R.J. JOHNSON IS BACK ON TOP AT ARIZONA SPEEDWAY
By Lance Jennings
MARCH 19, 2018... Racing past polesitter “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. on the tenth lap, R.J. Johnson (Laveen, Arizona) led the rest of the way to claim last Saturday’s victory at Arizona Speedway. The five-time champion earned his second $1,500 Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car win ahead of Davis, top qualifier “The Bull” Tye Mihocko, hard charger Zack Madrid, and Michael Curtis.
Driving Bobby Martin’s #51 Martin Family Auto Museum / Pecon Builders Sherman, Johnson ran second to Mihocko in his heat race and ranked second in passing points out of twenty-three entries. After starting fifth in the main event, the second generation driver left the San Tan Valley oval with a seven point lead on the strength of two wins and 48 feature laps led.
“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) led the first nine laps but had to settle for second last Saturday night. Piloting his #50 RSS Industries / MP Environmental RSS, Davis ran second to Chris Bonneau in his heat race and placed sixth in passing points. The five-time Arizona sprint car champion heads to Canyon’s March 31st “Easter Eggstravaganza” sitting third in points with one heat race victory, four top-10 finishes, and 9 feature laps led to his credit.
“The Bull” Tye Mihocko (Peoria, Arizona) scored a third place finish at San Tan Valley after starting sixth. Racing the family owned #5 Dave Wilson Realty / Mears Mechanical Spike, Mihocko won the third heat race and earned his first Beaver Stripes Passing Master Award of the year. After finishing third, “The Bull” climbed to second in points with one heat race victory and three top-10 finishes.
Zack Madrid (Phoenix, Arizona) earned the night’s hard charger award with a fourth place run after starting twentieth. Driving the #5M WSM Auctioneers / Martin Auto Museum Maxim, Madrid finished seventh in his heat race and sat twentieth in the Beaver Stripes Passing Points. To date, Zack is thirteenth in the point chase with on top-10 finish on the season.
Michael Curtis (Cottonwood, Arizona) charged from twelfth to score fifth in the 30-lap main event. Racing Kevin Turner and Greg Wheeler’s #11C DAR Racing / JT Engineering Maxim, Curtis placed fourth in his heat race and ranked twelfth in passing points. To date, Michael is fourth in championship points with two top-10 finishes in the campaign.
Stevie Sussex (Tempe, Arizona) won the night’s first 8-lap heat race. Piloting the John Grau and Mike Burkhart’s #34AZ Western Premier Hauling / KSE Custom Drywall DRC, Sussex was fourth in passing points and took seventh in the main event. At press time, the hard charger is sixth in the point chase with one heat race victory, three top-10 finishes, and 20 feature laps led.
Chris Bonneau (Phoenix, Arizona) took the checkered flags in the third heat race. Driving his #15 Priced Right Auto Sales / Triple X Race Company entry, Bonneau ranked fifth in passing points and scored eighth in the feature. The veteran driver left Arizona Speedway ranked fourteenth in points with one heat race victory and one top-10 finish.
The Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars will be back on action at Canyon Speedway Park’s “Easter Eggstravaganza” on March 31st. The showcase will also feature the Leading Edge IMCA Modifieds, Arizona Differential IMCA Northern Sport Mods, and the Power 600 non-wing 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 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: March 17, 2018 – San Tan Valley, Arizona – Arizona Speedway
FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Stevie Sussex (#34AZ Grau/Burkhart), 2. Jeff Lowery (#45 Lowery), 3. Bruce St. James (#7K St. James), 4. Andy Reinbold (#19 Reinbold), 5. Sterling Cling (#34 Cling), 6. Mason Keefer (#7 Keefer), 7. Joe Scheopner (#17 Scheopner), 8. Vicki Faber (#50V Faber). NT
SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Chris Bonneau (#15 Bonneau), 2. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Davis), 3. Josh Pelkey (#12 Allen), 4. Michael Curtis (#11C Turner/Wheeler), 5. Dennis Gile (#13 Gile), 6. Tyler Most (#3 Most), 7. Colton Maroney (#66 Maroney). 8. Kyle Shipley (#0G Shipley). NT
THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 2. R.J. Johnson (#51 Martin), 3. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 4. Matt Lundy (#98 Lundy), 5. Steve Stone (#57 Stone), 6. Tyler Adams (#9G Adams), 7. Zack Madrid (#5M Madrid). NT
FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions) 1. R.J. Johnson (5th), 2. Charles Davis Jr. (1st), 3. Tye Mihocko (6th), 4. Zack Madrid (20th), 5. Michael Curtis (12th), 6. Josh Pelkey (7th), 7. Stevie Sussex (3rd), 8. Chris Bonneau (2nd), 9. Sterling Cling (14th), 10. Matt Lundy (10th), 11. Jeff Lowery (8th), 12. Steve Stone (15th), 13. Joe Scheopner (19th), 14. Mike Martin (11th), 15. Tyler Adams (18th), 16. Mason Keefer (16th), 17. Dennis Gile (13th), 18. Colton Maroney (17th), 19. Vicki Faber (21st), 20. Bruce St. James (4th), 21. Tyler Most (22nd), 22. Andy Reinbold (9th). NT
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**Maroney flipped on lap 13 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-9 Davis, Laps 10-30 Johnson.
HARD CHARGER: Zack Madrid (20th to 4th)
BEAVER STRIPES PASSING MASTER: Tye Mihocko
SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS: 1. R.J. Johnson-161, 2. Tye Mihocko-154, 3. Charles Davis, Jr.-152, 4. Michael Curtis-133, 5. Josh Pelkey-127, 6. Stevie Sussex-123, 7. Mike Martin-101, 8. Matt Lundy-95, 9. Dennis Gile-83, 10. Tyler Adams-74, 11. Colton Maroney-73, 12. Mason Keefer-69, 13. Zack Madrid-63, 14. Chris Bonneau-59, 15. Landon Cling-56, 16. Sterling Cling-51, 17. Jeff Lowery-48, 18. Johnny Shelton-45, 19. Steve Stone-43, 20. Joe Scheopner-39.
2018 SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE
DATE – TRACK – LOCATION
March 31: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Easter Eggstravaganza)
April 14: Central Arizona Speedway – Casa Grande, AZ (Cotton Classic)
April 28: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
May 19: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
May 26: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Salute to Indy)
May 27: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Salute to Indy)
June 9: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ
August 15: I-30 Speedway – Little Rock, AR (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 16: Creek County Speedway – Sapulpa, OK (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 17: 81 Speedway – Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 18: 81 Speedway – Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
September 1: Central Arizona Speedway – Casa Grande, AZ (Hank Arnold Memorial)
September 2: Central Arizona Speedway – Casa Grande, AZ (Hank Arnold Memorial)
September 8: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Lealand McSpadden Tribute)
September 21: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Sands Chevrolet Southwest Championships)
September 22: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Sands Chevrolet Southwest Championships)
October 20: Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, AZ (Race For The Cure)
October 27: Central Arizona Speedway – Casa Grande, AZ (Howl-O-Ween Bash)
November 2: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 3: Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, AZ (Western World Championships)
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This schedule is subject to change.