JOHNSON RETURNS TO VICTORY CIRCLE AT SAN TAN VALLEY
By Lance Jennings
MAY 22, 2018... Racing past polesitter Dennis Gile on the fifth lap, R.J. Johnson (Laveen, Arizona) powered to last Saturday’s Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car victory at Arizona Speedway. The five-time champion claimed his third win of the season ahead of “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, “The Bull” Tye Mihocko, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., and Gile.
Making his first start in the Andy Reinbold / Todd Underwood Motorsports #19 AME Electrical Spike, Johnson recorded the 54th series win of his career. R.J. began the night by winning the second heat race, ranked third out of seventeen racers in passing points, and started fourth in the feature. R.J. heads to Canyon’s “Salute to Indy” placed sixth in points with two heat race victories, four top-10 finishes, and 74 feature laps led on the year.
“The Magic Man” Mike Martin (Yuma, Arizona) had a solid night at the San Tan Valley oval with a second place finish. Racing his #16 Sherwin Williams / Naquin Precision Earth Moving Maxim, Martin ran second to Johnson in his heat race and placed fifth in passing points. The veteran driver is currently third in the point chase with one heat race victory, one Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award, one hard charger award, and five top-10 finishes.
“The Bull” Tye Mihocko (Peoria, Arizona) scored third in the Arizona Speedway feature after starting seventh. Piloting the family owned #5 Dave Wilson Realty / Mears Mechanical Spike, Mihocko finished second to Charles Davis Jr. in his heat race and placed seventh in passing points. To date, “The Bull” is second in the point standings with one feature win, two heat race victories, two Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, six top-10 finishes, and 6 feature laps led to his credit.
“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) claimed fourth in the 30-lap main event. Driving his #50 RSS Industries / MP Environmental RSS, Davis won the night’s first heat race and ranked second in passing points. To date, the five-time Arizona sprint car champion has a 58-point lead on the strength of two feature wins, three heat race victories, eight top-10 finishes, and 82 feature laps led on the year.
After leading the first four laps, Dennis Gile (Phoenix, Arizona) scored fifth at the checkered flags. Racing the family owned #13 Quarterback Academy / Bobby Q Ellis, Gile ran third in his heat race and placed sixth in passing points. At press time, Dennis is seventh in championship points with one feature win, one heat race victory, two hard charger awards, six top-10 finishes, and 8 feature laps led on the season.
Zack Madrid (Phoenix, Arizona) earned the night’s Hard Charger / Best Passing Job honors with a tenth place run from sixteenth. Piloting the #5M WSM Auctioneers / Martin Auto Museum Maxim, Madrid scored ninth in his heat race and ranked sixteenth in passing points. In limited action, Zach is fifteenth in the point chase with two top-10 finishes and 1 feature lap led.
Michael Curtis (Cottonwood, Arizona) scored his first Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award of 2018. Driving the Kevin Turner / Greg Wheeler owned #11C DAR Racing entry, Curtis took third in his heat race and finished ninth in the main event. To date, Michael is fourth in the chase for the championship with six top-10 finishes and 4 feature laps led in the campaign.
The Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series will be back for two days of action starting this Saturday, May 26th at Canyon Speedway Park’s annual “Salute to Indy.” The showcase will also feature Desert Restorations IMCA Hobby Stocks, Modlites, Non-Winged Power 600 Micro Sprints, and IMCA Sport Compacts. In addition, there will be an open practice at Canyon Speedway Park on Friday, May 25th, starting at 7:00pm. 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.
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SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: May 19, 2018 – San Tan Valley, Arizona – Arizona Speedway
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Davis), 2. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 3. Michael Curtis (#11C Turner/Wheeler), 4. Jake Swanson (#34AZ Grau/Burkhart), 5. Andy Reinbold (#19S Reinbold/Underwood), 6. Brent Yarnal (#29 Yarnal), 7. Joe Scheopner (#17 Scheopner), 8. Vickie Faber (#50V Faber), 9. Zack Madrid (#5M Madrid). NT
SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. R.J. Johnson (#19 Reinbold/Underwood), 2. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 3. Dennis Gile (#13 Gile), 4. Josh Pelkey (#12 Allen), 5. Tyler Most (#3 Most), 6. Matt Lundy (#98 Lundy), 7. Tyler Adams (#9G Adams). NT
ALSO AT TRACK: Larry Kesterson (#F2 Kesterson)
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. R.J. Johnson (4th), 2. Mike Martin (2nd), 3. Tye Mihocko (7th), 4. Charles Davis Jr. (5th), 5. Dennis Gile (1st), 6. Andy Reinbold (9th), 7. Josh Pelkey (3rd), 8. Jake Swanson (8th), 9. Michael Curtis (6th), 10. Zack Madrid (16th), 11. Matt Lundy (12th), 12. Brent Yarnal (11th), 13. Joe Scheopner (13th), 14. Tyler Most (10th), 15. Vickie Faber (15th). NT
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**Adams flipped on lap 1 of the second heat. *Kesterson & Adams did not start feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Gile, Laps 5-30 Johnson.
HARD CHARGER: Zack Madrid (16th to 10th)
BEAVER STRIPES PASSING MASTER: Michael Curtis
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. Charles Davis Jr.-464, 2. Tye Mihocko-406, 3. Mike Martin-378, 4. Michael Curtis-341, 5. Josh Pelkey-331, 6. R.J. Johnson-322, 7. Dennis Gile-315, 8. Matt Lundy-314, 9. Andy Reinbold-212, 10. Tyler Adams-200, 11. Chris Bonneau-174, 12. Jake Swanson-172, 13. Tyler Most-170, 14. Sterling Cling-162, 15. Zack Madrid-143, 16. Stevie Sussex-139, 17. Larry Kesterson-122, 18. Joe Scheopner-121, 19. Daylin Perreira-118, 20. Jason McDougal-76.
2018 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
May 26: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Salute to Indy)
May 27: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Salute to Indy)
June 9: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
August 15: I-30 Speedway – Little Rock, AR (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 16: Creek County Speedway – Sapulpa, OK (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 17: 81 Speedway – Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 18: 81 Speedway – Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
September 1: Central Arizona Speedway – Casa Grande, AZ (Hank Arnold Memorial)
September 2: Central Arizona Speedway – Casa Grande, AZ (Hank Arnold Memorial)
September 8: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Lealand McSpadden Tribute)
September 21: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Sands Chevrolet Southwest Championships)
September 22: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Sands Chevrolet Southwest Championships)
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.