leads the AMSOIL USAC National point chase. “Sunshine” Tyler Courtney, “The Macho Man” Brady Bacon, “KTJ” Kevin Thomas Jr., “The Bear” Chris Windom, Justin Grant, Chase Stockon, Jason McDougal, Carson Short, and Isaac Chapple round out the top-10 in points.
Arizona Speedway is located at 47800 N. Ironwood Road in San Tan Valley, just five minutes from Mesa, Arizona. To get to the track, exit Ironwood Drive on US 60, then head four miles south. Advance Tickets are available and for more event and ticket information, visit arizonaspeedway.net or call 480.926.6688.
The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks All Coast Construction, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, ButlerBuilt Professional Seat Systems, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Flowdynamics, Hoosier Racing Tire, Loudpedal Productions, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Saldana Racing Products, Specialty Fasteners, surfNsprint.com, Sway-A-Way Racing Technology, Ultra Shield Race Products, Wilwood Disc Brakes, and Woodland Auto Display for their support. If you or your company would like to become part of the series, contact PR Director Lance Jennings at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
For more information on the 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.
FloSports has USAC/CRA Sprint Car live videos and on demand coverage available for purchase at floracing.com.
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR 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.
WESTERN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS SPRINT CAR WINNERS: 1968-Bob Cleberg; 1969-Bob Huebner; 1970-Jerry McClung; 1971-Jan Opperman; 1972-Jan Opperman; 1973-Earl Wagner; 1974-Rick Ferkel; 1975-Ron Shuman; 1976-Bubby Jones; 1977-Ron Shuman; 1978-Lealand McSpadden; 1979-Tim Green; 1980-Sammy Swindell; 1981-Ron Shuman; 1982-Steve Kinser; 1983-Steve Kinser; 1984-Ron Shuman; 1985-Steve Kinser; 1986-Bobby Davis Jr.; 1987-Steve Kinser; 1988-Mark Kinser; 1989-Sammy Swindell; 1990-Steve Kinser; 1991-Danny Lasoski; 1992-Steve Kinser; 1993-Lealand McSpadden; 1994-Ron Shuman; 1995-Lealand McSpadden; 1996-Steve Kinser; 1997-Mark Kinser; 1998-Tyler Walker; 1999-Donny Schatz; 2000-Jay Drake; 2001-Jeremy Sherman; 2002- Bud Kaeding; 2003-Tony Elliott; 2004-Bud Kaeding; 2005-Dave Darland; 2006-Josh Wise; 2007-Jerry Coons Jr.; 2008-Kevin Swindell; 2009-Sammy Swindell; 2010-Donny Schatz; 2011-Donny Schatz; 2012-Wayne Johnson; 2013-Bryan Clauson; 2014-Matt Rossi, 2015-Bryan Clauson, 2016-Chris Windom, 2017-Chase Stockon, 2018-Tyler Courtney.
2019 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 3-Damion Gardner, 2-Brady Bacon, 2-Brody Roa, 2-Hunter Schuerenberg, 2-Jake Swanson, 2-Richard Vander Weerd, 1-Josh Hodges, 1-Chase Johnson, 1-R.J. Johnson, 1-C.J. Leary, 1-Austin Liggett, 1-Troy Rutherford, 1-Austin Williams.
SAN TAN VALLEY AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR WINS: 2-Chris Windom, 1-Tyler Courtney, 1-Damion Gardner, 1-Justin Grant, 1-R.J. Johnson, 1-Thomas Meseraull, 1-Chase Stockon, 1-Jake Swanson.
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Damion Gardner-1382, 2. Austin Williams-1323, 3. Brody Roa-1227, 4. Jake Swanson-1133, 5. Chris Gansen-846, 6. Tommy Malcolm-829, 7. Charles Davis Jr.-745, 8. Richard Vander Weerd-683, 9. Eddie Tafoya Jr. ®-672, 10. R.J. Johnson-670, 11. Matt McCarthy-655, 12. Steve Hix ®-589, 13. Danny Faria Jr.-583, 14. Cody Williams-562, 15. Austin Liggett-545, 16. Mike Martin-519, 17. Stevie Sussex-517, 18. Jace Vander Weerd-483, 19. Verne Sweeney-421, 20. Chase Johnson-326.
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1 Brody Roa-1008, 2. R.J. Johnson-982, 3. Stevie Sussex-919, 4. Charles Davis Jr.-884, 5. Jake Swanson-699, 6. Mike Martin-655, 7. Austin Williams-564, 8. Damion Gardner-509, 9. Matt Lundy-500, 10. Chris Bonneau-477, 11. Michael Curtis-433, 12. Matt Rossi-413, 13. Tommy Malcolm-353, 14. C.J. Leary-347, 15. Logan Seavey-309, 16. Hunter Schuerenberg-299, 17. Dennis Gile-285, 18. Josh Hodges-271, 19. Richard Vander Weerd-256, 20. Matt McCarthy-243.
AMSOIL USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. C.J. Leary-2192, 2. Tyler Courtney-2148, 3. Brady Bacon-2029, 4-Kevin Thomas Jr.-2027, 5. Chris Windom-2020, 6. Justin Grant-2012, 7. Chase Stockon-1935, 8. Jason McDougal-1493, 9. Carson Short-1361, 10. Isaac Chapple-1193, 11. Kyle Cummins-899, 12. Dave Darland-866, 13. Josh Hodges-795, 14. Dustin Clark ®-678, 15. Chad Boespflug-669, 16. Max Adams-665, 17. Robert Ballou-568, 18. Brian VanMeveren ®-549, 19. Thomas Meseraull-535, 20. Matt Westfall-512.
2019 AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
March 8: #Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Winner: Josh Hodges)
March 9: #Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Winner: Hunter Schuerenberg)
March 30: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Brody Roa)
April 13: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Richard Vander Weerd)
May 4: Ventura Raceway – Ventura, CA (Winner: Troy Rutherford)
May 11: Bakersfield Speedway – Bakersfield, CA (Winner: Damion Gardner)
May 25: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Hunter Schuerenberg)
June 29: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Richard Vander Weerd)
July 6: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Winner: Brody Roa)
July 13: #Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Damion Gardner)
August 17: #Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Jake Swanson)
August 31: Calistoga Speedway – Calistoga, CA (Winner: Austin Williams)
September 1: Calistoga Speedway – Calistoga, CA (Winner: Jake Swanson)
September 2: Petaluma Speedway – Petaluma, CA (Winner: Chase Johnson)
September 6: Merced Speedway – Merced, CA (Winner: Austin Liggett)
September 7: Santa Maria Raceway – Santa Maria, CA (Winner: Damion Gardner)
September 21: Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Austin Williams)
September 28: #Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Winner: R.J. Johnson)
November 7: *#Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Brady Bacon)
November 8: *#Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: Brady Bacon)
November 9: *#Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, CA (Winner: C.J. Leary)
November 15: *#Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 16: *#Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Cars.
# = Co-Sanctioned Event with Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars.
This schedule is subject to change.