SOUTHWEST SPRINTS HEAD FOR CANYON SATURDAY; BERNAL, RUTHERFORD STAR IN “PETER MURPHY CLASSIC”
R.J. Johnson and Charles Davis Jr. head the list of contenders when USAC’s Southwest Sprint Cars make the trek into the desert this weekend as the series resumes Saturday at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz.
The Allscapes “Back to School Special” at Canyon finds Johnson enjoying a 107-point lead entering Saturday’s race. Davis hasn’t won at Canyon in more than two years, while R.J. owns the last two trophies at the Arizona oval.
Troy Rutherford of Ojai, Calif. led the final 13 laps of Saturday night’s “Peter Murphy Classic” finale at the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. to win the USAC West Coast Sprint race over Friday night’s winner, Ryan Bernal. Rutherford grabbed the lead from Brody Roa on the 18th lap in his AAA Propane Service/Trench Shoring Spike/Shark and led the rest of the way to beat Bernal, Bud Kaeding, point leader Roa and Richard Vander Weerd.
Bernal, of Hollister, Calif., captured Friday night’s race at Tulare. He wheeled the Metal Works/Tri-L Mandarin Ranch ART/S & S past Roa on lap 10 and led the rest of the way to beat Roa, Jace Vander Weerd, Kaeding and Danny Sheridan.
Roa will lead the West Coast Sprints into an August 6 date at Santa Maria (Calif.) Raceway.
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NEXT USAC WESTERN SPRINT CAR EVENT:
DATE: Saturday, July 30, 2016
SERIES: USAC Southwest Sprint Car Championship
TRACK: Canyon Speedway Park (Peoria, Arizona) – 1/3-Mile, Dirt Oval
EVENT: Allscapes “Back to School Special” featuring the USAC Southwest Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars vs. SCRA Stock Cars and IMCA Hobby Stocks vs. Renegades
STARTING TIMES: Spectator Gates: 5:00pm; Racing: 7:00pm
TICKETS: TBA
TRACK ADDRESS: 9777 W. Carefree Hwy, Peoria, AZ 85345
TRACK PHONE: (602) 258-7223
TRACK WEBSITE: http://canyonspeedwaypark.com
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2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (698) Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA)
2. (611) D.J. Johnson (Stockton, CA)
3. (578) Jace Vander Weerd (Visalia, CA)
4. (537) Richard Vander Weerd (Visalia, CA)
5. (477) Danny Faria, Jr. (Tipton, CA)
6. (476) Max Adams (Loomis, CA)
7. (469) Austin Liggett (Tracy, CA)
8. (457) Trey Marcham (Oklahoma City, OK)
9. (426) Tristan Guardino (Fremont, CA)
10. (423) Ryan Timmons (Pleasant Hill, CA)
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2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (825) R.J. Johnson (Tempe, AZ)
2. (718) Charles Davis, Jr. (Buckeye, AZ)
3. (670) Mike Martin (Yuma, AZ)
4. (664) Matt Rossi (Peoria, AZ)
5. (640) Stevie Sussex (Phoenix, AZ)
6. (584) Nick Aiuto (Gilbert, AZ)
7. (554) Tye Mihocko (Peoria, AZ)
8. (496) Dennis Gile (Chandler, AZ)
9. (464) Andy Reinbold (Chandler, AZ)
10. (444) Josh Pelkey (Peoria, AZ)
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2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & RESULTS:
Jan. 22: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 23: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 24: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Jan. 29: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 30: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Mar. 4: Las Vegas, NV - *** The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Mar. 11: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Rained Out
Mar. 12: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: D.J. Johnson
Mar. 19: Bakersfield, CA - Bakersfield Speedway
WINNER: Troy Rutherford
Apr. 2: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
WINNER: Richard Vander Weerd
Apr. 9: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Rained Out
Apr. 23: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: D.J. Johnson
May 14: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Austin Liggett
Jun. 18: Santa Maria, CA - Santa Maria Raceway
WINNER: Brody Roa
Jun. 25: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
WINNER: Brody Roa
Jul. 22: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Ryan Bernal
Jul. 23: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Troy Rutherford
Aug. 6: Santa Maria, CA - Santa Maria Raceway
Aug. 12: Watsonville, CA - Ocean Speedway
Aug. 13: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
Nov. 24: Ventura, CA - (SE) Ventura Raceway
**Races noted with (SE) represent a non-points "special event."
**Races noted with *** represent a race with the USAC Southwest Sprints.
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2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & RESULTS:
Jan. 22: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 23: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 24: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Jan. 29: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 30: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Mar 4: Las Vegas, NV - *** The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Mar 26: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
Apr 9: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Apr 23: Yuma, AZ - Cocopah Speedway
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
Apr 30: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Rained Out
May 7: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
May 28: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
May 29: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Jun 4: El Paso, TX - Western Tech Speedway Park
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
Jun 5: Las Cruces, NM – Southern New Mexico Speedway
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
Jun 11: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Jul 2: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Jul 30: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
Aug 17: Lawton, OK - (SE) Lawton Speedway
Aug 18: Sapulpa, OK - (SE) Creek County Speedway
Aug 19: Wichita, KS - (SE) 81 Speedway
Aug 20: Dodge City, KS - (SE) Dodge City Raceway Park
Sep 2: El Paso, TX - ### El Paso Speedway Park
Sep 3: Las Cruces, NM - ### Southern New Mexico Speedway
Sep 17: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Oct 15: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Oct 22: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
Oct 29: Casa Grande, AZ - Central Arizona Speedway
Nov 4: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Nov 5: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
**Races noted with (SE) represent a non-points "special event."
**Races noted with *** represent a race with the USAC West Coast Sprints.
**Races noted with ### represent a "Border Tour" event co-sanctioned with the New Mexico Motor Racing Association Sprints.
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2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR STATISTICS FEATURE WINS:
1. (2) D.J. Johnson (Thunderbowl Raceway on Mar. 12 & Thunderbowl Raceway on Apr. 23)
(2) Brody Roa (Santa Maria Raceway on June 18 & Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds on June 25)
(2) Troy Rutherford (Bakersfield Speedway on Mar. 19 & Thunderbowl Raceway on Jul. 23)
4. (1) Ryan Bernal (Thunderbowl Raceway on Jul. 22)
(1) Bryan Clauson (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Mar. 4)
(1) Austin Liggett (Thunderbowl Raceway on May 14)
(1) Richard Vander Weerd (Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds on Apr. 2)
2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR NON-POINTS “SPECIAL EVENT” FEATURE WINS:
1. (3) Bryan Clauson (Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 22, Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 23 & Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 29)
2. (2) Josh Hodges (Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 24 & Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 30)
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2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR STATISTICS FEATURE WINS:
1. (5) R.J. Johnson (Arizona Speedway on Apr. 9, Canyon Speedway Park on May 28, Canyon Speedway Park on May 29, Arizona Speedway on June 11 & Arizona Speedway on July 2)
2. (5) Stevie Sussex (Canyon Speedway Park on Mar. 26, Cocopah Speedway on Apr. 23, Arizona Speedway on May 7, Western Tech Speedway Park on June 4 & Southern New Mexico Speedway on June 5)
3. (1) Bryan Clauson (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Mar. 4)
2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR NON-POINTS “SPECIAL EVENT” FEATURE WINS:
1. (3) Bryan Clauson (Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 22, Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 23 & Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 29)
2. (2) Josh Hodges (Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 24 & Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 30)
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ALL-TIME USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER FEATURE WINS:
1. [24 wins] Ryan Bernal
2. [12 wins] Richard Vander Weerd
3. [10 wins] Bud Kaeding
4. [8 wins] Danny Faria, Jr.
5. [5 wins] Jace Vander Weerd
6. [4 wins] Troy Rutherford, T.J. Smith & Craig Stidham
9. [3 wins] Brody Roa
10. [2 wins] Wes Gutierrez, D.J. Johnson, Cory Kruseman, Kyle Larson, Austin Liggett, Matt Mitchell, Davey Pombo & Danny Sheridan
18. [1 win] Dean Alexander, Bryan Clauson, Nic Faas, Justin Grant, Tristan Guardino, Justyne Hamblin, Josh Hodges, Dennis Howell, Ricky Kirkbride, C.J. Leary, Peter Murphy, Stevie Sussex & Jake Swanson
ALL-TIME USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR “SPECIAL EVENT” FEATURE WINS:
1. [9 Special Event Wins] Bryan Clauson
2. [5 Special Event Wins] Ryan Bernal
3. [2 Special Event Wins] Brady Bacon, Dave Darland, Josh Hodges, R.J. Johnson, Mike Spencer & Richard Vander Weerd
9. [1 Special Event Win] Colby Copeland, Charles Davis, Jr., Bud Kaeding, Mike Martin, Peter Murphy, Matt Rossi & Terry Schank, Jr.
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ALL-TIME USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR DRIVER FEATURE WINS:
1. [34 wins] R.J. Johnson
2. [12 wins] Charles Davis, Jr.
3. [9 wins] Stevie Sussex
4. [6 wins] Rick Ziehl
5. [5 wins] Josh Pelkey
6. [4 wins] Mike Martin
7. [3 wins] Matt Rossi
8. [2 wins] Ryan Bernal, Bryan Clauson & Kent Rosevear
11. [1 win] Beau Binder, Shon Deskins, Justin Grant, Josh Hodges, Brandon Lane, Garry Lee Maier, Brody Roa, Mike Spencer & Rick Williams
ALL-TIME USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR “SPECIAL EVENT” FEATURE WINS:
1. [8 Special Event Wins] Bryan Clauson
2. [3 Special Event Wins] Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland & R.J. Johnson
6. [2 Special Event Wins] Ryan Bernal, Charles Davis, Jr., Josh Hodges, Mike Martin & Rick Ziehl
11. [1 Special Event Win] Beau Binder, Mike Bonneau, Ronnie Clark, Colby Copeland, Dean Freitas, Blake Hahn, Dennis Krob, C.J. Leary, Austin Liggett, Josh Pelkey, Danny Smith, Mike Spencer & Richard Vander Weerd
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USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS:
2010: Craig Stidham; 2011: Richard Vander Weerd; 2012: Bud Kaeding; 2013: Danny Faria, Jr.; 2014: Matt Mitchell; 2015: Danny Faria, Jr.
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USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS:
2003: Rick Ziehl; 2004: Beau Binder; 2013: R.J. Johnson; 2014: R.J. Johnson; 2015: R.J. Johnson