Kyle Larson Sweeps The ASCS Southwest Copper Classic

(l to r) Second place Carson Macedo, winner Kyle Larson, and third place Rico Abreu. (Ben Thrasher photo)

From Bryan Hulbert

QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. (November 28, 2020) – Making it an unprecedented 45 wins on the 2020 season, California’s Kyle Larson made it a weekend sweep with the ASCS Southwest Region in the fifth running of the Copper Classic at Arizona Speedway.

Through the first two turns, Rico Abreu ripped the cushion to the race lead with Hickle and Larson giving chase. Into traffic quickly, Rico continued to hold with Hickle staying within striking distance. Getting the run on Lap 7, Hickle took the point down the backstretch, but could not hold the position as Rico reclaimed the race lead.

Falling to third soon after as Kyle Larson worked by, the No. 57 was in hot pursuit of Rico.
To the bottom of the Speedway as the race neared the half-way point, Larson was denied the advance. Getting the rubber band wound up two laps later, Larson again shot the hub with Abreu again keeping Larson at bay.

Side by side on Lap 18, Larson took the lead, but the move would not count as the caution put the No. 24 back atop the leaderboard. Keeping pace in clean air, Rico pounded the cushion with Larson running in his tire tracks while the battle for third saw Macedo take it away from Hickle.

Starting to find the back of the field again, a mistake by Rico with eight laps to go was just enough for Larson to steal the lead. Pulling away through the closing laps, Larson crossed with 2.584-seconds to spare.

Taking away second in the closing laps, Carson Macedo crossed ahead of Rico Abreu for the California podium sweep. Washington’s J.J. Hickle grabbed fourth with Missouri’s Garet Williamson completing the top five.

Buddy Kofoid crossed sixth with Colton Hardy seventh. Justin Sanders was eighth with Chase Majdic making up nine spots to ninth. Devon Borden completed the top ten.

The 2021 event lineup for the ASCS Southwest Region is in the works and will be announced in the coming months. Through everything that has transpired in 2020, officials with the American Sprint Car Series cannot thank enough everyone who has continued to support Sprint Car racing in the Southwest.

ASCS Southwest Region
Arizona Speedway
Queen Creek, Arizona
5th annual Copper Classic – Night #2
Saturday, November 28, 2020

Heat Race #1 (8 Laps)
1. 2XM-Max Mittry[1]
2. 5H-Michael Faccinto[3]
3. 56-Sammy Swindell[10]
4. 16A-Justin Sanders[6]
5. 4-Logan Calderwood[4]
6. 9R-Reece Goetz[9]
7. 46JR-Joel Myers Jr[7]
8. 2B-Billy Chester III[8]
9. 50S-Rocky Silva[2]
10. 67-Brian Thomas[5]

Heat Race #2 (8 Laps)
1. 5T-Ryan Timms[2]
2. 7-Gary Taylor[1]
3. 13-Tim Kaeding[6]
4. 19A-Buddy Kofoid[5]
5. 19-Colby Thornhill[8]
6. 01-Mitchel Moles[3]
7. 115-Nick Parker[7]
8. 38B-Blake Carrick[9]
9. 18-Lorne Wofford[4]

Heat Race #3 (8 Laps)
1. 1-Dylan Harris[1]
2. 8-Devon Borden[3]
3. 7Z-Zane Blanchard[5]
4. 5C-Colby Copeland[8]
5. 1B-Brenham Crouch[9]
6. 5V-Kalib Henry[7]
7. 131-Royal Jones[6]
8. 47-Charles Davis Jr[2]
9. 22B-Jesse Baker[4]

Heat Race #4 (8 Laps)
1. 24-Rico Abreu[1]
2. 83T-Tanner Carrick[2]
3. 2X-Chase Majdic[3]
4. 01X-John Carney[8]
5. 20G-Noah Gass[7]
6. 1X-Robbie Price[9]
7. 7K-Mason Keefer[5]
8. 12JG-Josh Grady[6]
9. 14-Cody Sickles[4]

Heat Race #5 (8 Laps)
1. 41-Colton Hardy[1]
2. 57-Kyle Larson[6]
3. 29-Jeff Oliver[9]
4. 17C-Chris Bullock[3]
5. 12J-John Clark[8]
6. 5K-Patrick Krob[2]
7. 14T-Tim Estenson[5]
8. 2-Alex Pettas[7]
9. 40X-Mike Archuleta[4]

Heat Race #6 (8 Laps)
1. 88N-DJ Netto[2]
2. 63-JJ Hickle[4]
3. 19AZ-Spencer Bayston[8]
4. 24W-Garet Williamson[9]
5. 21-Carson Macedo[7]
6. 9-Dustin Freitas[3]
7. 6-Jett Carney[1]
8. 3V-Jim Vanzant[6]
9. 91-Chase Goetz[5]

Qualifier #1 (10 Laps)
1. 41-Colton Hardy[2]
2. 24W-Garet Williamson[4]
3. 21-Carson Macedo[10]
4. 5H-Michael Faccinto[1]
5. 16A-Justin Sanders[8]
6. 19AZ-Spencer Bayston[5]
7. 2X-Chase Majdic[9]
8. 56-Sammy Swindell[6]
9. 83T-Tanner Carrick[7]
10. 2XM-Max Mittry[3]

Qualifier #2 (10 Laps)
1. 8-Devon Borden[1]
2. 63-JJ Hickle[4]
3. 19A-Buddy Kofoid[9]
4. 5T-Ryan Timms[5]
5. 1B-Brenham Crouch[7]
6. 5C-Colby Copeland[2]
7. 29-Jeff Oliver[6]
8. 19-Colby Thornhill[8]
9. 9R-Reece Goetz[10]
10. 1-Dylan Harris[3]

Qualifier #3 (10 Laps)
1. 24-Rico Abreu[3]
2. 57-Kyle Larson[4]
3. 13-Tim Kaeding[2]
4. 88N-DJ Netto[5]
5. 1X-Robbie Price[8]
6. 7Z-Zane Blanchard[1]
7. 7-Gary Taylor[7]
8. 20G-Noah Gass[9]
9. 12J-John Clark[6]
10. 01X-John Carney[10]

B-Main #1 (12 Laps)
1. 56-Sammy Swindell[1]
2. 5V-Kalib Henry[7]
3. 5C-Colby Copeland[2]
4. 20G-Noah Gass[4]
5. 91-Chase Goetz[15]
6. 46JR-Joel Myers Jr[9]
7. 9-Dustin Freitas[8]
8. 1-Dylan Harris[5]
9. 2B-Billy Chester III[12]
10. 6-Jett Carney[13]
11. 17C-Chris Bullock[6]
12. 22B-Jesse Baker[16]
13. 131-Royal Jones[10]
14. 3V-Jim Vanzant[14]
15. 7K-Mason Keefer[11]
16. 7Z-Zane Blanchard[3]
17. 67-Brian Thomas[17]
DNS: 01X-John Carney
DNS: 9R-Reece Goetz
DNS: 40X-Mike Archuleta

B-Main #2 (12 Laps)
1. 2X-Chase Majdic[2]
2. 1X-Robbie Price[1]
3. 83T-Tanner Carrick[5]
4. 01-Mitchel Moles[9]
5. 38B-Blake Carrick[12]
6. 2XM-Max Mittry[6]
7. 12J-John Clark[7]
8. 2-Alex Pettas[14]
9. 4-Logan Calderwood[8]
10. 18-Lorne Wofford[17]
11. 5K-Patrick Krob[10]
12. 50S-Rocky Silva[19]
13. 12JG-Josh Grady[15]
14. 14T-Tim Estenson[13]
15. 7-Gary Taylor[3]
16. 115-Nick Parker[11]
17. 47-Charles Davis Jr[16]
18. 14-Cody Sickles[18]
19. 19-Colby Thornhill[4]

A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 57-Kyle Larson[3]
2. 21-Carson Macedo[6]
3. 24-Rico Abreu[2]
4. 63-JJ Hickle[1]
5. 24W-Garet Williamson[4]
6. 19A-Buddy Kofoid[8]
7. 41-Colton Hardy[5]
8. 16A-Justin Sanders[12]
9. 2X-Chase Majdic[18]
10. 8-Devon Borden[7]
11. 19AZ-Spencer Bayston[13]
12. 5V-Kalib Henry[19]
13. 88N-DJ Netto[10]
14. 56-Sammy Swindell[17]
15. 5T-Ryan Timms[9]
16. 5C-Colby Copeland[21]
17. 01-Mitchel Moles[24]
18. 1B-Brenham Crouch[14]
19. 20G-Noah Gass[23]
20. 13-Tim Kaeding[11]
21. 83T-Tanner Carrick[22]
22. 29-Jeff Oliver[16]
23. 5H-Michael Faccinto[15]
24. 1X-Robbie Price[20]