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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series
- #77M R.J. Johnson wins at El Paso Speedway Park. File Photo by Patrick Shaw / Backed-In Photography.
R.J. JOHNSON SCORES EL PASO “BORDER TOUR” VICTORY WITH LAST LAP PASS
By Lance Jennings
EL PASO, TX – SEPTEMBER 1, 2014... R.J. Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona won Friday’s opening round of the USAC-NMMRA “Border Tour” at El Paso Speedway Park. Johnson passed Shon Deskins on the last lap to earn the $1,500 triumph and his seventh USAC SouthWest Sprint Car win of 2014. Deskins, Matt Rossi, Josh Hodges, and Tye Mihocko followed the defending champion to the checkered flags.
Piloting Bill Michaels’ #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, R.J. Johnson won the night’s first 10-lap heat race and was the high point driver. Starting sixth in the feature, the point leader stormed to his series leading eighteenth victory. R.J. left El Paso with nine heat race victories, one hard charger award, twenty-one top-10 finishes, and 104 feature laps led.
Starting on the outside of the front row, Phoenix, Arizona’s Shon Deskins led twenty-nine laps before claiming second. Racing his #20 MP Environmental / Spike Chassis entry, the veteran driver ran second to Josh Hodges in his heat race and ranked fifth in passing points. Heading to Las Cruces, the May 3rd Prescott Valley winner has six heat race victories, sixteen top-10 finishes, and 59 feature laps led to his credit.
Matt Rossi of Phoenix, Arizona had a solid night at El Paso Speedway Park with a third place finish from fifth. Driving the family owned #02 Apache Scapes / Advanced Engine Components Spike, Rossi ran second to Rick Ziehl in his heat race and placed second in the night’s passing points. Matt left El Paso with two heat race victories, two hard charger awards, eleven top-10 finishes, and 28 feature laps led on the year.
Tijeras, New Mexico’s Josh Hodges scored fourth in the USAC-NMMRA main event. Piloting the family owned #74X Parts Plus / Mesilla Valley Transportation Maxim, Hodges won the program’s second 10-lap heat race and ranked third in passing points. Heading to Las Cruces, the young driver has two heat race victories, one hard charger award, nine top-10 finishes, and 24 feature laps led in SouthWest competition.
“The Kid” Tye Mihocko of Peoria, Arizona charged to fifth at El Paso after starting twelfth. Racing the family owned #5 RSS Industries / Old World Brewery RSS, Mihocko took third in his heat race and seated twelfth in the nightly passing points. “The Kid” left El Paso with two heat race victories, one semi-main win, one hard charger award, and eleven top-10 finishes.
Cottonwood, Arizona’s Michael Curtis earned his second “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with an eleventh place run from twenty-second. Driving the Turner/Wheeler owned #11C DAR Racing / JT Engineering Maxim, Curtis ran sixth in his heat race and took third in the second semi-main. Heading to Las Cruces, Michael has one heat race victory and four top-10 finishes on the season.
“The Real Deal” Rick Ziehl of Las Cruces, New Mexico won the night’s third 10-lap heat race. Piloting John Ziehl’s #20Z Lucas Oil / Bay Hayes Motorsports Maxim, the multi-time ASCS Champion ranked fourth in passing points and scored nineteenth in the main event. In SouthWest competition, “The Real Deal” has two heat race victories, four top-10 finishes, and 23 feature laps led.
Making his first USAC SouthWest start of 2014, Gary Gonzales raced his #98NM machine to victory in the fourth 10-lap heat race. Placing eighth in passing points, Gonzales started eighth in the main event before claiming twenty-first after an early exit.
“The Magic Man Mike Martin of Yuma, Arizona raced to victory in the first 12-lap semi-main. Piloting his #16 PPG Professional Paints / Desert Building Materials Maxim, Martin took fifth in his heat race and scored fifteenth in the main event. “The Magic Man left El Paso with one feature win, six heat race victories, two semi-main wins, one hard charger award, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 31 feature laps led on the year.
Farmington, New Mexico’s Jason Grady won the second 12-lap semi-main. Driving his #45 RSS Industries / Revis Auto Finish RSS, Grady ran eighth in his heat race and charged to tenth in the feature from eighteenth.
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 RACE RESULTS (co-sanctioned by NMMRA):
August 29, 2014 – El Paso, Texas – El Paso Speedway Park – “Border Tour"
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps)
1. R.J. Johnson (#77M Michaels), 2. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Massey), 3. Josh Pelkey (#12 Allen), 4. Robert Herrera (#9 Herrera), 5. Nick Aiuto (#27 Aiuto), 6. Michael Curtis (#11C Turner/Wheeler), 7. Don Grable (#148N Grable), 8. Jason Grady (#45 Grady), 9. Matt Ziehl (#36DD Ziehl). NT
SECOND HEAT: (10 laps)
1. Josh Hodges (#74X Hodges), 2. Shon Deskins (#20 Deskins), 3. Jesse Baker (#22 Baker), 4. Brian Hosford (#32B Weber), 5. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 6. Katherine Aragon (#42 Aragon), 7. Joseph Hernandez (#5H Hernandez), 8. Andy Reinbold (#19 Underwood), 9. Danny Lee (#7X Lee). NT
THIRD HEAT: (10 laps)
1. Rick Ziehl (#20Z Ziehl), 2. Matt Rossi (#02 Rossi), 3. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 4. Bo Baker (#22NM Baker), 5. Michael Fanelli (#38 Fanelli), 6. Matthew Cardienas (#7M Cardienas), 7. Stephen Spiak (#17X Spiak), 8. Kristy Smith (#4L Smith). NT
FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps)
1. Gary Gonzales (#98NM Gonzales), 2. Randy Smith (#26 Smith), 3. Dillon Tanner (#11W West), 4. Stephen Nix (#52NM Nix), 5. James Hatch (#41NM Hatch), 6. Asa Kesterson (#18 Kesterson), 7. Ronnie Smith (#19R Smith), 8. David Dykes (#55M Dykes). NT
FIRST SEMI: (12 laps)
1. Martin, 2. Hosford, 3. Grable, 4. M.Ziehl, 5. Fanelli, 6. Aragon, 7. Hernandez, 8. K.Smith, 9. Lee. NT
SECOND SEMI: (12 laps)
1. Grady, 2. Cardienas, 3. Curtis, 4. Hatch, 5. Ro.Smith, 6. Reinbold, 7. Kesterson, 8. Spiak, 9. Dykes. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. R.J. Johnson (6th), 2. Shon Deskins (2nd), 3. Matt Rossi (5th), 4. Josh Hodges (4th), 5. Tye Mihocko (12th), 6. Jesse Baker (7th), 7. Randy Smith (11th), 8. Bo Baker (14th), 9. Brian Hosford (19th), 10. Jason Grady (18th), 11. Michael Curtis (22nd), 12. Dillon Tanner (13th), 13. Nick Aiuto (16th), 14. Josh Pelkey (1st), 15. Mike Martin (17th), 16. Matthew Cardienas (20th), 17. Don Grable (21st), 18. Stephen Nix (15th), 19. Rick Ziehl (3rd), 20. Charles Davis Jr. (10th), 21. Gary Gonzales (8th), 22. Robert Herrera (9th). NT
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**Davis flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-29 Shon Deskins, Lap 30 R.J. Johnson.
HARD CHARGER: Michael Curtis (22nd to 11th)
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