JOHNSON & DAVIS EARN “HALL OF FAME CLASSIC” WINS AT CANYON SPEEDWAY PARK
By Lance Jennings
OCTOBER 4, 2017... R.J. Johnson (Laveen, Arizona) and “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) topped the annual “Sands Chevrolet Hall of Fame Classic” at Canyon Speedway Park. Paying $2,000-to-win each night, Davis’ Friday Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car win was his sixth victory of the season. Johnson’s earned his seventh win at Saturday’s 30-lap finale.
In the Friday opener, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. started second and led all 30-laps to claim his twentieth career USAC SouthWest win. Racing the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply entry, Davis took the checkered flags ahead of Johnson, Jake Swanson, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, and Shon Deskins. Martin, Johnson, and Deskins won their 8-lap heat races and Deskins was the top-qualifier over the twenty-two car roster. Michael Curtis earned hard charger honors with a ninth place run from sixteenth.
R.J. Johnson started sixth in Saturday’s “Hall of Fame Classic” finale and took the lead from Josh Pelkey on the fifth lap. Piloting Bobby Martin’s #51 Martin Family Auto Museum / Pecon Builders Sherman, Johnson led the rest of the way to score his fifty-first series win. The four-time champion was followed by Chris Bonneau, Stevie Sussex, Davis, and Deskins. “The Bull” Tye Mihocko, Andy Reinbold, and Curtis won the night’s 8-lap heat races and Johnson earned top-qualifier honors over twenty-one car field. Sussex had best passing job honors with a third place finish from thirteenth.
The Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series will return to action on Saturday, October 21st at Canyon Speedway Park’s “Race For The Cure.” The action packed card will also feature IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Hobby Stocks, Dwarf Cars, and non-wing Power 600 Micro Sprints. Advance tickets are on sale and for more information, visit www.canyonspeedwaypark.com or call 602.258.7223.
The Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series thanks AMSOIL, Hoosier Tire, and Beaver Stripes, for their support.
For more information on the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series, visit www.southwestsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook.
-----------------------------------------------
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES: September 29 & 30, 2017 – Peoria, Arizona – Canyon Speedway Park – “Sands Chevrolet Hall of Fame Classic”
FRIDAY FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. Charles Davis Jr. (2nd), 2. R.J. Johnson (3rd), 3. Jake Swanson (7th), 4. Mike Martin (4th), 5. Shon Deskins (6th), 6. Josh Pelkey (8th), 7. Dennis Gile (13th), 8. Tye Mihocko (10th), 9. Michael Curtis (16th), 10. Jeff Lowery (1st), 11. Zack Madrid (11th), 12. Andy Reinbold (15th), 13. Matt Lundy (14th), 14. Nick Aiuto (17th), 15. Cody Sickles (20th), 16. Mason Keifer (22nd), 17. Brent Yarnal (19th), 18. Chris Bonneau (5th), 19. Bruce St. James (12th), 20. Stevie Sussex (9th), 21. Lonnie Oliver (18th), 22. Sterling Cling (21st). NT
----------------------------
**St. James flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Davis.
HARD CHARGER: Michael Curtis (16th to 9th)
BEAVER STRIPES PASSING MASTER: Shon Deskins
------------------------------------------------
SATURDAY FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. R.J. Johnson (6th), 2. Chris Bonneau (7th), 3. Stevie Sussex (13th), 4. Charles Davis Jr. (8th), 5. Shon Deskins (2nd), 6. Michael Curtis (5th), 7. Mike Martin (9th), 8. Andy Reinbold (4th), 9. Nick Aiuto (16th), 10. Zack Madrid (18th), 11. Tye Mihocko (3rd), 12. Jeff Lowery (14th), 13. Matt Lundy (15th), 14. Brent Yarnal (11th), 15. Cody Sickles (21st), 16. Josh Pelkey (1st), 17. Lonnie Oliver (19th), 18. Steve Sussex (20th), 19. Rick Shuman (17th), 20. Jake Swanson (10th), 21. Dennis Gile (12th). NT
----------------------------
**Sickles flipped during the third heat.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Pelkey, Laps 5-30 Johnson
HARD CHARGER: Stevie Sussex (13th to 3rd)
BEAVER STRIPES PASSING MASTER: R.J. Johnson
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. R.J. Johnson-1193, 2. Charles Davis Jr.-1077, 3. Shon Deskins-922, 4. Tye Mihocko-830, 5. Nick Aiuto-802, 6. Mike Martin-764, 7. Chris Bonneau-734, 8. Michael Curtis-690, 9. Matt Lundy-605, 10. Stevie Sussex-593, 11. Andy Reinbold-561, 12. Jeff Lowery-541, 13. Brent Yarnal-507, 14. Landon Cling-500, 15. Bruce St. James-470, 16. Cody Sickles-463, 17. Jake Swanson-288, 18. Matt Rossi-264, 19. Brian Hosford-191, 20. Dave Darland-169.
2017 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
October 21: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Race For The Cure)
October 28: Central Arizona Speedway – Casa Grande, AZ
November 3: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 4: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
———————————————–
This schedule is subject to change.