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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series
- #02 Matt Rossi – 5th in USAC SouthWest Point Standings. Photo by Patrick Shaw / Backed-In Photography.
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINTS RETURN TO CASA GRANDE SATURDAY
By Lance Jennings
PHOENIX, AZ – SEPTEMBER 17, 2014... This Saturday, September 20th, the USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars will make their only appearance of the year at Casa Grande’s Central Arizona Speedway. Located on the Pinal County Fairgrounds and promoted by Jonah Trussel, the event will also feature Pure Stocks, X-Mods, and Bombers. The Pit Gates will open at 3:30pm, the Spectator Gates will open at 5:00pm, and Racing is scheduled to begin at 7:00pm. For more event and ticket information, visit www.centralarizonaspeedway.com or call 480.266.1378.
Saturday’s race will be the fifth event in series history at the Pinal County Fairgrounds. “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. won the USAC SouthWest debut on March 23, 2013, followed by victories for Josh Pelkey, R.J. Johnson, and Matt Rossi. A talented roster of drivers will be at Central Arizona Speedway as they look to claim the $1,500 main event and earn valuable championship points.
After tying his record of four consecutive victories, R.J. Johnson of Phoenix has a 135-point lead over the competition. Piloting Bill Michaels’ #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, Johnson has had an outstanding year with ten feature wins, twelve heat race victories, one hard charger award, twenty-four top-10 finishes, and 177 feature laps led. On Saturday, the defending champion will be looking to extend his point lead and tie his series record of eleven wins in a season.
Buckeye’s “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. has climbed to second in the point standings. Driving the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / MP Environmental RSS, Davis earned his first hard charger award on September 6th at Queen Creek by racing to second from eighteenth. To date, the five-time state champion has three feature wins, twelve heat race victories, one semi-main win, twenty-one top-10 finishes, and 102 feature laps led on the season. “Chargin” Charles will have his sights on cutting into Johnson’s lead by claiming his tenth career SouthWest victory.
Josh Pelkey of Peoria sits third in the championship point chase. Racing Robbie and Gaye Allen’s #12 ABC Body Shop / Napa Auto Parts Maxim, Pelkey ran sixth at Arizona Speedway. At press time, the 1997 ASCA Champion has three feature wins, four heat race victories, two hard charger awards, twenty-five top-10 finishes, and 54 feature laps led in the campaign. Josh will be looking to retake second in the points with another main event win at Casa Grande.
Phoenix’s Shon Deskins is fourth in the SouthWest point standings. Piloting his #20 MP Environmental / Performance Plus Spike, Deskins placed seventh in the Queen Creek main event. To date, the veteran driver has one feature win, eight heat race victories, one hard charger award, nineteen top-10 finishes, and 59 feature laps led to his credit. Shon will have his sights on adding the winning trophy from Central Arizona Speedway to his collection.
Matt Rossi of Phoenix ranks fifth in the chase for the championship. Driving the family owned #02 Apache Scapes / Advanced Engine Components Spike, Rossi charged from fifteenth to score fifth at Queen Creek. Heading to Saturday’s event, the veteran racer has three heat race victories, two hard charger awards, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 28 feature laps led on the year. Matt won the last SouthWest race at Casa Grande on October 12th and will be looking for another triumph this Saturday night.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, “The Kid” Tye Mihocko, Nick Aiuto, Andy Reinbold, Michael Curtis, Brian Hosford, “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James, Mike Colegrove, Josh Shipley, Tom Ogle, Stevie Sussex, Mike Bonneau, Chris Bonneau, Mark Morin, 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 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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2014 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS:
10-R.J. Johnson, 3-Dave Darland, 3-Charles Davis Jr., 3-Josh Pelkey, 2-Brady Bacon, 1-Mike Bonneau, 1-Colby Copeland, 1-Shon Deskins, 1-Austin Liggett, 1-Mike Martin, 1-Richard Vander Weerd.
CASA GRANDE USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINNERS:
03/23/13: Charles Davis Jr. – Massey Motorsports #50
06/22/13: Josh Pelkey – Robbie & Gaye Allen #12
09/14/13: R.J. Johnson – Bill Michaels #77M
10/12/13: Matt Rossi – Phil Rossi #02
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
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
September 20: Central Arizona Speedway - 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 (360 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)
November 28: Southern New Mexico Speedway - Las Cruces, NM (Thanksgiving Bash / Non-Points)
November 29: Southern New Mexico Speedway - Las Cruces, NM (Thanksgiving Bash / $10,000-to-Win / Non-Points)
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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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