By Lance Jennings

PEORIA, AZ – FEBRUARY 2, 2014… Taking the lead from Dave Darland on lap 15, Richard Vander Weerd of Visalia, California led the rest of the way to claim Saturday’s finale of the “3rd Annual Winter Challenge.” The $5,000 USAC SouthWest and West Coast Sprint Car triumph at Canyon Speedway marked Vander Weerd’s first victory in the “Copper State.” Darland, who won the six-race mini-series championship, Josh Pelkey, Charles Davis Jr., and Josh Hodges followed Vander Weerd to the checkered flags.

Starting fourth in the main event, Richard Vander Weerd took the family owned #10 Vander Weerd Construction / Battery Worx Maxim to his first USAC SouthWest main event win. Earning the series best fifteenth West Coast feature win in the process, Richard also won the night’s first 8-lap heat race. In only three starts, the 2011 USAC West Coast Champion ran sixteenth in points with one feature win, one heat race victory, one hard charger award, three top-10 finishes, and 16 feature laps led.

Pacing the field form the pole position, “The People’s Champion” Dave Darland of Lincoln, Indiana finished second in the 30-lap main event. Driving Casey Minks’ #1X Mesilla Valley Transportation / Shark Racing Engines Eagle, Darland won the program’s second heat race and earned the “Winter Challenge” crown by five points. The former USAC National Champion closed out a successful trip with three feature wins, five heat race victories, five top-10 finishes, and 80 feature laps led.

Peoria’s Josh Pelkey gave a valiant effort for the mini-series title to score third after starting sixth. Piloting Robbie & Gaye Allen’s #12 ABC Body Shop / Napa Auto Parts Maxim, Pelkey won the night’s fourth heat race and finished second in the “Winter Challenge” standings. The 1997 ASCA Champion left Canyon Speedway with one heat race victory, one hard charger award, six top-10 finishes, and 13 feature laps led.

“Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. of Buckeye stormed to fourth in the Saturday finale from the twelfth spot. Driving the Massey Motorsports owned #50 RSS Industries / Rod End Supply RSS, Davis ran fourth in his heat race and placed third in the point standings. The five-time Arizona Champion had two heat race victories and five top-10 finishes in the “Winter Challenge” series.

After finishing second on Friday, Tijeras, New Mexico’s Josh Hodges claimed fifth in the main event after starting tenth. Racing the family owned #74X Napa Auto Parts / Mesilla Valley Transportation Maxim, Hodges took second in his heat race and ran seventh in the point chase. The 2009 ASCS SouthWest Rookie of the Year had five top-10 finishes and 7 feature laps led in the mini-series.

Tempe’s Stevie Sussex earned the night’s “Hard Charger / Best Passing Job” honors with a tenth place finish after starting nineteenth. Driving Bob Price’s #4 Performance Transmission / Beaver Stripes RSS, Sussex placed sixth in his heat race and took third in the semi to earn a transfer spot. The young hard charger ran fourteenth in the standings with two top-10 finishes during the “Winter Challenge.”

Kenny Perkins of Oak Hills, California fought off all challengers to win the night’s third 8-lap heat race. Piloting the family owned #0K Howell Drilling / Sprint Car Driving Experience Victory, Perkins also scored eleventh in the 30-lap main event. Running three races, the second generation driver wrapped up the “Winter Challenge” twenty-third in points.

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon won the 10-lap semi-main. Piloting his #99 Fatheadz Eyewear / Tel Star Communications Triple X, Bacon claimed fifth in his heat race and raced to ninth in the feature after starting seventeenth. The former Western World Champion ran ninth in the mini-series with one feature win, one hard charger award, four top-10 finishes, and 17 feature laps led.

The USAC Southwest and West Coast Sprint Cars will take a break before returning to action on Thursday, March 6th at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The $2,500-to-win “3rd Annual Sin City Showdown” will open the “Grudge Series” and will also feature the World of Outlaw Sprints and IMCA Modifieds. For more event and ticket information, visit www.lvms.com/dirt or call (702) 644-4444.

The USAC SouthWest Sprint Car Series would like to thank Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier Tire, Hose Advantage Store, and the Racers Advantage Store for their support. For more information on the series, visit www.southwestsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, or follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/SouthwestSprintCars).

For more information on the USAC West Coast Sprint Car Series, visit www.westcoastsprintcars.com, www.usacracing.com, follow the series on Facebook (www.facebook.com/#!/pages/USAC-West-Coast-Sprint-Car-Series/369549755817), or Twitter (www.twitter.com/#!/USACwc360).
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USAC SOUTHWEST & WEST COAST “SPECIAL EVENT” SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: February 1, 2014 – Peoria, Arizona – Canyon Speedway – “2014 Winter Challenge”

FIRST HEAT: (8 laps)
1. Richard Vander Weerd (#10 Vander Weerd), 2. Josh Hodges (#74X Hodges), 3. Nic Faas (#73 Ford), 4. Jace Vander Weerd (#88 Vander Weerd), 5. Brady Bacon (#99 Bacon), 6. Stevie Sussex (#4 Price), 7. Ryan Bernal (#111 Minks). NT

SECOND HEAT: (8 laps)
1. Dave Darland (#1X Minks), 2. R.J. Johnson (#51 Martin), 3. Colby Copeland (#74 Williams), 4. Charles Davis Jr. (#50 Massey), 5. Mitch Mack (#92 Mack), 6. Michael Woodruff (#83 Woodruff), 7. Casey Shuman (#21X Pollock). NT

THIRD HEAT: (8 laps)
1. Kenny Perkins (#0K Perkins), 2. Tye Mihocko (#5 Mihocko), 3. Andy Reinbold (#19 Underwood), 4. Matt Rossi (#02 Rossi), 5. Mike Martin (#16 Martin), 6. Will Perkins (#0 Perkins), 7. David Dykes (#55NM Dykes). NT

FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps)
1. Josh Pelkey (#12 Allen), 2. Mike Colegrove (#17M Colegrove), 3. Shon Deskins (#20 Deskins), 4. Josh Shipley (#2 Bishop), 5. James Aragon (#57X Stone), 6. Jason Grady (#45 Grady), 7. Michael Curtis (#11C Turner/Wheeler). NT

SEMI: (10 laps)
1. Brady Bacon, 2. Mike Martin, 3. Stevie Sussex, 4. Michael Curtis, 5. James Aragon, 6. Jason Grady, 7. Michael Woodruff, 8. David Dykes, 9. Mitch Mack, 10. Will Perkins. NT

FEATURE: (30 laps – With Starting Positions)
1. Richard Vander Weerd (4th), 2. Dave Darland (1st), 3. Josh Pelkey (6th), 4. Charles Davis Jr. (12th), 5. Josh Hodges (10th), 6. Shon Deskins (14th), 7. R.J. Johnson (5th), 8. Nic Faas (11th), 9. Brady Bacon (17th), 10. Stevie Sussex (19th), 11. Kenny Perkins (7th), 12. Michael Curtis (20th), 13. Jason Grady (22nd), 14. Mike Colegrove (9th), 15. Mike Martin (18th), 16. Tye Mihocko (3rd), 17. Matt Rossi (8th), 18. Colby Copeland (13th), 19. Andy Reinbold (2nd), 20. James Aragon (21st), 21. Jace Vander Weerd (16th), 22. Josh Shipley (15th). NT
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**Casey Shuman flipped during the second heat.
**Michael Curtis flipped during the fourth heat.
**Mitch Mack and Will Perkins flipped during the semi.
**Colby Copeland and Mike Colegrove flipped during the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-14 Dave Darland, Laps 15-30 Richard Vander Weerd.
HARD CHARGER: Stevie Sussex (19th to 10th)

FINAL WINTER CHALLENGE POINT STANDINGS:
1-Dave Darland-357, 2-Josh Pelkey-352, 3-Charles Davis Jr,-294, 4-Casey Shuman-280, 5-R.J. Johnson-267, 6-Nic Faas-264, 7-Josh Hodges-251, 8-Shon Deskins-245, 9-Brady Bacon-243, 10-Mike Martin-220, 11-Tye Mihocko-210, —Colby Copeland-210, 13-Aaron Reutzel-199, 14-Stevie Sussex-195, 15-Ryan Bernal-181, 16-Richard Vander Weerd-180, 17-Michael Curtis-158, 18-Jace Vander Weerd-129, 19-Jason Grady-125, 20-Jimmy Crawford-122.

NEXT SOUTHWEST “SPECIAL EVENT” & WEST COAST SPRINT CAR RACE:
March 6 – Las Vegas, NV – The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway – “Sin City Showdown”