USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINTS HEADLINE CANYON SPEEDWAY PARK’S “SOUTHWEST CHAMPIONSHIPS” 

By Lance Jennings

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018… This Friday and Saturday, September 21st & 22nd, the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars will return to Canyon Speedway Park for the “Sands Chevrolet Southwest Championships.” Promoted by Doug Gabbard, the Peoria, Arizona oval will also showcase the Allscapes Stock Cars, Desert Restorations IMCA Hobby Stocks, Modlites, and Micro Sprints, The Front Gates will open at 5:00pm with Racing scheduled to begin at 7:30pm. In addition, there will be an open practice at the track on Thursday, September 20th, starting 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-one Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car events. R.J. Johnson leads all drivers with nineteen “home track” victories, including the February 3rd “Steve Stroud Memorial” and May 27th “Salute to Indy.” “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. won the March 31st “Easter Eggstravaganza” and the May 26th “Salute to Indy” opening night. 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 thirteenth point race, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, AZ) has a stout 118-point lead over the competition. Racing his #50 RSS Industries / MP Environmental RSS, Davis earned his eighth win of the year at Arizona Speedway’s “Lealand McSpadden Classic” on September 8th. To date, the five-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion has also posted eight heat race victories, four Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, two hard charger awards, sixteen top-10 finishes, and 247 feature laps led on the year. Davis has twenty-nine series wins and will be looking to sweep the “Southwest Championships.” 

“The Bull” Tye Mihocko (Peoria, AZ) ranks second in the championship point chase. Piloting the family owned #5 Dave Wilson Realty / Mears Mechanical Spike, Mihocko ran third in the September 8th “Lealand McSpadden Classic.” At press time, “The Bull” has one feature win, three heat race victories, four Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, two hard charger awards, twelve top-10 finishes, and 6 feature laps led to his credit. Tye will have his sights on gaining valuable points with his first wins at Canyon Speedway Park.

“The Magic Man” Mike Martin (Yuma, AZ) sits third in the chase for the championship. Driving his #16 Sherwin-Williams / Naquin Precision Earth Moving Maxim, Martin ran second to Charles Davis Jr. at the “McSpadden Classic.” To date, “The Magic Man” has posted four heat race victories, one Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award, one hard charger award, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 5 feature laps led on the season. Mike has five career USAC SouthWest wins and will be looking to add the “Southwest Championships” to his resume.

Michael Curtis (Cottonwood, AZ) ranks fourth in the USAC SouthWest point chase. Racing Kevin Turner & Greg Wheeler’s #11C DAR Racing / JT Engineering Maxim, Curtis led the first five laps at the “McSpadden Classic” before finishing sixth at the checkered flags. At press time, Michael has one heat race victory, one Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award, one hard charger award, twelve top-10 finishes, and 10 feature laps led on the year. Curtis will have his sights on joining the USAC SouthWest winner’s list at Canyon Speedway Park.

Matt Lundy (Phoenix, AZ) has climbed to fifth in the USAC SouthWest point standings. Piloting his #98 Desert State Electric / Race Shack Triple X, Lundy scored eighth in the September 8th main event. To date, Matt has one heat race victory and twelve top-10 finishes to his credit. Lundy will be looking to claim his first series win at the “SouthWest Championships.” 

Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Chris Bonneau, Dennis Gile, Andy Reinbold, Zack Madrid, Sterling Cling, Colton Maroney, “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James, 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, 9-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-Josh Pelkey, 1-Colby Copeland, 1-Mike Martin, 1-Mike Spencer, 1-Richard Vander Weerd.

2018 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS: 8-Charles Davis Jr., 4-R.J. Johnson, 1-Jeremy Campbell, 1-Dennis Gile, 1-Tye Mihocko, 1-Brody Roa.

SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1. Charles Davis Jr.-954, 2. Tye Mihocko-835, 3. Mike Martin-786, 4. Michael Curtis-713, 5. Matt Lundy-637, 6. Chris Bonneau-556, 7. Dennis Gile-503, 8. R.J. Johnson-480, 9. Josh Pelkey-436, 10. Tyler Most-417, 11. Andy Reinbold-411, 12. Zack Madrid-288, 13. Sterling Cling-245, 14. Colton Maroney-206, 15. Tyler Adams-200, 16. Ronnie Clark-175, 17. Austin Kuehl-174, 18. Jake Swanson-172, 19. Joe Scheopner-166, 20. Rick Shuman-165.

2018 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE

DATE – TRACK – LOCATION

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.