R.J. JOHNSON GRABS 4TH STRAIGHT USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT TITLE
R.J. Johnson of Tempe, Ariz. is now a four-time champion of the USAC Southwest Sprint Car Series. He secured his fourth consecutive championship Saturday night at Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek after finishing second to Brady Bacon in the finale of the 49th “Western World Championships.”
Johnson now has 39 career USAC Southwest Sprint Car feature victories, three times his closest pursuer on the all-time list. His final margin of victory in the standings is 131 points over Charles Davis Jr., second on the all-time winners’ list.
Chris Windom and Brady Bacon scored victories in last weekend’s “Western World” at Queen Creek. Windom, of Canton, Ill., won Friday’s race, while Bacon, of Broken Arrow, Okla., won on Saturday.
Windom opened up with a “sweep” of Friday’s races by leading all but one lap of the 30-lap Southwest Sprint race in his Baldwin Brothers Fox Paving/AMSOIL Maxim/Claxton Mopar. Bacon was second ahead of Tom Ogle, Matt Rossi and Ryan Bernal.
Bacon led all but four laps of Saturday’s 30-lapper in his Keith Ford Walker Filtration Systems/Sun Valley AG Transport Spike/Nogrady. Johnson took second ahead of Windom, Bernal and Shon Deskins.
Bernal earned Friday’s Hard Charger award, while Josh Hodges was Saturday’s Hard Charger award.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEXT USAC WESTERN SPRINT CAR EVENT:
DATE: Wednesday, November 23, 2016
SERIES: USAC West Coast Sprint Car Championship
TRACK: Ventura Raceway (Ventura, California) – 1/5-mile, dirt oval
EVENT: “Turkey Night Grand Prix” (Night #1) featuring the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Championship, plus a USAC Midget National Championship & USAC Western States Midget Championship practice session.
STARTING TIMES: Gates open at 3pm, qualifying at 3:30pm, races start at 5:30pm
TICKETS: General admission: Adults $15. Senior/Military/Students $11. Children under 12 – Free (with accompanying adult). Pit passes: USAC & VRA Members $35. Non-Members $45. Car Entry $20.
TRACK ADDRESS: 10 West Harbor Blvd., Ventura, CA 93001
TRACK PHONE: (805) 648-RACE
TRACK WEBSITE: http://www.venturaraceway.com/index.html
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live updates on https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/ and https://twitter.com/USACNation and available on the Race Monitor app on your phone.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
NEXT USAC WESTERN SPRINT CAR EVENT:
DATE: Thursday, November 24, 2016
SERIES: USAC Midget National Championship/USAC Western States Midget Championship and USAC West Coast Sprint Car Championship “Special Event”
TRACK: Ventura Raceway (Ventura, California) – 1/5-mile, dirt oval
EVENT: 76th running of the “Turkey Night Grand Prix” featuring the USAC Midget National Championship & USAC Western States Midget Championship
STARTING TIMES: Gates open at 3pm, qualifying at 3:30pm, races start at 5:30pm
TICKETS: General Admission: $35. Reserved/Pre-Sale Seats: $45. Pit Passes: $50.
TRACK ADDRESS: 10 West Harbor Blvd., Ventura, CA 93001
TRACK PHONE: (805) 648-RACE
TRACK WEBSITE: http://www.venturaraceway.com/index.html
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live updates on https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/ and https://twitter.com/USACNation and available on the Race Monitor app on your phone.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016 FINAL USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (876) Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA)
2. (807) Jace Vander Weerd (Visalia, CA)
3. (794) D.J. Johnson (Stockton, CA)
4. (704) Richard Vander Weerd (Visalia, CA)
5. (626) Max Adams (Loomis, CA)
6. (622) Danny Faria, Jr. (Tipton, CA)
7. (597) Austin Liggett (Tracy, CA)
8. (590) Tristan Guardino (Fremont, CA)
9. (551) Ryan Timmons (Pleasant Hill, CA)
10. (465) Cody Majors (Simi Valley, CA)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (1355) R.J. Johnson (Tempe, AZ)
2. (1234) Charles Davis, Jr. (Buckeye, AZ)
4. (1029) Matt Rossi (Peoria, AZ)
3. (1055) Mike Martin (Yuma, AZ)
5. (933) Tye Mihocko (Peoria, AZ)
6. (902) Dennis Gile (Chandler, AZ)
7. (822) Stevie Sussex (Phoenix, AZ)
8. (734) Brian Hosford (Gilbert, AZ)
9. (728) Chris Bonneau (Peoria, AZ)
10. (787) Andy Reinbold (Gilbert, AZ)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & RESULTS:
Jan. 22: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 23: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 24: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Jan. 29: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 30: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Mar. 4: Las Vegas, NV - *** The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Mar. 11: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Rained Out
Mar. 12: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: D.J. Johnson
Mar. 19: Bakersfield, CA - Bakersfield Speedway
WINNER: Troy Rutherford
Apr. 2: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
WINNER: Richard Vander Weerd
Apr. 9: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Rained Out
Apr. 23: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: D.J. Johnson
May 14: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Austin Liggett
Jun. 18: Santa Maria, CA - Santa Maria Raceway
WINNER: Brody Roa
Jun. 25: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
WINNER: Brody Roa
Jul. 22: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Ryan Bernal
Jul. 23: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
WINNER: Troy Rutherford
Aug. 6: Santa Maria, CA - Santa Maria Raceway
WINNER: Jace Vander Weerd
Aug. 12: Watsonville, CA - Ocean Speedway
WINNER: Jace Vander Weerd
Aug. 13: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
WINNER: Richard Vander Weerd
Nov. 23: Ventura, CA - (SE) Ventura Raceway
Nov. 24: Ventura, CA - (SE) Ventura Raceway
**Races noted with (SE) represent a non-points "special event."
**Races noted with *** represent a race with the USAC Southwest Sprints.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SCHEDULE & RESULTS:
Jan. 22: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 23: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 24: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Jan. 29: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Jan. 30: Peoria, AZ - *** (SE) Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Mar 4: Las Vegas, NV - *** The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
WINNER: Bryan Clauson
Mar 26: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
Apr 9: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Apr 23: Yuma, AZ - Cocopah Speedway
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
Apr 30: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Rained Out
May 7: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
May 28: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
May 29: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Jun 4: El Paso, TX - Western Tech Speedway Park
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
Jun 5: Las Cruces, NM – Southern New Mexico Speedway
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
Jun 11: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Jul 2: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Jul 30: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Aug 17: Lawton, OK - (SE) Lawton Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Aug 18: Sapulpa, OK - (SE) Creek County Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Aug 19: Wichita, KS - (SE) 81 Speedway
WINNER: Rained Out
Aug 20: Dodge City, KS - (SE) Dodge City Raceway Park
WINNER: Josh Hodges
Sep 2: El Paso, TX - ### Western Tech Speedway Park
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Sep 3: Las Cruces, NM - ### Southern New Mexico Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Sep 17: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: Stevie Sussex
Oct 15: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Oct 22: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
WINNER: Charles Davis, Jr.
Oct 29: Casa Grande, AZ - Central Arizona Speedway
WINNER: R.J. Johnson
Nov 4: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: Chris Windom
Nov 5: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
WINNER: Brady Bacon
**Races noted with (SE) represent a non-points "special event."
**Races noted with *** represent a race with the USAC West Coast Sprints.
**Races noted with ### represent a "Border Tour" event co-sanctioned with the New Mexico Motor Racing Association Sprints.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR STATISTICS FEATURE WINS:
1. (2) D.J. Johnson (Thunderbowl Raceway on Mar. 12 & Thunderbowl Raceway on Apr. 23)
(2) Brody Roa (Santa Maria Raceway on June 18 & Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds on June 25)
(2) Troy Rutherford (Bakersfield Speedway on Mar. 19 & Thunderbowl Raceway on Jul. 23)
(2) Jace Vander Weerd (Santa Maria Raceway on Aug. 6 & Ocean Speedway on Aug. 12)
(2) Richard Vander Weerd (Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds on Apr. 2 & Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds on Aug. 13)
6. (1) Ryan Bernal (Thunderbowl Raceway on Jul. 22)
(1) Bryan Clauson (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Mar. 4)
(1) Austin Liggett (Thunderbowl Raceway on May 14)
2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR NON-POINTS “SPECIAL EVENT” FEATURE WINS:
1. (3) Bryan Clauson (Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 22, Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 23 & Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 29)
2. (2) Josh Hodges (Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 24 & Canyon Speedway (SE) on Jan. 30)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS:
1. (10) R.J. Johnson (Arizona Speedway on Apr. 9, Canyon Speedway Park on May 28, Canyon Speedway Park on May 29, Arizona Speedway on June 11, Arizona Speedway on July 2, Canyon Speedway Park on July 30, Western Tech Speedway Park on Sept. 2, Southern New Mexico Speedway on Sept. 3, Arizona Speedway on Oct. 15 & Central Arizona Speedway on Oct. 29)
2. (6) Stevie Sussex (Canyon Speedway Park on Mar. 26, Cocopah Speedway on Apr. 23, Arizona Speedway on May 7, Western Tech Speedway Park on June 4, Southern New Mexico Speedway on June 5 & Arizona Speedway on Sept. 17)
3. (1) Brady Bacon (Arizona Speedway on Nov. 5)
(1) Bryan Clauson (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Mar. 4)
(1) Charles Davis, Jr. (Canyon Speedway Park on Oct. 22)
(1) Chris Windom (Arizona Speedway on Nov. 4)
2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR NON-POINTS “SPECIAL EVENT” FEATURE WINS:
1. (3) Bryan Clauson (Canyon Speedway Park (SE) on Jan. 22, Canyon Speedway Park (SE) on Jan. 23 & Canyon Speedway Park (SE) on Jan. 29)
2. (2) Josh Hodges (Canyon Speedway Park (SE) on Jan. 24 & Canyon Speedway Park (SE) on Jan. 30)
(2) R.J. Johnson (Lawton Speedway (SE) on Aug. 17 & Creek County Speedway (SE) on Aug. 18)
4. (1) Josh Hodges (Dodge City Raceway Park (SE) on Aug. 20)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALL-TIME USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER FEATURE WINS:
1. [24 wins] Ryan Bernal
2. [13 wins] Richard Vander Weerd
3. [10 wins] Bud Kaeding
4. [8 wins] Danny Faria, Jr.
5. [7 wins] Jace Vander Weerd
6. [4 wins] Troy Rutherford, T.J. Smith & Craig Stidham
9. [3 wins] Brody Roa
10. [2 wins] Wes Gutierrez, D.J. Johnson, Cory Kruseman, Kyle Larson, Austin Liggett, Matt Mitchell, Davey Pombo & Danny Sheridan
18. [1 win] Dean Alexander, Bryan Clauson, Nic Faas, Justin Grant, Tristan Guardino, Justyne Hamblin, Josh Hodges, Dennis Howell, Ricky Kirkbride, C.J. Leary, Peter Murphy, Stevie Sussex & Jake Swanson
ALL-TIME USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR “SPECIAL EVENT” FEATURE WINS:
1. [9 Special Event Wins] Bryan Clauson
2. [5 Special Event Wins] Ryan Bernal
3. [2 Special Event Wins] Brady Bacon, Dave Darland, Josh Hodges, R.J. Johnson, Mike Spencer & Richard Vander Weerd
9. [1 Special Event Win] Colby Copeland, Charles Davis, Jr., Bud Kaeding, Mike Martin, Peter Murphy, Matt Rossi & Terry Schank, Jr.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ALL-TIME USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR DRIVER FEATURE WINS:
1. [39 wins] R.J. Johnson
2. [13 wins] Charles Davis, Jr.
3. [10 wins] Stevie Sussex
4. [6 wins] Rick Ziehl
5. [5 wins] Josh Pelkey
6. [4 wins] Mike Martin
7. [3 wins] Matt Rossi
8. [2 wins] Ryan Bernal, Bryan Clauson & Kent Rosevear
11. [1 win] Brady Bacon, Beau Binder, Shon Deskins, Justin Grant, Josh Hodges, Brandon Lane, Garry Lee Maier, Brody Roa, Mike Spencer, Rick Williams & Chris Windom
ALL-TIME USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR “SPECIAL EVENT” FEATURE WINS:
1. [8 Special Event Wins] Bryan Clauson
2. [5 Special Event Wins] R.J. Johnson
3. [3 Special Event Wins] Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland & Josh Hodges
7. [2 Special Event Wins] Ryan Bernal, Charles Davis, Jr., Mike Martin & Rick Ziehl
11. [1 Special Event Win] Beau Binder, Mike Bonneau, Ronnie Clark, Colby Copeland, Dean Freitas, Blake Hahn, Dennis Krob, C.J. Leary, Austin Liggett, Josh Pelkey, Danny Smith, Mike Spencer & Richard Vander Weerd
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS:
2010: Craig Stidham; 2011: Richard Vander Weerd; 2012: Bud Kaeding; 2013: Danny Faria, Jr.; 2014: Matt Mitchell; 2015: Danny Faria, Jr., 2016: Brody Roa
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS:
2003: Rick Ziehl; 2004: Beau Binder; 2013: R.J. Johnson; 2014: R.J. Johnson; 2015: R.J. Johnson, 2016: R.J. Johnson
