Hard Charging Performances Rampant in Early USAC Season
Speedway, Indiana (March 10, 2020)………In the three USAC National series in 2019, the hard charger winner was also victorious in that night’s feature a total of three times throughout the entire season.In 2020, through just five USAC National events, the hard charger winner has already won four times. And it’s only March!
Some might say that earning the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger award means they have to qualify better earlier in the night. While somewhat true, it also proves that the team had galvanized itself following qualifying to persevere and conclude the night on a high note.
Thus far in 2020, no feature winner in a USAC National race has started in the first two rows. The closest to the front any feature winner has started this year was Tanner Thorson who raced his way from the third row (5th) on the opening night of the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget season at Ocala, Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park in February.
Thorson (Minden, Nev.) has reached both ends of the spectrum during his two midget victories this year. He also came from the furthest back of any driver to win this year in last Saturday’s Shamrock Classic at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, charging from 15th.
Meanwhile, Chris Windom (Canton, Ill.) came from 10th to win at Ocala with the midgets and Brady Bacon blitzed from 9th to 1st on two consecutive nights to win with the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars at Ocala.
By contrast, the three hard chargers to win USAC National races in 2019 came from Shane Cottle’s photo-finish victory from 18th during Indiana Sprint Week at Gas City I-69 Speedway, Tanner Thorson’s miraculous comeback from 15th during Indiana Midget Week at Putnamville, Ind. and Zeb Wise’s late-race heroics from 8th at Pennsylvania’s Linda’s Speedway during Pennsylvania Midget Week.
And we’ve only just begun. All the passing throughout the early season has initiated a three-way tie atop the yearlong ProSource Passing Master Award standings, which will reward the top USAC National passer with a $2,500 prize. At the moment, Thorson, Windom and Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) are all knotted up with 18 positions advanced apiece with eight months remaining on the 2020 trail.
2020 HARD CHARGERS TO WIN A USAC NATIONAL FEATURE: (4)
2/8: Bubba Raceway Park – Chris Windom 10th to 1st (Midget)
2/14: Bubba Raceway Park – Brady Bacon 9th to 1st (Sprint)
2/15: Bubba Raceway Park – Brady Bacon 9th to 1st (Sprint)
3/7: Southern Illinois Center – Tanner Thorson 15th to 1st (Midget)
2019 HARD CHARGERS TO WIN A USAC NATIONAL FEATURE: (3)
6/6: Lincoln Park Speedway – Tanner Thorson 15th to 1st (Midget)
7/18: Gas City I-69 Speedway – Shane Cottle 18th to 1st (Sprint)
8/2: Linda’s Speedway – Zeb Wise 8th to 1st (Midget)
Saturday night’s Canyon winner C.J. Leary. (Ben Thrasher Photo)
C.J. LEARY DOUBLES UP AT CANYON’S SPRING SHOWCASE
By: Lance Jennings
PEORIA, AZ – MARCH 7 2020… After battling “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams, C.J. Leary (Greenfield, IN) topped Saturday’s finale of the “Spring Showcase” at Canyon Speedway Park.
Piloting Bill Michael’s #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body Sherman, Leary backed up yesterday’s win and took the $3,000 AMSOIL USAC/CRA & Sands Chevrolet USAC SouthWest Sprint Car victory ahead of Williams, Brody Roa, R.J. Johnson, and hard charger “Speedy” Stevie Sussex.
Sussex earned the program’s All Coast Construction Hard Charger Award with a seventeenth to fifth place run.
Gardner also posted the night’s Woodland Auto Display / Beaver Stripes Fast Time Award with a time of 13.643 over the 20-car roster.
The night’s 10-lap heat race victories went to Leary (Component Repair Company / Sway-A-Way Torsion Bars First Heat) and Williams (Flowdynamics / Competition Suspension Inc. / Rod End Supply Second Heat).
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AMSOIL USAC/CRA & SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: March 7, 2020 – Canyon Speedway Park – Peoria, Arizona – “3rd Annual Spring Showcase”
WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY / BEAVER STRIPES QUALIFYING: 1. Damion Gardner, 1, Alexander-13.643; 2. Jake Swanson, 34AZ, Grau/Burkhart-13.897; 3. Brody Roa, 91R, BR-13.954; 4. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-13.962; 5. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-14.071; 6. Kyle Shipley, 0G, Shipley-14.095; 7. R.J. Johnson, 51, Martin-14.125; 8. Dennis Gile, 13G, Gile-14.135; 9. C.J. Leary, 77M, Michael-14.198; 10. Austin Williams, 92, Sertich-14.225; 11. Tommy Malcolm, 5X,, Napier-14.238; 12. J.J. Yeley, 02, Rossi-14.317; 13. Matt McCarthy, 28M, McCarthy-14.398; 14. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-14.489; 15. Michael Curtis, 11C, Turner/Wheeler-14.581; 16. Ikaika O’Brien, 11O, O’Brien-14.850; 17. Stevie Sussex, 12, Allen-15.051; 18. John Romero, 65X, Romero-15.436; 19. Rocky Silva, 50S, Silva-15.694; 20. Jeremy Ellertson, 22, Ellertson-NT.
COMPONENT REPAIR COMPANY / SWAY-A-WAY TORSION BARS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Leary, 2. Johnson, 3. Malcolm, 4. Davis, 5. Gardner, 6. Roa, 7. McCarthy, 8. Curtis, 9. Sussex, 10. Silva. NT
FLOWDYNAMICS / COMPETITION SUSPENSION INC. / ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Williams, 2. Swanson, 3. Shipley, 4. Yeley, 5. Gile, 6. Gansen, 7. Tafoya, 8. Ellertson, 9. O’Brien, 10. Romero. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps, with starting positions) 1. C.J. Leary (2), 2. Austin Williams (1), 3. Brody Roa (8), 4. R.J. Johnson (3), 5. Stevie Sussex (17), 6. J.J. Yeley (12), 7. Damion Gardner (7), 8. Matt McCarthy (13), 9. Chris Gansen (14), 10. Tommy Malcolm (11), 11. Jeremy Ellertson (20), 12. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (9), 13. Kyle Shipley (4), 14. Dennis Gile (10), 15. Charles Davis Jr. (5), 16. Michael Curtis (15), 17. Jake Swanson (6), 18. Ikaika O’Brien (16), 19. John Romero (18), 20. Rocky Silva (19). NT
**Shipley flipped on lap 10 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1-6 Williams, Laps 7-12 Leary, Lap 13 Williams, Laps 14-30 Leary.
ALL COAST CONSTRUCTION HARD CHARGER: Stevie Sussex (17th to 5th)
NEW AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-C.J. Leary-154, 2-Brody Roa-139, 3-Damion Gardner-137, 4-J.J. Yeley-126, 5-R.J. Johnson-124, 6-Stevie Sussex-120, 7-Charles Davis Jr.-113, 8-Austin Williams-107, 9-Dennis Gile-95, 10-Eddie Tafoya Jr.-93
NEW SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-R.J. Johnson-274, 2-Charles Davis Jr.-270, 3-Stevie Sussex-261, 4-Jake Swanson-246, 5-Austin Williams-244, 6-Kyle Shipley-203, 7-Michael Curtis-192, 8-C.J. Leary-154, 9-Brody Roa-139, 10-Damion Gardner-137.
NEXT AMSOIL USAC/CRA SPRINT CAR RACE: March 28 – Perris Auto Speedway – Perris, California – “So-Cal Showdown”
NEXT SANDS CHEVROLET USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR RACE: April 4 – Arizona Speedway – San Tan Valley, Arizona
LINKS
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Sources: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Brady Bacon (#69) won twice from the 9th position in USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car competition at Ocala in February.
(Dave Olson Photo)