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10/4/21 7:24 PM DAMION GARDNER WINS $4,000 “HALL OF FAME CLASSIC” AT SAN TAN VALLEY

http://usacracing.com/news/sprint-ca...san-tan-valley



DAMION GARDNER WINS $4,000 “HALL OF FAME CLASSIC” AT SAN TAN VALLEY

SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ – OCTOBER 2, 2021… Leading the last 17 laps, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, CA) claimed the $4,000 “Hall of Fame Classic” triumph at Arizona Speedway. Driving Mark Alexander’s #1 PerformanceOnline.com / Carman Trucking Spike, Gardner earned his fifth AMSOIL Sprint Car win of the season ahead of “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams, “The Pride of Garden Grove” Brody Roa, “Thunder” Tommy Malcolm, and fast qualifier “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr.*

Gardner began his night at the San Tan Valley oval by qualifying fourth overall out of the eighteen car roster. In dramatic fashion, “The Demon” won the night’s 10-lap Huntington Beach Glass and Mirror / Component Repair Company Second Heat race over Chris Gansen with last corner pass. Starting fourth in the main event, Gardner quickly moved to second and set after early leader Chase Johnson. Johnson was running strong, but crashed after a lap 13 restart due to a mechanical issue. From there, the eight-time champion sailed to his 88th career series win and holds a 62-point lead heading to Perris Auto Speedway on October 23rd. The non-winged 410 sprints will return to Arizona Speedway on November 12th and 13th for the “Western World Championships.

“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, AZ) took top honors in Woodland Auto Display Qualifying by posting a time of 15.205. Racing his #47 MP Environmental Service / Black Magic Bead Breaker RSS, the September 25th “Glenn Howard Classic” winner ran fourth in his heat race and scored fifth in the “Hall of Fame Classic.” The multi-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion ranks seventh in the USAC/CRA point chase.

“Thunder” Tommy Malcolm (Corona, CA) drove to victory in the 10-lap Flowdynamics Incorporated / All Coast Construction First Heat Race. Piloting Dino Napier’s #5X Indiana Truck Salvage / B&B Powder Coating Maxim, Malcolm was ninth quick in time trials and finished fourth in the main event. The young driver left Arizona Speedway ranked sixth in championship points.

Chris Bonneau (Phoenix, AZ) earned the night’s In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner Hard Charger Award with a sixth place run from thirteenth. Driving his #15 Priced Right Auto Sales / Competition Suspension Incorporated Triple X, Bonneau qualified thirteenth overall and ran seventh in his heat race. In limited starts, Chris is now tied with Kaleb Montgomery for thirty-ninth in the point standings.*

By virtue of his thirteenth place finish, Chase Johnson (Penngrove, CA) earned the Wilwood Disc Brakes Lucky 13 Award. Driving Jack Yeley’s #2 Avanti / Apache Scapes entry, Johnson qualified sixth overall and led the first thirteen laps of the main event before a crash ended his night. Johnson left the Arizona Speedway ranked seventeenth in the chase for the championship.

The USAC/CRA Sprint Cars will take a break before returning to action at Perris Auto Speedway (Perris, CA) on October 23rd.*

The AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series thanks All Coast Construction, BillsJerky.com, Component Repair Company, Factory Wraps, Flowdynamics, The Gardner Family (In Memory of Jim & Chet Gardner), Hoosier Racing Tires, Huntington Beach Glass and Mirror, Woodland Auto Display, Competition Suspension Incorporated, Extreme Mufflers, Loudpedal Productions, Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Sway-A-Way Torsion Bars, surfnsprint.com, Ultra Shield Race Products, 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.

FloRacing.com has live, flag-to-flag coverage of the AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series. You can catch the action by subscribing to FloRacing on a monthly or yearly basis to view their huge catalog of live and on-demand auto racing and sporting events.

AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: October 2 – Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, Arizona – “Hall of Fame Classic”

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-15.205; 2. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-15.213; 3. Austin Williams, 92, Sertich-15.252; 4. Damion Gardner, 1, Alexander-15.367; 5. Cody Williams, 44, Williams-15.401; 6. Chase Johnson, 2, Yeley-15.478; 7. R.J. Johnson, 51, Martin-15.505; 8. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-15.538; 9. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-15.540; 10. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-15.549; 11. Stevie Sussex, 12, Allen-15.629; 12. Randy Nelson, 9X, Nelson-15.681; 13. Chris Bonneau, 15, Bonneau-15.994; 14. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-15.999; 15. Logan Calderwood, 6, Calderwood-16.202; 16. Daylin Perreira, 21P, Perreira-16.397; 17. Jake Helsel, 44H, Helsel-16.588; 18. Troy DeGaton, 39T, DeGaton-NT.

FLOWDYNAMICS / ALL COAST CONSTRUCTION FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Malcolm, 2. C.Williams, 3. Sussex, 4. Davis, 5. R.J.Johnson, 6. A.Williams, 7. Bonneau, 8. Calderwood, 9. Helsel. NT.

HUNTINGTON BEACH GLASS & MIRROR / COMPONENT REPAIR COMPANY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Gardner, 2. Gansen, 3. Tafoya, 4. C.Johnson, 5. Roa, 6. Nelson, 7. Sweeney, 8. Perreira. NT.

FEATURE: (30 laps, with starting positions) 1. Damion Gardner (4), 2. Austin Williams (7), 3. Brody Roa (9), 4. Tommy Malcolm (1), 5. Charles Davis Jr. (6), 6. Chris Bonneau (13), 7. Stevie Sussex (11), 8. R.J. Johnson (8), 9. Chris Gansen (10), 10. Verne Sweeney (14), 11. Jake Helsel (17), 12. Randy Nelson (12), 13. Chase Johnson (2), 14. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (5), 15. Logan Calderwood (15), 16. Cody Williams (3). NT

----------------------------*

**C.Williams flipped on lap 7 of the feature. Daylin Perreira did not start.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1- 13 C.Johnson, Laps 14-30 Gardner

IN MEMORY OF JIM & CHET GARDNER HARD CHARGER: Chris Bonneau (13th to 6th)

WILWOOD DISC BRAKES LUCKY 13 AWARD: Chase Johnson

BILLSJERKY.COM HARD LUCK: Cody Williams

NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Damion Gardner-1089. 2-Brody Roa-1027, 3-Austin Williams-931, 4-Chris Gansen-840, 5-Cody Williams-778, 6-Tommy Malcolm-766, 7-Charles Davis Jr.-665, 8-Verne Sweeney-539, 9-Eddie Tafoya Jr.-517, 10-Matt McCarthy-509.

NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE: October 23 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California

[Last Lap]

I tried watching that on Flo Sat night. I turned it off what a bore. So much down time I know they had PA problems.

[Daisy's dad]

I was there. Qualifying started almost an hour later than what was advertised. 45 minute "intermission" between the end of the heats and the start of the limited sprint feature, followed by another almost 40 minute delay before the CRA feature fired off. Plus the sound system wasn't working in sections A, B, C and D for the majority of the evening.

[jonboat15]

Originally Posted by Last Lap I tried watching that on Flo Sat night. I turned it off what a bore. So much down time I know they had PA problems.

Its a shame you had to go through all those delays, that can definitely be a turn off for new and old fans alike. I watched the feature replay on flo and it seemed like an okay race. I wish the leader hadn't broke, but that's racing. Is this typical of how tracks operate out west or just this track in particular? Thinking of making a western swing sometime next year.

Sorry this post was meant for Daisys dad

[Daisy's dad]

Originally Posted by jonboat15 Its a shame you had to go through all those delays, that can definitely be a turn off for new and old fans alike. I watched the feature replay on flo and it seemed like an okay race. I wish the leader hadn't broke, but that's racing. Is this typical of how tracks operate out west or just this track in particular? Thinking of making a western swing sometime next year. Sorry this post was meant for Daisys dad

Jonboat, Arizona Speedway will be closing for good at the end of November, due to the encroachment of new housing developments nearby. I have attended many races there over the years, as I only live 15 minutes away. The highlights have always been the Western World in November, which wraps up the USAC National points season, and a multi-day late model show in early January that draws all of the big names from across the country. Having said that, this track has always tended to draw out their program, so I have always restricted my attendance there to the above noted programs, as well as the one or two times that the USAC/CRA 410s come in from CA. I no longer have any interest in sitting at a track until 11:30 or midnight, so after last Saturday (with 16 410s and 18 or 19 limited 360s taking that long to run), I'm back sitting on the fence as to whether I will go to the Western World 2-day National sprint and midget program, when I can watch it at home on Floracing.

To answer your question, like any other region in the country, there are tracks that manage their program well, and others that don't. With Arizona Speedway shutting down, I think there will be slim pickings for 2022 for 410 sprint racing in this area. Canyon Raceway in Peoria used to have CRA out there a couple of times a year. Now they only do multiple street stock/door banger etc. classes. The track in Casa Grande only runs the regional limited sprint class a few times a year. Cocopah Speedway in Yuma used to have a big winter multi-day 410 sprint show in January, plus a 2-day CRA race later on in the year, but nothing along those lines for the past few years.

[jonboat15]

I can hardly stomach the thought of another track closing due to development but that's the way things are rolling. Sorry to hear about your home track closing. I hope you can find other alternatives in the future. Flo is convenient but we all like to be at a track when we can.

[Charles Nungester]

Actually the track announced it was closing back in June for the rest of this year but was given a variance to continue to the end of this year.

All we can do is thank them for running and support it if we can. Total can of bunk if you ask me. But whoever throws the most $$$ apparently wins these days.