From Lonnie Wheatley
Peoria, AZ — (March 24, 2015) — The action heats up Saturday night as the USAC Southwest non-wing Sprint Cars take to the 1/3-mile Canyon Speedway Park for the annual running of the prestigious Hose Advantage Hank Arnold Memorial.
Following an open practice session on Friday from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday’s card named for the National Sprint Car Hall of Famer goes green at 7:00 p.m.
In addition to the fearless USAC Southwest contenders, the Hose Advantage Hank Arnold Memorial also includes Micro Sprints, Arizona Differential Pure Stocks, AMA Mod Lites and Dwarf Cars.
Stevie Sussex, who topped the recent USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast “Sin City Showdown” in Las Vegas, also enters Saturday’s action as the reigning Hank Arnold Memorial champion after capturing his first USAC Southwest win in last October’s running of the event.
The Sussex triumph last October put a halt to an R.J. Johnson run of domination that had included three series triumphs in a row at CSP after Josh Pelkey had taken two of the previous three events with Charles Davis, Jr., also posting a Canyon win last season.
While Sussex finished strong with the Hank Arnold Memorial win and has now started strong with Vegas honors to snare the early series points lead, R.J. Johnson’s title defense begins in earnest with Saturday’s tilt. Johnson outdistanced Davis, Jr., by more than 200 points for last year’s title with Pelkey, Western World champ Matt Rossi and Shon Deskins also among the top five with other top USAC Southwest shoes including the likes of Mike Martin, Tye Mihocko, Brian Hosford, Michael Curtis and Nick Aiuto.
With Saturday’s event the first for the USAC Southwest Sprint Cars at CSP since Winter Challenge action, the Arizona Differential Pure Stocks and Dwarf Cars took part in the March 14 season opener with Chris McCurdy, Jr., and Brian Stehr winning their respective features.
It the first action for the Micro Sprints and AMA Mod Lites since Winter Challenge competition where Gary Winter took two of three Micro Sprint wins and Joel Huggins topped two of three Mod Lite mains.
Tickets for Saturday’s Hose Advantage Hank Arnold Memorial are just $16, with a $3 discount for Military, Seniors and Students. Children ages 7-12 are $6, with children 6 and under admitted free. VIP passes are available for $20.
Hotel Information can be found at http://www.canyonspeedwaypark.com/fan-info/lodging/ or by calling the Courtyard by Marriott at 623-580-8844.
To keep up on all the latest news and happenings, sign up for Canyon Speedway E-News. The track update registration can be found at the top of the www.canyonspeedwaypark.com home page.
The entire 2015 Canyon Schedule can be previewed online at http://www.canyonspeedwaypark.com/schedule/.
Canyon Speedway Park is located in north Peoria, AZ, off Lake Pleasant Parkway, then 1.3 miles west on Carefree Highway. For more information, contact the track at 602-258-RACE (7223) or check online at www.canyonspeedwaypark.com.