|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series
#20 Shon Deskins. 5th in USAC SouthWest Points. Photo by Patrick Shaw / Backed In Photography.
USAC SOUTHWEST & NMMRA SPRINT CARS CLASH IN TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO
by Lance Jennings
PEORIA, AZ – JULY 16, 2013... The cars and stars of the USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series are set to battle the best of the New Mexico Motor Racing Association (NMMRA) for two nights of action. Starting this Friday, July 19th, El Paso Speedway Park host the year’s first Arizona-New Mexico “Border War.” The following night, July 20th, the two groups will tackle the Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces and race for bragging rights.
Last season, veteran driver Rickey Hood swept both events. Then sanctioned by the ASCS Canyon Region and NMMRA, Hood’s victory at El Paso Speedway Park came over Jeff Swindell, Chris Bonneau, “The Real Deal” Rick Ziehl, and R.J. Johnson. This Friday, the CDM Late Models, X-Mods, D&S Street Stocks, and Casa Nissan Legends will also share the spotlight. The Spectator Gates will open at 5:30pm and Racing is set to begin at 7:45pm.
At Southern New Mexico Speedway, Hood bested “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., Josh Hodges, Jeff Swindell, and Dalten Gabbard in a hotly contested main event. On Saturday, the action packed card will also feature Street Stocks, X-Mods, and Legend Cars. The Spectator Gates will open at 5:30pm and Racing is set to begin at 7:45pm.
Heading to the Arizona-New Mexico Sprint Car “Clash” races, R.J. Johnson of Phoenix leads the USAC SouthWest standings with an 80-point advantage. Having a career season, the pilot of Bill Michaels’ #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman won his seventh feature of the year last Saturday at Queen Creek’s Arizona Speedway. To date, the second generation driver has seven heat race victories, four Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash wins, one hard charger award, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 186 feature laps led to his credit. R.J. will have his sights on his first main event wins at El Paso and Las Cruces.
Buckeye’s “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. is second in the championship point chase. Driving the Massey Motorsports' #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, Davis scored third in Saturday’s battle at Queen Creek. As this writing goes to press, the five-time Arizona Champion has three feature wins, five heat race victories, two Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash wins, one semi-main win, two hard charger awards, thirteen top-10 finishes, and 62 feature laps led. “Chargin” Charles will be looking to claim El Paso and Las Cruces victories while gaining valuable points on Johnson.
“The Magic Man” Mike Martin of Yuma sits third in the point standings. Racing his #16 Ultimate Offroad / Naquin Precision Earth Moving Maxim, Martin drove to fourth at Arizona Speedway from the tenth starting spot. Currently, the USAC National “Hall of Fame Classic” winner has one feature win, one fast time award, five heat race victories, ten top-10 finishes, and 24 feature laps led in the campaign. “The Magic Man” will have his sights on adding the El Paso and Las Cruces features to his resume.
Peoria’s Josh Pelkey has climbed to fourth in the USAC SouthWest point chase. Piloting Robbie and Gaye Allen’s #12 ABC Body Shop / Napa Auto Parts DRC, Pelkey claimed a second place finish at Queen Creek. The former ASCA Sprint Car Champion has been on a rise with one feature win, two heat race victories, one Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash win, one semi-main win, eleven top-10 finishes, and 35 feature laps led on the season. At press time, the ABC Motorsports team was unsure if they will compete this weekend, but Josh will be in the mix if they make the trip.
Shon Deskins of Phoenix is fifth in the standings. Racing his #20 Performance Plus / Ellis Race Cars entry, Deskins won his sixth heat race and claimed thirteenth at Queen Creek. To date, the veteran driver has yet to win a feature in 2013, but has one hard charger award, and eight top-10 finishes in the campaign. Shon will have his sights on breakthrough wins at El Paso and Las Cruces.
Among the other USAC SouthWest drivers expected to be in action are Ronnie Clark, Chris Bonneau, Andy Reinbold, Brian Hosford, “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James, Stevie Sussex, Justin Quinn, Bryan Swinehart, Tom Ogle, Mike Bonneau, James Aragon, Steven Harms, Jody Wirth, “The Bullet” Bob Ream Jr., Nathan High, and more.
Bill Mitchell leads the NMMRA standings with an eight point lead over Jason Grady. Robert Marfia, Jesse Baker, Ronnie Smith, Bo Baker, David Burns, Cody Dons, James Hatch, Jarrod Smith, and Jerrill Higginbotham round out the top-10 drivers.
El Paso Speedway is located at 14751 Marina Blvd. in El Paso, Texas. Reserved Tickets are $25 with a $5 discount for Military and Seniors with ID. General Admission Tickets are $15, and Children 5 and under are FREE. FREE fan pit passes are available with advanced reserved ticket purchase. For more event and ticket information, visit www.epspeedwaypark.com or call (915) 791-8749.
Southern New Mexico Speedway is located at 12125 Robert Larson Blvd. in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Reserved Tickets are $25 with a $5 discount for Military and Seniors with ID. General Admission Tickets are $15, and Children 5 and under are FREE. FREE fan pit passes are available with advanced reserved ticket purchase. For more event and ticket information, visit www.snmspeedway.com or call (575) 524-7913.
The USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series would like to thank 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).
-----------------------------------------------
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT POINT STANDINGS:
1-R.J. Johnson-686; 2-Charles Davis Jr.-606; 3-Mike Martin-567; 4-Josh Pelkey-526; 5-Shon Deskins-513; 6-Ronnie Clark-479; 7-Chris Bonneau-471; 8-Andy Reinbold-394; 9-Brian Hosford-372; 10-Bruce St. James-357; 11-Bryan Swinehart-347; 12-Stevie Sussex-331; 13-Justin Quinn-320; 14-Mike Bonneau-294; 15-Tom Ogle-267; 16-James Aragon-244; 17-Jody Wirth-239; 18-Steven Harms-236; 19-Bob Ream Jr.-195; 20-Nathan High-180.
2013 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
July 19: **El Paso Speedway Park - El Paso, TX
July 20: **Southern New Mexico Speedway - Las Cruces, NM
July 27: Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Summer Slam)
August 21: Creek County Speedway – Sapulpa, OK (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 22: 81 Speedway - Wichita, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 23: Dodge City Raceway Park - Dodge City, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
August 24: Dodge City Raceway Park - Dodge City, KS (Freedom Tour / $2,500-to-Win / Non-Points)
September 7: Arizona Speedway - Queen Creek, AZ
September 14: Central Arizona Raceway - Casa Grande, AZ
September 28: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Brawl For It All / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series)
October 12: Central Arizona Raceway - Casa Grande, AZ
October 19: Arizona Speedway - Queen Creek, AZ
October 31: *Perris Auto Speedway - Perris, CA (Oval Nationals / $2,500-to-Win / Grudge Series / Non-Points)
November 14: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 15: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships)
November 16: *Canyon Speedway Park - Peoria, AZ (Western World Championships / $7,500-to-Win)
-----------------------------------------------
* = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC West Coast Sprints.
** = Co-Sanctioned Event with NMMRA Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
|
