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USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS 250th RACE AT
PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY IS THIS SATURDAY By Scott Daloisio
(Perris, CA, February 20,
2024) After a two-week delay due
to opening night getting flooded out on
February 10th, Perris Auto Speedway will
kick off its 28th season this Saturday
night, February 24th. Saturday’s program,
which will be headlined by the Avanti
Windows and Doors USAC/CRA 410 Sprint
Cars, will be a historic one at the track.
The race will be the 250th in series
history at The PAS and it will also be the
beginning of the 20th season for the
popular sprint car club. Joining the
powerful 410 sprint cars on the night of
racing and clean family fun will be the
GAS Chassis Young Gun Sprint Cars, PAS
Senior Sprints, and the PASSCAR Super and
Street Stocks.
The deluge of rain
two weeks ago left the infield of the
famous Riverside County half-mile clay
oval looking more like Lake Perris that
lurks just behind the tracks back
straightaway. The track crew diligently
pumped water out of the facility but could
not get enough out and the track dried
before the scheduled Night of Destruction
presented by LKQ Pick Your Part. In the
end, promoter Don Kazarian was forced to
cancel that program.
“We hated
having to cancel the season-opening Night
of Destruction,” Kazarian said. “We tried,
but with that much rain, there was nothing
we could do. With a few more inches of
water in the infield, we probably could
have raced boats. We finally got rid of
the water and things dried out. We had
cars on the track practicing the past two
days and we will be ready to go with the
sprint car, super stock and street stock
opener this week.”
While Kazarian
and everyone at the track affectionately
known as “The PAS” to its legion of fans
was sad the February 10th event had to be
canceled, they are very excited to be
hosting the USAC/CRA Series 20th season
opener. When the series was born in 2004,
the first race was held at the track with
Mike Kirby driving a Glenn Crossno car to
the win.
“We are pleased that the
series opener is back at The PAS,”
Kazarian stated. “We have been the home
track to the series since day one and this
will be the 250th USAC/CRA race at The
PAS. It is the beginning of what we
believe will be a very special year of
racing. USAC/CRA has always supplied great
racing and we expect that to continue this
season. Tony Jones has done a great job
securing a lot of extra money for the
teams to race for in 2024. The action
should be intense throughout the year.”
2024 will be a huge year for the series as
Jones, the 2007 USAC/CRA champion, has
labored hard to put more money in the
pockets of the race teams and has drummed
up nearly $60,000.00. That $60,000.00 is
in addition to the normal series race
purses! It will be handed out to the teams
throughout the year and the season-long
point fund. Working hard to ensure 410
non-wing racing grows on the West Coast,
Jones hopes the extra incentives will pull
more drivers and cars into the top
non-wing sprint car series west of the
Mississippi.
“With Avanti Windows
and Doors coming on board, plus Sexton
Fire Protection and Woodland and all of
the returning sponsors, we are going to
have close to $60,000.00 for the racers.
That is what excites me,” the fifth-year
series director said. “It is going to be
pretty much everything. Fast time awards,
contingencies, and we may do some special
awards for heat races. Avanti is putting
an extra $500.00 cash to the winner of
each main event. At the end of the year,
we have $20,000.00 from Avanti to put
towards the points. Plus the United States
Auto Club puts in $10,000.00. So right
there, you have $30,000.00 in point fund
money. Plus whatever is left (from fast
times, heat races, etc) will be put
towards the point fund.”
A lot goes
into overseeing a series and Jones is very
cognizant of what it takes to get cars
onto the track and keep them coming back.
Having been there and done that, he takes
into account not only the teams but the
tracks and fans as well.
“This was
all new to me, being on this end of it,”
the 2000 Oval Nationals champion stated.
“Seeing what all it takes to put a 30-race
schedule together, it is pretty tough.
Especially when you have the Central
Valley with four or five tracks within two
hours of each other. It is hard to
schedule races there. We try to go to
Arizona. Hopefully, we will open up some
doors over there this year with how we are
expanding and getting stronger. We are
thankful for our home track, Perris Auto
Speedway. They gave us 10 races this year
and we are getting a few others here and
there. I would love to have more. Next
year is going to be a little bit different
with gas prices and stuff. Maybe we can
travel a little more up north and maybe
put a sprint week together again.”
“You figure every time these teams
fill their toter homes up, you are looking
at $300.00 or $400.00,” Jones went on.
“That is why I try to keep these guys
close. I do not have a racetrack beyond
four hours from where we are based at. I
am really conscious about that. It is hard
for them to travel. We go over to Yuma; we
are looking at three or four hours. Go
north to Santa Maria, three or four hours.
Without sponsors and help, it is tough for
these guys to get up and down the road
sometimes.”
The first race of the
2024 campaign will take the green flag at
7:00 p.m. Spectator gates will open two
hours earlier at 5:00. Adult tickets for
the night of exciting dirt track racing
action and clean family fun are $30.00.
Seniors 65 and over get in for $25.00. For
kids 6-12 it is only $5.00, and children 5
and under are admitted free. Advance
tickets are available online at
https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7.
They can also be ordered by phone at
1-800-595-4849. For fans who do not wish
to purchase tickets in advance, we will
have plenty available at the ticket window
on Saturday.
The fairgrounds charge
$10.00 for parking.
Perris Auto
Speedway is conveniently located on the
Lake Perris Fairgrounds at 18700 Lake
Perris Boulevard in the City of Perris
(92571). Take the 215 freeway. Exit at the
Ramona Expressway and go three miles east
to the fairgrounds.
2024 Perris Auto
Speedway Schedule February 24th AVANTI
USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR SPRINTS,
GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES AND PASSCAR
SUPER AND STREET STOCKS
March 9th
LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF
DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S,
TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE
DECKERS
March 16th AVANTI USAC/CRA
SPRINT CARS PAS SENIOR SPRINTS, GAS
CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES AND PASSCAR
STREET AND FACTORY STOCK CARS
April 6th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents
NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE
8'S, TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND
DOUBLE DECKERS
April 27th AVANTI
USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR SPRINTS,
GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES AND PASSCAR
SUPER AND FACTORY STOCKS
May 4th
LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF
DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S,
TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE
DECKERS
May 25th "SALUTE TO INDY"
AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR
SPRINTS, GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES AND
PASSCAR SUPER AND STREET STOCKS
June 1st LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT
OF DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S,
TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE
DECKERS
June 22nd AVANTI
USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR SPRINTS,
GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES AND PASSCAR
STREET AND FACTORY STOCKS
July 4th
“FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR AND SKY CONCERT”
(TENTATIVE) LKQ Pick Your Part Presents
NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE
8'S, TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND
DOUBLE DECKERS
July 13th AVANTI
USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints,
GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUNS SERIES, AND PASSCAR
SUPER AND FACTORY STOCKS
August
10th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF
DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S,
TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE
DECKERS
August 17th CALIFORNIA
RACER’S HALL OF FAME NIGHT, AVANTI
USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints,
GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUNS SERIES AND PASSCAR
SUPER AND STREET STOCKS
September
7th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF
DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S,
TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE
DECKERS
September 21st AVANTI
USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints,
GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUNS SERIES AND PASSCAR
SUPER AND FACTORY STOCKS
October
26th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF
DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S,
TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE
DECKERS
November 8th 27TH RUNNING
OF THE OVAL NATIONALS Featuring AVANTI
USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR SPRINTS,
GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES AND PASSCAR
SUPER, STREET AND FACTORY STOCKS
November 9th 27TH RUNNING OF THE OVAL
NATIONALS Featuring AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT
CARS, PAS SENIOR SPRINTS, GAS CHASSIS
YOUNG GUN SERIES – JERRY DODD CHAMPIONS
NIGHT, PASSCAR SUPER, STREET AND FACTORY
STOCKS
THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO
CHANGE.
Perris Auto Speedway is
conveniently located on the Lake Perris
Fairgrounds (home of the Southern
California Fair), one hour east of Los
Angeles and one hour North of San Diego.
To get to the track, take the 215 freeway,
exit on the Ramona Expressway, and go
three miles east to the fairgrounds. For
directions online, the address to enter
is: 18700 Lake Perris Drive and the zip
code is 92571.
USAC/CRA races from
Perris Auto Speedway are not streamed
online.
Fans can stay up to date on
track and driver news on The PAS social
media efforts at the links below.
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perris-Auto-Speedway/113876798686480?ref=hl
Twitter: Perris Auto Speedway on
Twitter Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/perrisautospeedway/
Website:
http://perrisautospeedway.com/
Perris Auto Speedway wants to thank the
following corporate partners. Ahern
Equipment Rentals, Anderson Chevrolet,
Battery Systems, Bud’s Tire, Tire Choice
Auto Service, Chris’ Hauling, City of
Perris, Communication Innovations, Daytona
Boat & RV Storage, Ed Moore Bullet Proof
Driveshaft, Flowdynamics, GAS Chassis, HD
Industries, Heimark/Anheuser Busch,
Hoosier Tires, Inland Rigging, Living
Water’s Hospice, LKQ Pick Your Part,
Luke’s Transmission, Moose Racing,
Pepsi-Cola, Performance Online, Pole
Position Raceway, PrintItNow.com, Rainbow
Bolt & Supply, Rene’s Bar & Grill, Rugged
Radios, Shaver Specialties, Square H,
Sunoco Race Fuels, Trench Shoring, Upland
Rock, Varner Construction and Vista Paint.
For information on 2024 billboard
advertising at The PAS, please call
951-940-0134 and ask for Charlie Watson.
DVDs of all the PASSCAR/IMCA racing
and Nights of Destruction at The PAS are
available from Fourvideos. For more
information call (714) 225-9500. |
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