USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CARS BATTLE AT CASA GRANDE
By Lance Jennings
OCTOBER 26, 2017... This Saturday, October 28th, the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars will make their last appearance of the year at Central Arizona Speedway. Located on the Pinal County Fairgrounds in Casa Grande, Arizona, the “Trunk and Treat” and “Pinal County Federal Credit Union Night” event will also feature Sport Mods, Pure Stocks, and Bomber Stocks. The pit gates will open at 4:00pm, the front gates will open at 5:00pm, and racing will start at 7:00pm. For more event and ticket information, visit www.centralarizonaspeedway.com or call 480.266.1378.
NOTICE TO RACERS: The Schoenfeld 14272735-78 muffler is MANDATORY at Central Arizona Speedway. Failure to comply with the muffler rule risks disqualification from the event.
Since March 23, 2013, Central Arizona Speedway has hosted eight USAC SouthWest Sprint Car events. “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. won the Casa Grande debut and is tied with R.J. Johnson for the series lead with three victories. Johnson holds the 1-lap qualifying track record of 15.058, set on October 29, 2016 and the Casa Grande win list is at the end of this release.
Heading to the eighteenth point race, R.J. Johnson (Laveen, Arizona) has a 113-point lead over the competition. Piloting Bobby Martin’s #51 Martin Family Auto Museum / Pecon Builders Sherman, Johnson finished second last Saturday night at Canyon Speedway Park’s “Race For The Cure.” To date, the four-time champion has seven feature wins, ten heat race victories, five Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, one semi-main win, three hard charger awards, nineteen top-10 finishes, and 188 feature laps led on the season. R.J. leads all series drivers with fifty-one series wins and will be looking to continue his championship bid with another victory.
“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) ranks second in the chase for the championship. Driving the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, Davis won the “Race For The Cure” last Saturday night. At press time, the five time Arizona Sprint Car champion has seven feature wins, nine heat race victories, six Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, one hard charger award, eighteen top-10 finishes, and 147 feature laps led. “Chargin” Charles has twenty-one series wins and will have his sights on the Central Arizona Speedway triumph.
Shon Deskins (Waddell, Arizona) sits third in the USAC SouthWest point chase. Racing Bill Richards’ #7 Just Racin’ LLC / Spike Chassis entry, Deskins placed ninth in the Canyon Speedway Park main event. As this writing goes to press, the 2017 NMMRA Sprint Car Champion has one heat race victory, one Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award, two hard charger awards, eighteen top-10 finishes, and 26 feature laps led on the season. Shon will be looking to earn his second career USAC SouthWest feature win this Saturday night.
“The Bull” Tye Mihocko (Peoria, Arizona) is fourth in the championship point standings. Piloting the family owned #5 Property Solutions by Dave Wilson / Futuristic Designs Spike, Mihocko scored sixth in last Saturday’s main event. To date, the young driver has six heat race victories, two Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, one semi-main win, one hard charger award, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 19 feature laps led to his credit. “The Bull” will have his sights on earning his first career USAC SouthWest win at Casa Grande.
Nick Aiuto (Maricopa, Arizona) ranks fifth in the USAC SouthWest standings. Racing his #27 Hughey & Phillips / XOIW Eagle, Aiuto scored eleventh in the “Race For The Cure.” At press time, Nick has posted three heat race victories, one Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award, two hard charger awards, and ten top-10 finishes on the season. The veteran driver will be looking to score his first series feature win this Saturday at Casa Grande.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, Chris Bonneau, Michael Curtis, Stevie Sussex, Matt Lundy, Jeff Lowery, Andy Reinbold, Landon Cling, Brent Yarnal, “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James, Cody Sickles, “The Real American” Matt Rossi, Hunter Schuerenberg, and more.
Central Arizona Speedway is located on the Pinal County Fairgrounds at 512 N. 11 Mile Corner Road in Casa Grande. To get to the track, take Exit 194 from Interstate 10, then head east five miles to 11 Mile Corner Road, then head south. Adult Tickets are $15, Senior tickets are $12, and Kids (11 and under) are FREE. For more event and ticket information, visit www.centralarizonaspeedway.com or call 480.266.1378.
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 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS: 7-Charles Davis Jr., 7- R.J. Johnson, 2-Ryan Bernal, 2-Stevie Sussex, 1-Dave Darland, 1-Blake Hahn, 1-Matt Rossi.
CASA GRANDE SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS: 3-Charles Davis Jr., 3-R.J. Johnson, 1-Josh Pelkey, 1-Matt Rossi.
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. R.J. Johnson-1273, 2. Charles Davis, Jr.-1160, 3. Shon Deskins-973, 4. Tye Mihocko-897, 5. Nick Aiuto-851, 6. Mike Martin-831, 7. Chris Bonneau-805, 8. Michael Curtis-756, 9. Stevie Sussex-622, 10. Matt Lundy-605, 11. Jeff Lowery-573, 12. Andy Reinbold-561, 13. Landon Cling-557, 14. Brent Yarnal-548, 15. Bruce St. James-530, 16. Cody Sickles-497, 17. Matt Rossi-311, 18. Jake Swanson-288, 19. Brian Hosford-191, 20. Dave Darland-169.
2017 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
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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This schedule is subject to change.
