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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series
#02 Matt Rossi. Casa Grande Feature Winner. Photo by Terry Shaw / TKA Photography.
MATT ROSSI GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE AT CASA GRANDE
by Lance Jennings
CASA GRANDE, AZ – OCTOBER 13, 2013... Leading all 30 laps, Matt Rossi of Phoenix added his name to the winner’s list with the USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series. By winning Saturday’s $1,500 triumph at Central Arizona Raceway, Rossi became the ninth different winner of the campaign. Point leader R.J. Johnson, “The Magic Man” Mike Martin, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., and Josh Pelkey followed Matt to the checkered flags.
Piloting the family owned #02 Apache Scapes / Advanced Engine Components Ellis, Matt Rossi finished third in his heat race and second in the dash. Making his first start of the season, Matt currently sits thirty-fifth in the point chase heading to Saturday’s action at Queen Creek.
Phoenix’s R.J. Johnson had a solid night with a runner-up finish at Central Arizona Raceway. Racing the Bill Michaels’ owned #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, the series point leader claimed third in his heat race and fifth in the dash. Johnson left Casa Grande with a 55 point lead, nine feature wins, eight Racers Advantage Store Heat Race victories, five Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash wins, two hard charger awards, nineteen top-10 finishes, and 287 feature laps led.
“The Magic Man” Mike Martin of Yuma scored third in the Casa Grande main event. Driving his #16 PPG Pittsburg Paints / Ultimate Offroad Maxim, Martin ran second in his heat race and placed third in the dash. To date, the USAC “Hall of Fame Classic” Champion is third in the point chase with one feature win, one fast time award, seven Racers Advantage Store Heat Race victories, nineteen top-10 finishes, and 24 feature laps led on the season.
Buckeye’s “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. raced to fourth in the 30-lap feature after starting eighth. Piloting the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, the five-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion won the night’s second 8-lap Racers Advantage Store Heat Race and placed eighth in the dash. Currently second in the standings, Davis has six feature wins, eleven Racers Advantage Store Heat Race victories, three Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash wins, two semi-main wins, three hard charger awards, twenty-four top-10 finishes, and 107 feature laps led.
Josh Pelkey of Peoria earned his first “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a fifth place finish after starting fifteenth. Driving Robbie & Gaye Allen’s #12 ABC Body Shop / Napa Auto Parts Maxim, the former ASCA Champion scored eighth in his heat race and was not eligible for the dash. Pelkey ranks sixth in the standings with one feature win, four Racers Advantage Store Heat Race victories, two Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash wins, one semi-main win, seventeen top-10 finishes, and 77 feature laps led in 2013.
Phoenix’s “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James won his second Racers Advantage Store Heat Race of the season. Racing his #7K Woodland Auto Display / Bell Helmets Maxim, St. James claimed fourth in the dash and scored ninth in the main event. “The Radio Flyer” is currently tenth in points on the strength of one Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash win, eight top-10 finishes, and 17 feature laps led on the year.
Brian Hosford of Gilbert claimed his second Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash win of the campaign. Piloting Bernie Weber’s #32B Coffin & Trout Fine Jewelers / Invision Auto Body Maxim, Hosford ran second in his heat race and placed tenth in the main event. Brian left Central Arizona Raceway ninth in the SouthWest standings with two hard charger awards, eight top-10 finishes, and 18 feature laps led to his credit.
This Saturday, October 19th, the USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series make their last appearance of the season at Queen Creek’s Arizona Speedway. Pure Stocks, Mod Lites, and Bombers will join the action packed card and for more event information, visit www.arizonaspeedway.net or call 480.926.6688.
The USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series would like to thank Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier Tire, Hose Advantage Store, and the Racers Advantage Store for their support. For more information on the series, visit www.southwestsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SouthwestSprintCars).
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USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT RACE RESULTS:
October 12, 2013 – Casa Grande, Arizona – Central Arizona Raceway
RACERS ADVANTAGE STORE HEAT RACE #1: (8 laps)
1. Bruce St. James (#7K St. James), 2. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 3. Matt Rossi (#02 Rossi), 4. Steven Harms (#60 Harms), 5. Matt Lundy (#98 Lundy), 6. Ronnie Clark (#6 Clark), 7. Andy Reinbold (#19 Underwood), 8. Josh Pelkey (#12 Allen). NT
RACERS ADVANTAGE STORE HEAT RACE #2: (8 laps)
1. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Massey), 2. Brian Hosford (#32B Weber), 3. R.J. Johnson (#77M Michaels), 4. Jody Wirth (#5X Wirth), 5. Shon Deskins (#20 Deskins), 6. Mike Bonneau (#29 Bonneau), 7. Tom Lee (#53 Lee). NT
SUNOCO RACE FUELS PASSING MASTERS DASH: (6 laps)
1. Brian Hosford, 2. Matt Rossi, 3. Mike Martin, 4. Bruce St. James, 5. R.J. Johnson, 6. Jody Wirth, 7. Steven Harms, 8. Charles Davis Jr. NT
ALSO AT TRACK: Mike Colegrove (#17 Colegrove)
HOSE ADVANTAGE STORE FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Matt Rossi (2nd), 2. R.J. Johnson (5th), 3. Mike Martin (3rd), 4. Charles Davis Jr. (8th), 5. Josh Pelkey (15th), 6. Shon Deskins (10th), 7. Andy Reinbold (13th), 8. Matt Lundy (12th), 9. Bruce St. James (4th), 10. Brian Hosford (1st), 11. Steven Harms (7th), 12. Tom Lee (14th), 13. Mike Bonneau (11th), 14. Jody Wirth (6th), 15. Ronnie Clark (9th). NT
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**Wirth, Deskins, and Clark flipped during the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Matt Rossi.
HARD CHARGER: Josh Pelkey (15th to 5th)
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1-R.J. Johnson-1098, 2-Charles Davis Jr.-1043, 3-Mike Martin-928, 4-Shon Deskins-838, 5-Ronnie Clark-786, 6-Josh Pelkey-721, 7-Andy Reinbold-711, 8-Chris Bonneau-625, 9-Brian Hosford-602, 10-Bruce St. James-579, 11-Mike Bonneau-530, 12-Steven Harms-443, 13-Bryan Swinehart-373, 14-Thomas Ogle-367, 15-Stevie Sussex-331, 16-James Aragon-329, 17-Justin Quinn-320, 18-Michael Curtis-319, 19-Jody Wirth-313, 20-Bob Ream Jr.-297.
2013 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
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)
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* = Co-Sanctioned Event with USAC West Coast Sprints.
This schedule is subject to change.
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