The sixteenth season for the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will open this Friday and Saturday, March 8-9, at Peoria, Arizona’s Canyon Speedway Park.

Promoted by Doug Gabbard, the two-night “2nd Annual Spring Showcase” is co-sanctioned with the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars and will also feature the Arizona Differential Modifieds, Askrens Trucking / Flexi Flyer Sport Mods, Allscapes Sport Mods, and Micro Sprints. The Friday spectator gates will open at 5:00pm, time trials at 7:10pm, with racing scheduled to begin at 7:30pm. On Saturday, the front gates will open at 5:00pm, time trials at 6:40pm, and race is scheduled for 7:00pm. For more event and ticket information, visit www.canyonspeedwaypark.com or call 602.258.RACE (7223). In addition, there will be an Open Practice on Thursday, March 7th, at 7:00pm.

Canyon Speedway Park has hosted sixteen USAC/CRA Sprint Car events. Defending champion, “The Demon” Damion Gardner won last year’s event and Bryan Clauson leads the series with five triumphs. “The People’s Champion” Dave Darland set the 1-lap track record of 13.072 on November 15, 2014 and the Peoria win list is at the end of this release.  

When the checkered flags flew at Perris on November 10th, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, CA) clinched his sixth consecutive (seventh overall) AMSOIL USAC/CRA title. Racing Mark Alexander’s #4 Trench Shoring / Weld Racing Spike, Gardner posted five feature wins, six Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, one dash win, fourteen heat race victories, twenty top-10 finishes, and 155 feature laps led in 2018. “The Demon” won last year’s “Spring Showcase” and will be looking for his eighty-first series victory.

Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA) finished second in the USAC/CRA point standings. Driving the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Burris Racing Maxim, Roa had three feature wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, seven heat race victories, one semi-main win, three hard charger awards, twenty-one top-10 finishes, and 94 feature laps led to his credit. The second generation driver has six career series wins and will have his sights on adding the “Spring Showcase” win to his resume.

“The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, CA) placed third in the chase for the championship. Piloting Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics DRC, Williams had two feature wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one hard charger award, seventeen top-10 finishes, and 9 feature laps led in the campaign. With seven career series wins, Austin is the new driver of the Moose Racing #92 and will be looking to start his championship bid with a Peoria triumph.

“The Cadillac” Cody Williams (Corona, CA) ranked fourth in the championship point standings. Racing Jack Jory’s #44 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Williams posted three Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, four heat race victories, seventeen top-10 finishes, and 24 feature laps led on the year. The former Victorville Sprint Car Champion will run a limited schedule and may miss the action at Canyon Speedway Park. 

Jake Swanson (Anaheim, CA) placed fifth in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car point chase. Racing John Grau and Mike Burkhart’s #34AZ Western Premier Hauling / KSE Custom Drywall DRC, Swanson finished the year with one feature win, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, three heat race victories, three hard charger awards, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 43 feature laps led on the season. Jake has two career USAC/CRA wins in Arizona and will be looking to top the ‘Spring Showcase.” 

Last season, Joel Rayborne (West Covina, CA) earned Rookie of the Year honors and finished sixteenth in the point chase. Driving the Don Blair Racing #12B H&H Flat Heads / Okie Race Cars entry, Rayborne’s best finish was eleventh at Santa Maria on August 4th.  The young driver will have his sights on his first feature win at Canyon Speedway Park.

R.J. Johnson, Max Adams, Logan Williams, “Hollywood” Danny Faria Jr., Chris Gansen, “Thunder” Tommy Malcolm, Ryan Bernal, A.J. Bender, Matt McCarthy, Justin Grant, Chase Johnson, Austin Ervine, Logan Seavey, and Austin Liggett rounded out the top-20 in last year’s point standings.

Entering Friday’s event, C.J. Leary (Greenfield, IN) leads the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest point chase. Isaac Chapple, Brody Roa, Josh Hodges, Jake Swanson, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., Dennis Gile, Ryan Cully, and Michael Curtis round out the top-10 drivers.

Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Missouri’s Hunter Schuerenberg, Oklahoma’s Jason McDougal, and more.

Canyon Speedway Park is located at 9777 West Carefree Highway in Peoria, Arizona. To get to the track, take Lake Pleasant Parkway, then 1.3 miles west on Carefree Highway. For both nights, Adult Tickets are $25, Seniors (60 and over) and Military Tickets are $20, and Children (11 and under) are FREE.

The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks All Coast Construction, Circle Track Performance, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Five Star Grafix, Flowdynamics, Hoosier Tire, Pyrotect Racing Cells, Saldana Racing Products, surfNsprint.com, Ultra Shield Race Products, 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 lwjennings@earthlink.net.

For more information on USAC/CRA, visit the United States Auto Club (USAC) website at www.usacracing.com. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC/CRA Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.