DAVIS & MARTIN TOP SOUTHWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS AT CSP
By Lance Jennings
SEPTEMBER 25, 2018... Starting on the outside of the front row, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, AZ) raced past Andy Reinbold with five laps remaining to win last Saturday’s “Sands Chevrolet Southwest Championships” at Canyon Speedway Park. Piloting his #50 RSS Industries / MP Environmental Services RSS, Davis scored his ninth Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car triumph of the campaign. Hard charger “The Bull” Tye Mihocko, Reinbold, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, and Colton Hardy chased the point leader to the checkered flags. The 30-lap victory was the 30th career USAC SouthWest win for the five-time Arizona sprint car champion.
Using a rare qualifying format, “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James (Phoenix, AZ) opened Saturday’s action by topping the charts in the Beaver Stripes Time Trials. Davis and Reinbold claimed the 8-lap heat race victories as Mihocko posted his third hard charger award of 2018 with a ninth to second place run in the feature.
Friday’s opening night of the “Southwest Championships” belonged to “The Magic Man” Mike Martin (Yuma, AZ). Driving his #16 Naquin Precision Earth Moving / American Flowtech Maxim, Martin powered by Kyle Shipley on the second circuit and led the rest of the way to earn his first win of the season. Davis, R.J. Johnson, Mihocko, and Reinbold rounded off the top-five drivers as “The Magic Man” earned his sixth career series victory.
Johnson, St. James, and Matt Lundy won their 8-lap heat races as Johnson posted his second Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award of the year. With a fifteenth to ninth place run in the main event, Michael Curtis claimed his second hard charger award of the season.
The Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars will take a break in the schedule before returning to Canyon Speedway Park on October 20th for the “Race For The Cure.” The action packed card will also feature Dwarf Cars, Modlites, and CSP Non-Wing Micro Sprints. Advance tickets are on sale and for more information, visit www.canyonspeedwaypark.com or call 602.258.7223.
The Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series thanks AMSOIL, Hoosier Tire, and Beaver Stripes for their support. For more information on the series, visit www.southwestsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook.
-----------------------------------------------
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 21&22, 2018 – Peoria, Arizona – Canyon Speedway Park – “Sands Chevrolet Southwest Championships”
9/21 FRIDAY CANYON FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Mike Martin, 2. Charles Davis Jr., 3. R.J. Johnson, 4. Tye Mihocko, 5. Andy Reinbold, 6. Kyle Shipley, 7. Chris Bonneau, 8. Colton Hardy, 9. Michael Curtis, 10. Matt Lundy, 11. Sterling Cling, 12. Tyler Most, 13. Bruce St. James, 14. Asa Kesterson, 15. Dennis Gile, 16. Mike Waddle. NT
----------------------------
**Keefer flipped during the second heat race.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Shipley, Laps 2-30 Martin.
HARD CHARGER: Michael Curtis (15th to 9th)
BEAVER STRIPES PASSING MASTER: R.J. Johnson.
-----------------------------------------------
9/22 SATURDAY CANYON FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Charles Davis Jr., 2. Tye Mihocko, 3. Andy Reinbold, 4. Mike Martin, 5. Colton Hardy, 6. Bruce St. James, 7. Tyler Merrill, 8. Asa Kesterson, 9. Sterling Cling, 10. Tyler Most, 11. Chris Bonneau, 12. Michael Curtis. NT
----------------------------
**Bonneau & Curtis flipped on lap 17 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-25 Reinbold, Laps 26-30 Davis.
HARD CHARGER: Tye Mihocko (9th to 2nd)
-----------------------------------------------
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Charles Davis Jr.-1105, 2. Tye Mihocko-979, 3. Mike Martin-936, 4. Michael Curtis- 802, 5. Matt Lundy-691, 6. Chris Bonneau-666, 7. R.J. Johnson- 558, 8. Andy Reinbold-546, 9. Dennis Gile-541, 10. Tyler Most-502, 11. Josh Pelkey-436, 12. Sterling Cling- 346, 13. Zack Madrid-288, 14. Bruce St. James-249, 15. Kyle Shipley-225, 16. Colton Maroney-206, 17. Tyler Adams-200, 18. Colton Hardy-190, 19. Asa Kesterson-179, 20. Ronnie Clark-175.
2018 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
October 20: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Race For The Cure)
October 27: Central Arizona Speedway – Casa Grande, AZ (Howl-O-Ween Bash)
November 2: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 3: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
———————————————–
* = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC West Coast Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.