Lundy wins first USAC CRA victory at Perris
NXTbets Pro | Published On: July 13, 2026
Lundy wins at Perris
Connor Lundy turned a strong night at Perris Auto Speedway into his first career Avanti Windows & Doors USAC/CRA Sprint Car Series victory, taking the lead on the fourth lap and holding it the rest of the way in Perris, California. The Peoria, Arizona, driver delivered a clean run in the Matt Lundy-owned No. 97 Sherman and closed out a decisive win over R.J. Johnson. The margin was 5.6 seconds, a clear sign that Lundy controlled the race once he got to the front.
The victory carried added weight because it was also Lundy’s first Avanti Windows & Doors USAC CRA Sprint Car Series win at Perris Auto Speedway. He used the opening part of the feature to position himself, then made the move that mattered on lap four. From there, he settled into the lead and kept Johnson behind him until the checkered flag. That kind of finish gave Lundy his first series win and put him in a select place in the record book as the 89th different winner in series history. It also gave his car owner and family name another result to build on, with the No. 97 Sherman reaching Victory Lane on a night when the car had pace from the start of the feature.
Lundy claims fast time
Lundy’s night started with speed before it turned into a win. He earned the first Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of his career earlier in the evening, and he did it with a 16.944-second lap. That lap put him at the top of qualifying and set the tone for the rest of his night at Perris. The quick time gave Lundy a strong foundation heading into the feature, and he backed up that pace when the main event began.
The fast time mark also carried a place in the series record book. Lundy became the 97th driver to earn fast time in series history. That detail shows how few drivers have reached that standard and how much value the qualifying run carried for him. He paired that single-lap speed with a feature win that came through racecraft and control, not luck. Lundy left Perris with both the speed award and the race victory, a combination that made the evening one of the most complete performances of his series run.
Perris top five
The front of the field settled in behind Lundy after he took command, and the top five took shape from there. Johnson finished second after chasing Lundy from the moment the leader cleared the field on lap four. Eddie Tafoya Jr. ran third, Austin Williams took fourth and Daylin Perreira completed the top five. The order at the front stayed stable once Lundy moved ahead, and the race finished with the top group spread out behind the winner.
That finish also underscored how effective Lundy was across the whole night. He set fast time, then converted that pace into a feature win against a field that included several drivers capable of running inside the top five. Johnson stayed closest over the distance, but he never found a way back to the front once Lundy secured the lead. Tafoya, Williams and Perreira completed the top five behind them, giving the feature a clear separation at the finish. For Lundy, the result tied together qualifying speed, track position and a strong closing drive, all in one trip to Perris Auto Speedway.
