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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series
- #77M R.J. Johnson Wins at Arizona Speedway. Photo by Patrick Shaw / Backed-In Photography.
R.J. JOHNSON STORMS TO VICTORY AT ARIZONA SPEEDWAY
By Lance Jennings
QUEEN CREEK, AZ – SEPTEMBER 8, 2014... With threatening skies nearby, R.J. Johnson of Phoenix took command from Nick Aiuto on lap eighteen and tied his series record fourth consecutive USAC SouthWest Sprint Car win. The $1,500 triumph at Queen Creek’s Arizona Speedway was Johnson’s tenth victory of the season as “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, Matt Rossi, and “The Kid” Tye Mihocko followed R.J. to the checkered flags.
Piloting Bill Michaels’ #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, R.J. Johnson swept the program by winning the night’s first 10-lap heat race, being night’s high point driver, and scoring the feature victory from sixth. With the win, Johnson has a 135-point advantage with twelve heat race victories, one hard charger award, twenty-four top-10 finishes, and 177 feature laps led to his credit.
Buckeye’s “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. earned his first “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors of the season with a second place run from eighteenth. Racing the Massey Motorsports #50 RSS Industries / MP Environmental RSS, Davis placed sixth in his heat race and was eighteenth in passing points. The five-time state champion has taken over second in the point chase with three feature wins, twelve heat race victories, one semi-main win, twenty-one top-10 finishes, and 102 feature laps led in the campaign.
“The Magic Man” Mike Martin of Yuma sliced his way to third from eleventh at Arizona Speedway. Driving his #16 PPG Professional Paints / Desert Building Materials Maxim, Martin ran fourth in his heat race and placed eleventh in the nightly passing points. Heading to Casa Grande, the former Hall of Fame Classic winner is sixth in points with one feature win, four heat race victories, two semi-main wins, one hard charger award, sixteen top-10 finishes, and 31 feature laps led.
Phoenix’s Matt Rossi took fourth in the Queen Creek main event after starting fifteenth. Piloting the family owned #02 Apache Scapes / Advanced Engine Components Spike, Rossi placed fifth in his heat race and was seated fifteenth in the nightly passing points. To date, Matt is fifth in the SouthWest standings with three heat race victories, two hard charger awards, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 28 feature laps led on the season.
“The Kid” Tye Mihocko of Peoria scored fifth in the 30-lap feature after starting tenth. Racing the family owned #5 RSS Industries / Old World Brewery RSS, Mihocko scored fourth in his heat race and ranked tenth in passing points. Currently, the young driver is seventh in the point chase with two heat race victories, one semi-main win, one hard charger award, and fourteen top-10 finishes.
Phoenix’s Shon Deskins earned his eighth heat race win of the season at Queen Creek. Driving his #20 MP Environmental / Spike Chassis entry, Deskins was second in passing points and placed seventh in the main event. To date, the veteran driver is fourth in the point standings with one feature win, one hard charger award, nineteen top-10 finishes, and 59 feature laps led in 2014.
Mike Colegrove of Peoria raced to victory in the night’s third heat race. Piloting his #17M Precision Tile / Ellis Race Cars entry, Colegrove ranked third in the nightly passing points and scored twenty-first in the main event. Currently, Mike sits thirteenth in points with three heat race victories and six top-10 finishes to his credit.
The USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars will be back in action on Saturday, September 20th at Casa Grande’s Central Arizona Speedway. The action packed card will also feature Pure Stocks, X-Mods, and Bombers. For more event and ticket information, visit www.centralarizonaspeedway.com or call 480.266.1378.
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:
September 6, 2014 – Queen Creek, Arizona – Arizona Speedway
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps)
1. R.J. Johnson (#77M Michaels), 2. Brian Hosford (#32B Weber), 3. Michael Curtis (#11ZC Turner/Wheeler), 4. Josh Pelkey (#12 Allen), 5. Josh Shipley (#2 Bishop), 6. Dustin Burkhart (#22 Burkhart), 7. Lonnie Oliver (#11T Oliver), 8. Tom Colquette (#29X Colquette). NT
SECOND HEAT: (10 laps)
1. Shon Deskins (#20 Deskins), 2. Nick Aiuto (#27 Aiuto), 3. Alex Pettas (#TI64 Pettas), 4. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 5. Bruce St. James (#7K St. James), 6. Tom Ogle (#48 Ogle), 7. Corey Hurley (#71H Hurley). NT
THIRD HEAT: (10 laps)
1. Mike Colegrove (#17M Colegrove), 2. Andy Reinbold (#19 Underwood), 3. Chris Bonneau (#78 Bonneau), 4. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 5. Matt Rossi (#02 Rossi), 6. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Massey), 7. Mike Bonneau (#29 Bonneau). NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. R.J. Johnson (6th), 2. Charles Davis Jr. (18th), 3. Mike Martin (11th), 4. Matt Rossi (15th), 5. Tye Mihocko (10th), 6. Josh Pelkey (2nd), 7. Shon Deskins (5th), 8. Andy Reinbold (7th), 9. Michael Curtis (12th), 10. Tom Ogle (17th), 11. Bruce St. James (14th), 12. Nick Aiuto (1st), 13. Josh Shipley (13th), 14. Brian Hosford (3rd), 15. Mike Bonneau (19th), 16. Dustin Burkhart (16th), 17. Lonnie Oliver (20th), 18. Alex Pettas (8th), 19. Chris Bonneau (9th), 20. Corey Hurley (21st), 21. Mike Colegrove (4th), 22. Tom Colquette (22nd). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-17 Aiuto, Laps 18-30 Johnson.
HARD CHARGER: Charles Davis Jr. (18th to 2nd)
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. R.J. Johnson-1029, 2. Charles Davis Jr.-894, 3. Josh Pelkey-888, 4. Shon Deskins-823, 5. Matt Rossi-786, 6. Mike Martin-756, 7. Tye Mihocko-749, 8. Nick Aiuto-570, 9. Andy Reinbold-559, 10. Michael Curtis-539, 11. Brian Hosford-486, 12. Bruce St. James-469, 13. Mike Colegrove-467, 14. Josh Shipley-416, 15. Tom Ogle-373, 16. Josh Hodges-279, 17. Stevie Sussex-271, 18. Mike Bonneau-267, 19. Chris Bonneau-246, 20. Mark Morin-245.
2014 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
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.
This schedule is subject to change.
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