Archive for Sprints
D’Alessio to Contend for USAC Sprint Rookie of the Year in 2020
Posted by: | Comments
The United States Auto Club.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
#01 Anthony D'Alessio at speed during USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car competition in July of 2019 at Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway.
(Rich Forman Photo)
D'ALESSIO TO CONTEND FOR USAC SPRINT ROOKIE OF THE YEAR IN 2020
Speedway, Indiana (January 10, 2020).........Anthony D'Alessio is stepping up to challenge for USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year honors in the upcoming 2020 season.
D'Alessio, in conjunction with Parallax Motorsports, will field one entry as an owner/driver for the 2020 slate, which features 46 events at 23 different venues, most of which D'Alessio will be experiencing for the first time, beginning in February at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla. for Winter Dirt Games XI.
"I am beyond excited for the upcoming season," D'Alessio exclaimed. "It is a dream come true, and I can't wait to hit the track in February in my home state of Florida. I want to thank everyone who has helped me get this far. We still have plenty of work to do."
The 19-year-old from Apollo Beach, Fla., is approaching the 2020 season with tenacity and drive after relocating to Indiana in 2018 to pursue his dream of becoming a professional race car driver. In preparation, D'Alessio ran Indiana Sprint Week in 2019 along with racing at many local Indiana tracks in his first full year in a non-wing sprint car.
D'Alessio made one USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature start in 2019, winning his heat race and finishing 20th at Kokomo Speedway during Indiana Sprint Week.
He moved from Florida with a plethora of racing experience and several accolades. Starting at a young age in go karts as well as one season in dirt modifieds, he transitioned to sprint car racing in Florida, earning 2016 Top Gun Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year and 2017 Rookie of the Year honors with the Southern Shootout Sprint Car Series in the Sunshine State.
The 2020 season openers for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship begin in February at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla. Midgets hit the track for practice on Feb. 6 with two full nights of racing to follow on Feb. 7-8. The sprints take their turn the following week with practice on Feb. 12 and three-straight nights of full racing programs on Feb. 13-14-15.
World of Outlaws Set to Star at All-New I-70 Speedway
Posted by: | Comments
World of Outlaws
Contact: Nick Graziano
World of Outlaws PR
ngraziano@dirtcar.com
Please click here for the original World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series article
World of Outlaws Set to Star at All-New I-70 Speedway
Tickets on sale now for World of Outlaws’ historic return to Odessa, MO
ODESSA, MO – Dec. 18, 2019 – For the first time in almost 40 years, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series on May 30 will return to I-70 Motorsports Park.
Race fans can now purchase tickets to the exciting Missouri Outlaw Showdown, which will see The Greatest Show on Dirt thrill fans at a new state-of-the-art facility.
The Series first visited the I-70 venue in the 1980s before the track was converted to an asphalt, hosting NASCAR sanctioned races. The track closed in 2008, but was recently purchased by Chris Payne, who revamped Heartland Motorsports Park in Kansas into a thriving racing facility.
Payne is turning the Odessa facility into a state-of-the-art motorsports park, which includes the new dirt oval and a dragway.
The new $10,000-to-win event will have fans at the edge of their seats with the winged warriors of the World of Outlaws battling to be the first to win at the new track.
Reigning champion Brad Sweet and his Kasey Kahne Racing team will be on the hunt to try and win back to back championships. He had a record year in 2019, winning 16 races, including the Kings Royal and his 50th career win.
Ten-time Series champion Donny Schatz is sure to be a threat, as he’ll be on a mission to return to his winning ways and claim his 11th title. He also enters the 2020 season only six wins away from his 300th career World of Outlaw victory.
There will also be a large local racing presence at the event with Missouri-based teams, such as Jason Johnson Racing, Mason Daniel Racing and Brian Brown Racing in attendance.
For Brian Brown, of Grain Valley, MO, it would be a hometown win. The track is only about 15 minutes away from his shop. He always dreamed of being able to race at the facility.
“I’m excited,” Brown said. “We don’t get to race close to home in front of our local sponsors too often. Any time we can we enjoy it. This one’s going to be the closest we’ve ever ran… We never thought this place, after it shut down, that it would even open back up. But fortunately, it has and excited to bring the World of Outlaws back to I-70.”
Grandstands will open at 4 p.m. with Hot Laps scheduled for 6:45 p.m. and racing at 8 p.m. (CT).
Tickets can be purchased by going to www.WorldofOutlaws.com/tix or by calling 844-DIRT-TIX.
If you can’t make it to the race, you can watch all of the action LIVE on www.DIRTVision.com.
Justin Sanders Unstoppable At Arizona Speedway ASCS Southwest Copper Classic
Posted by: | Comments
Winner Justin Sanders (Ben Thrasher Photo)
Justin Sanders Unstoppable At Arizona Speedway ASCS Southwest Copper Classic
Bryan Hulbert - QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. (December 1, 2019)... Bettering his third-place finish from Saturday by two, Justin Sanders captured a long-awaited victory at the 4th annual Copper Classic. His first career victory with the ASCS Southwest Region, the Arizona Speedway win was worth $5,000 to the Aromas, California driver.
Taking several tries to get the A-Feature rolling, the green lights finally stayed on long enough for Hunter Schuerenberg to jump into the lead with Colton Hardy and Christopher Bell duking it out for second. Advantage to Bell, the red lights would come on for Mark Dobmeier, who had already gone over once, with 23 laps to go. Mark was ok.
Caution a lap later for James Aragon, the race for the lead was on as Bell shot low but couldn't secure the spot; giving 10th starting Justin Sanders the run for the runner-up spot. Going back and forth for the spot, Sanders was able to fend off the No. 21 as the caution flew for the spun No. 75 of J.T. Imperial.
Restarting with five laps complete, Sanders went for the lead with no success, opening the door for Bell to go after the No. 17 again. Trading second around, Sanders once more held off Bell as Hunter Schuerenberg steadily pulled away.
Slowed again on Lap 14 as Alex Pettas rolled to a stop on the front straightaway, the battle for the lead took off with Sanders sliding Schuerenberg off the second turn. Diving under Sanders to retake the spot into the third turn, Sanders took the line even lower to take the point on Lap 15. Battling with Bell for second, mechanical issues struck the No. 19az for the second night in a row.
Back to green, Sanders was unchallenged and kept it that way for the $5,000 top prize. Christopher Bell crossed 2.002 seconds behind the No. 17 with Craig Stidham completing the podium. Taking fourth, Colton Hardy locked up the 2019 ASCS Southwest Region Championship. The top five rounded out with 14th starting. Billy Chester.
Jesse Baker in sixth was followed by J.T. Imperial who rebounded to seventh. Lonnie Cox, Bud Rowe, and James Aragon completed the top-ten.
With the 2019 season in the books, work is already being done to layout the 2020 lineup of events. Updates will be released as they are ready. The American Sprint Car Series would like to thank everyone who took part in the 2019 schedule of events and look forward to seeing you again next season.
For other news, notes, and information on the American Sprint Car Series, from the National Tour to any of the nine Regional Tours that make up ASCS Nation, log onto www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, on Instagram, and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS).
Race Results:
ASCS Southwest Region
Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, Ariz.)
4th annual Copper Classic - Night 2
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson, [1]; 2. 9-Dustin Freitas, [3]; 3. 01-Thomas Kennedy, [2]; 4. 22B-Jesse Baker, [5]; 5. 13-Mark Dobmeier, [4]; 6. 2-Alex Pettas, [6]; 7. 18J-Paul Jones, [7]
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 74-Colton Hardy, [2]; 2. 17-Justin Sanders, [4]; 3. 3-Craig Stidham, [1]; 4. 7B-Bill Balog, [3]; 5. 75X-J.T. Imperial, [5]; 6. 45-Lonnie Cox, [6]; 7. 6-Bud Rowe, [7]
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 19AZ-Hunter Schuerenberg, [2]; 2. 21-Christopher Bell, [1]; 3. 25-Geoff Ensign, [3]; 4. 99-James Aragon, [5]; 5. (DNF) 2B-Billy Chester III, [4]; 6. (DNF) 50S-Rocky Silva, [6]
A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 17-Justin Sanders, [10]; 2. 21-Christopher Bell, [4]; 3. 3-Craig Stidham, [5]; 4. 74-Colton Hardy, [2]; 5. 2B-Billy Chester III, [14]; 6. 22B-Jesse Baker, [11]; 7. 75X-J.T. Imperial, [15]; 8. 45-Lonnie Cox, [17]; 9. 50S-Rocky Silva, [18]; 10. 6-Bud Rowe, [20]; 11. (DNF) 99-James Aragon, [12]; 12. (DNF) 19AZ-Hunter Schuerenberg, [1]; 13. (DNF) 2-Alex Pettas, [16]; 14. (DNF) 13-Mark Dobmeier, [13]; 15. (DNF) 01-Thomas Kennedy, [3]; 16. (DNF) 57-Kyle Larson, [6]; 17. (DNF) 9-Dustin Freitas, [7]; 18. (DNF) 7B-Bill Balog, [8]; 19. (DNF) 25-Geoff Ensign, [9]; 20. (DNF) 18J-Paul Jones, [19]
Kyle Larson Takes ASCS Southwest Copper Classic Opener
Posted by: | CommentsKyle Larson Takes ASCS Southwest Copper Classic Opener
Bryan Hulbert - QUEEN CREEK, Ariz. (November 30, 2019)... Opening the 4th annual Copper Classic at Arizona Speedway on Saturday night, California's Kyle Larson brought his momentum from the Midgets to the ASCS Southwest Region with his first career victory against the Arizona based tour in the Finley Farms/Chevrolet Accessories No. 57.
Taking the green from sixth, Larson worked into the top three on the first lap as Hunter Schuerenberg showed the way with Christopher Bell in tow. Red with 23 laps to run, the restart saw Bell take a shot at the lead with Schuerenberg able to fend off the charge. Settling back into second, the position would be short-lived as Kyle Larson made his way by.
Closing quickly on Hunter for the lead, the caution paused his advance with 20 laps remaining. Looking top shelf on the restart for the lead, Larson worked off the second turn with momentum. Rolling the cushion in turn three before diamonding off with the lead in sight, Larson took command on Lap 6 just as brake issues struck Schuerenberg; forcing him off the pace entering the second turn.
With Christopher Bell tied to his back bumper on the restart, Larson was able to pull away and keep pace to the checkered flag. Bell would hold onto second with Justin Sanders moving up from 10th to complete the podium. Bill Balog and Colton Hardy made up the top five.
J.T. Imperial crossed sixth with Thomas Kennedy climbing from 15th to seventh. Craig Stidham, Geoff Ensign, and Mark Dobmeier completed the top ten.
The 4th annual Copper Classic concludes on Sunday, December 1 at Arizona Speedway with action going green at 5:00 P.M. (MT). Live coverage can be found online at www.speedshift.tv.
Arizona Speedway is located at 47346 N Ironwood Rd. More information on the facility can be found online at www.arizonaspeedway.net as well as on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Arizona-Speedway-211954742150175. Fans can also email info@arizonaspeedway.net or call (480) 926-6688.
For other news, notes, and information on the American Sprint Car Series, from the National Tour to any of the nine Regional Tours that make up ASCS Nation in 2019, log onto www.ascsracing.com, follow on Facebook, on Instagram, and Twitter (@LucasOilASCS).
Race Results:
ASCS Southwest Region
Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, Ariz.)
4th annual Copper Classic - Night 1
Saturday, November 30, 2019
Qualifying (2 Laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson, 13.522[21]; 2. 74-Colton Hardy, 13.539[1]; 3. 21-Christopher Bell, 13.667[8]; 4. 3-Craig Stidham, 13.725[4]; 5. 19AZ-Hunter Schuerenberg, 13.820[3]; 6. 7Z-Zane Blanchard, 13.865[6]; 7. 7B-Bill Balog, 13.901[7]; 8. 75X-J.T. Imperial, 13.985[26]; 9. 13-Mark Dobmeier, 13.988[24]; 10. 17-Justin Sanders, 14.031[9]; 11. 25-Geoff Ensign, 14.072[25]; 12. 22B-Jesse Baker, 14.095[23]; 13. 2B-Billy Chester III, 14.134[12]; 14. 9-Dustin Freitas, 14.142[22]; 15. 01-Thomas Kennedy, 14.341[13]; 16. 45L-Jeff Lowery, 14.364[11]; 17. 7-Ryan Linder, 14.391[20]; 18. 34-Sterling Cling, 14.579[10]; 19. 99-James Aragon, 14.650[19]; 20. 45-Lonnie Cox, 14.755[18]; 21. 5K-Patrick Krob, 14.838[15]; 22. 3V-Jim Vanzant, 15.640[16]; 23. 18J-Paul Jones, 16.987[17]; 24. 6-Bud Rowe, 16.987[5]; 25. 2-Alex Pettas, 16.987[14]; 26. 8-Eric Wilkins, 16.987[2]
Heat 1 (8 Laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson, [1]; 2. 3-Craig Stidham, [2]; 3. 7B-Bill Balog, [3]; 4. 17-Justin Sanders, [4]; 5. 2B-Billy Chester III, [5]; 6. 45L-Jeff Lowery, [6]; 7. 99-James Aragon, [7]; 8. 3V-Jim Vanzant, [8]; (DNS) 2-Alex Pettas,
Heat 2 (8 Laps): 1. 19AZ-Hunter Schuerenberg, [2]; 2. 74-Colton Hardy, [1]; 3. 75X-J.T. Imperial, [3]; 4. 25-Geoff Ensign, [4]; 5. 9-Dustin Freitas, [5]; 6. 7-Ryan Linder, [6]; 7. 18J-Paul Jones, [8]; (DNS) 45-Lonnie Cox, ; (DNS) 8-Eric Wilkins,
Heat 3 (8 Laps): 1. 21-Christopher Bell, [1]; 2. 7Z-Zane Blanchard, [2]; 3. 13-Mark Dobmeier, [3]; 4. 22B-Jesse Baker, [4]; 5. 01-Thomas Kennedy, [5]; 6. 34-Sterling Cling, [6]; 7. 6-Bud Rowe, [8]; 8. (DNF) 5K-Patrick Krob, [7]
A Feature (25 Laps): 1. 57-Kyle Larson, [6]; 2. 21-Christopher Bell, [4]; 3. 17-Justin Sanders, [10]; 4. 7B-Bill Balog, [7]; 5. 74-Colton Hardy, [5]; 6. 75X-J.T. Imperial, [8]; 7. 01-Thomas Kennedy, [15]; 8. 3-Craig Stidham, [3]; 9. 25-Geoff Ensign, [11]; 10. 13-Mark Dobmeier, [9]; 11. 22B-Jesse Baker, [12]; 12. 9-Dustin Freitas, [14]; 13. 7-Ryan Linder, [17]; 14. 6-Bud Rowe, [24]; 15. 3V-Jim Vanzant, [22]; 16. (DNF) 5K-Patrick Krob, [21]; 17. (DNF) 34-Sterling Cling, [18]; 18. (DNF) 99-James Aragon, [19]; 19. (DNF) 19AZ-Hunter Schuerenberg, [2]; 20. (DNF) 2B-Billy Chester III, [13]; 21. (DNF) 45-Lonnie Cox, [20]; 22. (DNF) 7Z-Zane Blanchard, [1]; 23. (DNF) 45L-Jeff Lowery, [16]; 24. (DNF) 18J-Paul Jones, [23]; (DNS) 8-Eric Wilkins, ; (DNS) 2-Alex Pettas,
Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series News
Posted by: | Comments
Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series
Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series
(Rick Sweeten Photo)
DELAWARE AUTO EXCHANGE MID-ATLANTIC SPRINT SERIES TO MAKE EIGHT APPEARANCES AT THE ALL NEW BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY IN 2020
BRIDGEPORT, NJ
By ERIKA PALMAI WAGNER
With the off season in full effect, that doesn't slow things down for the Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series officials who have been strategically planning for the forth upcoming season of operations for Racesaver Sprint Car Racing in the tri-state area.
"Jeff and I have been really excited to start planning for the 2020 season after another exciting and successful year has ended in 2019," Eddie Wagner, Regional Director of MASS stated. "After many conversations with the new Bridgeport Speedway management, we are excited to announce that we will be on the card for the March 29th grand opener of the all new Bridgeport Speedway!"
"We also have agreed on scheduling eight races total on the newly configured half mile, and these dates will be announced at Motorsports when the full schedule is released".
For 2020, an enlarged purse will be put forth at all eight races scheduled on the South Jersey Oval, making it $500 to win, with an increase in payout to the top ten and $150 to start from eleventh on back.
"Doug Rose and Danny Serrano have been a pleasure to work with thus far, and we appreciate their hospitality and appreciation for Racesaver Sprint Car racing, and it shows with this purse increase," Wagner said. "I believe our teams that have been with us from the start, as well as the teams that will be joining us in 2020 will be grateful for this new purse as well".
In 2019, the Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series visited Bridgeport Speedway four times, with two events happening on the 3/8 mile and the other two on the 5/8 mile super speedway. Jeff Geiges would win twice there, once on each track, with Andy Best grabbing the other 3/8 mile victory in early June an 2019 MASS Champion, Ricky DiEva taking his first ever Sprint Car victory on "Pack the House Night" later in the month.
To tie up the 2019 season, teams, drivers, and sponsors with gather at the annual Championship Banquet held on Saturday, January 11th, hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ. Tickets will be on sale until December 29th and if there are any questions about the event, contact the Series Officials by email at midatlanticseries@gmail.com.
For more information on the Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series, please visit our website at www.masprintseries.com or our Facebook page to catch up on the latest news on what’s happening!
Courtney Sprints to Back-to-Back Western World Wins
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Tyler Courtney won his second-straight Western World USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature Saturday at Arizona Speedway. (Rich Forman Photo)
COURTNEY SPRINTS TO BACK-TO-BACK WESTERN WORLD WINS
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
San Tan Valley, Arizona (November 16, 2019).........One year ago, Tyler Courtney had a view from the other side of the spectrum at the season finale. There, his nearest combatant in the title chase collected a feature win while he celebrated a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car championship.
Saturday's 2019 season finale at Arizona Speedway found the Indianapolis, Ind. in the polar opposite position where he was the one standing in victory lane with a tinge of bittersweetness surrounding him. He earned a second-straight Western World Championships Sprint Car crown, and second victory in as many nights, but in the end, came up 18 points shy of a second-straight series crown behind C.J. Leary.
While Courtney was elated in one sense by picking up his series-leading ninth victory of the 2019 season and the 26th of his USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car career, tying him with Tony Elliott and Dave Steele for 18th all-time, he couldn't help but have the end result of the championship weigh on his mind before a celebration of victory came to mind.
"What's going through my mind is that we lost the championship," Courtney said. "These guys worked their tails off all year to put us in contention for it. For the year, we just didn't get it there. We know what it's like to be the champions and especially for the first time, it's truly something special and I hope they get to enjoy it."
Entering the 30-lap feature, that landscape had been laid out. If Leary finished 11th or better, the championship would be his regardless of where Courtney finished. With that on his mind, Courtney took care of the aspect he was fully in control of.
"I told (the crew) before the feature pushed off that I was going to bring back either the trophy or the steering wheel," Courtney explained. "We brought home the trophy. To sweep the weekend in a sprint car is really cool. To win Western World in back-to-back years is pretty cool too. But second in the championship sucks. We did all we could do. We came out here and we won the race tonight. That's nothing to hang our head on. For the season, nine wins on the year is pretty special. Winning any USAC race is tough with the competition we have year-in and year-out. It's incredible."
Courtney started fifth and worked his way into third by the opening lap and into the runner-up spot by lap five while pole sitter Josh Hodges, then the evening's midget feature winner Brady Bacon, exchanged control at the front of the field.
On the 13th lap, Bacon ripped into traffic, threading needles as he scooted around the outside of Chris Gansen off turn four to escape a rapidly closing Courtney who, just moments before, had trailed by 1.5 sec., but had whittled it down to breadcrumbs by the halfway mark.
Courtney ran down Bacon in traffic, sliding underneath the two-time series champ between turns three and four to nab the position. Bacon immediately went back to work on the bottom of turn one under Courtney and emerged as the new leader at the exit of turn two.
Courtney had momentum in his back pocket, catching up to race side-by-side with Bacon into turn three on lap 17 where the two touched wheels - Bacon's right rear and Courtney's left rear - popping Courtney airborne before landing on all fours and continuing on, albeit while watching Bacon drive back by to the lead.
Courtney immediately jumped back on the bull and made a beeline from the top of turn four to the middle of turn one where the two nearly made contact again as Bacon slid above the cushion. However, Bacon made a quick recovery and turned down off two to dart back under Courtney and into the lead by turn three. The following lap was a rinse and repeat situation as Courtney slid Bacon in one while Bacon ducked back under and reassumed the top spot off two.
On the 20th lap, Bacon raced into one with Courtney a half car length behind. This time, the last car on the lead lap, Charles Davis, Jr., was to the outside of Bacon between turns one and two. As Bacon drifted to the inside of Davis, he wasn't able to slide all the way to the curb in order to propel him down the back straightaway. As Bacon slid through the middle, Courtney stuck the line under Bacon and opened up an eight-car-length advantage with ten laps remaining.
By lap 25, however, Bacon had reeled in Courtney to within a couple car lengths distance when Justin Grant and Jason McDougal found trouble in turn two. Grant landed upside down and walked to the ambulance under his own power for further observation.
During the red flag period, steam began to pour from Courtney's resting car, which was revealed to be a result of a hole in the radiator. Earlier in the night, Courtney and the team qualified fourth, but were forced to swap out the engine before their heat race in the Clauson-Marshall-Newman Racing/NOS Energy Drink - Competition Suspension, Inc./Spike/Rider Chevy.
Friday night's Western World midget winner Kevin Thomas, Jr. was the man on the move on the lap 25 restart, sliding past Bacon in turn one for the second position as Bacon faded into a distant third. Meanwhile, Courtney had gapped Thomas and Bacon to the tune of two seconds until a last lap yellow for a flat left rear tire on Chase Stockon necessitated a yellow flag.
A green-white-checkered finish wasn't enough to knock Courtney off his game as he utilized a solid restart to distance himself from the pack once and for all, taking the checkered by a 1.299 sec. margin over Thomas, Bacon, Chris Windom and C.J. Leary, whose fifth place finish secured himself a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car driver championship.
Tyler Courtney's 26th career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car win tied him with Tony Elliott and Dave Steele for 18th all-time. (Rich Forman Photo)
Contingency award winners Saturday night at Arizona Speedway were:
Brady Bacon (Indy Race Parts/Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/Sway-a-Way Racing Fourth Heat Winner)
Dustin Clark (Competition Suspension, Inc./Circle Track Performance/Ultra Shield Second Heat Winner)
Dennis Gile (Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer)
R.J. Johnson (AutoMeter/Saldana Racing Products/Butlerbuilt Seats Third Heat Winner)
C.J. Leary (Fatheadz Eyewear/Woodland Auto Display/Beaver Stripes Fast Qualifier & Simpson Race Products/Extreme Mufflers/Brown & Miller Racing Solutions First Heat Winner)
Jason McDougal (Roger & Barb Tapy 13th Fastest Qualifier)
Brody Roa (KSE Racing Products/Specialty Fasteners/Saldana Racing Products Hard Charger)
Jake Swanson (Competition Suspension, Inc./Pyrotect Racing Cells Semi Winner)
Austin Williams (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher)
------------------------------------
USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL, CRA & SANDS CHEVROLET SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: November 16, 2019 - Arizona Speedway - San Tan Valley, Arizona - 52nd Western World Championships presented by San Tan Ford - 1/3-Mile Dirt Oval
FATHEADZ EYEWEAR/WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY/BEAVER STRIPES QUALIFYING: 1. C.J. Leary, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-15.007; 2. Tommy Malcolm, 5x, Napier-15.007; 3. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-15.010; 4. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall/Newman-15.020; 5. Damion Gardner, 4x, Alexander-15.073; 6. Jake Swanson, 34AZ, Grau/Burkhart-15.079; 7. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 19, Hayward/Thomas-15.089; 8. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-15.093; 9. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-15.100; 10. Logan Seavey, 19L, Reinbold/Underwood-15.105; 11. Chris Windom, 5G, Parallax/Goacher-15.153; 12. Eric Wilkins, 34w, Grau/Burkhart-15.182; 13. Jason McDougal, 34, Grau-15.233; 14. Hunter Schuerenberg, 19s, Reinbold/Underwood-15.271; 15. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-15.290; 16. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-15.329; 17. Eddie Tafoya, Jr., 51T, Tafoya-15.366; 18. Dustin Clark, 75, Clark-15.378; 19. R.J. Johnson, 51, Martin-15.420; 20. Chris Bonneau, 15, Bonneau-15.422; 21. Austin Williams, 92, Sertich-15.440; 22. Thomas Meseraull, 13m, Gile-15.502; 23. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-15.502; 24. Kyle Shipley, 0G, Shipley-15.543; 25. Charles Davis, Jr., 47, Davis-15.596; 26. Zack Madrid, 51m, Johnson-15.607; 27. Stevie Sussex, 12, Allen-15.610; 28. Dennis Gile, 13G, Gile-15.721; 29. Michael Curtis, 11c, Turner/Wheeler-15.744; 30. Tanner Carrick, 83T, Carrick-15.795; 31. Noah Gass, 20G, Gass-16.014; 32. Frank Rodgers III, 6R, Rodgers-16.472.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS/EXTREME MUFFLERS/BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. C.J. Leary, 2. Austin Williams, 3. Damion Gardner, 4. Josh Hodges, 5. Charles Davis, Jr., 6. Jason McDougal, 7. Eddie Tafoya, Jr., 8. Michael Curtis. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI)/CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE/ULTRA SHIELD RACE PRODUCTS SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Dustin Clark, 2. Logan Seavey, 3. Hunter Schuerenberg, 4. Thomas Meseraull, 5. Jake Swanson, 6. Tommy Malcolm, 7. Zack Madrid. 8. Tanner Carrick. 2:07.366
AUTOMETER/SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS/BUTLERBUILT SEATS THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. R.J. Johnson, 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 3. Chris Windom, 4. Chase Stockon, 5. Justin Grant, 6. Brody Roa, 7. Stevie Sussex, 8. Noah Gass. 2:07.655
INDY RACE PARTS/BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS/SWAY-A-WAY RACING FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Brady Bacon, 2. Tyler Courtney, 3. Eric Wilkins, 4. Chris Bonneau, 5. Chris Gansen, 6. Kyle Shipley, 7. Dennis Gile, 8. Frank Rodgers III. 2:08.698
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI)/PYROTECT RACING CELLS SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Jake Swanson, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Brody Roa, 4. Eddie Tafoya, Jr., 5. Jason McDougal, 6. Chris Gansen, 7. Dennis Gile, 8. Charles Davis, Jr., 9. Zack Madrid, 10. Tanner Carrick, 11. Tommy Malcolm, 12. Kyle Shipley, 13. Noah Gass, 14. Michael Curtis, 15. Frank Rodgers III, 16. Stevie Sussex. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Tyler Courtney (5), 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (3), 3. Brady Bacon (2), 4. Chris Windom (10), 5. C.J. Leary (6), 6. Damion Gardner (4), 7. Josh Hodges (1), 8. Jake Swanson (8), 9. Logan Seavey (9), 10. Brody Roa (22), 11. Stevie Sussex (23), 12. R.J. Johnson (18), 13. Austin Williams (20), 14. Chase Stockon (13), 15. Thomas Meseraull (21), 16. Eric Wilkins (11), 17. Dustin Clark (17), 18. Chris Gansen (14), 19. Chris Bonneau (19), 20. Eddie Tafoya, Jr. (15), 21. Justin Grant (7), 22. Jason McDougal (16), 23. Charles Davis, Jr. (24), 24. Hunter Schuerenberg (12). NT
**Justin Grant flipped on lap 25 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Josh Hodges, Laps 2-15 Brady Bacon, Lap 16 Tyler Courtney, Laps 17-19 Brady Bacon, Laps 20-30 Tyler Courtney.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/SPECIALTY FASTENERS/SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Brody Roa (22nd to 10th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Austin Williams
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Dennis Gile
ROGER & BARB TAPY 13TH FASTEST QUALIFIER: Jason McDougal
FINAL USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-C.J. Leary-2,327, 2-Tyler Courtney-2,309, 3-Brady Bacon-2,136, 4-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-2,136, 5-Justin Grant-2,116, 6-Chris Windom-2,115, 7-Chase Stockon-2,032, 8-Jason McDougal-1,588, 9-Carson Short-1,361, 10-Isaac Chapple-1,193.
FINAL AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Damion Gardner-1,489, 2-Austin Williams-1,418, 3-Brody Roa-1,302, 4-Jake Swanson-1,234, 5-Chris Gansen-911, 6-Tommy Malcolm-887, 7-Charles Davis, Jr.-837, 8-R.J. Johnson-753, 9-Eddie Tafoya, Jr.-706, 10-Richard Vander Weerd-683.
FINAL SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Brody Roa-1,083, 2-R.J. Johnson-1,065, 3-Stevie Sussex-1018, 4-Charles Davis, Jr.-976, 5-Jake Swanson-800, 6-Austin Williams-659, 7-Mike Martin-655, 8-Damion Gardner-616, 9-Chris Bonneau-517, 10-Matt Lundy-500.
Sunshine Survives and Thrives in Western World Sprint Opener
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Tyler Courtney captured Friday night's USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory on night #1 of the Western World Championships at Arizona Speedway.
(Rich Forman Photo)
SUNSHINE SURVIVES AND THRIVES IN WESTERN WORLD SPRINT OPENER
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
San Tan Valley, Arizona (November 15, 2019).........Entering the final weekend of the year trailing by 44 points in the USAC AMSOIL National standings, Tyler Courtney's goal was simple. Win a championship.
Simple enough. But to do that, you've got to persevere under pressure and tense situations that may arise around you. You've also got to avoid catastrophe whether it's by your own doing or avoiding the calamities around you in order to maximize your points.
Courtney checked all those boxes on Friday night in the opener for the 52nd annual Western World Championships presented by San Tan Ford at Arizona Speedway to win his eighth series feature of 2019 and the 25th of his career, tying him with Steve Butler, Jay Drake and Chris Windom for 20th all-time.
"We came here this weekend to do one thing, and that's win a championship," Courtney reiterated. "You've got to do that by winning races. We may have fallen into one a little bit here, but you've got to be lucky just as much as you've got to be good."
Courtney, the defending Western World champion, started the feature from 5th, where he had a front row seat for a 30-lap war of attrition that plagued many of the front runners for a variety of reasons.
Chris Windom mostly dominated from the pole position for much of the first half of the event following a lap one stoppage for fast qualifier and heat race one winner Logan Seavey who slowed with a mechanical issue on the opening circuit and was sidelined for the remainder of the evening.
In reverse of the midget race that proceeded the sprint feature, the groove was up on the fence where Windom led the charge around the 1/3-mile dirt oval while National championship contenders Courtney and point leader C.J. Leary ran 6th and 11th, respectively, with Courtney throwing a shower of sparks from brakes in the turns for the time being.
Just before midway, second-running Justin Grant had caught Windom, taking a peek underneath Windom on both ends of the track just as the ring of rubber began to take hold on the top side.
Grant successfully made the pass of Windom stick in turn one on the 17th lap with the two making contact, Grant's rear to Windom's front bumper. Windom fell back behind Grant, but it didn't take long for him to fire his next shot in turn one two laps later to reclaim the lead.
On the 21st lap, Grant brought the heat once again with a turn one slider across the nose of Windom to secure the top spot with less than 10 to go. Grant became the locomotive pulling the train with Windom and midget feature winner Kevin Thomas, Jr. now closing in rapidly in third.
On the very next lap, the unthinkable happened. As the top-three entered the middle of turns one and two, they approached the lapped car of Kyle Shipley, whose right rear tire was pouring smoke off the corners. As Shipley rounded turn two, he drifted high off the rubber, half-spinning right into the path of not only Grant, but also second-running Windom, third-place Thomas and fourth place Schuerenberg, who all plowed into Shipley's stopped car.
Just behind, resting near the outside turn two wall was 10th running Chase Stockon and point leader Leary. With only nine laps remaining, Leary's pursuit of a championship seemed to be in peril. However, he restarted and managed to wheel back to 6th at the checkered following a slew of attrition and tire wear that developed down the stretch.
Windom and Schuerenberg were out, and Thomas dropped out a few laps later, while Grant, Leary, Stockon rejoined the fray. USAC/CRA Sprint standout Austin Williams inherited the lead with Brady Bacon and Courtney now residing in his shadow.
However, Williams bid for a first career USAC National feature win came to a bitter end with just five laps to go as his right rear tire gave way in turn 4 while a melee involving the cars of Jake Swanson, Thomas Meseraull, Max Adams, Brody Roa and a helicoptering R.J. Johnson ensued behind him.
The restart put Bacon up front ahead of Courtney. Bacon assumed control, setting the pace until three laps to go when 19th running Chris Gansen slowed to a stop in turn four with a flat right rear of his own. When racing resumed, 4th running Damion Gardner and 12th place Kevin Thomas, Jr. were the next to fall to the wayside with flat tires. Under caution, the cords on Bacon's right rear became readily apparent, thus placing him in the unenviable role of sitting duck on the lap 29 restart.
Courtney smelled blood in the water and went on the offensive, sliding underneath Bacon in turn one to grab the lead. Just mere moments later, Bacon slowed to a crawl with the plodding sound of flat right rear rubber entering his ear.
Courtney was now in his Shangri-La for the final restart and where he'd stay for good, encountering no trouble at the end en route to victory over a hard-charging Justin Grant, who returned from the earlier incident to finish 2nd. Jason McDougal was 3rd ahead of KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Charles Davis, Jr. in 4th (from 16th) and Stevie Sussex rounding out the top-five.
Tyler Courtney's eighth USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature win of 2019 on Friday night was the 25th of his career, tying him with Steve Butler, Jay Drake and Chris Windom for 20th all-time. (Rich Forman Photo)
With the victory, Courtney has now closed the gap to 26 entering Saturday's finale in the race for the 2019 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car championship.
"Our team hasn't given up all year," Courtney praised the crew of his Clauson-Marshall-Newman Racing/NOS Energy Drink - Competition Suspension, Inc./Spike/Rider Chevy. "We've been behind the eight ball ever since the first race in Florida when we ran 18th, but these guys never give up and they gave me a great racecar again. One more night to try and seal this deal up and we're just excited about the momentum we've got."
Contingency award winners Friday night at Arizona Speedway were:
Chris Bonneau (Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer)
Tyler Courtney (Indy Race Parts/Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/Sway-a-Way Racing Fourth Heat Winner)
Charles Davis, Jr. (Competition Suspension, Inc./Circle Track Performance/Ultra Shield Second Heat Winner & KSE Racing Products/Specialty Fasteners/Saldana Racing Products Hard Charger)
Damion Gardner (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher)
C.J. Leary (AutoMeter/Saldana Racing Products/Butlerbuilt Seats Third Heat Winner)
Logan Seavey (Fatheadz Eyewear/Woodland Auto Display/Beaver Stripes Fast Qualifier & Simpson Race Products/Extreme Mufflers/Brown & Miller Racing Solutions First Heat Winner)
Eddie Tafoya, Jr. (Roger & Barb Tapy 13th Fastest Qualifier)
Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Competition Suspension, Inc./Pyrotect Racing Cells Semi Winner)
------------------------------------
USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL, CRA & SANDS CHEVROLET SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: November 15, 2019 - Arizona Speedway - San Tan Valley, Arizona - 52nd Western World Championships presented by San Tan Ford - 1/3-Mile Dirt Oval
FATHEADZ EYEWEAR/WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY/BEAVER STRIPES QUALIFYING: 1. Logan Seavey, 19L, Reinbold/Underwood-14.763; 2. Hunter Schuerenberg, 19s, Reinbold/Underwood-14.881; 3. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 19, Hayward/Thomas-14.960; 4. Tyler Courtney, 7BC, Clauson/Marshall/Newman-14.967; 5. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-15.008; 6. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-15.057; 7. Austin Williams, 92, Sertich-15.064; 8. Chris Windom, 5G, Parallax/Goacher-15.072; 9. Jason McDougal, 34, Grau-15.105; 10. Jake Swanson, 34AZ, Grau/Burkhart-15.113; 11. C.J. Leary, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-15.157; 12. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-15.182; 13. Eddie Tafoya, Jr., 51T, Tafoya-15.191; 14. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-15.205; 15. Damion Gardner, 4x, Alexander-15.217; 16. R.J. Johnson, 51, Martin-15.252; 17. Stevie Sussex, 12, Allen-15.259; 18. Charles Davis, Jr., 47, Davis-15.266; 19. Dustin Clark, 75, Clark-15.266; 20. Thomas Meseraull, 13m, Gile-15.281; 21. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-15.286; 22. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-15.332; 23. Max Adams, 42, Cheney-15.339; 24. Tanner Carrick, 83T, Carrick-15.446; 25. Chris Bonneau, 15, Bonneau-15.447; 26. Dennis Gile, 13G, Gile-15.540; 27. Sterling Cling, 34c, Cling-15.541; 28. Tommy Malcolm, 5x, Napier-15.628; 29. Matt Rossi, 02, Rossi-15.696; 30. Kyle Shipley, 0G, Shipley-15.698; 31. Tye Mihocko, 5, Mihocko-15.816; 32. Michael Curtis, 11c, Turner/Wheeler-15.867; 33. Frank Rodgers III, 6R, Rodgers-16.957; 34. Noah Gass, 20G, Gass-NT; 35. Zack Madrid, 15m, Madrid-NT.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS/EXTREME MUFFLERS/BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Logan Seavey, 2. Jason McDougal, 3. Chris Gansen, 4. Justin Grant, 5. Stevie Sussex, 6. Chris Bonneau, 7. Frank Rodgers III, 8. Eddie Tafoya, Jr. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI)/CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE/ULTRA SHIELD RACE PRODUCTS SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Charles Davis, Jr., 2. Chase Stockon, 3. Jake Swanson, 4. Brody Roa, 5. Hunter Schuerenberg, 6. Josh Hodges, 7. Kyle Shipley, 8. Dennis Gile, 9. Noah Gass. 2:06.413
AUTOMETER/SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS/BUTLERBUILT SEATS THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. C.J. Leary, 2. Damion Gardner, 3. Max Adams, 4. Austin Williams, 5. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 6. Dustin Clark, 7. Sterling Cling, 8. Tye Mihocko. 2:04.285 (New Track Record)
INDY RACE PARTS/BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS/SWAY-A-WAY RACING FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Tyler Courtney, 2. Thomas Meseraull, 3. Brady Bacon, 4. Chris Windom, 5. R.J. Johnson, 6. Tommy Malcolm, 7. Tanner Carrick, 8. Michael Curtis. 2:05.195
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI)/PYROTECT RACING CELLS SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 2. Josh Hodges, 3. Hunter Schuerenberg, 4. R.J. Johnson, 5. Dustin Clark, 6. Kyle Shipley, 7. Chris Bonneau, 8. Stevie Sussex, 9. Dennis Gile, 10. Tanner Carrick, 11. Michael Curtis, 12. Tye Mihocko, 13. Noah Gass, 14. Frank Rodgers III, 15. Tommy Malcolm, 16. Sterling Cling, 17. Eddie Tafoya, Jr. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Tyler Courtney (5), 2. Justin Grant (4), 3. Jason McDougal (9), 4. Charles Davis, Jr. (16), 5. Stevie Sussex (24), 6. C.J. Leary (11), 7. Josh Hodges (13), 8. Chase Stockon (3), 9. Austin Williams (2), 10. Tommy Malcolm (23), 11. Jake Swanson (10), 12. Thomas Meseraull (18), 13. Damion Gardner (14), 14. R.J. Johnson (15), 15. Max Adams (21), 16. Chris Gansen (19), 17. Brady Bacon (12), 18. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (8), 19. Brody Roa (20), 20. Chris Windom (1), 21. Hunter Schuerenberg (7), 22. Kyle Shipley (22), 23. Dustin Clark (17), 24. Logan Seavey (6). NT
**Justin Grant flipped during the first heat. Sterling Cling flipped during the semi.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-16 Chris Windom, Laps 17-18 Justin Grant, Laps 19-20 Chris Windom, Lap 21 Justin Grant, Laps 22-25 Austin Williams, Laps 26-28 Brady Bacon, Laps 29-30 Tyler Courtney.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/SPECIALTY FASTENERS/SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Charles Davis, Jr. (16th to 4th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Damion Gardner
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Chris Bonneau
ROGER & BARB TAPY 13TH FASTEST QUALIFIER: Eddie Tafoya, Jr.
NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-C.J. Leary-2,255, 2-Tyler Courtney-2,229, 3-Justin Grant-2,086, 4-Brady Bacon-2,064, 5-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-2,062, 6-Chris Windom-2,048, 7-Chase Stockon-1,992, 8-Jason McDougal-1,564, 9-Carson Short-1,361, 10-Isaac Chapple-1,193.
NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Damion Gardner-1,426. 2-Austin Williams-1,374, 3-Brody Roa-1,257, 4-Jake Swanson-1,180, 5-Chris Gansen-883, 6-Tommy Malcolm-872, 7-Charles Davis, Jr.-814, 8-R.J. Johnson-706, 9-Richard Vander Weerd-683, 10-Eddie Tafoya, Jr.-682.
NEW SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Brody Roa-1,038, 2-R.J. Johnson-1,018, 3-Stevie Sussex-977, 4-Charles Davis, Jr.-953, 5-Jake Swanson-746, 6-Mike Martin-655, 7-Austin Williams-615, 8-Damion Gardner-553, 9-Matt Lundy-500, 10-Chris Bonneau-487.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL, CRA & SANDS CHEVROLET SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR RACE: November 16, 2019 - Arizona Speedway - San Tan Valley, Arizona - 52nd Western World Championships presented by San Tan Ford
