PERRIS, Calif. — “Showtime” Danny Sheridan captured his first 30-lap USAC-CRA Sprint Car Series event of the season Saturday at Perris Auto Speedway.
Sheridan’s fourth career USAC-CRA victory was a welcome site for a team that entered the season with championship ambitions, only to start the year with a series of problems, including a flip during the last Perris event.
“This Kittle Motorsports team has really stood behind us,” Sheridan said. “We lost a couple motors in Phoenix, then we lost another motor last week in Vegas and popped a couple of tires, so it’s nice to come out here and put the Kittle Plumbing/Pace Lighting No. 18 car back up front.”
Sheridan started the race in the second row behind teenagers Nic Faas and Cole Whitt. Leading the 23-car field to the green flag like a pair of veterans, Whitt jumped ahead of Faas at the start.
The leaders reached lapped traffic on the 13th lap helping Sheridan slip ahead of Faas for second. Sheridan instantly closed on Whitt and had just taken the lead with a nice outside pass when Rickie Gaunt slowed to a stop on the racing surface, creating the first caution period of the race on the 17th lap.
 The restart proved to be devastating for Whitt after he bicycled in turn three and flipped. Despite the wild ride, Whitt was able to walk away from the accident.
Sheridan controlled the race until he reached heavy lapped traffic again with less than five laps to go. Trying to take advantage of the situation, Faas showed Sheridan a wheel but couldn’t move ahead.  
“As much as the yellow flag that gave Cole the lead back hurt me, the yellow flag with three laps to go really helped me because lapped traffic was miserable tonight,” Sheridan admitted.  “There were four cars in front of Nic and me and they were each running two-abreast when Nic got underneath me and showed me a nose.”
Faas finished second ahead of Mike Spencer, David Cardey and point-leader Cory Kruseman.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Mike Spencer, Chaffin 50, 16.591; 2. Cory Kruseman, Kruseman 21k, 16.658; 3. Tony Jones, Alexander 4, 16.672; 4. Levi Jones, Walker-Guiducci 11, 16.752; 5. Tyler Brown, Gardner 96, 16.763; 6. Danny Sheridan, Kittle 18, 16.780; 7. David Cardey, Crossno 83, 16.864; 8. Cole Whitt, Crossno 2, 16.879; 9. Nic Faas, Faas 117, 16.884; 10. Garrett Hansen, Preistley 7, 16.901; 11. Josh Ford, Ford 73, 16.996; 12. Rodney Argo, Argo 19, 17.008; 13. Casey Shuman, Price 0, 17.146; 14. Dustin Morgan, Walker-Guiducci 11d, 17.181; 15. Jordan Hermansader, Rase 32, 17.263; 16. Davey Pombo, Crossno 38, 17.362; 17. J. Hicks, Miller 66, 17.364; 18. Blake Miller, Gardner 93, 17.402; 19. Seth Wilson, Wilson 17, 17.435; 20. Jonny Bates, Bates 33, 17.453; 21. Shane Golobic, Golobic 157, 17.528; 22. Rickie Gaunt, Smiley 2a, 17.572; 23. Luis Espinoza, Sertich 92, 17.575; 24. Royal Adderson, Adderson 40, 17.609; 25. J.J. Ercse, Persall 84, 17.708; 26. Todd Hunsaker, Hunsaker 6, 17.720; 27. Henry Clarke, Kruseman 41k, 18.013; 28. Kenny Perkins, Perkins 34, 18.244; 29. Billy Blinn, Blinn 26, 18.257; 30. Cody Williams, Jory 3, 18.440; 31. Brein Kinney, Persall 85, 18.915; 32. Joe Gunderson, Gunderson 57, 19.512; 33. Austin Mero, Kruseman 71k, no time; 34. Chad Boat, Boat 30, no time.
First Heat (8 laps): Brown, Faas, Spencer, Golobic, Ercse, Hicks, Blinn, Shuman.
Second Heat (8 laps): Sheridan, Gaunt, Miller, Hansen, Morgan, Kruseman, Hunsaker, Williams.
Third Heat (8 laps): Ford, T. Jones, Espinoza, Cardey, Hermansader, Gunderson, Wilson, Clarke.
Fourth Heat (8 laps): Pombo, Whitt, L. Jones, Bates, Adderson, Perkins, Argo.
Semi (10 laps): Kruseman, Morgan, Argo, Shuman, Hermansader, Ercse, Wilson, Hunsaker, Williams, Adderson, Gunderson, Blinn, Hicks.
Feature (30 laps): Sheridan, Faas, Spencer, Cardey, Kruseman, L. Jones, Hansen, Argo, Ford, Shuman, Miller, Golobic, Hermansader, Brown, Espinoza, Morgan, Pombo, Williams, Ercse, T. Jones, Gaunt, Bates, Whitt.