CHARLES DAVIS JR. WINS CASA GRANDE SHOOTOUT
By Lance Jennings
APRIL 19, 2017... After multiple lead changes, seventh starting “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) emerged victorious last Saturday night at Casa Grande’s Central Arizona Speedway. The veteran driver earned his first Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car victory of the campaign over top qualifier R.J. Johnson, Landon Cling, Shon Deskins, and hard charger Matt Lundy.
Driving the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, Charles Davis Jr. took command from Johnson on the twenty-second lap. Johnson returned the favor a couple of laps later, but the night belonged to Davis who led the last four circuits. Before celebrating his fifteenth career series victory, Charles scored fifth in his heat race and placed seventh out of the nineteen car roster in passing points. The five-time Arizona sprint car champion heads to San Tan Valley ranked second in points with three heat race victories, five top-10 finishes, and 30 feature laps led to his credit.
After starting sixth and taking the top spot from early leader Chris Bonneau and Davis, R.J. Johnson (Laveen, Arizona) had to settle for second at Casa Grande. Piloting Bobby Martin’s #51 Martin Family Auto Museum / Pecon Builders Sherman, Johnson won the night’s first heat race and earned the Beaver Stripes Passing Masters Award in the process. The four-time champion and current point leader has posted two heat race victories, one semi-main win, one hard charger award, five top-10 finishes and 15 feature laps led on the year.
Young Landon Cling (Tempe, Arizona) continues to impress after his third place run from twelfth at Casa Grande. Racing the family owned #54 Cling’s Aerospace Ellis, Cling ran seventh in his heat race and was seated twelfth in passing points. The 2016 Rookie of the Year heads to San Tan Valley sitting fourth in the standings on the strength of two fast time awards and two top-10 finishes on the season.
Veteran Shon Deskins (Phoenix, Arizona) had a solid night with a fourth place finish at Central Arizona Speedway. Piloting his #20 Spike Chassis / Mesilla Valley Transportation entry, Deskins ran second to R.J. Johnson in his heat race and ranked fifth in passing points. Currently sitting third in the point chase, Shon has posted five top-10 finishes in the campaign.
Matt Lundy (Phoenix, Arizona) earned his second hard charger award / “best passing job” by scoring fifth in the 30-lap feature after starting sixteenth. Driving his #98 Desert State Electric / Race Shack XXX, Lundy scored seventh in his heat race and ranked sixteenth in passing points. With one top-10 finish on the year, Matt has climbed to tenth in championship points.
Veteran Bobby Marcum (Cottonwood, Arizona) drove to victory in the second 8-lap heat race. Racing his #80 Mountain Valley Performance / Donaldson Trucking entry, Marcum ranked second in the nightly passing points and scored thirteenth in the feature. As this writing goes to press, the Manzanita Speedway “Last Dance” winner is twenty-sixth in the chase for the championship.
The Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars will return to action on Saturday, April 29th, at Arizona Speedway in San Tan Valley, Arizona. The event will also will also feature Dwarf Cars, Pure Stocks, and Bomber Stocks. For more event and ticket information, visit www.arizonaspeedway.net or call 480.926.6688.
The Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series thanks AMSOIL, Hoosier Tire, and Beaver Stripes, for their support.
For more information on the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car 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: April 15, 2017 – Casa Grande, Arizona – Central Arizona Speedway
FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. R.J. Johnson (#51 Martin), 2. Shon Deskins (#20 Deskins), 3. Nick Aiuto (#27 Aiuto), 4. Bruce St. James (#7K St. James), 5. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Massey), 6. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 7. Landon Cling (#54 Cling), 8. Brian Hosford (#32 Hosford), 9. Ryan Stolz (#63 Stolz), 10. Cody Sickles (#14 Sickles). NT
SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Bobby Marcum (#80 Marcum), 2. Chris Bonneau (#78 Bonneau), 3. Matt Rossi (#02 Rossi), 4. Andy Reinbold (#19 Reinbold/Underwood), 5. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 6. Michael Curtis (#11C Turner/Wheeler), 7. Matt Lundy (#98 Lundy), 8. Brent Yarnal (#29 Yarnal), 9. Joe Scheopner (#17 Scheopner). NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. Charles Davis Jr. (7th), 2. R.J. Johnson (6th), 3. Landon Cling (12th), 4. Shon Deskins (2nd), 5. Matt Lundy (16th), 6. Tye Mihocko (13th), 7. Chris Bonneau (4th), 8. Brian Hosford (14th), 9. Nick Aiuto (1st), 10. Bruce St. James (9th), 11. Andy Reinbold (8th), 12. Mike Martin (10th), 13. Bobby Marcum (5th), 14. Joe Scheopner (17th), 15. Cody Sickles (19th), 16. Michael Curtis (11th), 17. Matt Rossi (3rd), 18. Ryan Stolz (18th), 19. Brent Yarnal (15th). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-9 Bonneau, Laps 10-21 Johnson, Laps 22-23 Davis, Laps 24-26 Johnson, Laps 27-30 Davis
HARD CHARGER: Matt Lundy (16th to 5th)
BEAVER STRIPES PASSING MASTER: R.J. Johnson
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. R.J. Johnson-395, 2. Charles Davis Jr.-381, 3. Shon Deskins-348, 4. Landon Cling-285, 5. Stevie Sussex-278, 6. Mike Martin-259, 7. Nick Aiuto-250, 8. Chris Bonneau-237, 9. Tye Mihocko-217, 10. Matt Lundy-215, 11. Andy Reinbold-208, 12. Dave Darland-169, 13. Matt Rossi-168, 14. Ryan Bernal-160, 15. Jeff Lowery-157, ... Bruce St. James-157, 17. Brian Hosford-151, 18. Michael Curtis-150, 19. Brady Bacon-148, 20. Brent Yarnal-146.
2017 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
April 29: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
May 20: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
May 27: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Salute to Indy)
May 28: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Salute to Indy)
June 10: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
August 16: Creek County Speedway – Sapulpa, OK (Freedom Tour / Non-Points)
August 17: 81 Speedway – Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / Non-Points)
August 18: 81 Speedway – Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / Non-Points)
August 19: Caney Valley Speedway – Caney, KS (Freedom Tour / Non-Points)
September 2: #Southern New Mexico Speedway – Las Cruces, NM (Border Tour / $2,000-to-Win)
September 3: #Southern New Mexico Speedway – Las Cruces, NM (Border Tour / $2,000-to-Win)
September 9: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
September 29: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Sands Chevrolet Hall of Fame Classic)
September 30: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Sands Chevrolet Hall of Fame Classic)
October 21: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Race For The Cure)
October 28: Central Arizona Speedway – Casa Grande, AZ
November 3: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 4: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC West Coast Sprints.
# = Co-Sanctioned Event with NMMRA Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
