CRA: Manzanita preview

"TRIBUTE TO THE BROMME FAMILY" AT MANZANITA SATURDAY; SHERIDAN 5TH DIFFERENT 2008 USAC/CRA FEATURE WINNER

This Saturday night's USAC/CRA Sprint race at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Ariz. will salute the famed Bromme Family, whose feature victories have dotted the California and Arizona landscape for decades.

Mike Spencer of Temecula, Calif. will pilot the Ron Chaffin machine Saturday night, with Bruce Bromme Jr. serving as crew chief. Spencer is currently third in the series standings behind Cory Kruseman and Levi Jones after finishing third in last Saturday night's 30-lapper at Perris, Calif. behind Danny Sheridan and Nic Faas.

The Bromme Family won the CRA car owner title in 1965, then came back to win three in a row from 1980-1982. After taking the 1985 title they went on to win multiple championships in SCRA with drivers Lealand McSpadden and Richard Griffin and the 2005 USAC/CRA title with car owner Chaffin and driver Damion Gardner.

In 1990 Billy Boat piloted a Bromme car to the fastest qualifying lap in the history of famed Ascot Park in Gardena, Calif., a 17.958 which will forever stand as the track mark and was the only non-winged car ever in the 17-second bracket. Most of Dean Thompson's 103 CRA career feature wins were achieved in Bromme cars and the Brommes have notched more than 200 total wins in CRA, SCRA and USAC/CRA competition.

Sheridan, of Santa Maria, Calif., became the fifth different USAC/CRA feature winner in six 2008 races Saturday, leading the final 13 laps at Perris Auto Speedway in his Scott Sales Company/Pace Electronics Stinger/Chevy. Faas, a series rookie, took second ahead of Spencer, David Cardey and Kruseman. Cole Whitt led the first 17 laps but flipped on a restart and ended up 23rd.

Kruseman's point lead stands at 43 over defending USAC National Sprint Car Champion Levi Jones, who was sixth at Perris.

Spencer will be out to improve on his Feb. 16 result at Manzanita when he was the second to drop out of the race and finished 28th.

-credit: usac