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CANYON SPEEDWAY PARK HOSTS “4TH ANNUAL SALUTE TO INDY”
By Lance Jennings
MAY 20, 2015... This Saturday and Sunday, the popular USAC SouthWest Sprint Cars will return to Peoria’s Canyon Speedway Park for the “4th Annual Salute to Indy.” Promoted by Kevin Montgomery, the two nights of action will also feature Mini Sprints, AZ Differential Pure Stocks, AMA Modlites, and Renegades. In addition, there will be an open practice session for all divisions on Friday from 6pm to 9pm. The Front Gates will open at 5:00pm with Racing scheduled to begin at 7:00pm on both nights.
While fairly new to the Canyon Speedway Park, the "Salute to Indy" has been an Arizona tradition going back to the legendary Manzanita Speedway. In 1991, Ricky Johnson won the first of his record three Memorial Day Classics. Since then, Johnson’s record has been tied by “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., “The Shermanator” Jeremy Sherman, and last season by his son, R.J. Other past winners of the prestigious race are “The Bullet” Bob Ream Jr. (2), Mike Boat, Marty Miller, Josh Pelkey, Eric Wilkins, Casey Shuman, and Colby Copeland.
On January 26, 2013, Canyon Speedway Park hosted the inaugural USAC SouthWest Sprint Car event. Since then, the non-winged 360 cubic-inch powered sprints have returned 35 more times. R.J. Johnson leads all drivers with 11 series wins at Canyon, followed by Bryan Clauson (5), Ryan Bernal (4), Dave Darland (3), Charles Davis Jr. (3), and Josh Pelkey (2).
Heading into the “Salute to Indy,” R.J. Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona sits atop the standings with a 53-point advantage. Piloting Bill Michaels’ #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, Johnson ran sixth in last Saturday’s main event at Arizona Speedway. To date, the two-time defending champion has four main event wins, four heat race victories, eight top-10 finishes, and 54 feature laps led to his credit. This Saturday, R.J. will be looking to earn his series leading 27th victory and continue his championship bid.
Buckeye, Arizona’s “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. is second in the chase for the championship. Driving the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, Davis earned his first win of the year last Saturday at Queen Creek. At press time, the five-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion has two high point driver awards, three heat race victories, eight top-10 finishes, and 34 feature laps led on the year. “Chargin” Charles will have his sights on gaining valuable points with his fourth “Salute to Indy” victory.
Josh Pelkey of Peoria, Arizona sits third in the USAC SouthWest point chase. Racing Robbie and Gaye Allen’s #12 ABC Body Shop / Napa Auto Parts Maxim, Pelkey finished third in last Saturday’s feature at Queen Creek. To date, the 1997 ASCA Champion has one high point driver award, one heat race victory, and five top-10 finishes. Josh is currently fourth on the USAC SouthWest win list as he looks to add another “Salute to Indy” to his resume.
South Central, Arizona’s Matt Rossi is fourth in the championship points. Piloting the family owned #02 Apache Scapes / IWR Spike, Rossi fished second to Davis at Arizona Speedway. As this writing goes to press, the defending Western World Champion has one hard charger award, four top-10 finishes, and 22 feature laps led in the campaign. This Saturday, Matt will have his sights on making the “Salute to Indy” his third career SouthWest victory.
Stevie Sussex of Tempe, Arizona is fifth in the point standings. Racing Dennis Gile’s #13S Quarterback Academy Ellis, Sussex earned his third “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a sixth place run from nineteenth at Queen Creek. To date, the hard charging driver has one feature win, six top-10 finishes, and 43 feature laps led on the season. Sussex will be looking to gain valuable points by winning at Canyon Speedway Park.
Among the other drivers expected to be in action are Mike Colegrove, Shon Deskins, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, Brian Hosford, “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James, Andy Reinbold, Dennis Gile, “The Bull” Tye Mihocko, Josh Shipley, Nick Aiuto, Chris Bonneau, Michael Curtis, Mike Bonneau, Koty McGullam, and more.
Canyon Speedway Park is located at 9777 West Carefree Highway in Peoria, Arizona. To get to the track, take Lake Pleasant Parkway, then 1.3 miles west on Carefree Highway. Adult Tickets are $16 with $3 discounts available for Seniors, Military, and Students. Kids Tickets (7-12) are $6 and Children (6 and under) are FREE. VIP passes are available for $20 and advance tickets are on sale now. For more event information, visit www.canyonspeedwaypark.com or call 602.258.RACE (7223).
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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USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS:
2013-R.J. Johnson, 2014-R.J. Johnson.
CANYON SALUTE TO INDY WINNERS:
2012-Colby Copeland, 2013-R.J. Johnson, 2014-R.J. Johnson.
2015 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS:
4-R.J. Johnson, 2-Ryan Bernal, 1-Brady Bacon, 1-Charles Davis Jr., 1-Stevie Sussex.
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1. R.J. Johnson-384, 2. Charles Davis Jr.-331, 3. Josh Pelkey-314, 4. Matt Rossi-298, 5. Stevie Sussex-275, 6. Mike Colegrove-260, 7. Shon Deskins-256, 8. Mike Martin-243, 9. Brian Hosford-236, 10. Brice St. James-201, 11. Andy Reinbold-178, 12. Dennis Gile-160, 13. Tye Mihocko-152, 14. Josh Shipley-148, 15. Nick Aiuto-117, 16. Chris Bonneau-110, 17. Michael Curtis-103, 18. Mike Bonneau-101, 19. Koty McGullam-83, 20. Dalten Gabbard-82.
2015 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
May 23: Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Salute to Indy)
May 24: Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Salute to Indy)
June 13: Arizona Speedway - Queen Creek, AZ
June 20: Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Father’s Day Classic)
June 27: USA Raceway - Tucson, AZ (Hot Summer Nights)
July 10: #El Paso Speedway Park - El Paso, TX (Border Tour / $2,000-to-Win)
July 11: #Southern New Mexico Speedway - Las Cruces, NM (Border Tour / $2,000-to-Win)
July 18: Arizona Speedway - Queen Creek, AZ
August 1: Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Allscapes Back to School Special)
August 19: Lawton Speedway - Lawton, OK (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 20: Creek County Speedway - Sapulpa, OK (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 21: 81 Speedway - Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 22: Dodge City Raceway Park - Dodge City, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 28: Prescott Valley Raceway - Prescott Valley, AZ (Rick Stewart Memorial)
August 29: Prescott Valley Raceway - Prescott Valley, AZ (Rick Stewart Memorial)
September 19: Arizona Speedway - Queen Creek, AZ
September 26: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Brawl For It All / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series)
October 3: Arizona Speedway - Queen Creek, AZ
October 17: Central Arizona Speedway - Casa Grande, AZ
November 19: *USA Raceway - Tucson, AZ (Western World Championships / Grudge Series)
November 20: *USA Raceway - Tucson, AZ (Western World Championships / Grudge Series)
November 21: *USA Raceway - Tucson, AZ (Western World Championships / Grudge Series)
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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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