Justin Grant captured his second-straight win in as many nights Friday at the "Oval Nationals" in Perris, Calif. (Photo Courtesy Michael Fry)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Perris, California......... When it comes to the first two nights of the 23rd annual Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction at Perris Auto Speedway, it seems you just can't keep Justin Grant and Tyler Courtney away from each other in late-race situations.

It also appears that down the stretch of the season, you just can't keep Justin Grant out of USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory lane as he collected his fifth win in the past seven races.

Lightning does in fact strike the same spot twice when it comes to the final two laps of the first two nights of the "Ovals." Just like he did in Thursday's opener, Justin Grant chased down Tyler Courtney in traffic coming to the white flag with the two making contact while battling for the lead in turn three.

For the second-straight night, Grant got the upper hand in the end with Courtney settling for a runner-up finish despite a dominant performance up to that point.

It led to a subdued victory lane celebration in which Grant chided himself for how it all went down in the end as he was gunning for race wins while Courtney was in the midst of a seriously tight points race on the final weekend of the season.

"I'm pretty disappointed in myself," Grant admitted. "That's not how I wanted to win that thing. I got tight against the cushion going into three right when he was getting sideways - my mistake. I'm really glad he didn't get turned around and lose many points. The last thing I wanted to do was mess that up. That's not how I wanted to win that race. My guys deserve it, but I feel really bad about it. It's hard racing in traffic like that. There's not a lot of options, but I certainly didn't want to do that."

Grant set fast qualifying time earlier in the evening while Courtney and fellow title contender Kevin Thomas, Jr. occupied the front row for the 30-lap feature. Courtney slotted himself into the lead ahead of Thomas on the opening lap when a melee ensued involving five cars: Brady Bacon, Dave Darland, Richard Vander Weerd, Brody Roa and Isaac Chapple, who tipped upside down. Chapple climbed out of the wreckage unscathed, but was finished for the night as was Roa, who saw his opportunity at a first USAC/CRA crown take a major blow.

Once action resumed, Courtney checked out, lifting the front wheels to the heavens as he ripped down the back straightaway. Meanwhile, Grant was already on the assault, jetting from fifth to fourth to third on laps two, three and four to settle in behind Chase Stockon and leader Courtney in the early going.

By lap nine, Grant and Stockon were exchanging recipes for sliders at both ends of the racetrack, ultimately securing the second spot on the 11th lap. However, Courtney used that opportunity to construct a six second lead as the race neared the midway point.

Simultaneously, Courtney began his approach of lapped traffic, setting a torrid pace as he avoided close calls with a pair of past USAC champs, first with bumper-to-bumper contact of Danny Faria, Jr. between turns three and four and near wheel-banger with R.J. Johnson at the flag stand. Grant munched more than a third out of Courtney's lead in the process.

Courtney had no intention of being timid as he charged through traffic, slicing high and low between the tail end of the field. But, so was Grant. With ten to go, Grant on the scene trying his hand at a pair of sliders in turn three on laps 21 and 22 that he very nearly pulled off.

At some points, it appeared to be over, especially after smacking the concrete between turns three and four with six laps remaining that cost him valuable ground as the clock, and the laps, ticked away. But sand still remained in the hourglass for Grant as Courtney met a three-wide group of Josh Hodges, Max Adams and Damion Gardner involved in their own race for 13th, allowing Grant to reel Courtney in for one more run.

With the victory, Grant set a new, personal season-high of USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car wins with five, moving him into a three-way tie for 42nd on the all-time series win list alongside Don Branson & Steve Chassey at 13 wins. (Photo Courtesy Rich Forman)

As the two raced to the white flag, Grant followed Courtney down the back straight with less than two car lengths separating the pair. Courtney entered high in turn three around the outside of Hodges. Grant followed suit with a big run on the cushion when Grant's front bumper and Courtney's rear bumper collided, resulting in Courtney performing a 90-degree angle turnabout while Grant escaped by the skin of his teeth between Courtney and the outside wall. Courtney miraculously gathered it up and carried on his merry way, albeit in second, with a championship-salvaging save considering the implications that would've transpired had he stalled it.

Grant finished off the final lap unchallenged, winning his fourth-straight feature event at Perris in as many starts this year. Courtney took second ahead of Kevin Thomas, Jr., Chris Windom and Stockon.

With the victory, Grant set a new, personal season-high of USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victories with five, moving him into a three-way tie for 42nd on the all-time series win list alongside Don Branson and Steve Chassey at 13 wins.

Courtney's second-place run did allow him to open up his National point lead over Thomas from seven to nine heading into Saturday's season finale. Meanwhile, in the CRA title race, Gardner and Roa had less than desirable finishes of 16th and 25th respectively. Gardner extended his lead to 33 as he aims to lock down his sixth-straight series crown and seventh overall.

Contingency award winners Friday night at Perris Auto Speedway were Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Tyler Courtney (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), R.J. Johnson (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Damion Gardner (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner), Chase Stockon (Angle Buildings Fifth Heat Winner), Austin Williams (Roger & Barb Tapy 13th Fastest Qualifier & Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher) and Chris Windom (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger).

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USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL & CRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: November 9, 2018 - Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, California - 23rd Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-16.868; 2. Jason McDougal, 19s, Reinbold/Underwood-16.881; 3. Thomas Meseraull, 77m, Michael-16.944; 4. Bud Kaeding, 16, Martin-16.974; 5. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-16.978; 6. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 69, Dynamics-16.994; 7. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-17.063; 8. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-17.066; 9. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-17.069; 10. Jake Swanson, 34AZ, Grau/Burkhart-17.115; 11. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-17.126; 12. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-17.127; 13. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-17.146; 14. Dave Darland, 12, Ballou-17.205; 15. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-17.211; 16. Brady Bacon, 99, Bacon-17.217; 17. Chase Johnson, 36D, Goodnight/Curb-Agajanian-17.255; 18. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-17.299; 19. Damion Gardner, 4x, Alexander-17.300; 20. Max Adams, 5m, Adams-17.309; 21. Logan Seavey, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-17.310; 22. Logan Williams, 5J, Jory-17.335; 23. R.J. Johnson, 92, Sertich-17.350; 24. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-17.374; 25. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-17.438; 26. Danny Sheridan, 15, Johnson-17.471; 27. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-17.522; 28. Charles Davis, Jr., 50, Davis-17.629; 29. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-17.713; 30. Kyle Edwards, 39E, Edwards-17.773; 31. Dennis Gile, 13, Gile-17.812; 32. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-17.864; 33. Danny Faria, Jr., 42, Cheney-17.877; 34. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.898; 35. Matt McCarthy, 28m, McCarthy-17.917; 36. Tommy Malcolm, 5x, Napier-18.027; 37. Tye Mihocko, 5T, Mihocko-18.096; 38. Randy Waitman, 90, Waitman-18.167; 39. Austin Ervine, 51, Ervine-18.752; 40. Gary Marshall, Jr., 72, Marshall-19.169; 41. Frank Rodgers, 11x, Rodgers-NT.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS / EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Thomas, 2. Seavey, 3. Bacon, 4. Grant, 5. Rodgers, 6. Sheridan, 7. J. Vander Weerd. NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Courtney, 2. L. Williams, 3. McDougal, 4. Liggett, 5. C. Johnson, 6. Chapple, 7. Sweeney, 8. Mihocko. 2:54.17

CHALK STIX / KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. R.J. Johnson, 2. A. Williams, 3. Windom, 4. Leary, 5. Davis, 6. Faria, 7. Meseraull, 8. Waitman. 2:54.73

INDY RACE PARTS / BUTLERBUILT SEATS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Gardner, 2. Darland, 3. Roa, 4. Kaeding, 5. Bender, 6. C. Williams, 7. Gansen, 8. Ervine. 2:54.43

ANGLE BUILDINGS / ULTRA SHIELD RACE PRODUCTS FIFTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Stockon, 2. Hodges, 3. R. Vander Weerd, 4. Adams, 5. Swanson, 6. McCarthy, 7. Edwards, 8. Marshall. 2:55.46

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) SEMI: (12 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Meseraull, 2. Swanson, 3. Chapple, 4. C. Johnson, 5. J. Vander Weerd, 6. Faria, 7. McCarthy, 8. Bender, 9. Edwards, 10. Gansen, 11. Mihocko, 12. Sweeney, 13. Waitman, 14. Marshall, 15. Rodgers, 16. Ervine, 17. Davis, 18. Sheridan, 19. C. Williams. NT

EVELYN PRATT FEATURE: (30 laps - starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (6), 2. Tyler Courtney (1), 3. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (2), 4. Chris Windom (17), 5. Chase Stockon (3), 6. Brady Bacon (15), 7. C.J. Leary (8), 8. Thomas Meseraull (7), 9. Bud Kaeding (4), 10. Jason McDougal (5), 11. Logan Seavey (20), 12. Jake Swanson (10), 13. Austin Williams (12), 14. Max Adams (19), 15. Josh Hodges (23), 16. Damion Gardner (18), 17. Richard Vander Weerd (14), 18. Chase Johnson (16), 19. Austin Liggett (24), 20. Dave Darland (13), 21. Logan Williams (21), 22. R.J. Johnson (22), 23. Danny Faria, Jr. (26), 24. Cody Williams (25), 25. Brody Roa (9), 26. Isaac Chapple (11). 9:01.84
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**Gile flipped during qualifying. Malcolm flipped during qualifying. Davis flipped during the semi. Chapple flipped on the opening lap of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-28 Courtney, Laps 29-30 Grant.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS / SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Chris Windom (17th to 4th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Austin Williams

ROGER & BARB TAPY 13TH FASTEST QUALIFIER: Austin Williams

SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Jace Vander Weerd

NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Courtney-2672, 2-K. Thomas-2663, 3-Windom-2587, 4-Leary-2295, 5-Bacon-2290, 6-Stockon-2276, 7-Darland-2269, 8-Grant-2241, 9-Robert Ballou-1771, 10-Chapple-1535.

NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Gardner-1585, 2-Roa-1552, 3-A. Williams-1302, 4-C. Williams-1166, 5-Swanson-1163, 6-R.J. Johnson-1090, 7-Max Adams-1017, 8-L. Williams-945, 9-Faria-933, 10-Gansen-843.

NEXT USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL & CRA SPRINT CAR RACE: November 10 - Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, California - 23rd Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction

Justin Grant was victorious in Thursday night's "Oval Nationals" opener at California's Perris Auto Speedway. (Photo Courtesy Rich Forman)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Perris, California.........For better or worse, Justin Grant and TOPP Motorsports have learned how to be resilient this year.

They've successfully overcome their season-long, mountainous valley of struggles that kept them winless through their first 33 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car starts of 2018.

And, on Thursday night, the pair overcame humble beginnings that forced them to start from the fifth row in the A-Main for the opener for the 23rd annual Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction at Perris Auto Speedway.

There was no head-hanging with this bunch as they went to work with Grant methodically picking his way through the field and, with two laps remaining, came to a fork in the middle of the road. So, he took it.

After a brief tussle with Tyler Courtney, Ione, California's Grant grabbed the lead in late-race fashion in much the same manner as he did in the "Western World" opener one week ago to score his fourth series win in the past six races.

In each of those previous three triumphs, he started from the front row. This one, however, feature the extra element of traffic to wade through on the way to the front.

"We started so far in the back, I got to see it all," Grant said. "I kind of buried these guys tonight. I didn't qualify well, and we weren't very good in the heat race. They made some changes, got us dialed in and this thing was a rocket ship in the feature."

Granted started 10th in the 26-car field, finding his rhythm early on as last year's "Ovals" opening night winner Chase Stockon drove off to the lead after narrowly squeezing around Brady Bacon on the back straight for the point on the first of 30 circuits.

The night's only red flag came on the fourth lap when C.J. Leary, Grant and Thomas Meseraull got stacked up off turn two while running 9th-10th-11th. Meseraull ramped over the back end of Grant and double barrel-rolled before walking away uninjured.

Through the middle stages, it appeared to be Courtney's show once again as he slid Damion Gardner for second on the eighth lap, then began his pursuit of Stockon. Courtney presented his presence in turn three on the 12th lap, giving a sneak peak of his front bumper to Stockon who clung to the lead for just one more half a trip around the PAS. Courtney came right back at Stockon in turn one on lap 13 and slid to the front with ease and appeared to be gonzo, darting off to a 2.5-second lead past the midway point when the yellow fell for a flat left rear by Cody Williams.

At that point, most eyes were on Courtney at the top of the heap while Grant scrapped his way from seventh to second in succession, passing one car each lap from lap 12 through 17 as he swiftly bolted by Stockon in turn three following the lap 17 restart.

Grant closed rapidly toward Courtney who was seeking to extend his series-leading win tally to 12 this season. Grant gained ground, then lost some, as he hustled his ride around the half-mile, sometimes tapping the wall and banging the cushion as he laid it on the line with no championship implications like he did last year and, thus, had practically nothing to lose.

Once a strip of rubber began to appear on the surface in the late stages, it looked to be lights out for Grant's opportunities. For it was easier to catch than it was to pass at the moment. With three to go, though, the car of Tommy Malcolm bounced off the turn two wall. As he was gathering it up, Courtney and Grant quickly swarmed. Courtney followed Malcolm into turn three, but Grant went right for the jugular, diving to the bottom and sliding wheel-to-wheel with Courtney when the two made contact - Grant's right rear and Courtney's left rear - which sent Courtney scooting up to the outside wall before he grabbed the wheel, punched the gas and motored onward, albeit in the runner-up position now.

Justin Grant's 12th career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory tied him with Eric Gordon for 44th on the all-time win list. (Photo Courtesy Rich Forman)

On the final lap, Grant found himself in a similar position as Courtney the lap before. He pulled no punches, diving to the bottom of turn three and sliding across the nose of Malcolm to put his destiny into his own grasp. Courtney drove a line lower than both Grant and Malcolm through three and four, making one last run, but came up just two car lengths short as Grant continued his undefeated streak at Perris in 2018 for his third win of the season at the So Cal dirt oval. Courtney came home second ahead of Damion Gardner, Stockon and Kevin Thomas, Jr.

"I thought when it started laying rubber there, we were probably done, and we wouldn't be able to get by Tyler there," Grant admitted. "But he got caught behind the lapper and we fired it in there. He tried to drive around it at the last minute, but when you're sliding across coming back to rubber, there's not a lot you can do."

It's not ideal to get behind the proverbial eight-ball on a race night, or a season for that matter. But, that's where Grant and TOPP have seemed to thrive the most. Now, they're world beaters and the sky seems to be the limit for this pair moving forward in the TOPP Motorsports/NOS Energy Drink - TOPP Performance Race Parts - The Bow Foundation/Maxim/TOPP.

Though disheartened about the finish, Courtney did manage to take over the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car point lead by seven points over Thomas with two races remaining at Perris these next two nights. On the CRA side, Gardner extended his lead to 23 over Brody Roa.

Of note, to begin the night, Kevin Thomas, Jr. set a new USAC National Sprint Car single-season record for fast qualifying times, laying down his 15th fast time of the year to break Tom Bigelow's mark of 14 in 1978.

Contingency award winners Thursday night at Perris Auto Speedway were Chris Windom (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Brady Bacon (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Damion Gardner (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Tyler Courtney (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner), Max Adams (Roger & Barb Tapy 13th Fastest Qualifier), Justin Grant (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Richard Vander Weerd (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).

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USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL & CRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: November 8, 2018 - Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, California - 23rd Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 69, Dynamics-16.455; 2. Jake Swanson, 34AZ, Grau/Burkhart-16.504; 3. Damion Gardner, 4x, Alexander-16.524; 4. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-16.612; 5. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-16.625; 6. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-16.664; 7. Brady Bacon, 99, Bacon-16.683; 8. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-16.715; 9. Logan Seavey, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-16.804; 10. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-16.820; 11. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-16.877; 12. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-16.931; 13. Max Adams, 5m, Adams-16.935; 14. Thomas Meseraull, 77m, Michael-16.939; 15. Jason McDougal, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-16.950; 16. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-16.988; 17. Danny Faria, Jr., 42, Cheney-17.052; 18. Dave Darland, 12, Ballou-17.063; 19. Chase Johnson, 36D, Goodnight/Thomas/Curb-Agajanian-17.091; 20. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-17.125; 21. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-17.146; 22. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-17.159; 23. Danny Sheridan, 15, Johnson-17.172; 24. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-17.200; 25. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-17.235; 26. Matt McCarthy, 28m, McCarthy-17.292; 27. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.324; 28. R.J. Johnson, 92, Sertich-17.349; 29. Logan Williams, 5J, Jory-17.357; 30. Kyle Edwards, 39E, Edwards-17.377; 31. Bud Kaeding, 16, Martin-17.445; 32. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-17.604; 33. Charles Davis, Jr., 50, Davis-17.636; 34. Randy Waitman, 90, Waitman-17.642; 35. Dennis Gile, 13, Gile-17.700; 36. Tommy Malcolm, 5x, Napier-17.765; 37. Verne Sweeney, 98, Tracy-17.783; 38. Tye Mihocko, 5T, Mihocko-17.835; 39. Gary Marshall, Jr., 72, Marshall-18.419; 40. Austin Ervine, 51, Ervine-18.519; 41. Frank Rodgers, 11x, Rodgers-19.459; 42. Michael Faccinto, 8, Richardson-NT.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS / EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Windom, 2. Hodges, 3. Grant, 4. Thomas, 5. Leary, 6. Malcolm, 7. McCarthy, 8. Kaeding, 9. Rodgers. 2:53.44

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Bacon, 2. Gansen, 3. R. Vander Weerd, 4. Swanson, 5. Faria, 6. J. Vander Weerd, 7. Liggett, 8. Sweeney. 2:55.32

CHALK STIX / KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Gardner, 2. Sheridan, 3. R.J. Johnson, 4. Darland, 5. Adams, 6. Davis, 7. A. Williams, 8. Mihocko. 2:53.39

INDY RACE PARTS / BUTLERBUILT SEATS FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Courtney, 2. Meseraull, 3. L. Williams, 4. C. Johnson, 5. Seavey, 6. Bender, 7. Waitman. NT

ULTRA SHIELD RACE PRODUCTS FIFTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Chapple, 2. Stockon, 3. Roa, 4. McDougal, 5. C. Williams, 6. Gile, 7. Edwards, 8. Ervine. 2:55.78

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) SEMI: (12 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Leary, 2. C. Williams, 3. Seavey, 4. Adams, 5. A. Williams, 6. J. Vander Weerd, 7. Bender, 8. Liggett, 9. Kaeding, 10. Davis, 11. McCarthy, 12. Faria, 13. Malcolm, 14. Gile, 15. Sweeney, 16. Waitman, 17. Mihocko, 18. Edwards, 19. Rodgers. NT

BILL PRATT FEATURE: (30 laps - starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (10), 2. Tyler Courtney (3), 3. Damion Gardner (4), 4. Chase Stockon (2), 5. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (6), 6. C.J. Leary (7), 7. Brody Roa (9), 8. Logan Seavey (8), 9. Brady Bacon (1), 10. Jake Swanson (5), 11. Chris Windom (19), 12. Dave Darland (16), 13. Richard Vander Weerd (11), 14. Isaac Chapple (21), 15. Max Adams (12), 16. Danny Sheridan (20), 17. Chase Johnson (17), 18. Logan Williams (24), 19. Cody Williams (18), 20. R.J. Johnson (23), 21. Tommy Malcolm (26), 22. Chris Gansen (22), 23. Josh Hodges (15), 24. Austin Williams (25), 25. Thomas Meseraull (13), 26. Jason McDougal (14). NT
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**Meseraull flipped on lap 4 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-12 Stockon, Laps 13-28 Courtney, Laps 29-30 Grant.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS / SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Justin Grant (10th to 1st)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Richard Vander Weerd

ROGER & BARB TAPY 13TH FASTEST QUALIFIER: Max Adams

SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Austin Williams

NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Courtney-2597, 2-K. Thomas-2590, 3-Windom-2520, 4-Darland-2239, 5-Leary-2238, 6-Bacon-2229, 7-Stockon-2208, 8-Grant-2160, 9-Robert Ballou-1771, 10-Chapple-1510.

NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Gardner-1546, 2-Roa-1523, 3-A. Williams-1258, 4-C. Williams-1143, 5-Swanson-1121, 6-Johnson-1059, 7-Max Adams-977, 8-L. Williams-915, 9-Faria-910, 10-Gansen-833.

NEXT USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL & CRA SPRINT CAR RACES: November 9-10 - Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, California - 23rd Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction

Dave Darland (Photo Courtesy David Nearpass)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Perris, California.........Qualifying is an essential aspect in the sport of auto racing, usually setting the tone for the night and putting a driver in position to claim the checkered flag at the end of the night.

Perhaps it's no surprise that the top-three drivers in terms of USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victories are also one-two-three on the all-time list for most fast qualifying times with the series.

Tom Bigelow remains at the top with a staggering 65 fast qualifying times in his career, but with his fast time at Arizona Speedway's "Western World Championships" last Saturday, Dave Darland moved into a tie for second with Tracy Hines at 60 fast times.

Darland is the series' winningest driver at 62 feature victories and owns the most starts in series history at 731, but soon could be closing in another record in the 2019 season. Three races remain this week, November 8-9-10 in conjunction with the USAC/CRA Sprints in the 23rd annual Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction at California's Perris Auto Speedway.

On Thursday and Friday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:30pm. On Saturday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 3pm, autograph session from 3-4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:15pm.

All three nights will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio also available on the USAC app. You can also catch all the action a day later, on-demand, at http://www.Loudpedal.TV/.

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ALL-TIME USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR FAST QUALIFYING TIMES
(1961-Present)

1. (65) Tom Bigelow

2. (60) Dave Darland & Tracy Hines

4. (39) Levi Jones

5. (37) Larry Dickson

6. (36) Bryan Clauson

7. (35) Rich Vogler

8. (32) Brady Bacon

9. (31) Sheldon Kinser

10. (30) Pancho Carter

11. (27) Dave Steele

12. (26) Jay Drake & Kevin Thomas, Jr.

14. (24) Gary Bettenhausen, Chase Stockon & J.J. Yeley

17. (23) Jon Stanbrough

18. (22) Steve Butler

19. (20) Jerry Coons, Jr. Tony Elliott & Roger McCluskey

22. (19) Justin Grant & Greg Weld

24. (17) Don Branson & A.J. Foyt

26. (16) Rollie Beale, Jack Hewitt & Doug Kalitta

29. (15) Kenny Irwin, Jr., Sam Sessions & Brian Tyler

32. (14) Billy Cassella & Parnelli Jones

34. (13) Bobby East & Bruce Walkup

36. (12) Steve Chassey, Damion Gardner, Rick Hood, C.J. Leary, Bill Puterbaugh & Joe Saldana

42. (11) George Snider

43. (10) Sonny Ates

44. (9) Jim Hurtubise, Jud Larson, Eddie Leavitt, Johnny Rutherford & Josh Wise

49. (8) Robert Ballou, Bubby Jones, Kelly Kinser & Chris Windom

53. (7) Marvin Carman, Mark Cassella, Cary Faas, Bud Kaeding, Jim Keeker, Cory Kruseman, Larry Rice, Hunter Schuerenberg, Mike Spencer, Bud Tingelstad & Bobby Unser

64. (6) Mike Bliss, Daron Clayton, Shane Cottle, Derek Davidson, Eric Gordon, Richard Griffin, Jac Haudenschild, Tray House, James McElreath, Thomas Meseraull, Johnny Parsons & Ken Schrader

76. (5) Chad Boespflug, Tyler Courtney, Cy Fairchild, Blake Fitzpatrick, Bob Frey, Andy Michner, Jan Opperman, Boston Reid, Tom Sneva, Robbie Stanley, Brad Sweet & Kevin Thomas

88. (4) Jeff Bloom, Kevin Briscoe, Kyle Cummins, Billy Engelhart, Chet Fillip, Darren Hagen, Chuck Hulse, Kenny Jacobs, Lee Kunzman, Jim McElreath, Don Nordhorn, Dave Peperak, Billy Puterbaugh, Jr., Joey Saldana, Terry Shepherd, Carson Short, Ron Shuman, Mitch Smith & Bob Wente

107. (3) Tommy Astone, Dave Blaney, Karl Busson, Kevin Doty, Brian Gerster, Todd Gibson, Jeff Gordon, Gary Gray, John Heydenreich, Gordon Johncock, Greg Leffler, Ralph Liguori, Steve Long, Larry Martin, Justin Marvel, Jason McCord, Larry Moore, Mat Neely, Ryan Newman, Lee Osborne, Brandon Petty, Jerry Poland, Bob Pratt, Brady Short, Danny Smith, Tony Stewart, Dean Thompson, Dick Tobias, Scotty Weir, Cole Whitt and John Wolfe

139. (2) Jarett Andretti, Mario Andretti, Keith Bloom, Chuck Booth, Don Brown, Duke Cook, Allen Crowe, Nic Faas, Larry Gates, Gene Lee Gibson, Coleman Gulick, Dave Hanna, Darl Harrison, Shane Hmiel, Josh Hodges, Marc Jessup, Brad Marvel, Max McGhee, Kevin Miller, Dustin Morgan, Brad Noffsinger, Gary Patterson, Byron Reed, Jerry Richert, Dave Roahrig, Jimmy Sills, Al Smith, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Greg Stephens, Stevie Sussex, Kody Swanson, Tyler Thomas, Jerry Weeks, Johnny White, Carl Williams & Jacob Wilson

184. (1) Pat Abold, Donnie Adams, Bobby Adamson, Mark Alderson, Chuck Amati, Dick Atkins, Terry Babb, Brent Beauchamp, Ryan Bernal, Lee Brewer, Jr., Dale Burton, Gary Cameron, Larry Cannon, Billy Cantrell, Dana Carter, Rob Chaney, Bob Cicconi, Leon Clum, Peter Cozzolino, Don Davis, Doc Dawson, Brad Doty, Cotton Farmer, Dave Feese, Braylon Fitzpatrick, Brad Fox, Jared Fox, Joe Gaerte, Harry Garrett, Rickie Gaunt, Elmer George, Bobby Grim, Chuck Gurney, Norm Hall, Jerry Hansen, Brian Hayden, Jonathan Hendrick, Hank Henry, Tyler Hewitt, Ted Hines, Jesse Hockett, Bob Hogle, Danny Holtsclaw, Kevin Huntley, Gary Irvin, Mike Johnson, Dee Jones, Page Jones, Todd Kane, Ray Kenens, Joey Kerr, Rich Leavell, Jason Leffler, Michael Lewis, John Logan, Ed Lynch, Jr., Critter Malone, Louie Mann, Mike Mann, Charlie Masters, Rusty McClure, Wes McIntyre, Blake Miller, Jerry Miller, Jr., Ron Milton, Hal Minyard, Matt Mitchell, Warren Mockler, Mike Mosley, Mike Murgoitio, Paul Pitzer, Gary Ponzini, Ande Possman, Roger Rager, Davey Ray, Jerry Richert, Jr., Red Riegel, Travis Rilat, Manny Rockhold, Bill Rose, Joe Roush, Jerry Russell, Bobby Santos, Don Schilling, John Sernett, Neil Shepherd, Jeremy Sherman, Dean Shirley, Eric Shively, Randy Smith, Wib Spalding, Ned Spath, Greg Staab, Steve Stapp, Richard Summers, Jake Swanson, Jeff Swindell, Kevin Swindell, Sammy Swindell, Tom Tepe, Leon Thickstun, Richard Vander Weerd, Jonathan Vennard, Billy Vukovich, Billy Vukovich III, Lennie Waldo, Gus Wasson, Shawn Westerfeld, Tony Weyant, Austin Williams, Rip Williams, Eddie Wirth & Mitch Wissmiller

#5 Chris Windom, reigning USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champ. (Photo Courtesy Adam Mollenkopf)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Perris, California.........Chris Windom is one of three contenders for the 2018 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car crown coming into this week's "Oval Nationals" at Perris Auto Speedway, which marks the conclusion of a heated battle between he and first-time title hopefuls Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Tyler Courtney who are separated by just two.

Though Windom, of Canton, Ill., stands third in the standings at the moment, 50 points behind the leader, he's in a unique position. Not only has he won the Oval Nationals before, but the 2010 race winner arrives for the Nov. 8-9-10 races as the series' reigning champ. Although Windom is reliably cool under pressure, he's already experienced this moment and conquered it as recently as last year, erasing a deficit late in the season to win his first USAC National Sprint Car championship.

With that scenario in mind, one can't help but think how he will fare this year in the role as the champ. It begged the question. How have past USAC National Sprint Car champions fared in the standings the year following their title?

Forty-seven years have gone into the books since the first "National" schedule was put into place in 1961. There have been 11 occasions in which the driver winning the title the previous year repeated the feat the following year: Parnelli Jones (1961-62), Sheldon Kinser (1981-82), Rick Hood (1984-85), Steve Butler (1986-87-88), Robbie Stanley (1991-92-93), Brian Tyler (1996-97), Levi Jones (2009-10-11) and Bryan Clauson (2012-13).

A handful of others endured injuries in competition that severely hindered their championship prospects: Johnny Rutherford in 1966, Butler in 1989 and Robert Ballou in 2016. There've also been a pair we've lost to tragic accidents in the midst of the season as they were seeking their respective titles: Rich Vogler in 1990 and Robbie Stanley in 1994. Others, meanwhile, made the decision to venture down south to try their hand in the NASCAR ranks following their title season: Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart, J.J. Yeley and Josh Wise.

The majority of the time, however, the defending champion ranked right in the bulk of the top-three of the standings the following season, 28 times, in fact, out of 47 seasons. Windom is guaranteed to become the 29th of those drivers to finish in the top-three as he can't slip below that threshold with three races remaining, but he still can climb to the top.

How will everything shake it out? It's going to be difficult for Windom to erase a 50-point hole in three races, but history doesn't always rule what happens in the moment. After all, that's why you and I watch and why we'll be watching again tonight.

On Thursday and Friday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:30pm. On Saturday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 3pm, autograph session from 3-4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:15pm.

All three nights will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio also available on the USAC app.

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HOW THE USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR CHAMPS FARED THE FOLLOWING SEASON (1956-2017)

Tommy Hinnershitz: (1st in 1956 & 4th in 1957 USAC Eastern Sprint Car Driver Points)
Pat O'Connor: (1st in 1956 & 6th in 1957 USAC Midwest Sprint Car Driver Points)
Bill Randall: (1st in 1957 & 11th in 1957 USAC Eastern Sprint Car Driver Points)
Elmer George: (1st in 1957 & 3rd in 1958 USAC Midwest Sprint Car Driver Points)
Johnny Thomson: (1st in 1958 & 14th in 1959 USAC Eastern Sprint Car Driver Points)
Eddie Sachs: (1st in 1958 & 4th in 1959 USAC Midwest Sprint Car Driver Points)
Tommy Hinnershitz: (1st in 1959 & 15th in 1960 USAC Eastern Sprint Car Points)
Don Branson: (1st in 1959 & 2nd in 1960 USAC Midwest Sprint Car Driver Points)
A.J. Foyt: (1st in 1960 USAC Eastern Points & 3rd in 1961 USAC National Points)
Parnelli Jones: (1st in 1960 USAC Midwest Points & 1st in 1961 National Points)
Parnelli Jones: (1st in 1961 & 1st in 1962 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Parnelli Jones: (1st in 1962 & 12th in 1963 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Roger McCluskey: (1st in 1963 & 17th in USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Don Branson: (1st in 1964 & 6th in 1965 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Johnny Rutherford: (1st in 1965 & Unlisted in 1966 USAC National Sprint Car Points)
Roger McCluskey: (1st in 1966 & 40th in 1967 USAC National Sprint Car Points)
Greg Weld: (1st in 1967 & 3rd in 1968 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points
Larry Dickson: (1st in 1968 & 2nd in 1969 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Gary Bettenhausen: (1st in 1969 & 2nd in 1970 USAC National Sprint Car Points)
Larry Dickson: (1st in 1970 & 2nd in 1971 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Gary Bettenhausen: (1st in 1971 & 19th in 1972 USAC National Sprint Car Points)
Sam Sessions: (1st in 1972 & 5th in 1973 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Rollie Beale: (1st in 1973 & 7th in 1974 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Pancho Carter: (1st in 1974 & 4th in 1975 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Larry Dickson: (1st in 1975 & 4th in 1976 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Pancho Carter: (1st in 1976 & 3rd in 1977 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Sheldon Kinser: (1st in 1977 & 9th in 1978 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Tom Bigelow: (1st in 1978 & 5th in 1979 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Greg Leffler: (1st in 1979 & 10th in 1980 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Rich Vogler: (1st in 1980 & 2nd in 1981 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Sheldon Kinser: (1st in 1981 & 1st in 1982 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Sheldon Kinser: (1st in 1982 & 3rd in 1983 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Ken Schrader: (1st in 1983 & Unlisted in 1984 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Rick Hood: (1st in 1984 & 1st in 1985 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Rick Hood: (1st in 1985 & 2nd in 1986 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Steve Butler: (1st in 1986 & 1st in 1987 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Steve Butler: (1st in 1987 & 1st in 1988 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Steve Butler: (1st in 1988 & 9th in 1989 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Rich Vogler: (1st in 1989 & 8th in 1990 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Steve Butler: (1st in 1990 & 3rd in 1991 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Robbie Stanley: (1st in 1991 & 1st in 1992 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Robbie Stanley: (1st in 1992 & 1st in 1993 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Robbie Stanley: (1st in 1993 & 23rd in 1994 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Doug Kalitta: (1st in 1994 & 2nd in 1995 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Tony Stewart: (1st in 1995 & 50th in 1996 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Brian Tyler: (1st in 1996 & 1st in 1997 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Brian Tyler: (1st in 1997 & 8th in 1998 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Tony Elliott: (1st in 1998 & 3rd in 1999 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Dave Darland: (1st in 1999 & 6th in 2000 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Tony Elliott: (1st in 2000 & 3rd in 2001 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
J.J. Yeley: (1st in 2001 & 2nd in 2002 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Tracy Hines: (1st in 2002 & 3rd in 2003 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
J.J. Yeley: (1st in 2003 & 15th in 2004 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Jay Drake: (1st in 2004 & 4th in 2005 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Levi Jones: (1st in 2005 & 2nd in 2006 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Josh Wise: (1st in 2006 & 41st in 2007 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Levi Jones: (1st in 2007 & 2nd in 2008 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Jerry Coons, Jr.: (1st in 2008 & 5th in 2009 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Levi Jones: (1st in 2009 & 1st in 2010 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Levi Jones: (1st in 2010 & 1st in 2011 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Levi Jones: (1st in 2011 & 9th in 2012 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Bryan Clauson: (1st in 2012 & 1st in 2013 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Bryan Clauson: (1st in 2013 & 2nd in 2014 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Brady Bacon: (1st in 2014 & 4th in 2015 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Robert Ballou: (1st in 2015 & 8th in 2016 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Brady Bacon: (1st in 2016 & 9th in 2017 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)
Chris Windom: (1st in 2017 & ? in 2018 USAC National Sprint Car Driver Points)

#7BC Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, Ind. (Photo Courtesy Adam Mollenkopf)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Perris, California.........The top drivers in the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car points recorded the top-two lap times in Wednesday night's practice session at Perris Auto Speedway in preparation for the 23rd annual Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction this Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, November 8-9-10.

Tyler Courtney, who trails Kevin Thomas, Jr. in the standings by just two points, topped the charts with a lap of 16.419 seconds around the half-mile dirt oval aboard his Clauson Marshall Newman Racing/NOS Energy Drink - Priority Aviation/Spike/Rider Chevy. Thomas was second fastest at 16.435, while Justin Grant, Jason McDougal and Brady Bacon rounded out the top-five among the 27 cars who took to the track.

Third in the National standings, reigning champ Chris Windom, did not partake in the practice session. He's 50 points out of the series lead coming into these final three races of the 2018 season.

Meanwhile, a tight USAC/CRA Sprint Car point race will also be decided this week with Damion Gardner holding a nine-point lead over Brody Roa. Gardner is aiming for his sixth-straight series crown and seventh overall, while Roa is gunning for his first. Neither driver participated in Wednesday's session.

A car count in the mid-40s is expected for the "Oval Nationals," which has a purse of over $131,000 and a payout of $25,000 to Saturday night's feature winner.

On Thursday and Friday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:30pm. On Saturday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 3pm, autograph session from 3-4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:15pm.

All three nights will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio also available on the USAC app.

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USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL & CRA SPRINT CAR PRACTICE RESULTS: November 7, 2018 - Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, California - 23rd Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction

PRACTICE: 1. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-16.419; 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 69, Dynamics-16.435; 3. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-16.449; 4. Jason McDougal, 19s, Reinbold/Underwood-16.452; 5. Brady Bacon, 99, Bacon-16.524; 6. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-16.528; 7. Thomas Meseraull, 77m, Michael-16.567; 8. Chase Johnson, 36D, Goodnight/Curb-Agajanian-16.569; 9. R.J. Johnson, 92, Sertich-16.615; 10. Jace Vander Weerd, 88, Vander Weerd-16.718; 11. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-16.726; 12. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-16.734; 13. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-16.750; 14. Bud Kaeding, 16, Martin-16.782; 15. Dave Darland, 12, Ballou-16.849; 16. Charles Davis, Jr., 50, Davis-16.912; 17. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-16.959; 18. Dennis Gile, 13, Gile-16.967; 19. Matt McCarthy, 28m, McCarthy-17.078; 20. Randy Waitman, 90, Waitman-17.413; 21. Kyle Edwards, 39E, Edwards-17.424; 22. Gary Marshall, Jr., 72, Marshall-18.041; 23. Joel Rayborne, 12B, Blair-18.064; 24. Frank Rodgers, 11, Rodgers-18.764; 25. Danny Faria, Jr., 42, Cheney-19.266; 26. Eric Englert, 35, Englert-21.251; 27. Danny Sheridan, 15, Johnson-NT.

Kevin Thomas, Jr. set fast time #1 of 14 at Ocala in February. (Dave Olson Photo)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Perris, California.........When it comes down to the end of a nitty gritty USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car points race, you look for any omens you can spot.

You may look for a titlist in terms of overall victories - 2nd in points Tyler Courtney has 11. Perhaps it's in terms of consistency - 3rd in points Chris Windom has a series-leading 35 top-ten finishes in 37 starts.

One that kind of gets overlooked is fast qualifying times. Series point leader Kevin Thomas, Jr. has a season-leading 14 in 2018, which is 10 more than his nearest competitor. But, when you think about it, each fast qualifying time pays points - 6 points in fact. This year, Courtney has a pair while Windom has just one. All those points add up at the end of the season, not to mention that laying down a good lap sets the tone for the night and will place that driver in the top-portion of the field come feature time.

Against a field as tough as this one is, being in a position where you don't have to pass as many cars is essential. A bad qualifying lap puts you behind the proverbial eight-ball, forcing a driver to play the game of catchup all throughout the year. Plus, starting near the back puts you in more jeopardy of being caught up in an incident that takes you out of contention for feature wins and, thus, max pointage.

One of the more telling facts is that the only three occasions in which a driver has reached double-digits in fast qualifying times during a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car season, it has resulted in that driver winning the series title: Tom Bigelow in 1978, Rich Vogler in 1989 and Bryan Clauson in 2012.

Kevin Thomas, Jr.'s historical 2018 season has already equaled him with Tom Bigelow's record of 14 fast times in 1978. A look inside the numbers reveals that Bigelow scored quick times at eight different tracks: Winchester and Salem four times apiece, and one each at IRP, I-70, Toledo, Sharon, Sandusky and Queen City.

Thomas, meanwhile, has done this at a record 13 different venues, repeating the feat at Bubba Raceway Park in race one and three of the 2018 season, then reeling off a stretch of quick times at Plymouth, Eldora, Terre Haute, I-80, Williams Grove, Port Royal, BAPS, Bridgeport, Bloomington, Tri-State, Kokomo and Tri-City.

Both ripped off streaks of four consecutive fast times at one point in the season. Bigelow doing four-in-row at Sharon, Sandusky and back-to-back afternoons at Salem in June of 1978. Thomas did four-straight in four nights this year during Eastern Storm at Williams Grove, Port Roya, BAPS and Bridgeport.

Interestingly, Bigelow's big qualifying year of 1978 came one year following becoming the winningest driver in the series, but coming up just shy of the title. Thomas was the winningest driver of 2017 and translated that to more "consistent" runs to put him in contention for the season title.

By no means does any of this mean it's a foregone conclusion that KT has the title locked up, but qualifying up front regularly certainly pays its dividends and will prove so once again in this week's 23rd annual Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction at California's Perris Auto Speedway. Either way, as is the case in most race you go to, you can see something that's never occurred before in the history of the series. Kevin Thomas, Jr. can be a part of that history this week.

On Thursday and Friday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:30pm. On Saturday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 3pm, autograph session from 3-4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:15pm.

All three nights will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio also available on the USAC app.

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MOST FAST QUALIFYING TIMES (SINGLE SEASON)
USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CARS

BY RANK:
1978: 14-Tom Bigelow
2018: 14-Kevin Thomas, Jr.
1989: 10-Rich Vogler
2012: 10-Bryan Clauson
1977: 9-Pancho Carter
1995: 9-Kenny Irwin, Jr.
2002: 9-J.J. Yeley
2003: 9-J.J. Yeley
1976: 8-Pancho Carter
1979: 8-Steve Chassey
2013: 8-Dave Darland
2014: 8-Brady Bacon
2015: 8-Chase Stockon
2000: 7-Jay Drake & Tracy Hines
2017: 7 Justin Grant
1961: 6-Roger McCluskey
1966: 6-Don Branson & Roger McCluskey
1968: 6-Sonny Ates & Larry Dickson
1970: 6-Larry Dickson & Bill Puterbaugh
1971: 6-Larry Dickson
1984: 6-Rick Hood
1990: 6-Steve Butler
1991: 6-Steve Butler
1996: 6-Dave Darland
1997: 6-Richard Griffin
1999: 6-Tracy Hines
2001: 6-Tracy Hines
2016: 6-Bryan Clauson & Chase Stockon
1962: 5-Parnelii Jones
1965: 5-Johnny Rutherford
1973: 5-Sam Sessions & Tom Sneva
1974: 5-Tom Bigelow
1980: 5-Tom Bigelow
1981: 5-Eddie Leavitt
1982: 5-Sheldon Kinser
1983: 5-Rich Vogler
1994: 5-Mike Bliss & Doug Kalitta
1998: 5-Tony Elliott & Brian Tyler
2004: 5-Levi Jones
2005: 5-Levi Jones
2006: 5-Levi Jones & Josh Wise
2008: 5-Tracy Hines
2010: 5-Bryan Clauson
2011: 5-Levi Jones
1964: 4-A.J. Foyt & Jud Larson
1967: 4-Greg Weld
1969: 4-Larry Dickson, Cy Fairchild & Greg Weld
1972: 4-Tom Bigelow
1975: 4-Marvin Carman, Pancho Carter & Larry Dickson
1985: 4-Steve Butler
2009: 4-Bryan Clauson, Tracy Hines & Jon Stanbrough
1963: 3-Don Branson, A.J. Foyt, Chuck Hulse & Parnelli Jones
1987: 3-Rich Vogler
1988: 3-Tray House & Rich Vogler
1992: 3-Jim Keeker & Robbie Stanley
1993: 3-Doug Kalitta
2007: 3-Bryan Clauson, Jerry Coons, Jr. & Levi Jones
1986: 2-Sheldon Kinser


MOST FAST QUALIFYING TIMES (SINGLE SEASON)
USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CARS

BY YEAR:
1961: 6-Roger McCluskey
1962: 5-Parnelii Jones
1963: 3-Don Branson, A.J. Foyt, Chuck Hulse & Parnelli Jones
1964: 4-A.J. Foyt & Jud Larson
1965: 5-Johnny Rutherford
1966: 6-Don Branson & Roger McCluskey
1967: 4-Greg Weld
1968: 6-Sonny Ates & Larry Dickson
1969: 4-Larry Dickson, Cy Fairchild & Greg Weld
1970: 6-Larry Dickson & Bill Puterbaugh
1971: 6-Larry Dickson
1972: 4-Tom Bigelow
1973: 5-Sam Sessions & Tom Sneva
1974: 5-Tom Bigelow
1975: 4-Marvin Carman, Pancho Carter & Larry Dickson
1976: 8-Pancho Carter
1977: 9-Pancho Carter
1978: 14-Tom Bigelow
1979: 8-Steve Chassey
1980: 5-Tom Bigelow
1981: 5-Eddie Leavitt
1982: 5-Sheldon Kinser
1983: 5-Rich Vogler
1984: 6-Rick Hood
1985: 4-Steve Butler
1986: 2-Sheldon Kinser
1987: 3-Rich Vogler
1988: 3-Tray House & Rich Vogler
1989: 10-Rich Vogler
1990: 6-Steve Butler
1991: 6-Steve Butler
1992: 3-Jim Keeker & Robbie Stanley
1993: 3-Doug Kalitta
1994: 5-Mike Bliss & Doug Kalitta
1995: 9-Kenny Irwin, Jr.
1996: 6-Dave Darland
1997: 6-Richard Griffin
1998: 5-Tony Elliott & Brian Tyler
1999: 6-Tracy Hines
2000: 7-Jay Drake & Tracy Hines
2001: 6-Tracy Hines
2002: 9-J.J. Yeley
2003: 9-J.J. Yeley
2004: 5-Levi Jones
2005: 5-Levi Jones
2006: 5-Levi Jones & Josh Wise
2007: 3-Bryan Clauson, Jerry Coons, Jr. & Levi Jones
2008: 5-Tracy Hines
2009: 4-Bryan Clauson, Tracy Hines & Jon Stanbrough
2010: 5-Bryan Clauson
2011: 5-Levi Jones
2012: 10-Bryan Clauson
2013: 8-Dave Darland
2014: 8-Brady Bacon
2015: 8-Chase Stockon
2016: 6-Bryan Clauson & Chase Stockon
2017: 7 Justin Grant
2018: 14-Kevin Thomas, Jr.

#7BC Tyler Courtney trails Kevin Thomas, Jr. in the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car race by a mere 2 points entering the Nov. 8-9-10 Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction at California's Perris Auto Speedway. (Photo Courtesy Rich Forman)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Perris, California (November 6, 2018).........As the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars head into the season's final weekend of 2018, we're staring down the barrel of history in the making.

Only two points separate Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Tyler Courtney in the National standings with just three races remaining - the 23rd annual Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction at California's Perris Auto Speedway on November 8-9-10.

The old saying, "if the season ended today...," would make the current interval the closest finish in the history of the series. Close championship races have been more of the norm of late with six of the top-ten closest championships all occurring since the year 2000.

Last year's battle came down to the final race with Chris Windom prevailing by a mere six points over Justin Grant to lock up the title in the third-closest title race ever. None have yet surpassed the 2.5-point margin Johnny Rutherford had to close out his 1965 USAC National Sprint Car championship over Greg Weld, however.

A close title race such as this is sure to get the drivers up on their toes and the fans on their feet with each qualifying session, heat race and feature having substantial meaning. Two points is literally just one spot in the feature. Each spot in the top-ten pays three points more than the driver behind him from 70 to 43. From 11th to 20th, the dropdown is two points per position from 41 points to 23. Twenty-three points are granted for all finishers 20th on back.

If trouble befalls one or both, it could prove to be the nail in Thomas or Courtney's bid for the title. Plus, your reigning series champ and 2010 "Oval Nationals" winner Windom is just 50 points back, ready to pounce.

Without further ado, here is the list of the all-time closest points races in the history of the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars. We very well could have a new number one when all is said and done this Saturday night, so get your calculators and T-Squares ready. You're going to need them!

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CLOSEST USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONSHIP RACES
1. 1965: (2.5) Johnny Rutherford over Greg Weld
2. 2012: (5) Bryan Clauson over Dave Darland
3. 2017: (6) Chris Windom over Justin Grant
4. 1967: (11) Greg Weld over Sam Sessions
5. 2002: (13) Tracy Hines over J.J. Yeley
6. 2005: (13) Levi Jones over Dave Darland
7. 2001: (19) J.J. Yeley over Jay Drake
8. 1973: (24) Rollie Beale over Lee Kunzman
9. 2000: (24) Tony Elliott over Jay Drake
10. 1979: (32) Greg Leffler over Bubby Jones
11. 1987: (32) Steve Butler over Rich Vogler
12. 1991: (35) Robbie Stanley over Eric Gordon
13. 1986: (36) Steve Butler over Rick Hood
14. 1994: (43) Doug Kalitta over Tray House
15. 1992: (45) Robbie Stanley over Steve Butler
16. 1972: (47) Sam Sessions over Rollie Beale
17. 1962: (50) Parnelli Jones over Roger McCluskey
18. 1971: (55) Gary Bettenhausen over Larry Dickson
19. 2014: (56) Brady Bacon over Bryan Clauson
20. 1980: (61) Rich Vogler over Steve Chassey
21. 1998: (62) Tony Elliott over Kevin Thomas
22. 2013: (63) Bryan Clauson over Dave Darland
23. 1961: (67.8) Parnelli Jones over Jim Hurtubise
24. 2004: (74) Jay Drake over Bud Kaeding
25. 1977: (75) Sheldon Kinser over Tom Bigelow
26. 2008: (84) Jerry Coons, Jr. over Levi Jones
27. 2007: (85) Levi Jones over Darren Hagen
28. 2015: (87) Robert Ballou over Dave Darland
29. 1975: (88) Larry Dickson over Rollie Beale
30. 2006: (88) Josh Wise over Levi Jones
31. 2011: (99) Levi Jones over Chris Windom
32. 1984: (102) Rick Hood over Sheldon Kinser
33. 1995: (119) Tony Stewart over Doug Kalitta
34. 1970: (131) Larry Dickson over Gary Bettenhausen
35. 2010: (132) Levi Jones over Damion Gardner
36. 1983: (148) Ken Schrader over Larry Rice
37. 1981: (160) Sheldon Kinser over Rich Vogler
38. 1989: (171) Rich Vogler over Eric Gordon
39. 1993: (175) Robbie Stanley over Tray House
40. 1996: (176) Brian Tyler over Doug Kalitta
41. 1974: (184) Duane "Pancho" Carter over Tom Bigelow
42. 1969: (189.2) Gary Bettenhausen over Larry Dickson
43. 1966: (194) Roger McCluskey over Mario Andretti
44. 1982: (217) Sheldon Kinser over Rich Vogler
45. 1988: (222) Steve Butler over Greg Staab
46. 1978: (223) Tom Bigelow over Chuck Gurney
47. 1999: (224) Dave Darland over Tracy Hines
48. 2009: (224) Levi Jones over Cole Whitt
49. 1964: (236) Don Branson over Jud Larson
50. 1990: (257) Steve Butler over Eric Gordon
51. 1997: (289) Brian Tyler over Kevin Thomas
52. 1985: (301) Rick Hood over Steve Butler
53. 1963: (309) Roger McCluskey over A. J. Foyt
54. 2016: (314) Brady Bacon over Chase Stockon
55. 2003: (352) J.J. Yeley over Jay Drake
56. 1968: (358) Larry Dickson over Gary Bettenhausen
57. 1976: (369) Duane "Pancho" Carter over Tom Bigelow

On Thursday and Friday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:30pm. On Saturday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 3pm, autograph session from 3-4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:15pm.

All three nights will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio also available on the USAC app.

Via Austin Herzog PR

CLOVIS, CALIFORNIA (November 5, 2018) – 16 year-old Austin Herzog closed the deal on his first career Open Late Model victory, leading 66 laps for the $5,000 win on Saturday night at Orange Show Speedway.

Herzog drives the #11 Richard Herzog Construction, Superior Door & Frame #11 that he campaigns at Madera Speedway in the RPM Mortgage Pro Late Model Series as well. He finished the 2018 season at Madera in the runner-up spot in the championship on the strength of five top-five finishes.

He opened up the weekend by leading Friday practice on the quarter-mile oval in San Bernardino, CA, then he led qualifying for his sixth fast-time of the year. He lined up fifth for the 100 lap contest with 17 Open Late Models competing. Herzog used a series of cautions early in the race to methodically work his way to the front, taking the lead on lap 35.

A caution flew with 27 laps to go but Herzog did not relax his pace, charging to his best lap of the main event on lap 88. He eventually accumulated a 3.9 second lead for a straightaway advantage on second place at the finish line. The finish improves on his second place run in the Greg Ross Memorial 57 at the speedway back in May as well.

“You know I love this track. I’ve always enjoyed it since the first time I was here,” Herzog said in victory lane live on Low Budget TV. “I feel like it really fits my driving style. I can’t thank my crew, my dad, and all that sponsors that got this car here enough and now we’re on to Vegas.”

Herzog is aiming to make his second career SPEARS SRL Southwest Tour start on November 17th when he rejoins the series at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Herzog competed at the Bullring in October in the Fall Classic for Super Late Models, grabbing quick time in the $15,000 to win event before crossing the stripe second. The finish was nullified by a post-race infraction, but the team soldiered on to Bakersfield the following week for the October Classic for his SRL debut. Herzog overcame mechanical troubles in qualifying to drive from the back of the field for a solid sixth place finish. He will look to build on both of those runs in the “West Coast Short Track Championships” which will be televised live on Lucas Oil Racing TV and aired on MAVTV at a later date.

Race fans can watch Austin Herzog in action on MAVTV, Thursdays at 5pm and 8pm Pacific time. Round #7 of the RPM Mortgage Pro Late Model Series airs November 22nd.

Austin Herzog Motorsports thanks Richard Herzog Construction, Superior Doors, Sanger Construction, Castech Pest Control, Jose Casillas, Stark Naked Enterprises, Wilson Motorsports, LC Services, and Darrell Herzog Roofing for their support.

Potential sponsors are encouraged to contact info@austinherzog.com for more information.

Race fans can keep up on all of the action for Austin Herzog Motorsports at www.AustinHerzogMotorsports.com Austin Herzog Motorsports can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

#32 Chase Stockon, winner of the opening night of the "Oval Nationals" in 2017.

Via USAC Media

Perris, California.........Forty-five cars have pre-entered for the 23rd annual Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction on November 8-9-10 at Perris Auto Speedway.

The prestigious event on the southern California half-mile presents three-straight nights of racing starting this Thursday night and concluding Saturday night, which pays a whopping $25,000-to-win and serves as the season finale for both the USAC AMSOIL National and CRA Sprint Cars.

The race includes past "Ovals" winners Bud Kaeding Damion Gardner, Dave Darland, Chris Windom and Kevin Thomas, Jr., plus 2018 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature winners Justin Grant, Tyler Courtney, C.J. Leary, Chase Stockon and Brady Bacon and 2018 USAC/CRA Sprint Car feature winners Austin Williams, Max Adams, Jake Swanson, Chase Johnson, Austin Liggett, Jace Vander Weerd and Brody Roa as well as five-time USAC Southwest Sprint Car titlist R.J. Johnson, 2018 Southwest champion Charles Davis, Jr., past West Coast Sprint champ Danny Faria, Jr. and current USAC Light Up The World Beverages Western States Midget point leader Michael Faccinto, among many others.

A tight points race is also in play in both the National and CRA divisions. Kevin Thomas, Jr. leads the National points by just two points over Tyler Courtney while reigning champ Chris Windom sits in third, 50 out of the lead. Damion Gardner overtook Brody Roa for the CRA point lead in last Saturday's Western World finale at Arizona Speedway and now stares down his sixth consecutive CRA championship trophy, and seventh overall, with a nine-point lead in the standings.

On Thursday and Friday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:30pm. On Saturday, the pits open at noon, front gates open at 3pm, autograph session from 3-4pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 5:15pm.

All three nights will be live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ with live audio also available on the USAC app.

2018 BUDWEISER OVAL NATIONALS ENTRIES
Car # / Driver / Residence / Car Owner
2 Austin Williams / Yorba Linda, CA / John Jory
4 Justin Grant / Ione, CA / TOPP Motorsports
4D TBA / Gansen Motorsports
4G Chris Gansen / Verdemont Heights, CA / Gansen Motorsports
4x Damion Gardner / Concord, CA / Mark Alexander
5 Chris Windom / St. Louis, MO / Baldwin Brothers
5J Logan Williams / Yorba Linda, CA / John Jory
5m Max Adams / Loomis, CA / Max Adams
5T Tye Mihocko / Peoria, AZ / Tye Mihocko
5x Tommy Malcolm / Corona, CA / Dino Napier
7BC Tyler Courtney / Fishers, IN / Clauson Marshall Newman Racing
8 Michael Faccinto / Hanford, CA / Jim Richardson
10 Richard Vander Weerd / Visalia, CA / Vander Weerd Racing
12 Dave Darland / Lincoln, IN / Ballou Motorsports
12B Joel Rayborne / West Covina, CA / Rodney Rayborne
13 Dennis Gile / Mesa, AZ / Gene Gile
15 Danny Sheridan / Santa Maria, CA / Rick Johnson
16 Bud Kaeding / Campbell, CA / Mike Martin Racing
19AZ Andy Reinbold / Gilbert, AZ / Andy Reinbold & Todd Underwood
19s Jason McDougal / Broken Arrow, OK / Andy Reinbold & Todd Underwood
21 A.J. Bender / Ramona, CA / Richard Bender
28 Matt McCarthy / Riverside, CA / Matt McCarthy
30 C.J. Leary / Greenfield, IN / Chuck Leary
32 Chase Stockon / Fort Branch, IN / Chase Stockon
34AZ Jake Swanson / Anaheim, CA / Grau/Burkhart
39E Kyle Edwards / Fountain Valley, CA / Gordon Edwards
42 Danny Faria, Jr. / Tipton, CA / Dwight Cheney
44 Cody Williams / Corona, CA / John Jory
50 Charles Davis, Jr. / Buckeye, AZ / Charles Davis Jr.
51 Austin Ervine / Bakersfield, CA / James Ervine
52 Isaac Chapple / Wilkinson, IN / Isaac Chapple
55 Tony Everhart / El Cajon, CA / Tony Everhart
68 Chase Johnson / Penngrove, CA / Shawn Thomas
69 Kevin Thomas, Jr. / Cullman, AL / Dynamics, Inc.
72 Gary Marshall, Jr. / Pomona, CA / Gary Marshall Sr. & Jr.
74x Josh Hodges / Tijeras, NM / Jack Hodges
83 Austin Liggett / Tracy, CA / Tim Liggett
88 Jace Vander Weerd / Visalia, CA / Vander Weerd Racing
90 Randy Waitman / Ramona, CA / Randy Waitman
91R Brody Roa / Garden Grove, CA / BR Performance
92 R.J. Johnson / Laveen, AZ / Tom & Lauri Sertich
92x TBA / Tom & Lauri Sertich
98 Jeremy Ellertson / Lawndale, CA / Jeremy Ellertson
98v Verne Sweeney / Lomita, CA / Ken Tracy
99 Brady Bacon / Broken Arrow, OK / Brady Bacon Racing

Tyler Courtney became the 7th driver in the history of the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car series to win at least 11 races in a year Saturday night in the "Western World" finale at Arizona Speedway. (Photo Courtesy Rich Forman)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

San Tan Valley, Arizona.........Twenty-four hours prior to taking the green flag for Saturday night's 51st "Western World Championships" finale at Arizona Speedway, Tyler Courtney was lamenting how he threw away a victory in lapped traffic.

It was a mistake the Indianapolis, Indiana driver expressed he couldn't repeat when racing against competition that is at the top of their game.

Twenty-four hours later, Courtney was standing in victory lane, reversing the spell that cast him in the throes of lapped traffic. This time, it was he who capitalized in lapped traffic as he ran down Dave Darland with 13 laps remaining to win his 11th USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature of the season.

"I screwed myself with lapped cars last night and I was determined that I wasn't going to do that again," an adamant Courtney said.

Courtney started fifth on the field while, up front, fellow USAC National Sprint Car championship contender Chris Windom rocketed from his outside front row starting position to the lead past pole sitter Damion Gardner and quickly carved out a two-plus second advantage.

On the move and not wasting a single heartbeat was Courtney who advanced three spots to second on the opening lap, slithering around the outside of Dave Darland on the top of turn two to gain the position. Darland fought back to regain second on the fourth lap just before the night's first yellow flag fell for the stopped car of 2014 "Western World" winner Matt Rossi on lap five.

On the restart, Darland reared back and fired a slider into turn one. As Windom came off the top to launch his way off turn two, the duo nearly went hammer to nail. Windom got on the binders, which shuffled him out of the deck and back to fourth as Courtney and Leary shot past for second and third, respectively, while Darland carried onward with the race lead.

However, the lap six restart following top CRA Rookie Joel Rayborne's incident in turn four saw Leary wrestle the second position away from Courtney where he would remain until the ninth lap when Courtney eked between Leary and the turn two concrete to nab the runner-up position for the time being, with leader Darland now within earshot.

Whereas Courtney gave into impatience and trigger happiness on Friday night, Saturday night would prove to have a different outlook as he stuck to his guns up top. On lap 18, Courtney's stick-to-itiveness paid off as the two began to work their way into traffic. Darland went to the bottom of three and four to work by Rossi and R.J. Johnson, still maintaining the lead to the stripe.

Entering turn one, Darland drove it in the corner as straight as an arrow and slid to the top, cutting in front of Courtney's line up on the lip. Courtney countered underneath Darland and two raced wheel-to-wheel down the back straight of the 3/8-mile dirt oval with Darland clinging to a slight advantage into three. Courtney threw his Clauson Marshall Newman Racing/NOS Energy Drink - Priority Aviation/Spike/Rider Chevy deep into turn three, shoulder-to-shoulder with Darland.

Darland appeared, momentarily, to have the momentum to ride back by Courtney on the outside, but, instead, snagged the right rear in the cushion just enough to lift the front wheel just a smidge. The two remained wheel-to-wheel all the way through the corner with Darland getting just a tad squirrely on exit, somehow avoiding contact with the distance between the two being roughly the circumference of a feline whisker, as Courtney raced to the lead at the line by two car lengths.

"I screwed myself with lapped cars last night and I was determined that I wasn't going to do that again." - Tyler Courtney (Photo Courtesy Adam Mollenkopf)

Moments later, Austin Williams slowed to bring out the yellow, setting up a restart with 11 to go that had Darland weighing his options, first peeking his front bumper to the inside of Courtney to no avail, but remaining in stalking mode with his hackles raised, just hoping for a Courtney mistake down the stretch on the narrowing groove up top.

The cameramen were in position, this author's headline was already halfway written, the checkered flag was in hand and all appeared to be settled on the final lap for Courtney when Rossi stopped at the flag stand to bring out the final yellow, setting up a green-white-checkered finish.

Courtney was hoping for an uneventful last restart and that's just what he got as Darland could not get close enough to the back bumper of Courtney to mount a challenge throughout the two-lap shootout. Courtney sealed the deal with a pair of laps that were in sync, with car and driver in perfect harmony to win by half a second over Darland, Leary, Windom and Logan Seavey.

Courtney's 11th win of the year positioned him as just the seventh driver to reach that number of victories within a single USAC National Sprint Car season, equaling him with Bubby Jones' 11-win season in 1979. With point leader Kevin Thomas, Jr. taking eighth in the feature, Courtney moved to within two points of the USAC National Sprint title with three races remaining on Nov. 8-9-10 at California's Perris Auto Speedway.

"We had high expectations coming into this year, but I think we've exceeded all of them," Courtney exclaimed. "But we're not done yet. We've got three races left and still have the big picture in mind. We've just got to keep doing what we're doing and plug along. You just got to let it play out."

Meanwhile, in the USAC/CRA Sprint Car standings, Gardner overtook Brody Roa atop the leaderboard in the standings by five points with three races left to go at Perris.

Contingency award winners Saturday night at Arizona Speedway were Isaac Chapple (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner / Roger & Barb Tapy 13th Fastest Qualifier), Tyler Courtney (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner / KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Chase Stockon (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Winner) and Brody Roa (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).

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USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL & CRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: November 3, 2018 - Arizona Speedway - San Tan Valley, Arizona - 51st"Western World Championships"
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Dave Darland, 12, Ballou-15.235; 2. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-15.277; 3. Logan Seavey, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-15.298; 4. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-15.375; 5. Thomas Meseraull, 77m, Michael-15.434; 6. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-15.473; 7. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-15.503; 8. Damion Gardner, 4x, Alexander-15.534; 9. Jake Swanson, 34AZ, Grau/Burkhart-15.551; 10. Danny Sheridan, 15, Johnson-15.575; 11. Jason McDougal, 19s, Reinbold/Underwood-15.631; 12. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-15.647; 13. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-15.649; 14. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-15.735; 15. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 69, Dynamics-15.793; 16. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-15.814; 17. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-15.822; 18. R.J. Johnson, 92, Sertich-15.866; 19. Ryan Bernal, 73, Ford-15.890; 20. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-15.908; 21. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-15.949; 22. Danny Faria, Jr., 42, Cheney-16.044; 23. Matt Rossi, 02, Rossi-16.109; 24. Dennis Gile, 13, Gile-16.117; 25. Brady Bacon, 99, Bacon-16.132; 26. Stevie Sussex, 12A, Allen-16.138; 27. Logan Williams, 5x, Jory-16.169; 28. Tye Mihocko, 5T, Mihocko-16.290; 29. Joel Rayborne, 12B, Blair-16.821.

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS / EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Chapple, 2. Swanson, 3. Bacon, 4. Darland, 5. Hodges, 6. Meseraull, 7. Gansen, 8. Rayborne. 2:10.11

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) / CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Courtney, 2. Johnson, 3. Grant, 4. Sheridan, 5. A. Williams, 6. Sussex, 7. Faria. 2:12.18

CHALK STIX / KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS / ROD END SUPPLY THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Thomas, 2. Rossi, 3. Windom, 4. Bernal, 5. Seavey, 6. McDougal, 7. L. Williams. 2:12.02

INDY RACE PARTS / BUTLERBUILT SEATS / ROD END SUPPLY FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Stockon, 2. Leary, 3. Roa, 4. Gardner, 5. Mihocko, 6. Gile, 7. C. Williams. NT

COMPETITION SUSPENSION, INC. (CSI) / ROD END SUPPLY SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Meseraull, 2. Hodges, 3. Seavey, 4. A. Williams, 5. Sussex, 6. L. Williams, 7. Mihocko, 8. Gile, 9. Gansen, 10. Rayborne, 11. McDougal. 3:15.18

FEATURE: (30 laps - starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tyler Courtney (5), 2. Dave Darland (6), 3. C.J. Leary (4), 4. Chris Windom (2), 5. Logan Seavey (7), 6. Justin Grant (3), 7. Damion Gardner (1), 8. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (13), 9. Chase Stockon (14), 10. Thomas Meseraull (8), 11. Ryan Bernal (16), 12. Jake Swanson (9), 13. Brody Roa (17), 14. Isaac Chapple (11), 15. Brady Bacon (20), 16. Josh Hodges (18), 17. R.J. Johnson (15), 18. Danny Sheridan (10), 19. Matt Rossi (19), 20. Austin Williams (12), 21. Stevie Sussex (21), 22. Logan Williams (22), 23. Joel Rayborne (24), 24. Cody Williams (23). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Windom, Laps 5-17 Darland, Laps 18-30 Courtney.

KSE RACING PRODUCTS / SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS / RACING OPTICS HARD CHARGER: Kevin Thomas, Jr. (13th to 8th)

WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Brody Roa

ROGER & BARB TAPY 13TH FASTEST QUALIFIER: Isaac Chapple

SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Tye Mihocko

NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-K. Thomas-2521, 2-Courtney-2519, 3-Windom-2471, 4-Darland-2195, 5-Leary-2178, 6-Bacon-2175, 7-Stockon-2138, 8-Grant-2084, 9-Robert Ballou-1771, 10-Chapple-1461.

NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Gardner-1470, 2-Roa-1465, 3-A. Williams-1235, 4-C. Williams-1115, 5-Swanson-1068, 6-Johnson-1030, 7-Max Adams-943, 8-Faria-900, 9-L. Williams-882, 10-Gansen-803.

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: November 8-9-10 - Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, California - 23rd Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction