SOUTHWEST SPRINTS RESUME AT ARIZONA SPEEDWAY;

ZIEHL (2), DAVIS, SMITH TOP “FREEDOM TOUR” PODIUMS

USAC’s Southwest Sprint Car series championship battle resumes September 7 at Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek, Ariz. following four “non-point” special events last week in middle-America.

R.J. Johnson will be out to protect his 82-point lead over Charles Davis Jr. going into the Queen Creek race.

Davis joined New Mexico’s Rick Ziehl and Oklahoma’s Danny Smith as winners in last week’s “Freedom Tour” races. Smith won Wednesday’s opener at Sapulpa, Okla., while Ziehl won Thursday and Saturday races at Wichita and Dodge City, Kans. respectively and Davis was Friday’s Dodge City winner.

Smith, who hails from Sapulpa, won Wednesday’s 30-lapper at Creek County Speedway. He took the lead on lap 16 when Kyle Clark flipped while leading, then led the rest of the way to beat Josh Pelkey, Jonathan Beason, Davis and Dustin Morgan.

After scoring eleventh the previous night in Oklahoma, “The Real Deal” Rick Ziehl of Las Cruces, New Mexico claimed victory at 81 Speedway in Wichita. Davis took second ahead of Josh Pelkey, Jeremy Campbell and Mike Martin.

Davis, of Buckeye, Ariz., won Friday’s 30-lapper at Dodge City Raceway Park, leading the final 15 laps after passing Pelkey on lap 16. Pelkey took second ahead of Harli White, Jeff Lowery and Koby Barksdale.

Ziehl closed out the 2013 “Freedom Tour” for USAC’s Southwest Sprint Cars Saturday night with a 30-lap feature victory at Dodge City. He led the first 14 and last five laps to beat Jordan Weaver, Davis, Michelle Decker and Tye Mihocko. Josh Pelkey led laps 15-25 but finished 11th in the race rundown.