JOSH HODGES WINS “FREEDOM TOUR” SHOOTOUT AT DODGE CITY
After a torrid battle with R.J. Johnson, Josh Hodges (Tijeras, New Mexico) emerged victorious last Saturday at Dodge City Raceway Park. For Hodges, the $2,500 “Freedom Tour” finale win was his third USAC SouthWest Sprint Car triumph of the campaign. Johnson, hard charger Shon Deskins, Jeremy Campbell, and “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. rounded out the top-five drivers.
Racing the family owned #74X Jackson Compaction / Mesilla Valley Transportation Maxim, Josh Hodges ranked fifth in passing points after running third in his heat race and second in his qualifier. Staging on the outside of the front row, Hodges chased polesitter Johnson for the first sixteen laps. Looking for his first “Freedom Tour” win, Josh took command but surrendered the lead back to Johnson on the 24th circuit. R.J.’s lead was short-lived and Hodges reclaimed the top spot and took the checkered flags. Hodges left Dodge City tied with Ryan Bernal for seventh on the series win list with four victories.
R.J. Johnson (Tempe, Arizona) led eighteen laps of the Dodge City finale, but had to settle for second. Piloting Bill Michael’s #77M Kodiak Products / Beal’s Auto Body entry, Johnson ran second to Jeremy Campbell in his heat race, scored third in his qualifier, and ranked sixth in passing points. The three-time champion will head to El Paso on September 2nd with a 107-point lead and 40 series wins to his credit.
Shon Deskins (Phoenix, Arizona) earned the night’s “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a third place run from tenth. Driving his #20 Spike Chassis / Performance Plus Engines entry, Deskins scored fifth in his heat race and took fourth in his qualifier. Placed tenth in passing points, the veteran racer returned home sitting seventeenth in the point chase.
Jeremy Campbell (Wichita, Kansas) returned to non-wing racing and scored fourth in the “Freedom Tour” finale. Racing his #10C Dan’s Cycle / Arctic Cat machine, Campbell won the night’s first heat race, placed second in his qualifier, and ranked fourth in passing points.
“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona) took fifth at Dodge City Raceway Park. Piloting the Massey Motorsports owned #50 RSS Industries / Bell Racing RSS, Davis ran fourth in his heat race and won the night’s first qualifier. The five-time Arizona champion heads to El Paso ranked second in the point standings and looking for his first win of the season.
Dennis Gile (Phoenix, Arizona) was the night’s top-qualifier out of the fifteen racers in the pit area. Driving the family owned #13 Quarterback Academy / Bobby Q Ellis, Gile ran second to Jordon Mallett in his heat race, claimed third in his qualifier and finished seventh in the feature. Last season’s Rookie of the Year sits eighth in points and will be looking for his first El Paso triumph.
For the third consecutive night of the “Freedom Tour, Jordon Mallett (Greenbrier, Arkansas) earned a heat race victory. Racing his #14 machine, Mallett scored fifth in his qualifier, placed eighth in passing points, and took ninth in the 30-lap feature.
Anthony Nicholson (Bartlett, Tennessee) took the checkered flags in the night’s second 8-lap qualifier. Piloting his #16X entry, Nicholson ran fifth in his heat race, ranked seventh in passing points, and finished sixth in the Dodge City main event.
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USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT CAR “Special Event” RACE RESULTS: August 20, 2016 – Dodge City, Kansas – Dodge City Raceway Park - “Freedom Tour”
FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Jeremy Campbell (#10C Campbell), 2. R.J. Johnson (#77M Michael), 3. Harli White (#17W White), 4. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Massey), 5. Shon Deskins (#20 Deskins), 6. Mark Chisholm (#56X Chisolm), 7. Ryan Padgett (#98 Padgett), 8. Andrew Deal (#15D Deal). NT
SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Jordon Mallett (#14 Mallett), 2. Dennis Gile (#13 Gile), 3. Josh Hodges (#74X Hodges), 4. Shannon McQueen (#7 Decker), 5. Anthony Nicholson (#16X Nicholson), 6. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 7. Zach Blurton (#2J Blurton). NT
FIRST QUALIFIER: (8 laps) 1. Davis, 2. Hodges, 3. Johnson, 4. Deskins, 5. Mallett, 6. Blurton, 7. Mihocko. NT
SECOND QUALIFIER: (8 laps) 1. Nicholson, 2. Campbell, 3. Gile, 4. White, 5. McQueen, 6. Padgett. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Josh Hodges, 2. R.J. Johnson, 3. Shon Deskins, 4. Jeremy Campbell, 5. Charles Davis Jr., 6. Anthony Nicholson, 7. Dennis Gile, 8. Shannon McQueen, 9. Jordon Mallett, 10. Zach Blurton, 11. Ryan Padgett, 12. Harli White, 13. Tye Mihocko, 14. Mark Chisholm, 15. Andrew Deal. NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-16 Johnson, Laps 17-23 Hodges, Laps 24-25 Johnson, Laps 26-30 Hodges.
HARD CHARGER: Shon Deskins (10th to 3rd)
NEXT USAC SOUTHWEST SPRINT RACE: September 2 – El Paso, TX – Western Tech Speedway Park
LANCE JENNINGS - USAC MEDIA