by Lance Jennings
QUEEN CREEK, AZ – MAY 12, 2013… After winning the “Canyon Clash” on April 27th, R.J. Johnson of Phoenix continued his hot streak by scoring the 30-lap feature win at Arizona Speedway. Starting sixth, the second generation driver grabbed the lead from Chris Bonneau on lap twenty and sailed to his fourth $1,500 USAC SouthWest Sprint Car victory of the year. Bonneau, Bruce St. James, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, and Shon Deskins followed Johnson to the checkered flags.
Piloting Bill Michaels’ #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, R.J. Johnson won the night’s 10-lap Racers Advantage Store Heat Race #3 and was sixth in the dash. Heading to the annual “Salute To Indy” at Canyon Speedway Park, Johnson carries a 43-point advantage over the competition. To date, the USAC/CRA “Copper On Dirt” winner has four heat race victories, one Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash win, one hard charger award, seven top-10 finishes, and 67 main event laps led in the campaign.
Phoenix’s Chris Bonneau had another strong performance and led twelve laps before settling for second in the feature. Racing his #78 Priced Right Auto Sales Triple X, Bonneau claimed second in his heat race and ran third in the dash. As this writing goes to press, Chris has climbed to seventh in the point standings with three top-10 finishes on the year.
Bruce St. James of Phoenix came home third in the 30-lap feature. Driving his #7K Woodland Auto Display / Weld Racing Maxim, St. James was fourth in his heat race and won his first Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash of the Year. The veteran driver is currently fourteenth in the point chase with three top-10 finishes and 17 feature laps led on the season.
Yuma’s “The Magic Man” Mike Martin scored a fourth place finish at Arizona Speedway. Piloting his #16 Ultimate Offroad / Naquin Precision Earth Moving Maxim, Martin won the night’s second 10-lap Racers Advantage Store Heat Race and scored fourth in the dash. To date, Mike is fourth in the championship points with one feature win, two heat race victories, four top-10 finishes, and 24 feature laps led to his credit.
Shon Deskins of Phoenix charged from twelfth to claim fifth at the checkered flags. Racing his #20 Performance Plus / Ellis Race Cars entry, Deskins placed fourth in his heat race and did not qualify for the night’s dash. Currently eighth in the standings, Shon has three heat race victories and four top-10 finishes on the year.
Gilbert’s Brian Hosford earned the night’s “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a ninth place run after starting eighteenth. Driving Bernie Weber’s #32B Bondurant School of Driving / Coffin & Trout Fine Jewelers Maxim, Hosford scored sixth in his heat race and did not qualify for the dash. To date, Brian is eleventh in the point standings with one Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash win and three top-10 finishes in the campaign.
Jody Wirth of Apache Junction won the night’s first 10-lap Racers Advantage Store Heat Race. Piloting his #5X High Octane Motorsports / Advanced Engine Components Maxim, Wirth was eight in the dash and rebounded from a lap nineteen tangle to score fourteenth in the main event. Jody is tied for nineteenth in the standings with James Aragon and has two heat race victories in 2013.
The USAC Southwest Sprint Car Series will be back for two days of action starting May 25th at Canyon Speedway Park’s “Salute To Indy.” The action packed card will also feature Mini Sprints, LoanMart Challenge Cup Sprints, and AMA Modlites. Advance tickets are on sale and for more information, visit www.canyonspeedwaypark.com or call 602.258.7223.
The USAC Southwest Sprint Car Series would like to thank Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier Tire, Hose Advantage Store, and the Racers Advantage Store for their support. For more information on the series, visit www.southwestsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/
——————————
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT RACE RESULTS:
May 11, 2013 – Queen Creek, Arizona – Arizona Speedway
RACERS ADVANTAGE STORE HEAT RACE #1: (10 laps)
1. Jody Wirth (#5X Wirth), 2. Chris Bonneau (#78 Bonneau), 3. Andy Reinbold (#19 Underwood), 4. Stephen Harms (#60 Harms), 5. Justin Quinn (#93 Quinn), 6. Kyle Danielson (#17K Danielson), 7. Michael Curtis (Turner/Wheeler). NT
RACERS ADVANTAGE STORE HEAT RACE #2: (10 laps)
1. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 2. Josh Pelkey (#12 Allen), 3. Stevie Sussex (#1AZ High), 4. Bruce St. James (#7K St. James), 5. Bran Swinehart (#68 Beal), 6. James Aragon (#94 Aragon), 7. Mike Bonneau (#29 Bonneau). NT
RACERS ADVANTAGE STORE HEAT RACE #3: (10 laps)
1. R.J. Johnson (#77M Michaels), 2. Charles Davis Jr., (#50 Massey), 3. Ronnie Clark (#6 Clark), 4. Shon Deskins (#20 Deskins), 5. Nick Aiuto (#27 Aiuto), 6. Brian Hosford (#32B Weber). NT
SUNOCO RACE FUELS PASSING MASTERS DASH: (6 laps)
1. Bruce St. James, 2. Josh Pelkey, 3. Chris Bonneau, 4. Mike Martin, 5. Andy Reinbold, 6. R.J. Johnson, 7. Charles Davis Jr., 8. Jody Wirth. NT
HOSE ADVANTAGE STORE FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. R.J. Johnson (6th), 2. Chris Bonneau (3rd), 3. Bruce St. James (1st), 4. Mike Martin (4th), 5. Shon Deskins (12th), 6. Andy Reinbold (5th), 7. Ronnie Clark (10th), 8. Stevie Sussex (9th), 9. Brian Hosford (18th), 10. Bryan Swinehart (15th), 11. Charles Davis Jr. (7th), 12. Mike Bonneau (20th), 13. Michael Curtis (19th), 14. Jody Wirth (8th), 15. Stephen Harms (14th), 16. Kyle Danielson (17th), 17. Justin Quinn (11th), 18. Josh Pelkey (2nd), 19. Nick Aiuto (13th), 20. James Aragon (16th). NT
—————————-
**Nick Aiuto flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-7 Bruce St. James, Laps 8-19 Chris Bonneau, Laps 20-30 R.J. Johnson.
HARD CHARGER: Brian Hosford (18th to 9th)
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1-R.J. Johnson-299; 2-Charles Davis Jr.-256; 3-Ronnie Clark-255; 4-Mike Martin-230; 5-Bryan Swinehart-225; 6-Josh Pelkey-220; 7-Chris Bonneau-214; 8-Shon Deskins-211; 9-Justin Quinn-209; 10-Stevie Sussex-194; 11-Brian Hosford-183; 12-Thomas Ogle-162; –Nick Auito-162; 14-Bruce St. James-158; 15-Mike Bonneau-157; 16-Andy Reinbold-148 ; 17-Nathan High-112; 18-Bob Ream Jr.-110 ; 19-James Aragon-101; –Jody Wirth-101.