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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series
- #77M R.J. Johnson in Lawton victory lane. Photo by TWC Photos.
R.J. JOHNSON SWEEPS LAWTON “FREEDOM TOUR” OPENER
By Lance Jennings
LAWTON, OK – AUGUST 14, 2014... Making his first “Freedom Tour” start, R.J. Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona claimed the Wednesday night feature at Lawton Speedway. Taking the lead from Brady Bacon on lap nineteen, Johnson sailed to the $2,500 USAC SouthWest Sprint Car victory. Bacon, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, Aaron Reutzel, and Koby Barksdale followed the defending champion to the checkered flags.
Racing Bill Michaels’ #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, R.J. Johnson earned his series leading seventeenth main event win after starting sixth. The point leader won the night’s third 10-lap heat race and entered the feature as the high point driver in passing points. To date, Johnson has six feature wins, eight heat race victories, one hard charger award, seventeen top-10 finishes, and 103 feature laps led to his credit.
Starting on the pole position, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon led the first eighteen circuits before taking second at Lawton Speedway. Piloting his #99 Fatheadz Eyewear / Oilfield Equipment & Manufacturing XXX, Bacon won the fourth 10-lap heat race and placed sixth in the night’s passing points. Brady has one series win, one semi-main win, one hard charger award, five top-10 finishes, and 35 feature laps led in 2014.
“The Magic Man” Mike Martin of Yuma, Arizona scored third in the “Freedom Tour” opener. Driving his #16 PPG Professional Paints / Desert Building Materials Maxim, Martin won his sixth heat race of the campaign and ranked fourth in passing points. The former Hall of Fame Classic winner heads to Creek County Speedway with one semi-main win, one hard charger award, twelve top-10 finishes, and one feature lap led.
Clute, Texas’ Aaron Reutzel charged from eighteenth to take fourth at the checkered flags. Piloting the Wren Motorsports #87 Scott Baylor Racing Engines / Basic One Services XXX, Reutzel ran sixth in his heat race and transferred to the feature after winning the second 12-lap semi-main. Currently, the young driver has one hard charger award and four top-10 finishes on the season.
Koby Barksdale of Norman, Oklahoma ran fifth in the 30-lap main event. Driving the #22 Barksdale Racing / Shartz Farms entry, Koby took third in his heat race and was seated third in nightly passing points.
Taking a provisional, Casey Shuman of Rattlesnake Bend, Arizona earned the night’s “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a seventh place run from twenty-second. Racing John James’ #4J Top Row Rowdies machine, Shuman scored seventh in his heat race and fourth in the first semi-main. To date, Casey has one heat race win and five top-10 finishes in the campaign.
Buckeye, Arizona’s “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. won his eleventh heat race of the season. Piloting the Massey Motorsports #50 RSS Industries / MP Environmental RSS, Davis ranked fifth in passing points and scored twenty-first in the main event. Currently, the five-time Arizona Champion has three feature wins, sixteen top-10 finishes, and 102 feature laps led to his credit.
Seth Bergman of Snohomish, Washington made a rare non-wing start and won the first 12-lap semi-main. Driving the #2 Oilfield Equipment & Manufacturing / SpeedMart entry, Bergman was fourth in his heat race and raced to twelfth in the feature after starting seventeenth.
The USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series thanks Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier Tire, Racers Advantage Store, and the Hose Advantage Store for their support. For more information on the group, visit www.southwestsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SouthwestSprintCars).
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USAC SOUTHWESTERN SPRINT (Special Event) RACE RESULTS:
August 13, 2014 - Lawton, Oklahoma - Lawton Speedway - "Freedom Tour"
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps)
1. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 2. Josh Stephens (#09 Stevens), 3. Shon Deskins (#20 Deskins), 4. Robert Sellers (#7S Sellers), 5. Harli White (#17W White), 6. Martin Edwards (#45 Edwards), 7. Tim Kent (#94T Kent), 8. Kyle Clark (#9$ Clark), 9. Matt Ward (#51 Ward). NT
SECOND HEAT: (10 laps)
1. Charles Davis, Jr. (#50 Massey), 2. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 3. Koby Barksdale (#22 Barksdale), 4. Seth Bergman (#2 Bergman), 5. Colby Copeland (#74 Williams), 6. Zach Blurton (#2J Blurton), 7. Casey Shuman (#4J James), 8. Shawn Bloomquist (#14 Bloomquist). NT
THIRD HEAT: (10 laps)
1. R.J. Johnson (#77M Michaels), 2. Josh Pelkey (#12 Allen), 3. Mike Bonneau (#29 Bonneau), 4. Rick Ziehl (#41W Williams), 5. Zach Chappell (#50Z Chappell), 6. Blake Hahn (#17 Hahn), 7. Brandon Long (#02 Long), 8. Kevin Risley (#24 Risley). NT
FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps)
1. Brady Bacon (#99 BBR), 2. Danny Smith (#5$ Smith), 3. Dustin Morgan (#93 Morgan), 4. Michael Curtis (#11C Turner/Wheeler), 5. Joe Wood, Jr. (#03 Wood), 6. Aaron Reutzel (#87 Reutzel), 7. Cody Brewer (#96 Brewer), 8. Chris Bonneau (#78 Bonneau). NT
FIRST SEMI: (12 laps)
1. Seth Bergman, 2. Chris Bonneau, 3. Blake Hahn, 4. Casey Shuman, 5. Cody Brewer, 6. Michael Curtis, 7. Zach Blurton, 8. Matt Ward, 9. Edwards. NT
SECOND SEMI: (12 laps)
1. Aaron Reutzel, 2. Harli White, 3. Rick Ziehl, 4. Tim Kent, 5. Kyle Clark, 6. Shawn Bloomquist, 7. Risley, 8. Brandon Long. NT
ALSO AT TRACK: Jesse Higginbotham (#9 Higginbotham).
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. R.J. Johnson (6th), 2. Brady Bacon (1st), 3. Mike Martin (3rd), 4. Aaron Reutzel (18th), 5. Koby Barksdale (4th), 6. Dustin Morgan (9th), 7. Casey Shuman (22nd), 8. Josh Pelkey (11th), 9. Shon Deskins (8th), 10. Colby Copeland (15th), 11. Chris Bonneau (19th), 12. Seth Bergman (17th), 13. Danny Smith (7th), 14. Zach Chappell (12th), 15. Tye Mihocko (5th), 16. Blake Hahn (21st), 17. Robert Sellers (16th), 18. Mike Bonneau (14th), 19. Joe Wood Jr. (13th), 20. Josh Stephens (10th), 21. Charles Davis Jr. (2nd), 22. Harli White (20th). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-18 Brady Bacon, Laps 19-30 R.J. Johnson.
HARD CHARGER: Casey Shuman (22nd to 7th)
2014 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
August 14: Creek County Speedway - Sapulpa, OK (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 15: 81 Speedway - Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 16: Dodge City Raceway Park - Dodge City, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 29: **El Paso Speedway Park - El Paso, TX (Border Tour)
August 30: **Southern New Mexico Speedway - Las Cruces, NM (Border Tour)
August 31: **Tularosa Speedway - Tularosa, NM (Border Tour)
September 6: Arizona Speedway - Queen Creek, AZ
September 20: Central Arizona Raceway - Casa Grande, AZ
September 27: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Brawl For It All / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series)
October 11: Prescott Valley Speedway - Prescott Valley, AZ
October 18: Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Southwest Championships)
November 1: Arizona Speedway - Queen Creek, AZ
November 6: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval Nationals / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series / Non-Points)
November 20: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 21: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 22: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / $7,500-to-Win)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC West Coast Sprints.
** = Co-Sanctioned Event with NMMRA Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
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