For further information, contact Scott Daloisio at (909) 226-7768 or mailto:perrisautospeedway1@gmail.com
By: Perris Auto Speedway
(Perris, CA, October 1, 2024) Over the years in Night of Destruction at Perris Auto Speedway, there have been several popular paint schemes on the competing vehicles. However, when LKQ Pick Your Part presents the latest Night of Destruction this Saturday, October 5th, Alex Kiss may field the most popular one of all. It is a replica of a Dale Earnhardt Jr car.
Kiss, who resides in Riverside, California, started the season by driving a popular “Family Truckster” replica from the movie National Lampoon’s Vacation. Unfortunately, that car was destroyed at the last Night of Destruction. Kiss, who grew up two miles from the Charlotte Motor Speedway, was going to build another version of the same car. However, his wife, Madelyn, suggested he should go in a different direction.
“We bought a house close to Perris Auto Speedway and got into some of the Facebook pages that said what was going on in the neighborhood,” Kiss answered when asked how he got into Demo Cross. “Friends of ours posted about the Night of Destruction. I love racing and watching stuff crash. We ended up being fans by going and watching. “
The wife of Kiss’ buddy Brett Wayland asked if Kiss could build a car for an anniversary gift. Kiss obliged, and Wayland did pretty good the first time out. Wayland asked Kiss to come out and race with him, and things grew from there.
“I work in the studios, and there was a car that was used in a commercial, and they were going to crush it,” Kiss laughed about his first Demo Cross car. “I said, ‘Hey, don’t’ crush it, let me run it in one of the destruction races.’ It was a Firebird. A Firebird is not the ideal car for Demo Cross, but I did not know that at the time. I was doing all right, but I got a little overzealous and spun myself out. I got T boned by another car and broke my axle.”
“When I started doing it seriously on the Family Truckster, I wanted to go all out on the theme and give the fans something they can relate, too,” Kiss remembered. “Everybody knows the Family Truckster. My dad helped me out. He built the aunt that passed away and strapped her to the top of the car. The neighbors around here pitched in on the decorations on the top like the luggage and what not.”
When the Family Truckster got destroyed at the last race, Kiss wanted to rebuild. That is when his wife suggested he build something else.
“I bought a black Yukon,” Kiss stated. “I am a big Dale Earnhardt fan and have been since I was a little kid growing up in North Carolina. I duplicated Dale Jr’s black car since he is still with us. I looked up what a black #8 car of his looked like. I kind of copied it and went around the neighborhood looking for stickers. You know, contingency stickers to make it look like a racecar.”
Kiss and his parents attended a lot of races at Charlotte. When he was eight or nine years old, he got to know a lot of guys at Hendrick Motorsports. They would let him come in and look at stuff in the engine shop and the chassis shop. However, he never got to race anything motorized as a kid.
“Racing has been part of my life for a long time,” the friendly driver stated. “But I never had the means to really do it until I grew up. So, I did not get to do karting or this and that. So, I have tried to get after it a little bit later. I did some short course stuff, but the series (he was in) disappeared. That is when I got into the destruction stuff. It is way more fun getting to smash into people and have people smash into you and not get in trouble for it. It is budget-raceable.”
With two races remaining in the 2024 season, Kiss has a slender six-point lead over defending Demo Cross champion Trebor Stevens of San Jacinto. He may leave Saturday with more points added on, but he will probably miss the last race on October 26th and the possible championship.
“We are going to come out swinging this weekend, but I am going to miss the last race most likely,” Kiss stated. “One of my best friends is getting married in Utah. So, I will probably lose the points lead.”
Another aspect of Kiss racing at The PAS is his group of fans. Approximately 50 or 60 strong, they sit together and cheer him and Wayland on whether they win or not. Every time before they race, they have a barbecue at Wayland’s house. Then they come to the track to cheer their heroes on.
Kiss wanted to be sure to thank his dad, his wife Madelyn, his longtime friend Tim Chapman and “The Amazing” Riverside Mobile Tire Shop.
Spectator gates will open at 5:00 PM on Saturday, and the crashing will begin at 7:00. Adult tickets are $20.00. Kids six to 12 get in for only $5.00, and children five and under are free. The fairgrounds charge $10.00 for parking.
Advance tickets for all Perris Auto Speedway shows are available 24 hours a day online at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/pas/7 or by calling 1-800-595-4849. Plenty of tickets will be available at the ticket window every race night for fans who do not wish to purchase in advance.
The PAS is conveniently located on the freeway close Lake Perris Fairgrounds, home of the Southern California Fair, in nearby Riverside County. Take the 215 freeway. Exit at the Ramona Expressway and go three miles east to the fairgrounds. For directions online, the address to enter is 18700 Lake Perris Drive, and the zip code is 92571.
To keep up with everything happening at The PAS, please visit the track’s social media efforts on Facebook and Instagram and visit the website at perrisautospeedway.com.
2024 Perris Auto Speedway Schedule
October 5th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8’S, TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
October 26th LKQ Pick Your Part Presents NIGHT OF DESTRUCTION: DEMO CROSS, FIGURE 8’S, TRAILER FIGURE 8’S, MINI STOCKS AND DOUBLE DECKERS
November 9th AVANTI USAC/CRA SPRINT CARS, PAS SENIOR SPRINTS, GAS CHASSIS YOUNG GUN SERIES – JERRY DODD CHAMPIONS NIGHT, PASSCAR SUPER, STREET AND FACTORY STOCKS
THIS SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
The PAS would like to thank all of its 2024 marketing partners.
Avanti Doors and Windows – https://www.avantiwindow.com/
Budweiser- https://us.budweiser.com/
Chris’s Hauling
Ed Pink Racing Engines – edpink.com
Flowdynamics – http://www.flowdynamicsonline.com/
GAS Chassis
Heimark Distributors – https://heimark.com/
Hoosier Tire – https://www.hoosiertire.com/
Jugo Superfoods – https://jugobrands.com/
Living Waters Hospice – https://livingwatershospice.com/
LKQ Pick Your Part – https://www.lkqpickyourpart.com/
Marjon RV’s – https://marjonrvs.com/
Mike’s Produce
Performance Online – https://www.performanceonline.com/
Premier Medical Transportation – https://pmtpremier.com/
Sunoco Race Fuels – https://www.sunocoracefuels.com/
Symbiosis – https://symbiosiscare.com/
Trench Shoring – https://www.trenchshoring.com/
Team Stites – https://teamstites.com/
Vista Paint – https://www.vistapaint.com/
Wind N Sea Towing – https://windnseatowing.com/
4 Wheel Parts – https://www.4wheelparts.com/
For information on 2024 billboard advertising at The PAS, please call 951-940-0134 and ask for Charlie Watson.
Fans can stay up to date on track and driver news on The PAS social media efforts at the links below.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Perris-Auto-Speedway/113876798686480?ref=hl
Twitter: Perris Auto Speedway on Twitter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perrisautospeedway/
Website: http://perrisautospeedway.com/
DVDs of all the PASSCAR/IMCA racing and Nights of Destruction at The PAS are available from Fourvideos. For more information call (714) 225-9500.
