TWO DAY USAC SOUTHWEST “SALUTE TO INDY” OPENS SATURDAY AT CANYON SPEEDWAY PARK

By Lance Jennings

MAY 24, 2017... This Saturday and Sunday, May 27th & 28th, the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars will return to Canyon Speedway Park for the annual “Salute to Indy.” Promoted by Doug Gabbard, the Peoria, Arizona oval will also feature IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Hobby Stocks, Modlites, and Power 600 Micro Sprints. The Front Gates will open at 5:00pm with Racing scheduled to begin at 7:30pm. For more event and ticket information, visit www.canyonspeedwaypark.com or call 602.258.RACE (7223).

NOTICE TO RACERS: Allscapes is offering an extra $100 in bonus money to each Napa Series Sprint Car that makes the main event this Saturday and Sunday at the “Salute to Indy.” Each Napa Sprint Car will take home a minimum of $325 after the Canyon Speedway Park features.

The "Salute to Indy" has been an Arizona tradition going back to the days of the legendary Manzanita Speedway. In 1991, Ricky Johnson won the inaugural race and also scored victories in 1992 and 1995. In 2012, Canyon Speedway revived the event and California’s Colby Copeland earned the win. Since then, Ricky’s son R.J. has dominated the race by taking the last four events. 

Since January 26, 2013, Canyon Speedway Park has hosted fifty-two USAC SouthWest Sprint Car events. R.J. Johnson leads all drivers with fifteen Canyon victories followed by Bryan Clauson (8), Ryan Bernal (4), “The People’s Champion” Dave Darland (4), “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (4), and Stevie Sussex (4). A complete series win list at Canyon Speedway Park is at the end of this release.

Entering the ninth point race, R.J. Johnson (Laveen, Arizona) leads the standings by a 29 point advantage. Piloting Bobby Martin’s #51 Martin Family Auto Museum / Pecon Builders Sherman, Johnson ran second to Stevie Sussex at Arizona Speedway last Saturday night. To date, the four-time champion has posted one feature win, four heat race victories, two Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, one semi-main win, one hard charger award, seven top-10 finishes, and 42 feature laps led. R.J. leads all USAC SouthWest drivers with forty-five victories and will be looking to win his sixth “Salute to Indy.” 

“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) is second in the USAC SouthWest point chase. Racing the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, Davis earned the Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award and scored ninth in the San Tan Valley feature. At press time, the five-time Arizona champion has recorded one feature win, three heat race victories, seven top-10 finishes, and 30 feature laps led in the campaign. “Chargin” Charles has fifteen series wins and will have his sights on his fourth “Salute to Indy” victory. 

Shon Deskins (Waddell, Arizona) ranks third in the championship point standings. Driving his #20 Spike Chassis / Mesilla Valley Transportation entry, Deskins charged to fifth last Saturday night after starting ninth. As this writing goes to press, the veteran driver has had solid finishes and posted seven top-10 finishes in the campaign. With one career USAC SouthWest victory, Shon will be looking to add the “Salute to Indy” to his resume.

Stevie Sussex (Tempe, Arizona) sits fourth in the USAC SouthWest point chase. Piloting Mike Burkhart’s #21AZ Pacific Supply / Team AZ Racing RSS, Sussex earned his second win of the season on May 20th. To date, the two-time Hank Arnold Memorial has also posted two heat race victories, one hard charger award, six top-10 finishes, and 40 feature laps led to his credit. With twelve SouthWest wins, Stevie has been racing on the USAC National tour and it is unknown if he will be in action at Canyon Speedway Park.

Landon Cling (Tempe, Arizona) is fifth in the chase for the championship. Racing the family owned #54 Cling’s Aerospace Ellis, Cling scored fifteenth in the Arizona Speedway main event. As this writing goes to press, the 2016 Rookie of the Year has two fast time awards and three top-10 finishes in the campaign. This Saturday, Landon will have his sights on his first career USAC main event victory.

Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, Nick Aiuto, “The Bull” Tye Mihocko, Andy Reinbold, Chris Bonneau, Matt Lundy, “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James, Michael Curtis, Jeff Lowery, Cody Sickles, Brent Yarnal, Brian Hosford, and more.

Canyon Speedway Park is located at 9777 West Carefree Highway in Peoria, Arizona. To get to the track, take Lake Pleasant Parkway, then 1.3 miles west on Carefree Highway. General Admission Adult tickets are $20, Senior tickets (60 and over) are $15, Active Military (with ID) tickets are $15, and Kids tickets (11 and under) are FREE. Advance tickets are on sale and can be purchased by calling 602.258.RACE (7223).  For more event information, visit www.canyonspeedwaypark.com.

For more information on the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series, visit www.southwestsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook. 

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SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS: 2013-R.J. Johnson, 2014-R.J. Johnson, 2015-R.J. Johnson, 2016-R.J. Johnson.

SALUTE TO INDY WINNERS: 1991-Ricky Johnson, 1992-Ricky Johnson, 1993-Mike Boat, 1994-Not Held, 1995-Ricky Johnson, 1996-Not Held, 1997-Charles Davis Jr., 1998-Bob Ream Jr., 1999-Charles Davis Jr., 2000-Marty Miller, 2001-Bob Ream Jr., 2002-Josh Pelkey, 2003-Charles Davis Jr., 2004-Eric Wilkins, 2005-Jeremy Sherman, 2006-Jeremy Sherman, 2007-Jeremy Sherman, 2008-Casey Shuman, 2009-Not Held, 2010-Not Held, 2011-R.J. Johnson, 2012-Colby Copeland, 2013-R.J. Johnson, 2014-R.J. Johnson, 2015-R.J. Johnson, 2016-R.J. Johnson.

2017 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS: 2-Ryan Bernal, 2-Stevie Sussex, 1-Dave Darland, 1-Charles Davis Jr., 1-R.J. Johnson, 1-Matt Rossi.

PEORIA SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS: 15-R.J. Johnson, 8-Bryan Clauson, 4-Ryan Bernal, 4-Dave Darland, 4-Charles Davis Jr., 4-Stevie Sussex, 3-Matt Rossi, 2-Brady Bacon, 2-Josh Hodges, 2-Josh Pelkey, 1-Colby Copeland, 1-Mike Martin, 1-Mike Spencer, 1-Richard Vander Weerd.

SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. R.J. Johnson-553, 2. Charles Davis Jr.-524, 3. Shon Deskins-477, 4. Stevie Sussex-430, 5. Landon Cling-374, 6. Mike Martin-348, 7. Nick Aiuto-347, 8. Tye Mihocko-322, 9. Andy Reinbold-308, 10. Chris Bonneau-305, 11. Matt Lundy-300, 12. Bruce St. James-270, 13. Michael Curtis-247, 14. Jeff Lowery-246, 15. Cody Sickles-214, 16. Brent Yarnal-211, 17. Brian Hosford-191, 18. Dave Darland-169, 19. Matt Rossi-168, 20. Ryan Bernal-160.

2017 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE

DATE – TRACK – LOCATION

May 27: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Salute to Indy)

May 28: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Salute to Indy)

June 10: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ

August 16: Creek County Speedway – Sapulpa, OK (Freedom Tour / Non-Points)

August 17: 81 Speedway – Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / Non-Points)

August 18: 81 Speedway – Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / Non-Points)

August 19: Caney Valley Speedway – Caney, KS (Freedom Tour / Non-Points)

September 2: #Southern New Mexico Speedway – Las Cruces, NM (Border Tour / $2,000-to-Win)

September 3: #Southern New Mexico Speedway – Las Cruces, NM (Border Tour / $2,000-to-Win)

September 9: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ

September 29: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Sands Chevrolet Hall of Fame Classic)

September 30: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Sands Chevrolet Hall of Fame Classic)

October 21: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Race For The Cure)

October 28: Central Arizona Speedway – Casa Grande, AZ

November 3: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)

November 4: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)

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# = Co-Sanctioned Event with NMMRA Sprints.

This schedule is subject to change.