By Lance Jennings
PEORIA, AZ – APRIL 9, 2014… This Saturday, April 12th, the cars and stars of the USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series will make their first of six appearances of 2014 at Queen Creek’s Arizona Speedway. Located within ET Motopark, the “3rd Annual Spring Fling” will also showcase X-Mods, Pure Stocks, and the Robert Horne Ford Bombers. The Front Gates will open at 5:15pm and Racing at the popular 3/8-mile oval will start at 7:00pm.
Since April 2013, six USAC SouthWest Sprint Car races have been held at the Queen Creek facility. Defending series champion R.J. Johnson leads all drivers with three feature wins followed by “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (2) and “The Magic Man” Mike Martin (1). Martin scored a popular victory in last year’s “Spring Fling” and Davis won the inaugural event sanctioned by the ASCS Canyon Region.
After winning the March 29th “Season Opener” at Canyon Speedway Park, Josh Pelkey of Peoria holds a 3 point advantage over the competition. Driving Robbie & Gaye Allen’s #12 ABC Body Shop / Napa Auto Parts Maxim, the former ASCA Champion has one heat race victory, one hard charger award, seven top-10 finishes, and 41 feature laps led on the year. Josh will have his sights on claiming his third career USAC SouthWest victory at the “Spring Fling.”
Phoenix’s Shon Deskins ranks second in the chase for the championship. Piloting his #20 MP Environmental / Spike Chassis entry, Deskins claimed third in the Canyon main event and won the program’s second heat race. Entering Saturday’s action, the veteran driver has five top-10 finishes on the season and will be looking to add the “Spring Fling” to his win list.
R.J. Johnson of Phoenix is third in the USAC SouthWest point chase. Racing Bill Michaels’ #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, the defending series champion powered his way to second at Canyon after starting seventh. To date, Johnson has one hard charger award and six top-10 finishes in the campaign. On Saturday, R.J. will have his sights on claiming his series leading twelfth career feature win at Arizona Speedway.
Surprise’s Tom Ogle sits fourth in the point standings. Driving his #48 RSS Industries / JT Engineering machine, Ogle raced to fourth in the March 29th feature after starting eleventh. The veteran driver will be looking to score his first USAC SouthWest triumph this Saturday at Queen Creek.
Andy Reinbold of Gilbert is currently fifth in the championship point chase. Piloting Todd Underwood’s #19 AME Electrical / Ross Equipment Rentals RSS, Reinbold placed fifth in the Canyon main event after starting ninth. Noted as one of the tallest drivers on the circuit, the veteran driver has one semi-main win on the season. Andy will have his sights on adding Saturday’s first place trophy to his collection.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “The Kid” Tye Mihocko, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, Michael Curtis, Lonnie Oliver, Nick Aiuto, Tom Lee, Josh Shipley, Michael Woodruff, Mike Bonneau, “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James, Brian Hosford, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., 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/
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SPRING FLING WINNERS:
2012-Charles Davis Jr., 2013-Mike Martin.
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1. Josh Pelkey-71, 2. Shon Deskins-68, 3. R.J. Johnson-62, 4. Tom Ogle-57, 5. Andy Reinbold-54, 6. Tye Mihocko-49, 7. Mike Martin-48, 8. Michael Curtis-47, 9. Lonnie Oliver-46, 10. Nick Aiuto-37, 11. Tom Lee-34, 12. Josh Shipley-33, –. Michael Woodruff-33, 14. Mike Bonneau-30, 15. Bruce St. James-28, –. Brian Hosford-28, –. Charles Davis Jr.-28, 18. Mike Morin-21, 19. Matt Rossi-5, 20. Mike Colegrove-2