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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series
- #16 “The Magic Man” Mike Martin & Crew in Wichita Victory Lane. Photo by TWC Photos.
MIKE MARTIN SPRINTS TO WICHITA “FREEDOM TOUR” VICTORY
By Lance Jennings
WICHITA, KS – AUGUST 17, 2014... Leading all 30-laps, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, of Yuma, Arizona scored the third round of the USAC SouthWest Sprint Car “Freedom Tour.” Thursday’s $2,500 “Harold Leep Memorial” at 81 Speedway was Martin’s second series win as the tour concludes at Dodge City Raceway Park. Hard Charger Harli White, R.J. Johnson, “The Real Real” Rick Ziehl, and Brady Bacon followed Martin to the checkered flags.
After running second to Forrest Sutherland in his heat race and ranking fourth in passing points, Mike Martin originally started third in the feature lineup. Once Sutherland spun on the initial green flag, “The Magic Man” inherited the pole position and made the best of the opportunity. The pilot of the #16 PPG Professional Paints / Desert Building Materials Maxim grabbed the lead and sailed to victory at the 3/8-mile oval. Heading to Dodge City’s “Freedom Tour” finale, Mike has one feature win, six heat race victories, one semi-main win, one hard charger award, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 31 feature laps led on the season.
Lindsay, Oklahoma’s Harli White had her best run of the “Freedom Tour” with a second place finish. Earning the night’s “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors after starting thirteenth, the driver of the #17W Lucas Oil / Mesilla Valley Transportation entry ran fourth in her heat race and was thirteenth in passing points. In three appearances, Harli has two-top finishes in the campaign.
R.J. Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona charged to third at 81 Speedway from the eighth starting spot. Racing Bill Michaels’ #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, Johnson took fourth in his heat race and ranked eighth in passing points. The defending champion left Wichita with six feature wins, eight heat race victories, one hard charger award, nineteen top-10 finishes, and 103 feature laps led to his credit.
Las Cruces, New Mexico’s “The Real Deal” Rick Ziehl ran fourth at 81 Speedway. Piloting Gary Williams’ #41W EKR Heating & Cooling / Bandit Racing Maxim, last year’s Wichita winner won the first 10-lap heat race and ranked third in passing points. Heading to Dodge City, the multi-time ASCS champion has one heat race victory and three top-10 finishes on the season.
Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma scored fifth in the 30-lap feature. Racing his #99 Fatheadz Eyewear / Oilfield Equipment & Manufacturing XXX, the Creek County winner took third in his heat race and placed seventh in the nightly passing points. Going to the “Freedom Tour” finale, Bacon has two feature wins, two heat race victories, one semi-main win, one hard charger award, seven top-10 finishes, and 57 feature laps led.
Cherryvale, Kansas’ Forrest Sutherland drove his #85 machine to victory in the second 10-lap heat race. Ranked sixth in passing points, the winged sprint regular started on the pole of the feature before spinning on the initial green flag. Forrest scored twentieth in the main event.
Josh Hodges of Tijeras, New Mexico returned to SouthWest competition and won the program’s third heat race. Piloting the family owned #74X Parts Plus / Mesilla Valley Transportation Maxim, Hodges was second in passing points and scored eleventh in the main event. To date, Josh has one hard charger award, seven top-10 finishes, and 24 feature laps led.
Buckeye, Arizona’s “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. won his first 12-lap semi-main of the campaign. Racing the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / MP Environmental RSS, Davis ran seventh in his heat race and charged to seventh in the main event from seventeenth. Heading to Dodge City, the five-time Arizona champion has three feature wins, eleven heat race victories, seventeen top-10 finishes, and 102 feature laps led in 2014.
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 SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR (Special Event) RACE RESULTS:
August 15, 2014 – Wichita, Kansas – 81 Speedway – “Harold Leep Memorial” / "Freedom Tour"
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps)
1. Rick Ziehl (#41W Williams), 2. Josh Pelkey (#12 Allen), 3. Brady Bacon (#99 BBR), 4. Harli White (#17W White), 5. Michael Curtis (#11C Turner/Wheeler), 6. Don Droud Jr. (#1X Droud), 7. Shon Deskins (#20 Deskins), 8. Wyatt Burks (#11W Burks). NT
SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Forrest Sutherland (#85 Sutherland), 2. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 3. Joe Wood Jr. (#03 Wood), 4. R.J. Johnson (#77M Michaels), 5. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 6. Colby Copeland (#74 Williams), 7. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Massey), 8. Zach Blurton (#2J Blurton). NT
THIRD HEAT: (10 laps)
1. Josh Hodges (#74X Hodges), 2. Shannon McQueen (#7 McQueen), 3. Josh Stephens (#09 Stephens), 4. Jeremy Campbell (#10C Campbell), 5. Brad Graham (#04 Graham), 6. Gavin Stout (#95 Stout), 7. Zach Chappell (#50Z Chappell), 8. Koby Barksdale (#22 Barksdale). NT
SEMI: (12 laps)
1. Charles Davis Jr., 2. Colby Copeland, 3. Wyatt Burks, 4. Zach Chappell, 5. Zach Blurton, 6. Koby Barksdale, 7. Gavin Stout, 8. Shon Deskins. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Mike Martin (3rd), 2. Harli White (13th), 3. R.J. Johnson (8th), 4. Rick Ziehl (4th), 5. Brady Bacon (7th), 6. Josh Pelkey (9th), 7. Charles Davis Jr. (17th), 8. Jeremy Campbell (12th), 9. Don Droud Jr. (16th), 10. Tye Mihocko (15th), 11. Josh Hodges (5th), 12. Michael Curtis (14th), 13. Shannon McQueen (6th), 14. Josh Stephens (10th), 15. Wyatt Burks (19th), 16. Joe Wood Jr. (2nd), 17. Brad Graham (11th), 18. Zach Chappell (20th), 19. Colby Copeland (18th), 20. Forrest Sutherland (1st). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Mike Martin.
HARD CHARGER: Harli White (13th to 2nd)
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