R.J. JOHNSON WINS “HALL OF FAME CLASSIC” AT CANYON SPEEDWAY PARK
Racing past Max Adams on the twenty-second lap, R.J. Johnson (Tempe, Arizona) sprinted to last Saturday’s “16th Annual Sands Chevrolet Hall of Fame Classic” victory. For his efforts, Johnson earned $3,000 for claiming his first AMSOIL USAC/CRA main event of the year at Canyon Speedway Park. “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams, fast qualifier Richard Vander Weerd, “The Demon” Damion Gardner, and Mike Spencer rounded out the top-five drivers.
Driving Bobby Martin’s #51 Weiler Farms / Pecon Builders entry, R.J. Johnson scored his third career USAC/CRA triumph. Earlier in the program, the second generation driver qualified seventh out of twenty-two racers and ran second to Brody Roa in his heat race. In limited starts, the three-time USAC SouthWest Champion is seventeenth in the USAC/CRA point chase with one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, five top-10 finishes, three heat race victories, and 9 feature laps led to his credit.
After leading nineteen laps the previous night, “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams (Yorba Linda, California) took second in the “Hall of Fame Classic.” Racing Jack Jory’s #2 John Jory Corporation / AMA Plastics Spike, Williams was sixth quick in time trials and ran second to Michael Curtis in his heat race. The 2009 Rookie of the Year left Canyon ranked fifth in the standings with two feature wins, one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, one heat race victory, one Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Semi-Main win, two BR Motorsports / King Racing Products Hard Charger Awards, twelve top-10 finishes, and 55 feature laps led on the season.
Richard Vander Weerd (Visalia, California) charged from seventh to score third at Canyon Speedway Park. Piloting the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Stone Gate Development Maxim, Richard earned his second Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and finished fifth in his heat race. The 2011 USAC West Coast Champion heads to Perris ranked second in points with one feature win, three heat race victories, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 61 feature laps led in the campaign.
After restarting at the back, “The Demon” Damion Gardner (Concord, California) sliced his way to fourth in the “Hall of Fame Classic.” Driving Mark Alexander’s #4 Scott Sales Company / Weld Racing Spike, Gardner qualified fifth overall and claimed third in his heat race. The four-time champion left Canyon with a 107-point lead with three feature wins, two Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Awards, eleven heat race victories, one Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Semi-Main win, one BR Motorsports / King Racing Products Hard Charger Award, fifteen top-10 finishes, and 86 feature laps led.
Mike Spencer (Temecula, California) scored fifth at the Canyon Speedway Park checkered flags. Racing the Gansen Engineering Motorsports’ #4S Trench Shoring / King Racing Products Maxim, Spencer was eighth fast in time trials and ran second to Charles Davis Jr. in his heat race. The five-time champion is currently sixth in the point standings with one heat race victory, one Brown & Miller Racing Solutions Semi-Main win, eleven top-10 finishes, and 40 feature laps led on the season.
“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) earned the night’s BR Motorsports / King Racing Products “Hard Charger Award / Best Passing Job” honors with an eighth place run from fourteenth. Piloting the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, Davis qualified fourteenth overall, won the DJ Safety Heat Race #2, and also earned an additional $100 from Beaver Stripes for being the hard charger. In USAC/CRA action, the five-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion has also posted one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award and two top-10 finishes.
Brody Roa (Garden Grove, California) won the night’s 10-lap Extreme Mufflers Heat Race #1. Driving the BR Performance #91R HD Industries / Lee & Norma Leonard Maxim, Roa was thirteenth quick in time trials and scored eighteenth in the main event. The USAC West Coast Champion is fourth in the USAC/CRA standings with one Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award, five heat race victories, eleven top-10 finishes, and 36 feature laps led on the year.
Making his second USAC/CRA start of 2016, Michael Curtis (Cottonwood, Arizona) won the night’s Circle Track Performance / Keizer Aluminum Wheels Heat Race #3. Racing the Kevin Turner & Greg Wheeler owned #45C WSP / Metro Surveying XXX, Curtis qualified twelfth overall and scored thirteenth in the “Hall of Fame Classic”
Thanks to Beaver Stripes for also awarding Max Adams (Loomis, California) $100 for earning the highest finishing 360 honors with a sixth place finish.
LANCE JENNINGS – USAC MEDIA
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: October 1, 2016 – Peoria, Arizona – Canyon Speedway Park– Sands Chevrolet USAC “Hall of Fame Night”
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Richard Vander Weerd, 10, Vander Weerd-13.668; 2. Jake Swanson, 92, Sertich-13.766; 3. Matt Rossi, 02, Rossi-13.767; 4. Mike Martin, 16, Martin-13.816; 5. Damion Gardner, 4, Alexander-13.828; 6. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-13.863; 7. R.J. Johnson, 51, Martin-13.865; 8. Mike Spencer, 4S, Gansen-13.875; 9. Ronnie Gardner, 12, Allen-13.894; 10. Max Adams, 5M, Adams-13.929; 11. Tommy Malcolm, 5X, Napier-14.003; 12. Michael Curtis, 45C, Turner/Wheeler-14.043; 13. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-14.176; 14. Charles Davis Jr., 50, Massey-14.182; 15. Josh Pelkey, 12A, Allen-14.206; 16. Logan Williams, 5, Jory-14.213; 17. Chris Bonneau, 78, Bonneau-14.227; 18. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-14.237; 19, Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-14.253; 20. Tye Mihocko, 05, Mihocko-14.678; 21. Matt Lundy, 98, Lundy-15.101; 22. Tanner Grau, 34, Team AZ-15.462.
EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Roa, 2. Johnson, 3. L.Williams, 4. Adams, 5. Vander Weerd, 6. Martin, 7. Gansen, 8. Grau. NT
DJ SAFETY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Davis, 2. Spencer, 3. D.Gardner, 4. Malcolm, 5. Bonneau, 6. Swanson, 7. Mihocko. NT
CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE / KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Curtis, 2. A.Williams, 3. Pelkey, 4. Rossi, 5. R.Gardner, 6. Lundy. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. R.J. Johnson, 2. Austin Williams, 3. Richard Vander Weerd, 4. Damion Gardner, 5. Mike Spencer, 6. Max Adams, 7. Mike Martin, 8. Charles Davis Jr., 9. Josh Pelkey, 10. Logan Williams, 11. Jake Swanson, 12. Ronnie Gardner, 13. Michael Curtis, 14. Tye Mihocko, 15. Chris Gansen, 16. Matt Lundy, 17. Tanner Grau, 18. Brody Roa, 19. Tommy Malcolm, 20. Matt Rossi, 21. Cody Williams, 22. Chris Bonneau. NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-21 Adams, Laps 22-30 Johnson.
BR MOTORSPORTS / KING RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Charles Davis Jr. (14th to 8th)
NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-D.Gardner-1,212, 2-R.Vander Weerd-1,105, 3-Swanson-1,089, 4-Roa-1,003, 5-A.Williams-995. 6-Spencer-896, 7-Adams-805, 8-L.Williams-689, 9-C.Williams-646, 10-Jace Vander Weerd-602.
NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT RACE: October 15 – Perris, CA – Perris Auto Speedway