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PERRIS HOSTS
BUBBY JONES/RAY SCHEETZ MEMORIAL THIS
SATURDAY
By Scott Daloisio
(Perris, CA, June 20, 2022)
Perris Auto Speedway will pay homage to a
pair of legends who were very instrumental
in the design and building of the famous
Riverside County half-mile clay Oval when
it hosts the inaugural Bubby Jones/Ray
Scheetz Memorial this Saturday night, June
25. Saturday’s exciting racing program
will feature the Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint
Cars, IMCA Modifieds, and The PAS Senior
and Young Gun Sprints. Spectator gates
will open at 5:00 p.m. with racing at
7:00.
Bubby Jones and crew chief Ray Scheetz
after winning the May 24th. 1980 100-lap
Salute to Indy at Ascot. Starting with
the second person from left. Ken Kazarian,
Dan Kazarian, Ben Kazarian, Ascot's
J.C. Agajanian on the mic., trophy girl,
Bubby Jones, Ray Scheetz, and current
Perris Auto Speedway promoter Don
Kazarian. Scott Daloisio photo.
Saturday’s race will honor Bubby Jones,
who passed away on January 18, 2020, and
Ray Scheetz, who passed on October 8,
2013. A member of the National Sprint Car
Hall of Fame, Jones moved to California to
drive the Kazarian family sprint car in
the original CRA series in 1980. He was
teamed up with crew chief Scheetz. The duo
immediately bonded and the team quickly
became one of the most recognized and
successful sprint car operations in the
nation. Together they won the CRA
championship in 1983 and 1984 and they won
64 main events from 1980 through 1985.
In addition to Jones driving the
Kazarian’s car and Scheetz being the crew
chief on it, they also held down jobs in
the Kazarian’s family business. In 1996
they became instrumental in the design and
building of Perris Auto Speedway. When
construction of the track was completed in
March of that year, they stayed on and
worked years at the track and helped turn
it into one of today’s most popular and
well-run dirt tracks in the world.
“It is only appropriate that we honor
Bubby Jones and Ray Scheetz on the same
night,” promoter Don Kazarian said. “The
first thing people think about when they
see photos of the Gas Chem Sprint Car is
Bubby Jones. And when they think of Bubby
the next thing that crosses their minds is
Ray Scheetz. They were a dynamic team that
worked so well together at the racetrack.
They won two championships together and
over 60 main events. They also worked at
our family business. When Perris Auto
Speedway opened, they were here from day
one helping design, and build the track.
When the construction was done, they took
positions here as well. They worked just
as hard at this racetrack as they did at
winning races. We certainly miss them
every single day.”
Before venturing
to settle in the west, Jones was one of
the “Original Outlaws” and raced around
the country searching for the highest
paying sprint car races. He won from coast
to coast and everywhere in between. While
he was well known in the sprint car ranks,
he could also get the job done in the dirt
champ cars (now known as silver crown) and
midgets. In 1976, he won the nation’s two
most prestigious midget races, the “Hut
Hundred” at Terre Haute and the “Turkey
Night Grand Prix” at Ascot.
As
well as his prowess in sprint cars, dirt
champ cars, and midgets, Jones raced in
the 1977 Indianapolis 500. It took a
last-second effort on bump day to break
into the field, but he did so in a car
owned by Texan Bobby Hillin with a speed
of 184.938 mph. That put him 33rd on the
starting grid with the slowest qualifying
speed to make the race. However, once the
race began, “Ol’ Bub” began flying towards
the front. He made it all the way from
33rd up to ninth before his engine expired
on the 78th lap.
In addition to
working with Jones, Scheetz was well known
as a top mechanic and crew chief in all
forms of open-wheel racing. At the
conclusion of World War II, his dad began
preparing a track roadster for competition
and young Ray began wrenching it. His work
eventually caught the attention of John
Pouelsen. In 1963 Pouelsen brought Scheetz
to Indianapolis to be part of the
Agajanian #98 crew that won the race with
Parnelli Jones at the wheel. From 1964
through 1966, he worked on the Bowes-Seal
Fast car driven by A.J. Foyt on the USAC
Champ Car circuit.
Scheetz
returned to Southern California in 1968
and began a sterling career wrenching west
coast cars. In addition to working on the
Kazarian’s car, he worked on the famous
Tamale Wagon and several other well-known
cars amassing 155 wins and 10 series
championships. In addition to Jones, he
helped mold the careers of such stars as
Ron Shuman, Billy Wilkerson, Rick Goudy,
Nick Valenta, Howard Gardner, Bob Hogle,
Colby Scroggins, Chuck Hulse, Ray Douglas,
and others.
Adult tickets for
Saturday’s Bubby Jones/Ray Scheetz
Memorial are $30.00. Seniors 65 and over
get in for $25.00. Kids 6-12 are $5.00 and
children 5 and under are free. The
fairgrounds charges $10.00 for parking.
Perris Auto Speedway is located on the
freeway close Lake Perris Fairgrounds at
18700 Lake Perris Drive in The City of
Perris (92571). Take the 215 Freeway, exit
at the Ramona Expressway, and go three
miles east to the fairgrounds. The track
website is
http://www.perrisautospeedway.com/. The
office phone number is (951) 940-0134.
Advance tickets for all Perris Auto
Speedway events, including this Saturday,
are on sale now. Fans can order the
tickets online at
https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7 or
by calling 1-800-595-4849. For fans who do
not wish to purchase tickets in advance,
there will be plenty of tickets available
for everyone at the gate each race night.
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, 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 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.
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.
Perris Auto
Speedway 2022 Schedule
June 25th
“BUBBY JONES / RAY SCHEETZ MEMORIAL”
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS
SENIOR/YOUNG GUNS SPRINT CARS AND IMCA
MODIFIEDS. PLUS “POWER OF PURPLE NIGHT”
BENEFITING THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
RELAY FOR LIFE RIVERSIDE COUNTY EAST
July 2nd FIREWORKS SPECTACULAR LKQ
Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF
DESTRUCTION V - DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S,
TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE
DECKERS. PLUS “POWER OF PURPLE NIGHT”
BENEFITING THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
RELAY FOR LIFE RIVERSIDE COUNTY EAST
August 13th LKQ Pick Your Part
Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION VI DEMO
CROSS, FIGURE 8'S, TRAILER FIGURE 8'S,
MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
August 20th “CALIFORNIA RACERS HALL OF
FAME NIGHT" AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS,
PAS SENIOR/YOUNG GUNS SPRINT CARS AND IMCA
MODIFIEDS AND WRA VINTAGE CARS ON DISPLAY.
PLUS “POWER OF PURPLE NIGHT” BENEFITING
THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RELAY FOR LIFE
RIVERSIDE COUNTY EAST
August 27th
PASSCAR SERIES - SUPER STOCKS, STREET
STOCKS/IMCA STOCK CARS, AMERICAN FACTORY
STOCKS AND IMCA SPORT COMPACTS
September 3rd LKQ Pick Your Part Presents
NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION VII DEMO CROSS,
FIGURE 8'S, TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI
STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
September
10th PASSCAR SERIES - SUPER STOCKS, STREET
STOCKS/IMCA STOCK CARS, AMERICAN FACTORY
STOCKS AND IMCA SPORT COMPACTS. (Note; No
IMCA Points will be awarded for this event
due to the IMCA Super Nationals running on
this weekend. PASSCAR points will be
awarded for this event).
September
17th "GLENN HOWARD CLASSIC" AMSOIL
USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR/YOUNG
GUNS SPRINT CARS, IMCA MODIFIEDS AND Lucas
Oil POWRi SOUTHWEST LIGHTNING SPRINT CARS.
PLUS “POWER OF PURPLE NIGHT” BENEFITING
THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY RELAY FOR LIFE
RIVERSIDE COUNTY EAST
September
24th PASSCAR SERIES - SUPER STOCKS, STREET
STOCKS/IMCA STOCK CARS, AMERICAN FACTORY
STOCKS AND IMCA SPORT COMPACTS
October 1st AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS,
PAS SENIOR/YOUNG GUNS SPRINT CARS AND IMCA
MODIFIEDS
October 15th LKQ Pick
Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION
VIII DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8'S, TRAILER
FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
October 22nd PASSCAR “CHAMPION’S
NIGHT” SUPER STOCKS, STREET STOCKS/IMCA
STOCK CARS, AMERICAN FACTORY STOCKS, PAS
MODIFIEDS AND PAS SPORT COMPACTS
November 2nd 26TH ANNUAL HEIMARK/ANHEUSER
BUSCH BUDWEISER OVAL NATIONALS - Practice
Night
November 3rd 26TH ANNUAL
HEIMARK/ANHEUSER BUSCH BUDWEISER OVAL
NATIONALS - AMSOIL USAC NATIONAL AND
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS
November 4th 26TH Annual HEIMARK/ANHEUSER
BUSCH BUDWEISER Oval NATIONALS - AMSOIL
USAC NATIONAL AND AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT
CARS
November 5th 26TH Annual
HEIMARK/ANHEUSER BUSCH BUDWEISEROVAL
NATIONALS - AMSOIL USAC NATIONAL AND
AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS
November 12th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents
NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION IX DEMO CROSS, FIGURE
8'S, TRAILER FIGURE 8'S, MINI STOCKS AND
DOUBLE DECKERS
THIS SCHEDULE IS
SUBJECT TO CHANGE. |
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