From Cody Morris
Peoria, Arizona (5-26-2012) – The non-winged sprints of the ASCS Canyon Region marched into Peoria’s Canyon Speedway Park for a Saturday/Sunday night debut of the inaugural Salute to Indy.
Thirty-three teams checked into CSP confines, the largest field yet of the 2012 ASCS Canyon campaign.
Peoria’s hometown favorite Dalten Gabbard inherited the lead on the seventh circuit and held on for the first ASCS victory of the young 19 year old’s career aboard the Route 66 Excavation and Arizona Heat Trucking no. 77.
Gabbard’s first career sprint car victory makes four Canyon winners in the six ASCS Canyon outings of the young 2012 season, the victory also propelled Gabbard into second place in the 2012 ASCS Canyon Region point standings.
California native Colby Copeland nabbed runner up honors with Phoenix native R.J. Johnson advancing four spots to claim the show position. Mike Martin held on for the fourth and final lock in position to Sunday night’s Salute to Indy main event.
Saturday night’s 30 lap Salute to Indy suffered six race stoppages with three of those of red flag nature. Bruce St. James bicycled into a tumble while leading early in the race, with Mike Colegrove also getting upside down just 1 lap later. Thomas Ogle and Ryan Linder collided for the third and final flip of the evening on lap 11. All drivers emerged safely, but were done for th remainder of the main event.
Canyon Speedway Park’s inaugural Salute to Indy concludes with the ASCS Canyon Region headlining the Memorial Day Weekend Sunday night finale.
ASCS Canyon Region
May 26th, 2012 / Event 6 of 24
Canyon Speedway Park / Peoria, Arizona
A Feature (30 Laps): 1. 77-Dalten Gabbard[2]; 2. 23-Colby Copeland[3]; 3. 51-R.J. Johnson[7]; 4. 16-Mike Martin[4]; 5. 78-Chris Bonneau[16]; 6. 41w-Rick Ziehl[12]; 7. 32B-Brian Hosford[20]; 8. 50-Charles Davis Jr[6]; 9. 0-Steve Sussex[18]; 10. 93-Justin Quinn[11]; 11. 29-Michael Bonneau[15]; 12. 9-Ryan Linder[5]; 13. 48T-Thomas Ogle[9]; 14. 6-Ronnie Clark[10]; 15. 12-Josh Pelkey[8]; 16. 2-Josh Shipley[14]; 17. 17-Mike Colegrove[17]; 18. 7k-Bruce St. James[1]; 19. 8-Bob Ream Jr[19]; 20. 21-Jeremy Sherman[13]
Lap Leaders: Bruce St. James 1-6, Dalten Gabbard 7-30
Top four locked in to Sunday night redraw
B Feature 1 (10 Laps): 1. 21-Jeremy Sherman[3]; 2. 29-Michael Bonneau[2]; 3. 17-Mike Colegrove[5]; 4. 8-Bob Ream Jr[8]; 5. 19-Andy Reinbold[9]; 6. 94-James Aragon[4]; 7. 23x-Josh Castro[6]; 8. 74-Derek Williams[7]; 9. 16A-Mike Visser[11]; 10. 20-Shon Deskins[1]; DNS 7J-Kiley Fellars
Top 4 advance to A Feature
B Feature 2 (10 Laps): 1. 2-Josh Shipley[1]; 2. 78-Chris Bonneau[5]; 3. 0-Steve Sussex[2]; 4. 32B-Brian Hosford[6]; 5. 17k-Kyle Danielson[8]; 6. 5x-Jody Wirth[4]; 7. 14-Darrell Sickles[3]; 8. 6JT-Michael Curtis[7]; 9. 53-Tom Lee[10]; 10. 82-Tom Kamrath[9]
Top 4 advance to A Feature
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 9-Ryan Linder; 2. 6-Ronnie Clark; 3. 41w-Rick Ziehl; 4. 2-Josh Shipley; 5. 21-Jeremy Sherman; 6. 14-Darrell Sickles; 7. 82-Tom Kamrath; 8. 6JT-Michael Curtis; 9. 16A-Mike Visser
Heat 2
(8 Laps): 1. 16-Mike Martin; 2. 7k-Bruce St. James; 3. 20-Shon Deskins; 4. 48T-Thomas Ogle; 5. 17-Mike Colegrove; 6. 23x-Josh Castro; 7. 53-Tom Lee; 8. 7J-Kiley Fellars
Heat 3
(8 Laps): 1. 23-Colby Copeland; 2. 51-R.J. Johnson; 3. 0-Steve Sussex; 4. 29-Michael Bonneau; 5. 94-James Aragon; 6. 74-Derek Williams; 7. 8-Bob Ream Jr; 8. 19-Andy Reinbold
Heat 4
(8 Laps): 1. 50-Charles Davis Jr; 2. 12-Josh Pelkey; 3. 77-Dalten Gabbard; 4. 93-Justin Quinn; 5. 5x-Jody Wirth; 6. 78-Chris Bonneau; 7. 32B-Brian Hosford; 8. 17k-Kyle Danielson
2012 ASCS Canyon Region point standings (top ten):
1. Charles Davis Jr. 797; 2. Dalten Gabbard 715; 3. R.J. Johnson 711; 4. Bruce St. James 689; 5. Mike Colegrove 667; 6. Brian Hosford 659; 7. Andy Reinbold 637; 8. Ryan Linder 622; 9. Josh Pelkey 618; 10. Justin Quinn 606