DAVIS, HAHN, MARTIN & JOHNSON STAR IN “FREEDOM TOUR;”
FARIA GRABS “BUD STANFIELD MEMORIAL” AT SANTA MARIA
Five races encompassing the USAC West Coast and Southwest Sprint series resulted in five different winners last week.
Danny Faria Jr. won Saturday’s West Coast Sprint race at Santa Maria, Calif. and leads the series to its next race September 26 at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Arizona. R.J. Johnson, Saturday’s “Freedom Tour” finale winner at Dodge City, Kansas, will lead the Southwest series to a September 19 race at Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek.
Prescott Valley Raceway Park in Arizona, originally slated for a pair of Southwest Sprint races this week, has been closed for the season.
USAC West Coast Sprint Car point leader Faria, of Tipton, Calif., won Saturday night’s 30-lap “Bud Stanfield Memorial” at Santa Maria Raceway. He passed Richard Vander Weerd on lap seven and led the rest of the way to beat fast qualifier Troy Rutherford, Bud Kaeding, Vander Weerd and Trey Marcham.
Charles Davis Jr. of Buckeye, Ariz. wheeled the Massey entry to victory in Wednesday night’s 30-lap “Freedom Tour” USAC Southwest Sprint race at Lawton (Okla.) Speedway. He passed Harli White on lap 12 and led the final 19 laps to beat Brady Bacon, Casey Shuman, White and R.J. Johnson to the checkered flag.
Blake Hahn of Sapulpa, Okla. scored an emotional victory in Thursday night’s 30-lap USAC Southwest Sprint Car “Freedom Tour” feature at his home track – Creek County Speedway in Sapulpa, Okla. He caught Bacon on the white-flag lap and led the final two circuits to beat Ryan Bernal, the defending USAC National Champion (Bacon), Casey Shuman and Andrew Deal. Deal led the first lap of the race before Bacon took over.
Mike Martin of Yuma, Ariz. led wire-to-wire to win Friday night’s 30-lap USAC Southwest Sprint “Freedom Tour” feature at 81 Speedway in Wichita, Kans. Driving the Sherwin Williams/Desert Building Material Maxim, he was trailed at the checkered flag by Davis, Josh Hodges, Bacon and Bernal.
Johnson, of Phoenix, Ariz., captured Saturday night’s “Freedom Tour” finale at Dodge City. He passed Davis on lap 11 and led the final 20 laps to beat Bernal, Davis, Martin and Shon Deskins.
Driver Patrick Stasa of Kingman, Kansas, a recent competitor in USAC’s “Belleville Midget Nationals,” was seriously injured in a crash during Saturday night’s Southwest Sprint “Freedom Tour” event at Dodge City (Kans.) Raceway Park. He was airlifted to a local hospital.