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DAMION
GARDNER BRINGS OVER 100 MAIN EVENT WINS
INTO SATURDAY’S USAC/CRA RACE AT PERRIS
AUTO SPEEDWAY By Scott Daloisio
(Perris, CA, October 21, 2021) On
the West Coast, the original California
Racing Association (CRA) started in 1946.
In the 1990s, it morphed into the Sprint
Car Racing Association (SCRA) before the
USAC/CRA Series took over the torch in
2004. This year marks the 75th anniversary
season of the three separate sanctioning
bodies that are in reality, all the same
one. In all those seasons, thousands of
drivers suited up and raced in the
sanctioned events and nearly 400 of them
have won main events. However, only three
drivers have won over 100 main events in
the combined groups. Two of the three,
Dean Thompson and Rip Williams, are in the
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. The
other is current superstar Damion Gardner
who will be in action in Saturday’s Amsoil
USAC/CRA race at Perris Auto Speedway.
Photo courtesy of Kenny Lonngren.
For years, Thompson has been credited with
105 wins, but some people insist he had
more. Williams has a listed total of 104
wins leaving him one victory shy of
Thompson. However, some people claim he
won more! Likewise, Gardner’s victory
numbers have a question as well. For some
– like this writer – the total found is
101. But others claim it is 102. Two
things are for sure though. One is that
Gardner, who is the current point leader,
has won eight of the first 17 USAC/CRA
championships. That is more titles than
anyone else in the combined three series.
And in as little as three weeks’ time,
that total could climb to nine. In
addition, within a year from now, whether
he currently has 101 or 102 wins, he will
more than likely have more victories than
both Williams and Thompson.
The
journey to get to the current victory
total for the Concord, California racer
did not exactly start under ideal
conditions. It was the SCRA season opening
afternoon race at Perris Auto Speedway in
February of 2002. To put it bluntly,
Gardner did not even want to be there. It
was a long drive from his home, and it was
going to stretch his racing budget, but
friend Kevin Urton would not hear of it
and insisted they head south. An afternoon
race on a dirt track can almost certainly
tell you something you may not want to
hear. Dry, slick and nothing like
nighttime racing. However, it was a day
that changed Gardner’s life. It is a day
that will someday see his career culminate
with his election into the National Sprint
Car Hall of Fame.
“I knew from that
day that this (non-wing) racing is where I
wanted to be,” Gardner, the now former
wing racer said via phone on Wednesday
night. “Since then I have only raced
winged cars a couple times. That was two
years at Ohio Sprint Week.”
After
his initial foray at Perris, the driver
who goes by the moniker of “The Demon,”
wowed crowds with his fearless racing
style. While some fans and a lot of
drivers were not very happy with him and
his aggressive approach, a lot of fans
made the daring driver their hero. For his
supporters, it did not take long for their
new-found favorite to adapt to his new
discipline. A little more than two months
into his first topless season, he
out-qualified the field for the first time
at Perris on April 27th, and on June 8th,
he scored his first non-wing main event
win. On that day, nobody gave it a thought
that he would end up having a chance of
being the all-time leading winner.
“I was thinking about winning a lot,” the
now eight-time champion said. “I wanted to
(win) and I was trying to figure out how
to do that. But I was not thinking about
numbers. Later I would formulate and think
about how many races in a season it would
take to be considered good. Not in a
career, but in a year. I had that figured
out, but it did not have anything to do
with records or 100 wins. None of that.”
As time rolled on and the wins
kept on coming, Gardner, who started in
his own ride before getting seats in
prestigious cars owned by Harlan Willis,
Ron Chaffin, and Mark Alexander, started
to realize he was getting into rarified
victory air. He also got to know some of
the greats in the sport and they made a
big impression on him. That makes his
staggering victory total even a little
more special and important.
“It is
important that the guys whose records I am
breaking or whatever, they (the guys) mean
a lot to me,” the slender racer said. “I
am not considering myself better or
anything like that. To be in the same
statistical conversation with those guys
kind of blows me away. I was learning
about these guys as I was racing
(wingless). Guys like Bubby Jones and Ron
Shuman. I was learning about them then
because I did not grow up doing this. They
kind of became my friends and they taught
me things. They were guys I could call for
advice. At the point where I started to
realize how great they were, this started
feeling pretty good. It wasn’t until a
couple of years ago when I tied Ron Shuman
for the number of championships that these
numerical things started to come up more
often. It has been a lot of hard work and
guys have given me a lot to accomplish
this. I have a lot of people to thank
along the way. I do not say much (about
the records), but it kind of makes me
smile and it feels good inside. It is kind
of amazing and kind of makes me shake my
head. I can’t believe it.”
Not
only has Gardner won races and
championships on the West Coast, but he
spent several years winning and contending
for the championship in the USAC National
Sprint Car Series in the Midwest. When all
is said and done, one day he is going to
be elected into the National Sprint Car
Hall of Fame. The thought is kind of
humbling to the driver who at times can
seem rather brash.
“I have only
thought about it (being elected into the
Hall of Fame) a little bit lately because
people bring it up to me,” he stated.
“These things are not something I ever
thought about doing or achieving. It is
pretty amazing that I have been able to
win this many races and this many
championships. I was fortunate. I got to
do it the way I wanted to do it with
sponsors and people helping me.”
After his time racing his own equipment in
the Midwest ended, he returned to the West
Coast. At that time, Gardner really did
not have anything going on. But he ended
up teaming with successful car owner Mark
Alexander. Simply put by the sheer numbers
of wins and championships, they are the
number one traditional sprint car
driver/owner combo in West Coast history.
When you meet Gardner and Alexander, it
seems like an “Odd Couple” relationship.
Gardner is a very intense competitor and
Alexander is as laid back as you can be.
He does not say a lot and is usually in
the background. While they are polar
opposites, their prowess together means
that not only will Gardner be in the
National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, but
Alexander will be there with him. It would
be a big thrill for Gardner to be there
together.
“I had won a lot of races
with the 50 car (owned by Ron Chaffin and
tuned by crew chief Bruce Bromme Jr.) when
I left (for the Midwest) and I have been
able to win a lot of races since I came
back in the 4 car,” he affirmed. “It means
a lot to me to team with Mark and Steve
(crew chief Steve Alexander) for a lot of
wins. I think the 4 car passed the 50 car
for all-time wins out here. That is pretty
cool that I was able to team with these
guys and we could do that together. Mark
is funny. He is kind of quiet and he does
not say much. He kind of smirks and looks
at you in a way that you know he is pretty
happy about it.”
Whether it is 101
or 102 wins, the question had to be asked,
which victory was the biggest?
“Oh
wow,” “The Demon” said while taking a
moment to think about it. “For me, there
are these small victories where I overcome
some thing in the night. You know, as far
as adversity. Maybe I did not have a car
good enough to win or I thought it was
going to be a struggle and I won. But I
think my biggest wins have to be my Oval
Nationals wins. I mean, that is 410 sprint
car racing and the guy’s names on that
list (the other Ovals winners) are big.
That is the pinnacle. That is the “Grand
Daddy” and that is what you want to win.
And it (winning the Ovals) meant a lot to
the guys that have sponsored me. You know,
Pace and Pat Kehoe. Ken at Scott Sales.
And for Mark and those guys (the #4 car)
because they had not won (the Ovals) until
I got with them. Those wins all meant the
same to all of us. It is the biggest race
to win. To win that one is probably the
best.”
In two weeks’ time, Gardner
will be trying to make history as the
first driver to win the Oval Nationals
four times. But, before that, he will be
trying to win another race when the
USAC/CRA Series returns to Perris Auto
Speedway this Saturday night. It may be
win #102 or maybe it will be win #103. Who
knows? To some, victory numbers may not
mean much. To Damion Gardner, every single
win means a lot.
Adult tickets are
$30.00. For seniors 65 and over it is
$25.00. Kids 6-12 get in for just $5.00
and children five and under are free.
There will be plenty of tickets available
at the ticket window on Saturday. We will
not sellout. For fans who wish, advance
tickets are available at www.tix.com
The Fairgrounds charges $10.00 for
parking.
Camping at the
fairgrounds on the grassy area outside of
turn four will begin at noon on Friday.
The cost is $25.00 per night.
Perris Auto Speedway is conveniently
located on the SoCal Fair and Event Center
(home of October’s Southern California
Fair), approximately one-hour east of Los
Angeles and one-hour North of San Diego.
To get to the track, take the 215 freeway,
on the Ramona Expressway and go three
miles east to the fairgrounds. For
directions on online, the address to enter
is: 18700 Lake Perris Drive and the zip
code is 92571.
Advance tickets for
all other races on the 2021 schedule are
also available at www.tix.com
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, All Coast Construction,
Anderson Chevrolet, Battery Systems, Bud’s
Tire Pro, Chris’ Hauling, City of Perris,
Communication Innovations, Daytona Boat &
RV Storage, Ed Moore Bullet Proof
Driveshaft, Flowdynamics, 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, PrintItNow.com,
Rainbow Bolt & Supply, Rugged Radios,
Shaver Specialties, Square H, Sunoco Race
Fuels, Trench Shoring, Upland Rock, Varner
Construction and Vista Paint.
Video
and DVD productions of all racing sprint
cars events at Perris Auto Speedway are
available from Loudpedal Productions. For
more information on these productions you
can contact them by calling (805)
844-3854, E-mailing
mailto:trtruex@gmail.com or you can visit
the website LoudPedal Productions.
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.
mailto:perrisautospeedway1@gmail.com is
the only authorized Internet address to
issue official media news released from
The Perris Auto Speedway or Oval
Entertainment.
2021 EVENT SCHEDULE
October 23rd - AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT
CARS, PAS Senior Sprints
October
30th - LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT
OF DESTRUCTION VII - Demo Cross, Figure
8's, Trailer Figure 8's, Mini Stocks and
Double Deckers
November 3rd - 25TH
ANNUAL HEIMARK/ANHEUSER BUSCH OVAL
NATIONALS Presented by ALL COAST
CONSTRUCTION - Practice Night
November 4th - 25TH ANNUAL
HEIMARK/ANHEUSER BUSCH ANNUAL OVAL
NATIONALS Presented by ALL COAST
CONSTRUCTION AMSOIL USAC National and
USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
November 5th
- 25TH ANNUAL HEIMARK/ANHEUSER BUSCH OVAL
NATIONALS Presented by ALL COAST
CONSTRUCTION AMSOIL USAC National and
USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
November 6th -
25TH ANNUAL HEIMARK/ANHEUSER BUSCH OVAL
NATIONALS Presented by ALL COAST
CONSTRUCTION AMSOIL USAC National and
USAC/CRA Sprint Cars
November 13th
- PASSCAR “CHAMPION’S NIGHT” - Super
Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory
Stocks, IMCA Modifieds
November
20th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF
DESTRUCTION V – Demo Cross, Figure 8's,
Trailer Figure 8's, Mini Stocks and Double
Deckers
NOTE: SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT
TO CHANGE DUE COVID 19 LEVELS AND
MODIFICATIONS REQUIRED REOPENING. |
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