WEST COAST PREPARES FOR SATURDAY’S FARIA MEMORIAL AT TULARE; SUSSEX SCORES MOTHER’S DAY VICTORY IN ARIZONA
This Saturday’s “Chris & Brian Faria Memorial” at the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. features a three-way battle for the 2016 USAC West Coast Sprint Car point lead. D.J. Johnson enters the race with a 20-point cushion over Brody Roa, while Jace Vander Weerd stands third, just seven behind Roa. Johnson has won both West Coast outings at Tulare this season.
Stevie Sussex carries a 30-point lead over defending series champion R.J. Johnson as the USAC Southwest Sprint Cars head to Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz. May 28-29 for the track’s “Salute to Indy.”
Sussex, of Tempe, Ariz., captured Saturday night’s 30-lap 2nd Annual "Mother’s Day Celebration" USAC Southwest Sprint race at Arizona Speedway in Queen Creek. He passed R.J. Johnson on lap eight and led the rest of the way to beat Johnson, Charles Davis Jr., Matt Rossi and Nick Aiuto to the checkered flag.
Sussex won Canyon’s first series point race on March 26 of this season, while Johnson was third in that 30-lapper. Bryan Clauson (three) and Josh Hodges (two) posted earlier “non-points” victories at Canyon in February.
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NEXT USAC WESTERN SPRINT CAR EVENT:
DATE: Saturday May 14, 2016
SERIES: USAC West Coast Sprint Car Championship
TRACK: Thunderbowl Raceway (Tulare, California) – 1/3-mile, dirt oval
EVENT: "Chris & Brian Faria Memorial" featuring the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Championship, King of the West Sprints, Western RaceSaver Sprints & IMCA Allstar Modifieds.
STARTING TIMES: Ticket Trailer Opens 1:30pm, Pit Booth Opens 2:00pm, Gate Opens 4:00pm, Hot Laps 5:00pm, Time Trials 6:00pm, Racing Starts 7:00pm.
TICKETS: Grandstand: $20.00, Bleachers: $18.00 (Adults)
TRACK ADDRESS: 6080 Leonard Noel Dr., Tulare, CA 93274
TRACK PHONE: (559) 688-0909
TRACK WEBSITE: http://www.thunderbowlraceway.com/
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ALL-TIME USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR WINS AT ARIZONA SPEEDWAY
18 Races (After 5/7/2016 event)
1. (10 wins) R.J. Johnson
2. (5 wins) Charles Davis, Jr.
3. (1 win) Mike Martin, Josh Pelkey & Stevie Sussex
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ALL-TIME USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR WINS AT THUNDERBOWL RACEWAY
(Prior to 5/14/2016 event)
1. (10) Ryan Bernal
2. (5) Bud Kaeding
3. (3) Richard Vander Weerd
4. (2) D.J. Johnson, Kyle Larson & Craig Stidham
7. (1) Dean Alexander, Danny Faria, Jr., Dennis Howell, Matt Mitchell, Peter Murphy & Jace Vander Weerd
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2016 USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10)
1. (341) D.J. Johnson (Stockton, CA)
2. (321) Brody Roa (Garden Grove, CA)
3. (314) Jace Vander Weerd (Visalia, CA)
4. (282) Richard Vander Weerd (Visalia, CA)
5. (279) Trey Marcham (Oklahoma City, OK)
6. (247) Max Adams (Loomis, CA)
7. (238) Austin Liggett (Tracy, CA)
8. (222) Tristan Guardino (Fremont, CA)
9. (216) Troy Rutherford (Ojai, CA)
10. (195) Jeff Sibley (Oakdale, CA)
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2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10)
1. (386) Stevie Sussex (Phoenix, AZ)
2. (356) R.J. Johnson (Tempe, AZ)
3. (336) Charles Davis, Jr. (Buckeye, AZ)
4. (294) Mike Martin (Yuma, AZ)
5. (279) Matt Rossi (Peoria, AZ)
6. (258) Josh Pelkey (Peoria, AZ)
7. (247) Nick Aiuto (Gilbert, AZ)
8. (238) Dennis Gile (Chandler, AZ)
9. (216) Chris Bonneau (Peoria, AZ)
10. (196) Tye Mihocko (Peoria, AZ)
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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
Jun. 18: Santa Maria, CA - Santa Maria Raceway
Jun. 25: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
Jul. 22: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
Jul. 23: Tulare, CA - Thunderbowl Raceway
Aug. 6: Santa Maria, CA - Santa Maria Raceway
Aug. 12: Watsonville, CA - Ocean Speedway
Aug. 13: Hanford, CA - Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds
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.
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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
May 29: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
Jun 11: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Jul 2: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Jul 30: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
Aug 17: Lawton, OK - (SE) Lawton Speedway
Aug 18: Sapulpa, OK - (SE) Creek County Speedway
Aug 19: Wichita, KS - (SE) 81 Speedway
Aug 20: Dodge City, KS - (SE) Dodge City Raceway Park
Sep 2: El Paso, TX - ### El Paso Speedway Park
Sep 3: Las Cruces, NM - ### Southern New Mexico Speedway
Sep 17: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Oct 15: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Oct 22: Peoria, AZ - Canyon Speedway Park
Oct 29: Casa Grande, AZ - Central Arizona Speedway
Nov 4: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Nov 5: Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
**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.
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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. (1) Bryan Clauson (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Mar. 4)
(1) Troy Rutherford (Bakersfield Speedway on Mar. 19)
(1) Richard Vander Weerd (Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds on Apr. 2)
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)
FEATURE LAPS LED:
1. (51) D.J. Johnson
2. (29) Troy Rutherford
3. (28) Jace Vander Weerd
4. (21) Bryan Clauson
5. (9) Tristan Guardino
6. (4) Stevie Sussex
7. (3) Brody Roa & Richard Vander Weerd
9. (2) Brady Bacon
TOP-FIVE FEATURE FINISHES:
1. (4) D.J. Johnson
2. (3) Brody Roa & Richard Vander Weerd
4. (2) Austin Liggett & Jace Vander Weerd
6. (1) Max Adams, Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Josh Hodges, Landon Hurst, Trey Marcham, Troy Rutherford, Kyle Smith & Stevie Sussex & Tyler Walker
TOP-TEN FEATURE FINISHES:
1. (5) D.J. Johnson
2. (4) Trey Marcham, Brody Roa & Jace Vander Weerd
5. (3) Max Adams, Tristan Guardino & Richard Vander Weerd
8. (2) Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Austin Liggett, Troy Rutherford, Jeff Sibley & Ryan Timmons
14. (1) Dave Darland, Charles Davis, Jr., Geoff Ensign, Danny Faria, Jr., Ronnie Gardner, Josh Hodges, Landon Hurst, R.J. Johnson, Cody Majors, Kyle Smith, Stevie Sussex & Tyler Walker
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
1. (1) Brody Roa, Jace Vander Weerd & Richard Vander Weerd
HEAT RACE WINS (presented by Extreme Mufflers, DJ Safety and Brown & Miller Racing Solutions):
1. (2) Bryan Clauson & Austin Liggett
3. (1) Max Adams, Nick Aiuto, Dave Darland, Charles Davis, Jr., Geoff Ensign, Danny Faria, Jr., Tristan Guardino, D.J. Johnson, Ricky Kirkbride, Troy Rutherford, Jace Vander Weerd & Tyler Walker
SEMI WINS:
1. (1) Jason Grady and Jace Vander Weerd
FEATURE STARTS:
1. (5) Max Adams, D.J. Johnson, Trey Marcham, Brody Roa & Jace Vander Weerd
6. (4) Kevin Barnes, Danny Faria, Jr., Tristan Guardino, Austin Liggett, Troy Rutherford, Jeff Sibley, Ryan Timmons & Richard Vander Weerd
14. (3) Ricky Kirkbride, Cody Majors, Shannon McQueen & Kyle Smith
18. (2) Brady Bacon, Corey Ballard, Bryan Clauson, Steve Hix, Landon Hurst, Mike Martin & Geoffrey Strole
25. (1) Nick Aiuto, Luke Boles, Trent Carter, Dave Darland, Charles Davis, Jr., Matt Day, Cory Elliott, Geoff Ensign, Ronnie Gardner, Dennis Gile, Jason Grady, Johnathon Henry, James Herrera, Josh Hodges, R.J. Johnson, Tye Mihocko, Josh Pelkey, Jim Richardson, Matt Rossi, Casey Shuman, Colton Slack, Stevie Sussex, Tyler Waker and Johnny White
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2016 USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR STATISTICS
FEATURE WINS:
1. (3) Stevie Sussex (Canyon Speedway Park on Mar. 26, Cocopah Speedway on Apr. 23 & Arizona Speedway on May 7)
2. (1) Bryan Clauson (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Mar. 4)
(1) R.J. Johnson (Arizona Speedway on Apr. 9)
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)
FEATURE LAPS LED:
1. (63) Stevie Sussex
2. (26) Mike Martin
3. (21) Bryan Clauson
4. (19) R.J. Johnson
5. (13) Charles Davis, Jr.
6. (3) Brody Roa
7. (2) Brady Bacon & Bruce St. James
9. (1) Matt Rossi
TOP-FIVE FEATURE FINISHES:
1. (4) Stevie Sussex
2. (3) Charles Davis, Jr., R.J. Johnson & Matt Rossi
5. (2) Mike Martin & Josh Pelkey
7. (1) Nick Aiuto, Brady Bacon, Chris Bonneau, Bryan Clauson, Josh Hodges, Tom Ogle, Brody Roa & Bruce St. James
TOP-TEN FEATURE FINISHES:
1. (5) Charles Davis, Jr., R.J. Johnson & Stevie Sussex
4. (4) Chris Bonneau & Mike Martin
6. (3) Josh Pelkey & Matt Rossi
8. (2) Nick Aiuto, Dennis Gile, Tye Mihocko, Tom Ogle & Bruce St. James
13. (1) Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Michael Curtis, Dave Darland, Shon Deskins, Josh Hodges, Brian Hosford, D.J. Johnson, Trey Marcham, Andy Reinbold & Brody Roa
HEAT RACE WINS:
1. (3) Charles Davis, Jr.
2. (2) Nick Aiuto, R.J. Johnson, Mike Martin & Stevie Sussex
6. (1) Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland, Shon Deskins, Dennis Gile & Josh Pelkey
SEMI WINS:
1. (1) Jason Grady and Jace Vander Weerd
FEATURE STARTS:
1. (5) Nick Aiuto, Charles Davis, Jr., Dennis Gile, R.J. Johnson, Mike Martin, Josh Pelkey, Matt Rossi & Stevie Sussex
9. (4) Chris Bonneau, Dustin Burkhart, Brian Hosford, Tye Mihocko & Andy Reinbold
14. (3) Landon Cling, Michael Curtis & Tom Ogle
17. (2) Shon Deskins, Asa Kesterson, Matt Lundy, Kyle Shipley & Bruce St. James
22. (1) Max Adams, Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland, Leland Fuller, Jason Grady, Tanner Grau, Josh Hodges, D.J. Johnson, Mason Keefer, Trey Marcham, Adam Millsap, Brody Roa, Kent Rosevear, Troy Rutherford, Casey Shuman, Colton Slack, Matt Stewart & Jace Vander Weerd
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ALL-TIME USAC WEST COAST SPRINT CAR DRIVER FEATURE WINS
1. [23 wins] Ryan Bernal
2. [12 wins] Richard Vander Weerd
3. [10 wins] Bud Kaeding
4. [8 wins] Danny Faria, Jr.
5. [5 wins] Jace Vander Weerd
6. [4 wins] T.J. Smith & Craig Stidham
8. [3 wins] Troy Rutherford
9. [2 wins] Wes Gutierrez, D.J. Johnson, Cory Kruseman, Kyle Larson, Matt Mitchell, Davey Pombo & Danny Sheridan
15. [1 win] Dean Alexander, Bryan Clauson, Nic Faas, Justin Grant, Tristan Guardino, Justyne Hamblin, Josh Hodges, Dennis Howell, Ricky Kirkbride, C.J. Leary, Austin Liggett, Peter Murphy, Brody Roa, 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.
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ALL-TIME USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR DRIVER FEATURE WINS
1. [30 wins] R.J. Johnson
2. [12 wins] Charles Davis, Jr.
3. [7 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] Beau Binder, Shon Deskins, Justin Grant, Josh Hodges, Brandon Lane, Garry Lee Maier, Brody Roa, Mike Spencer & Rick Williams
ALL-TIME USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SPECIAL EVENT FEATURE WINS
1. [8 Special Event Wins] Bryan Clauson
2. [3 Special Event Wins] Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland & R.J. Johnson
6. [2 Special Event Wins] Ryan Bernal, Charles Davis, Jr., Josh Hodges, 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
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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.
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USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONS
2003: Rick Ziehl; 2004: Beau Binder; 2013: R.J. Johnson; 2014: R.J. Johnson; 2015: R.J. Johnson
