Once again Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway opens its doors to the USAC/CRA AMSOIL Sprint Cars Saturday and this time a real shootout for the series point lead will highlight the competition.
Five drivers are locked in a battle for the lead, separated by just 52 points, with 84 total points available in Saturday’s program.
Richard Vander Weerd holds the top spot entering the race. He has a victory, two seconds and two fourths in five Perris outings already this year. Since 2014, he has racked up five wins at the half-mile oval. He leads the USAC/CRA division’s winningest driver, Damion Gardner, by just 19 points in the latest standings.
Gardner, who has more career wins (37) and laps led (872) than anyone else at “The PAS,” has a pair of podium finishes and a pair of fifths in five Perris starts this year. A title would be his fourth in a row and fifth total, matching Mike Spencer.
Garden Grove, California’s Brody Roa occupies the third spot in the standings, 26 points behind leader Vander Weerd as he continues to search for that elusive first Perris win, although he started this year with a pair of podium finishes there.
Jake Swanson, who has a second and a third at “The PAS” this year, is fourth in the points, 29 back. Five-time series king Spencer is fifth, 52 behind with five “top-10” finishes in his five Perris feature starts in 2016.
Ryan Bernal, Josh Hodges, Austin Williams, Vander Weerd and Danny Sheridan have all found victory lane at Perris this year. Top point contenders Roa, Gardner, Swanson or Spencer could extend that streak to six different winners in six races!
- administrator on Jul 26, 2016
- Article Date: 7/25/2016