DAVIS CHARGES TO SEVENTH USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT VICTORY
By Lance Jennings
OCTOBER 24, 2017... Nearly sweeping the show, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) won last Saturday’s “Race For The Cure” at Canyon Speedway Park. The veteran driver took to lead from Michael Curtis on lap five and sailed to his seventh USAC SouthWest Sprint Car win over R.J. Johnson, Chris Bonneau, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, and Curtis.
Driving the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, Charles Davis Jr. won the night’s first heat race and ranked second in passing points. The five-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion also earned the night’s hard charger award by earning his twenty-first series win after starting fifth. Davis left the Peoria, Arizona oval ranked second in points with nine heat race victories, six Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, eighteen top-10 finishes, and 147 feature laps led.
R.J. Johnson (Laveen, Arizona) sliced his way from sixth to claim second in the “Race For The Cure.” Racing Bobby Martin’s #51 Martin Family Auto Museum / Pecon Builders Sherman, Johnson ran second to Davis in his heat race and claimed the night’s Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award. The four-time champion heads to Casa Grande with a 113-point lead on the strength of seven feature wins, ten heat race victories, five Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, one semi-main win, three hard charger awards, nineteen top-10 finishes, and 188 feature laps led.
Chris Bonneau (Phoenix, Arizona) had a solid night at Canyon Speedway Park with a third place finish from seventh. Piloting his #15 Priced Right Auto Sales / Triple X machine, Bonneau finished second to Bruce St. James in his heat race and ranked seventh in passing points. At press time, the veteran driver is seventh in points with four heat race victories, two Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, eleven top-10 finishes, and 9 feature laps led to his credit.
“The Magic Man” Mike Martin (Yuma, Arizona) raced from eighth to score fourth in the “Race For The Cure.” Driving his #16 Sherwin-Williams / Ultimate Offroad Maxim, Martin finished third in his heat race and placed eighth in passing points. To date, the former Hall of Fame Classic winner is sixth in the point standings with four heat race victories, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 3 feature laps led on the season.
After leading the first four laps, Michael Curtis (Cottonwood, Arizona) claimed fifth at Canyon Speedway Park. Racing Kevin Turner and Greg Wheeler’s #11C DAR Racing / JT Engineering machine, Curtis ran second to Tye Mihocko in his heat race and ranked sixth in passing points. At press time, the young driver is eighth in the point standings with two heat race victories, one semi-main win, two hard charger awards, and nine top-10 finishes on the year.
“The Bull” Tye Mihocko (Peoria, Arizona) raced to victory in the night’s second heat race. Piloting the family owned #5 Property Solutions by Dave Wilson / Futuristic Designs Spike, Mihocko ranked third in passing points and scored sixth in the 30-lap main event. The young driver is fourth in the point chase with sixth heat race victories, two Beaver Stripes Passing Master Awards, one semi-main win, one hard charger award, fourteen top-10 finishes, and 19 feature laps led.
“The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James (Phoenix, Arizona) took the checkered flags in the program’s third heat race. Driving his #7K Woodland Auto Display / Priority Aviation Maxim, St. James was fourth in passing points and finished eighth in the “Race For The Cure.” The veteran driver is currently fifteenth in points with two heat race victories, one hard charger award, five top-10 finishes, and 1 feature lap led in the campaign.
This Saturday, October 28th, the Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series will make their final appearance at Casa Grande’s Central Arizona Speedway. Located on the Pinal County Fairgrounds, the “Trunk or Treat” and “Pinal County Federal Credit Union Night” will also showcase Sport Mods, Pure Stocks, and Bombers. For more event and ticket information, visit www.centralarizonaspeedway.com or call 480.266.1378.
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.
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SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: October 21, 2017 – Peoria, Arizona – Canyon Speedway Park – “Race For The Cure”
FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Massey), 2. R.J. Johnson (#51 Martin), 3. Sterling Cling (#34 Grau), 4. Dennis Gile (#13 Gile), 5. Matt Rossi (#02 Rossi), 6. Jeff Lowery (#45 Lowery). NT
SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 2. Michael Curtis (#11C Turner/Wheeler), 3. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 4. Landon Cling (#54 Cling), 5. J.R. Bonesteel (#0 Bonesteel), 6. Bill Waltman (#09 Waltman). NT
THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Bruce St. James (#7K St. James), 2. Chris Bonneau (#15 Bonneau), 3. Nick Aiuto (#27 Aiuto), 4. Shon Deskins (#7 Richards), 5. Brent Yarnal (#29 Yarnal), 6. Cody Sickles (#14 Simington). NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. Charles Davis Jr. (5th), 2. R.J. Johnson (6th), 3. Chris Bonneau (7th), 4. Mike Martin (8th), 5. Michael Curtis (1st), 6. Tye Mihocko (4th), 7. Landon Cling (11th), 8. Bruce St. James (3rd), 9. Shon Deskins (9th), 10. Matt Rossi (14th), 11. Nick Aiuto (2nd), 12. Sterling Cling (10th), 13. Brent Yarnal (15th), 14. J.R. Bonesteel (12th), 15. Cody Sickles (18th), 16. Bill Waltman (16th), 17. Jeff Lowery (17th), 18. Dennis Gile (13th). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Curtis, Laps 5-30 Davis.
HARD CHARGER: Charles Davis Jr. (5th to 1st)
BEAVER STRIPES PASSING MASTER: R.J. Johnson
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. R.J. Johnson-1273, 2. Charles Davis, Jr.-1160, 3. Shon Deskins-973, 4. Tye Mihocko-897, 5. Nick Aiuto-851, 6. Mike Martin-831, 7. Chris Bonneau-805, 8. Michael Curtis-756, 9. Stevie Sussex-622, 10. Matt Lundy-605, 11. Jeff Lowery-573, 12. Andy Reinbold-561, 13. Landon Cling-557, 14. Brent Yarnal-548, 15. Bruce St. James-530, 16. Cody Sickles-497, 17. Matt Rossi-311, 18. Jake Swanson-288, 19. Brian Hosford-191, 20. Dave Darland-169.
2017 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
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)
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# = Co-Sanctioned Event with NMMRA Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.