PERRIS, CA, AUGUST 31, 2003 - One day after Cory Kruseman equaled his mark
for all-time NAPA Auto Parts / Auto Trader Magazines SCRA main event wins, Rip
Williams put together a dazzling 50-lap drive Sunday at the Perris Auto Speedway
to win his 61st SCRA feature race.
Starting tenth in the Sharon Jory / Tomarco Fasteners #3 Stinger, Williams
stayed committed to the bottom of the race track while others switched grooves. In
addition to winning the KSE Products Hard Charger Award, the 26-year sprint car
veteran also won his second Simpson Products B-Main event of the year.
"We were kind of patient there, waiting for a couple things to happen, and
we made it through. All I've got to say is this win is for everyone 40 and
over," Williams said after posting his second straight 50-lap win at
Perris. "Once I had a little room out there I knew I was going to be
fast. I can take my time and relax a little more during these 50 lappers
and save it for the end."
Shortly after claiming his first JE Pistons Dash win in four years, Jordan
Hermansader started on the pole with SCRA Champion Richard Griffin to his
outside. Griffin took the lead down the backstraight and was followed by
Hermansader, Adam Mitchell, Tony Jones and the Ron's Fuel Injection #94 driven
by Charles Davis, Jr.
Rookie point leader Josh Ford spun exiting turn two bringing out the first
caution period of the race. Hermansader, a former SCRA Rookie of the Year,
used the restart to pass Griffin exiting turn four and went on to lead his first
ever main event lap with the SCRA.
Troy Rutherford passed Griffin for second place on the 19th lap, then powered
around the outside of Hermansader for the lead five laps later. Steve
Ostling had just moved into the fifth spot when he was forced to stop near the
racing surface with motor problems on lap 26. Driving the Johnny Vermeer /
Ferreira Dairy #2 Avenger, Jones took advantage of the restart created by
Ostling's stoppage and moved ahead of Griffin for third.
Hooking back up on the bottom, Hermansader pulled ahead of Rutherford on lap 28.
Rutherford would take back the top spot two laps later and immediately dove down
to the low line. Staying low, Rutherford quickly pulled away from
Hermansader, who would be overtaken by a cushion-pounding Jones on lap 32.
Patiently working the bottom, Williams muscled Hermansader off the bottom groove
15 laps from the finish to take the third position. Williams was several
car-lengths behind Jones when he moved into third, but wasted little time
erasing his deficit.
Rutherford rejoined Jones on the cushion leaving the low groove wide open for
"The Ripper". Working lap 38, Williams pulled ahead of Jones
along the backstraight, then passed Rutherford shortly after exiting turn four.
Moments later, Danny Sheridan and Seth Wilson flipped together in turn three.
Neither driver was injured.
Williams restarted the race as the leader since he had completed the lap prior
to the red flag. Never really challenged during the remainder of the race,
the 47 year-old Williams slid across the finish line with his fist clinched,
easily gathering his third SCRA victory of the 2003 season.
Jones moved into the second spot, where he eventually finished, on lap 42,
earning his best finish since the SCRA season opener in February. Driving
for his wife Gayle, Davis' third place finish was his best in 12 starts this
year. Griffin placed fourth in the Ron Chaffin / Arizona Racemart #50 Jon
Boy. Mike Spenecr started 14th in the Hal Engstrom / Spenco Machine #44
and finished fifth ahead of Sander Engineering Fast Time Award winner
Rutherford.
Southern California stock car legend Rick Becker lost a motor four laps into the
race and was given the Hedman Hedders Hard Luck Award. In B-Main action, J
Hicks took the hardest flip of the night after the car in front of his lost a
wheel on a restart. Hicks destroyed the David Miller entry, but was not
hurt.
SCRA RACE #28 - PERRIS AUTO SPEEDWAY, PERRIS, CA
Date of Race: 08/31/03
SANDER ENGINEERING TIME TRIALS
1. Troy Rutherford, Priestley 7, 16.962 2. Steve Ostling, Fischer
Mtrspts 29, 17.108 3. Alan Ballard, (R) Ballard 97, 17.113 4. Richard
Griffin, Silver City NM, Chaffin 50, 17.310 5. Adam Mitchell, Mitchell 99,
17.299 6. Verne Sweeney, Sweeney 98, 17.316, 7. Tony Jones,
Vermeer 2, 17.332 8. Jordan Hermansader, Ferro 91, 17.371 9. Trevor
Brilman, (R) Element Mtrspts 10, 17.438 10. Rip Williams, Jory 3,
17.479 11. Charles Davis, Jr., Davis 94, 17.492 12. Bobby Cody, Cody
Racing 41, 17.501 13. Damion Gardner, Willis 45, 17.504 14. Jeremy
Sherman, Alexander 4, 17.517 15. Rickie Gaunt, Smiley 2A, 17.565 16.
J Hicks, Miller 66, 17.605 17. Mike Spencer, Engstrom 44, 17.684
18.Mark Nation, Nation 3N, 17.695 19. Troy Cline, Shoemaker 0, 17.732,
20. Gary W.Howard, Keene 84, 17.753 21. Duane Marcum, Ruth 25, 17.765
22. Seth Wilson, (R) Racing Optics 17, 17.792 23. Ron DiDonato, DiDonato
57, 17.810, 24.
Josh Ford, (R) Willis/Ford 54, 17.817 25. Brian Venard, Venard 47, 17.827
26. Rick Becker, Becker 67, 17.910 27. Danny Sheridan, Dorathy 21A, 17.995
28. Bobby Graham, Lancaster 14, 18.090 29. Alex Pruett, (R) Pruett 56AZ,
18.320 30. Mel Murphy, Murphy 62, 18.332 31. Alex Harris, Burton 31,
18.392 32. Cal Smith, Pratt 39, 18.470 33. Dan Hillberg, Hillberg
82, 18.908 34. Tony Lima, Lima 30, 25.790 35. Greg Bragg, (R) Pratt
12, No Time
SO-CAL PERFORMANCE HEAT 1
1. Rutherford, 2. Spencer, 3. Mitchell, 4. Marcum, 5. Brilman, 6. Pruett, 7.
Hillberg, 8. Venard, 9. Gardner. (N/T)
SHAVER ENGINES HEAT 2
1. Wilson, 2. Sherman, 3. Becker, 4. Ostling, 5. Williams, 6. Swweney, 7.
Nation, 8. Murphy, 9. Lima (3:03.26)
SPIN-TECH MUFFLERS HEAT 3
1. Sheridan, 2. Davis, 3. Jones, 4. Gaunt, 5. DiDonato, 6. Ballard, 7.Harris, 8.
Cline (3:01.15)
STINGER CHASSIS HEAT 4
1. Hermansader, 2. Griffin, 3. Ford, 4. Graham, 5. Hicks, 6. Cody, 7. Smith, 8.
Howard (N/T)
JE PISTONS DASH
1. Hermansader, 2. Griffin, 3. Jones, 4. Mitchell, 5. Rutherford, 6.
Sherman, 7. Ostling, 8. Davis (1:47.28)
SIMPSON PRODUCTS B FEATURE
1. Williams, 2. Gardner, 3. Sweeney, 4. Harris, 5. Cody, 6. Venard, 7.
Hillberg, 8. DiDonato, 9. Nation, 10. Ballard, 11. Smith, 12. Murphy, 13. Lima,
14.
Hicks, 15. Pruett, 16. Brilman.
A FEATURE (50 Laps)
1. Williams, 2. Jones, 3. Davis, 4. Griffin, 5. Spencer, 6. Rutherford, 7.
Gardner, 8. Sherman, 9. Hermansader, 10. Mitchell, 11. Sweeney, 12. Ford, 13.
Sheridan, 14. Marcum, 15. Venard, 16. Graham, 17. Cody, 18. Wilson, 19. Harris,
20. Ostling, 21. Gaunt, 22. Becker.
Laps Led: Griffin 1-11, Hermansader 12-23, Rutherford 24-27, Hermansader
28-29, Rutherford 30-37, Williams 38-50
2003 SCRA DRIVER POINT STANDINGS
DIVISION: SCRA
Point Standings as of: 08/31/03
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CAR NAME
HOMETOWN
STARTS POINTS
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. 50 Richard Griffin
Silver City NM 28 1748
2. 7 Troy Rutherford
Ojai CA 28 1653
3. 45 Damion Gardner
Concord CA 28 1614
4. 3 Rip Williams
Yorba Linda CA 28 1465
5. 44 Mike Spencer
Temecula CA 27 1090
6. 29 Steve Ostling
Corona CA 19 966
7. 2A Rickie Gaunt
Torrance CA 18 886
8. 6 Mike English
Norwalk CA 24 838
9. 2 Tony Jones
Garden Grove CA 20 799
10. 4 Cory Kruseman
Ventura CA 16 798
11. 54 Josh Ford
(R) Camarillo CA 28 789
12. 38 Levi Jones
Olney IL 17 750
13. 99 Adam Mitchell
Escondido CA 22 699
14. 97 Alan Ballard (R) Bakersfield
CA 28 652
15. 75 J.J. Yeley
Phoenix AZ 9 552
16. 98 Verne Sweeney
Lomita CA 18 503
17. 18 Jimmy Crawford (R) Ventura CA
27 503
18. 17 Seth Wilson (R)San Clemente CA 28
482
19. 21X Bryan Stanfill (R) Bakersfield CA 23
462
20. 94 Charles Davis, Jr Buckeye AZ
12 419
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