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Lake Pleasant, AZ.....May 15.....The
17 year old son of six time ASCA champion Ricky Johnson, R J Johnson got his
first ever sprint car feature win Saturday night at Canyon Raceway when he led
the final 15 laps of the 25 lap main event for the ASCA unwinged 360 sprint
cars. R J Johnson was the 2002 champion for the AMRA midgets and scored his
first midget feature win at the age of 14. He and his father Ricky both drive
for Bobby Martin in the sprint car action. Midget feature winner Eric Wilkins
ran second behind R J Johnson and 19 year old J T Imperial was third after
leading the first ten laps. Several drivers did double duty as Wilkins captured
the midget main that was cut to just 14 laps by an incredible 11 yellow flags
for spinning cars on the 3/8 mile clay oval. Adam Young was second in the midget
feature and R J Johnson battled back from a lap 8 spin to finish third. The mini
sprint 600's ran a caution free 20 lap feature and Mark Stroh was the wire to
wire winner in just his second start with this club. Chad Boat was second ahead
of Mike Colegrove. The modified midget 250 main saw Ryan Copley winning the 15
lapper ahead of Stephen Harms and Brandon Young.
The ASCA wingless 360 sprint cars had a solid 30 car turnout and the feature
race was limited to the top 4 finishers in the four heat races and the four more
transfers from the B Main. Ben Gregg won the trophy dash ahead of runaway point
leader Bob Ream Jr and Paul Norbury. Wilkins captured heat 1 ahead of Jeff
Slinkard and R J Johnson. Ricky Johnson was chased to the checkered flag in heat
2 by Brian Hacker and Josh Pelkey. Imperial captured heat 3 ahead of Jeremy
Sherman and Chris Bonneau. It was Ream Jr on top of heat 4 ahead of Mikey
Kuemper and Jeff Henry. The hotly contested B Main went to double duty racer
Mike Leslie ahead of P Norbury, Willy Grombach, Bugs Norbury and Chuck Buckman.
Despite not getting started until near midnight, the sprint car feature was well
run as they went the 25 lap distance with just a single red flag. 18 of the 20
starters saw the checkered flag and 11 were on the lead lap. Imperial paced the
first 10 laps and R J Johnson the final 15. Leslie flipped in turn 4 for a lap 6
red flag. The leaders were in heavy lapped traffic in the final ten rounds and
winner R J Johnson had five lapped cars between himself and runnerup Wilkins at
the checkered flag. Imperial salvaged a third. Top runner Jeremy Sherman crossed
the line in 4th, but it was determined that he made illegal repairs to his car
during the lap 6 red flag and he was penalized back to an 18th place finish. B
Norbury climbed to 4th place ahead of Ream, Ricky Johnson, Henry, Slinkard, P
Norbury and Bernie Smith.
The midget event was their first at the track in two years. Cole Houser beat
Terry Palmer and Leslie in the dash. Leslie won heat 1 ahead of A Young and
Lyndsey Tilton. Houser got another win in heat 2 over Amy Maris and Darrin Fala.
It was Wilkins on top in heat 3 ahead of R J Johnson and Palmer. The feature had
22 starters and was scheduled for 20 laps. The incredible 11 yellow flags were
all for spun cars and ten of them involved just a single car. Leslie paced the
first five laps before Wilkins took over. Wilkins was still out front the time
limit checkered flag fell after 14 scored laps. A Young ran second and R J
Johnson battled back from a lap 8 spin to run third ahead of Houser, Blane Fett,
Dustin Burkhardt, Rob Clary and Fala.
28 cars checked in for the mini sprint 600 and modified midget action allowing
them to run separate shows for each class. Mini Sprint 600 heat winners were Ken
Caskey and Mike Colegrove and 17 cars survived to start their 20 lap main event.
A usual racer with the full size mini sprints, Stroh was a wire to wire winner
in their caution free main event. He was masterful in the heavy lapped traffic.
All 17 starters finished and ten were on the lead lap as Chad Boat placed second
ahead of Colegrove, Kenny Hilton, Joshua Shipley, Caskey, Kyle Shipley, James
Edwards and Kyle Norman. Doug Welty won the lone heat for the modified midget
250s and they ran a 7 car, 15 lap feature. The only slowdown was an early race
red flag when 12 year old Taylon Center flipped in turn 4. He was unhurt and
Ryan Copley led all 15 laps for the win ahead of Stephen Harms, Brandon Young,
Kevin Simington, John Carioscia and Welty.
Summary
Modified Midgets
250 Heat-Doug Welty.
Main-Ryan Copley, Stephen Harms, Brandon Young, Kevin Simington, John Carioscia,
Welty, Taylon Center.
Mini Sprint 600
Heat 1-Ken Caskey.
Heat 2-Mike Colegrove.
Main-Mark Stroh, Chad Boat, Colegrove, Kenny Hilton, Joshua Shipley, Caskey,
Kyle Shipley, James Edwards, Kyle Norman, Bryan Arntz, Tony Osuch, Adam Milsap,
Chad Fife, Kenny Warren, Jacob Hawkins, John Saunders, C J Sarna.
AMRA Midgets
Dash-Cole Houser, Terry Palmer, Mike Leslie.
Heat 1-Leslie, Adam Young, Lyndsey Tilton, Mike Welker, Blane Fett.
Heat 2-Houser, Amy Maris, Darrin Fala, Steve Harbeck, Dustin Buckhardt.
Heat 3-Wilkins, R J Johnson, Palmer, Alex Herrera, Weed.
Main-Wilkins, Young, Johnson, Houser, Fett, Burkhardt, Bob Clary, Fala, Tilton,
Mike Courtney, Mike Walker, Harbeck, Leslie, Palmer, Weed, Maris, Bob Ostrom,
Dean Daly, Dale Daly, Don Tash, Candice Schrum.
ASCA Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars
Dash-Ben Gregg, Bob Ream Jr, Paul Norbury.
Heat 1-Eric Wilkins, Jeff Slinkard, R J Johnson, Andrew Reinbold, Chuck Buckman.
Heat 2-Ricky Johnson, Brian Hacker, Josh Pelkey, Marty Miller, Michael Bryan.
Heat 3-J T Imperial, Jeremy Sherman, Chris Bonneau, Jesse Dunham, R C Whitwell.
Heat 4-Ream Jr, Mikey Kuemper, Jeff Henry, Bernie Smith, Scott Pasmore. B
Main-Mike Leslie, Paul Norbury, Willy Grombach, Bugs Norbury, Buckman.
A Main-R J Johnson, Wilkins, Imperial, B Norbury, Ream, Ricky Johnson, Henry,
Slinkard, P Norbury, Smith, Pelkey, Miller, Kuemper, Hacker, Reinbold, Bonneau,
Sherman, Grombach, Dunham, Leslie.
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