SOMERTON, Ariz. — A familiar face was in victory lane Thursday night as the AMSOIL USAC-CRA Sprint Car Series kicked off its season at Cocopah Speedway.
Nine-time series champion Damion Gardner was the class of the field in claiming victory in the first race of a tripleheader at the four-tenths-mile track.
Gardner set a track record during qualifying with a lap of 16.295 seconds and started sixth in the 30-lap main event as the series visited Cocopah for the first time since 2013.
Gardner took the lead from Cody Williams on lap seven and survived multiple restarts to claim his first victory of the season aboard the familiar Alexander No. 1.
Austin Williams finished second, with Ricky Lewis, Brody Roa and Charles Davis Jr. rounding out the top five.
The main event was plagued by four flips, with Matt McCarthy, Matt Mitchell, Ikaika O’Brien and Shane Sexton each getting upside down.
The three-race series continues tonight and will be broadcast live on SPEED SPORT TV.
The finish:
Feature (30 laps): 1. Damion Gardner (6), 2. Austin Williams (4), 3. Ricky Lewis (3), 4. Brody Roa (7), 5. Charles Davis Jr. (11), 6. Logan Williams (9), 7. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (13), 8. Chris Gansen (12), 9. Mike Martin (14), 10. Verne Sweeney (16), 11. Nate Schank (19), 12. Dustin Burkhart (17), 13. Danny Parrish (22), 14. Shane Sexton (21), 15. Austin Grabowski (15), 16. Travis Buckley (20), 17. Jess Beckett (23), 18. Ikaika O’Brien (18), 19. Tommy Malcolm (1), 20. Matt Mitchell (8), 21. Cody Williams (2), 22. Matt McCarthy (10), 23. Austin Ervine (25), 24. Stevie Sussex (5), 25. J.J. Yeley (24).