By Lance Jennings
JULY 15, 2015… The cars and stars of the USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series will invade Arizona Speedway, this Saturday, July 18th. Located in Queen Creek, Arizona’s ET Motopark, the “Monsoon Madness” will also showcase X-Mods, the Neils Garage Cabinets Pure Stocks, and Dwarf Cars. The Front Gates will open at 5:30pm and Racing at the fast 3/8-mile oval will start at 8:00pm. For more event and ticket information, visit www.arizonaspeedway.net or call 480.926.6688.
Since April 13, 2013, fifteen USAC SouthWest Sprint Car events have been held at the Queen Creek facility. Two-time and defending series champion R.J. Johnson leads all drivers with nine wins, including the shows on April 18th and June 13th. “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. won his fourth Arizona Speedway triumph on May 16th and fresh off last Saturday’s win at Las Cruces, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin will be looking for his second win at Queen Creek.
Entering Saturday’s race, R.J. Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona has a 56-point lead over the competition. Piloting Bill Michael’s #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, Johnson raced from fifteenth to score seventh last Saturday in Las Cruces, New Mexico. To date, the second generation driver has seven feature wins, five heat race victories, one high-point driver award, one hard charger award, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 120 feature laps led. R.J. will be looking for his series leading thirtieth victory this Saturday night.
Buckeye, Arizona’s “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. ranks second in the USAC SouthWest point standings. Racing the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, Davis claimed second in the Southern New Mexico Speedway feature. Heading to Queen Creek, the five-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion has one feature win, two high-point driver awards, four heat race victories, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 36 feature laps led on the season. “Chargin” Charles is second on the series win list with twelve victories and will have his sights on adding another trophy to his collection.
Matt Rossi of South Central, Arizona sits third in the chase for the championship. Driving the family owned #02 Apache Scapes / IWR Spike, Rossi finished third in last Saturday’s main event. To date, the defending Western World Champion has one feature win, two high-point driver awards, three hard charger awards, ten top-10 finishes, and 27 feature laps led on the year. Tied with Brady Bacon, Dave Darland, Mike Martin, Stevie Sussex, and Rick Ziehl for sixth on the series win list, Matt will be looking for the $1,500 payday at Arizona Speedway.
After racing from eighteenth to eighth last Saturday night, Tempe, Arizona’s Stevie Sussex has climbed to fourth in the point chase. Piloting Dennis Gile’s #13S Quarterback Academy / Bobby Q Ellis, Sussex has two feature wins, one heat race victory, one high point driver award, three hard charger awards, eleven top-10 finishes, and 72 feature laps led to his credit. Currently tied for sixth on the series win list, Stevie will have his sights on his fourth main event victory.
Josh Pelkey of Peoria, Arizona is fifth in the championship standings. Racing Robbie and Gaye Allen’s #12 ABC Body Shop / Napa Auto Parts Maxim, Pelkey did not compete in the “Border Tour” finale. Heading to Arizona Speedway, the 1997 ASCA Champion has one heat race victory, one high-point driver award, and ten top-10 finishes in the campaign. Currently ranked fourth on the USAC SouthWest win list, Josh will be looking for his sixth feature triumph.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, Brian Hosford, “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James, Dennis Gile, Andy Reinbold, “The Bull” Tye Mihocko, Nick Aiuto, Josh Shipley, Shon Deskins, Chris Bonneau, Michael Curtis, Mike Bonneau, Tom Ogle, and more.
Arizona Speedway is located at 47346 N. Ironwood Road in Queen Creek, just five miles south of Mesa. To get to the track, exit Ironwood Drive on US 60, then head four miles south. Adult Tickets are $15, Senior Tickets are $12, Kids Tickets (11-7) are $5, and Children (6 and under) are FREE. For more event and ticket information, visit www.arizonaspeedway.net or call 480.926.6688.
The USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series thanks Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier Tire, Racers Advantage Store, and the Hose Advantage Store for their support. For more information on the group, visit www.southwestsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SouthwestSprintCars).
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USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS:
2013-R.J. Johnson, 2014-R.J. Johnson.
QUEEN CREEK USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS:
9-R.J. Johnson, 4-Charles Davis Jr., 1-Mike Martin, 1-Josh Pelkey
2015 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS:
7-R.J. Johnson, 2-Ryan Bernal, 2-Stevie Sussex, 1-Brady Bacon, 1-Charles Davis Jr., 1-Mike Martin, 1-Matt Rossi.
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
- R.J. Johnson-741, 2. Charles Davis Jr.-685, 3. Matt Rossi-666, 4. Stevie Sussex-607, 5. Josh Pelkey-592, 6. Mike Martin-563, 7. Brian Hosford-485, 8. Bruce St. James-447, 9. Mike Colegrove-432, 10. Dennis Gile-374, 11. Andy Reinbold-371, 12. Tye Mihocko-352, 13. Nick Aiuto-338, 14. Josh Shipley-318, 15. Shon Deskins-303, 16. Chris Bonneau-231, 17. Michael Curtis-220, 18. Mike Bonneau-187, 19. Tom Ogle-184, 20. Dalten Gabbard-165.