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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series
#77M R.J. Johnson & Crew in Queen Creek victory lane. Photo by Patrick Shaw / Backed In Photography.
R.J. JOHNSON CLAIMS 10TH VICTORY AT ARIZONA SPEEDWAY
by Lance Jennings
QUEEN CREEK, AZ – OCTOBER 20, 2013... Charging from seventeenth, R.J. Johnson of Phoenix took the lead on lap 18 and sailed to the Saturday night victory at Arizona Speedway. For Johnson, the 25-lap triumph was his tenth USAC SouthWest Sprint Car feature win of the campaign. Josh Pelkey, “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr., Mike Bonneau, and Andy Reinbold rounded out the top five drivers.
Earning $1,500 for his efforts, R.J. Johnson raced the Bill Michaels’ owned #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman to his third “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors. Struggling early in the program, the series point leader scored sixth in his heat race and was not eligible for the dash. Rebounding to take the checkered flags, R.J. currently has a 57-point lead with eight Racers Advantage Store Heat Race victories, five Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash wins, twenty top-10 finishes, and 295 feature laps led.
Looking for his second feature win, Peoria’s Josh Pelkey led seven laps before settling into second at Queen Creek. Piloting Robbie & Gaye Allen’s #12 ABC Body Shop / Napa Auto Parts Maxim, the former ASCA Champion won his fifth Racers Advantage Store Heat Race and placed second in the dash. Josh is sixth in the point chase with two Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash wins, one semi-main win, eighteen top-10 finishes, and 84 feature laps led on the season.
Scoring third at Arizona Speedway was “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. of Buckeye. Driving the Massey Motorsports’ #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, Davis placed second in his heat race, won his fourth Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash, and led the first ten laps of the main event. Currently second in the standings, the five-time Arizona Sprint Car Champion has six feature wins, eleven Racers Advantage Store Heat Race victories, two semi-main wins, three hard charger awards, twenty-five top-10 finishes, and 117 feature laps led.
Phoenix’s Mike Bonneau had one of his best drives at Arizona Speedway with a fourth place run after starting eighth. Racing his #29 Priced Right Auto Sales / Triple X Components XXX, Bonneau won the night’s third Racers Advantage Store Heat Race and placed eighth in the dash. To date, Mike is eleventh in points with four Racers Advantage Store Heat Race victories, one Sunoco Fuels Passing Masters Dash win, six top-10 finishes, and 12 feature laps led in 2013.
Andy Reinbold of Gilbert scored fifth in Queen Creek’s 25-lap main event. Piloting Todd Underwood’s #19 AME Electrical / Ross Equipment Sales RSS, Reinbold won his first Racers Advantage Store Heat Race of the year and claimed fifth in the dash. As this writing goes to press, the veteran driver is seventh in the standings with one semi-main win and fifteen top-10 finishes on the season.
On Thursday, October 31st, the USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series will make their first appearance at Don Kazarian’s Perris Auto Speedway. The $2,500-to-win "360 Oval Nationals" is the final round of the "Grudge Series" with the USAC West Coast Sprint Cars. Located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds, more event information can be found at www.perrisautospeedway.com or calling (951) 940-0134.
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 19, 2013 – Queen Creek, Arizona – Arizona Speedway
RACERS ADVANTAGE STORE HEAT RACE #1: (8 laps)
1. Josh Pelkey (#12 Allen), 2. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Massey), 3. Matt Rossi (#02 Rossi), 4. Shon Deskins (#20 Deskins), 5. Bruce St. James (#7K St. James), 6. R.J. Johnson (#77M Michaels), 7. J.T. Imperial (#57X Stone). NT
RACERS ADVANTAGE STORE HEAT RACE #2: (8 laps)
1. Andy Reinbold (#19 Underwood), 2. Matt Lundy (#98 Lundy), 3. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 4. Bob Ream Jr. (#8 BRAT), 5. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 6. Ryan Linder (#9 Linder/Whitney), 7. Tom Lee (#53 Lee). NT
RACERS ADVANTAGE STORE HEAT RACE #3: (8 laps)
1. Mike Bonneau (#29 Bonneau), 2. Jody Wirth (#5X Wirth), 3. Steven Hams (#60 Harms), 4. Ronnie Clark (#6 Clark), 5. Brian Hosford (#32B Weber), 6. Jordan Stetson (#8AZ Stetson), 7. Joshua Williams (#74 Williams). NT
SUNOCO RACE FUELS PASSING MASTERS DASH: (6 laps)
1. Davis, 2. Pelkey, 3. Rossi, 4. Deskins, 5. Reinbold, 6. Lundy, 7. Wirth, 8. Bonneau. NT
HOSE ADVANTAGE STORE FEATURE: (25 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. R.J. Johnson (17th), 2. Josh Pelkey (2nd), 3. Charles Davis Jr. (1st), 4. Mike Bonneau (8th), 5. Andy Reinbold (5th), 6. Ryan Linder (18th), 7. Matt Lundy (6th), 8. Bob Ream Jr. (12th), 9. Ronnie Clark (9th), 10. Mike Martin (13th), 11. Bruce St. James (16th), 12. Jordan Stetson (15th), 13. Tye Mihocko (10th), 14. Steven Harms (11th), 15. Brian Hosford (14th), 16. Tom Lee (19th), 17. Joshua Williams (21st), 18. Shon Deskins (4th), 19. Jody Wirth (7th), 20. J.T. Imperial (20th), 21. Matt Rossi (3rd). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-10 Charles Davis Jr., Laps 11-17 Josh Pelkey, Laps 18-25 R.J. Johnson.
HARD CHARGER: R.J. Johnson (17th to 1st)
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINT STANDINGS:
1-R.J. Johnson-1161, 2-Charles Davis Jr.-1104, 3-Mike Martin-965, 4-Shon Deskins-860, 5-Ronnie Clark-827, 6-Josh Pelkey-786, 7-Andy Reinbold-767, 8-Brian Hosford-629, 9-Chris Bonneau-625, 10-Bruce St. James-614, 11-Mike Bonneau-589, 12-Steven Harms-474, 13-Bryan Swinehart-373, 14-Thomas Ogle-367, 15-Bob Ream Jr.-341, 16-Jody Wirth-335, 17-Stevie Sussex-331, 18-James Aragon-329, 19-Justin Quinn-320, 20-Michael Curtis-319.
2013 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES SCHEDULE
DATE - TRACK - LOCATION
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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