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TRADITIONS RETURN TO PERRIS AUTO
SPEEDWAY AT THIS SATURDAY’S USAC/CRA
SPRINT CAR RACE By Scott Daloisio
(Perris, CA, July 12, 2021)
When the popular USAC/CRA Sprint Cars and
PAS Senior Sprint Cars return to Perris
Auto Speedway this Saturday night, July
17th, fans will not only be greeted by the
best in short track racing, but by one old
and one relatively new tradition that will
return to the track located on the Lake
Perris Fairgrounds. Camping will return to
the grassy area outside of turn four and
there will be an on-track autograph and
photo session where drivers will be
passing out free candy to children in
attendance. Spectator gates for the night
of racing and clean family fun will open
at 5:00 p.m. with racing at 7:00.
The candy giveaway started at the track on
Halloween four or five years ago and it
proved to be an immediate success. It was
made a regular part of the PASSCAR Stock
Car and IMCA Modified events at
intermissions and LKQ Pick Your Part Night
of Destructions in 2018. In 2019, promoter
Don Kazarian then introduced the candy
giveaway at the USAC/CRA Sprint Car
programs. Needless to say it was a hit
with the open wheel fans as well.
“When we were allowed to reopen in April,
we still did not have the giveaways due to
social distancing,” Kazarian said. “One
thing we have noticed since reopening is
the age of the fans in the grandstands. In
particular our sprint car crowd. A lot
more younger adults are coming to the
races and many of them are bringing
children. With all the young faces in the
stands it is important that they get to
meet their heroes. Hopefully meeting them
will make them fans for life. I think it
is incredibly special that a kid can walk
up to a driver, get an autograph, take a
photo, get a piece of candy, shake hands
with the driver and then 10 minutes later
watch him race in a main event. The value
of that interaction is priceless for our
sport.”
“It goes both ways,”
Kazarian continued. “The drivers enjoy
meeting the fans, especially the children,
just as much as the kids enjoy meeting
them. We are going to keep making these
personal interactions possible so the fans
can become more familiar with the drivers
and the drivers with the fans. It can also
help with sponsorships. Current sponsors
enjoy the increased exposure they get from
the interactions. Over the decades, many
sponsorships have been born when people
came down to meet drivers in the pits
after the races. This may increase that
possibility as some people leave the races
as soon as the event is over. This way
they can meet the teams and still leave at
their normal time.”
Veteran driver Verne Sweeney takes time to
meet a couple young fans at a candy
giveaway at The PAS in 2019. Charles
Fawcett photo.
Fans coming to the
races and camping on the fairgrounds began
over 20-years ago. For the most part, they
were on the grassy area outside of turn
four, but that changed a couple of years
ago when they were moved to another part
of the fairgrounds that was paved. This
weekend, they return to the popular grassy
area for the first time.
“Big thank
you to the fair board for allowing our
campers to go back to the spot they like
the best,” Kazarian stated. “Many of our
campers come out on Friday and stay
through Sunday. It is a tradition for
them. Like always, the campgrounds will
open at noon on Friday. Trash cans will be
placed in the area, and we ask all the
campers to please put all their refuse in
them. All of the campers have to leave by
noon on Sunday.”
The cost to camp
is $25.00 per night. The fairgrounds asks
that no one park under the agricultural
structures as they have vehicles parked
there. The fairgrounds also reminds that
there is no tailgating in the spectator
parking lot before the races.
Saturday’s race will be the fourth for the
USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series at The PAS in
2021. The first three races have been won
by archrivals Damion Gardner of Concord,
California, and Brody Roa of Garden Grove.
Gardner won the first race in April and
Roa followed that up by winning the
prestigious “Salute to Indy” on May 22nd.
Last month, Gardner, who currently leads
the series championship point standings,
returned to victory circle again. The two
drivers are ranked first and second in
points. Gardner carries a two-race win
streak into Saturday’s show. Roa has
finished second and third in those events.
In victory circle after the race at Santa
Maria two weeks ago, tensions between the
two teams nearly reached the boiling
point. That makes things a little more
interesting coming into Saturday’s
showdown at The PAS.
In addition to
the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, The PAS Senior
Sprints, for drivers 40 and over, will
also be in action. El Segundo’s Tyler
Hatzikian, who drives a car that is a
tribute to the famous Morales Brothers
Tamale Wagon, is the current Senior point
leader. Ed Schwarz of Santa Fe Springs is
second and trails Hatzikian by 18-points.
Anaheim’s Dale Gamer is third with
restaurateur Greg Badgwell of Orange
fourth. Ageless Hall of Famer Wally
Pankratz of Orange rounds out the top
five.
There will be plenty of
tickets for everyone at the track ticket
window on Saturday. For those who wish,
online tickets for this Saturday night and
all other 2021 Perris Auto Speedway races
are on sale at tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7.
Adult tickets are $30.00. Seniors 65 and
over get in for $25.00. Kids aged 6-12 get
in for $5.00 and children 5 and under are
free. The fairgrounds charges $10.00 for
parking.
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 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.
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
July 17th - AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT
CARS, PAS Senior Sprints and RUSH Western
Sprint Car Series
July 24th -
PASSCAR SERIES - Super Stocks, Street
Stocks, American Factory Stocks and IMCA
Modifieds
July 31st - LKQ Pick Your
Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION IV -
Demo Cross, Figure 8's, Trailer Figure
8's, Mini Stocks and Double Deckers
August 14th - PASSCAR SERIES - Super
Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory
Stocks and IMCA Modifieds
August
21st - CALIFORNIA RACERS HALL OF FAME
NIGHT" AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS
Senior Sprints and RUSH Western Sprint Car
Series
August 28th - LKQ Pick Your
Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION V –
Demo Cross, Figure 8's, Trailer Figure
8's, Mini Stocks and Double Deckers
September 11th - LKQ Pick Your Part
Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION VI - Demo
Cross, Figure 8's, Trailer Figure 8's,
Mini Stocks and Double Deckers
September 18th - PASSCAR SERIES - Super
Stocks, Street Stocks, American Factory
Stocks and IMCA Modifieds, and RUSH
Western Sprint Cars
September 25th
- "GLENN HOWARD CLASSIC" AMSOIL USAC/CRA
SPRINT CARS, PAS Senior Sprints, and RUSH
Western Sprint Car Series
October
2nd - PASSCAR SERIES - Super Stocks,
Street Stocks, American Factory Stocks and
IMCA Modifieds
October 16th -
PASSCAR SERIES – “FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT”
Super Stocks, Street Stocks, American
Factory Stocks and IMCA Modifieds
October 23rd - AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT
CARS, PAS Senior Sprints, and RUSH Western
Sprint Car Series
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 and RUSH Western
Sprint Car Series
NOTE: SCHEDULE IS
SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE COVID 19 LEVELS AND
MODIFICATIONS REQUIRED REOPENING. |
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