USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINTS HEADLINE CANYON SPEEDWAY PARK’S “RACE FOR THE CURE”
By Lance Jennings
OCTOBER 17, 2018… After a break in the schedule, the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars will tackle Canyon Speedway Park this Saturday, October 20th. Promoted by Doug Gabbard, the “Race For The Cure” will also feature Dwarf Cars, Modlites, and the non-winged 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).
Since January 26, 2013, Canyon Speedway Park has hosted sixty-three Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car events and R.J. Johnson leads all drivers with nineteen victories. In the last six races at CSP, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. has three wins, Johnson has two main event triumphs, and “The Magic Man” Mike Martin topped the opening night of the “Southwest Championships” on September 21st. Fourteen different drivers have claimed victory at Canyon Speedway Park and a complete series track win list is at the end of this release.
Entering the fifteenth point race, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, AZ) has a stout 126-point lead over the competition. Racing his #50 RSS Industries / MP Environmental RSS, Davis earned his ninth win of the year at Canyon’s “Southwest Championships” on September 22nd. To date, the five-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion also has nine heat race victories, four Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, two hard charger awards, eighteen top-10 finishes, and 252feature laps led on the year. Davis has thirty series wins and will be looking to add the “Race For The Cure” to his resume.
“The Bull” Tye Mihocko (Peoria, AZ) is second in the championship point chase. Piloting the family owned #5 Dave Wilson Realty / Mears Mechanical Spike, Mihocko charged from ninth to second in the “Southwest Championships.” At press time, “The Bull” has one feature win, three heat race victories, four Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, three hard charger awards, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 6 feature laps led to his credit. Tye will have his sights on gaining valuable points with a victory at Canyon Speedway Park.
“The Magic Man” Mike Martin (Yuma, AZ) ranks third in the chase for the championship. Driving his #16 Sherwin-Williams / Naquin Precision Earth Moving Maxim, Martin won the opening night of the “Southwest Championships” and placed fourth in the finale. To date, “The Magic Man” has posted one feature win, four heat race victories, one Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award, one hard charger award, fifteen top-10 finishes, and 34 feature laps led on the season. Mike has six career USAC SouthWest victories and will be looking to win at Canyon Speedway Park this Saturday night.
Michael Curtis (Cottonwood, AZ) sits fourth in the USAC SouthWest point chase. Racing Kevin Turner & Greg Wheeler’s #11C DAR Racing / JT Engineering Maxim, Curtis scored twelfth at Canyon Speedway Park after an early flip. At press time, Michael has one heat race victory, one Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award, two hard charger awards, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 10 feature laps led on the year. Curtis is done for the season as his car owners regroup for next year’s schedule.
Matt Lundy (Phoenix, AZ) is fifth in the USAC SouthWest point standings. The pilot of the #98 Desert State Electric / Race Shack Triple X skipped the “Southwest Championships” finale on September 22nd. To date, Matt has two heat race victories and thirteen top-10 finishes to his credit. Lundy will be looking to claim his first series win at the “Race For The Cure.”
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Dennis Gile, Tyler Most, Sterling Cling, Zack Madrid, “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James, Austin Kuehl, Stevie Sussex, 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.
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.
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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, 2017-R.J. Johnson.
PEORIA SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS: (Includes non-point shows) 19-R.J. Johnson, 10-Charles Davis Jr., 8-Bryan Clauson, 4-Ryan Bernal, 4-Dave Darland, 4-Stevie Sussex, 3-Matt Rossi, 2-Brady Bacon, 2-Josh Hodges, 2-Mike Martin, 2-Josh Pelkey, 1-Colby Copeland, 1-Mike Spencer, 1-Richard Vander Weerd.
2018 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS: 9-Charles Davis Jr., 4-R.J. Johnson, 1-Jeremy Campbell, 1-Dennis Gile, 1-Mike Martin, 1-Tye Mihocko, 1-Brody Roa.
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)
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This schedule is subject to change.