Hodges & Thornton Shine on Winter Challenge Night Three!
Story and Photos By:Lonnie Wheatley/USAC Series Media
PEORIA, Ariz….Josh Hodges and Ricky Thornton, Jr., captured the lion’s share of Sunday night honors at Canyon Speedway Park by racing to victory lane in Round Three of Winter Challenge action atop the 1/3-mile clay oval.
While New Mexico’s Hodges hustled to USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast non-wing Sprint Car victory lane and Thornton, Jr., topped his second IMCA Modified feature of the weekend, other Sunday night winners included George Fronsman in IMCA Stock Car vs. Pure Stock action, Jarrett Martin in Micro Sprints and Chaz Baca, Jr., in Mod Lites.
Bryan Clauson may have been gunning for a third consecutive USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast Sprint Car Winter Challenge win in as many rounds, but Tijeras, NM, shoe Josh Hodges had the answer aboard the Jackson Compaction No. 74x machine.
Working his way forward from the 11th starting position, Hodges emerged atop a spirited three-way tussle through traffic with Clauson and R.J. Johnson. Hodges held the advantage when the red flag flew for a lapped car that exited the part in turn two just seven laps shy of the checkered flag and then held on over the final rounds to secure the $4,000 payday.
“It worked to our benefit running third there in traffic, I could go where they weren’t,” Hodges explained afterward. “Those last five laps took forever, man I’m ecstatic now.”
Falling just a couple of car-lengths short at the line, R.J. Johnson settled for runner-up honors for the second night in a row while Clauson settled for the show position after the duo swapped second repeatedly over the final seven-lap dash to the stripe.
Johnson had taken the lead from Kenny Perkins on the third lap and set the pace until the battle for the point intensified just past the midway point when Clauson briefly slipped by on several occasions and then Hodges hustled out front.
“Lapped cars made for some exciting racing, dipping and diving in traffic was awesome,” Johnson commented afterward.
Clauson commented that, “We were plenty good enough to win, I just didn’t pick the right lines trying to dodge those guys.”
After a lap six spin in turn two while running second, Charles Davis, Jr., rallied back through the field to capture fourth with Shon Deskins rounding out the top five.
Racing from the pole position, Arizona ace Ricky Thornton, Jr., led all 25 laps to post his second win in three rounds of Winter Challenge action, keeping the field at bay throughout.
Tim Ward worked his way up from ninth in short order and chased Thornton, Jr., to the line with Saturday night winner Hunter Marriott rounding out the podium in third. Anthony Roth and Cody Laney rounded out the top five.
Thornton, Jr., was one of four drivers to captured second wins of the weekend during the evening. George Fronsman scored his second Pure Stock win in as many nights by beating 13th-starter Matt Martinez to the stripe, Jarrett Martin took his second Micro Sprint checkered flag of the weekend ahead of Colton Hardy and Chaz Baca, Jr., raced from four rows deep for his second Mod Lite victory ahead of Jake Boyle.
Winter Challenge 2016 continues with Round Four action going green on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. at Canyon Speedway Park with a full slate of USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars vs. Pure Stocks, IMCA Hobby Stocks vs. Renegades and Dwarf Cars.
Canyon Speedway Park
January 24, 2016 – Winter Challenge 2016 Night Three of Five Results
USAC Southwest vs. USAC West Coast Sprint Cars:
Heat One: 1. 50-Charles Davis, Jr., 2. 98-Matt Lundy, 3. 51-R.J. Johnson, 4. 22b-Brian Hosford, 5. 16-Mike Martin, 6. 13-Dennis Gile, 7. 74x-Josh Hodges, 8. 27w-Guy Weedman, 9. 34-Tanner Grau.
Heat Two: 1. 16b-Bryan Clauson, 2. 20-Shon Deskins, 3. 0k-Kenny Perkins, 4. 50x-Will Perkins, 5. 4-David Dykes, 6. 45-Bob Strait, 7. 58-Connor Strait, 8. 5x-Matt McCarthy.
“A” Feature (30 Laps): 1. 74x-Josh Hodges, 2. 51-R.J. Johnson, 3. 16b-Bryan Clauson, 4. 50-Charles Davis, Jr., 5. 20-Shon Deskins, 6. 98-Matt Lundy, 7. 13-Dennis Gile, 8. 16-Mike Martin, 9. 22b-Brian Hosford, 10. 0k-Kenny Perkins, 11. 45-Bob Strait, 12. 34-Tanner Grau, 13. 4-David Dykes, 14. 27w-Guy Weedman, 15. 5x-Matt McCarthy, 16. 50x-Will Perkins, 17. 58-Connor Strait.
IMCA Modifieds:
Heat One: 1. 87-Curt Lund, 2. 59-Mark Stewart, 3. X-Josh Rogotzke, 4. XXX-Jessie Rogotzke, 5. 66k-Kyle Strickler, 6. X04-Mike Strobl, 7. 17-Justin Miller, 8. 71-Brent Schlafmann, 9. 4r-Ross Statham.
Heat Two: 1. 24s-Steve Simpson, Jr., 2. L8-Brian Schultz, 3. 101bc-Bryson Curry, 4. 60-Anthony Roth, 5. 44-Jason Noll, 6. 5z-Zack Madrid, 7. 77x-Austin Kuehl, 8. 75jr-Chaz Baca, Jr., 9. 56d-Garth Dushanek.
Heat Three: 1. 5L-Cody Laney, 2. 4tw-Tim Ward, 3. 45-R.C. Whitwell, 4. 174-Ethan Dotson, 5. 40jr-Bubba Stafford, 6. 67-Jim Collinsworth, 7. 15s-William Slocum, 8. 00-Nate Warren, 9. 4h-Don Hagan.
Heat Four: 1. 20rt-Ricky Thornton, Jr., 2. S-Collen Winebarger, 3. 62-Hunter Marriott, 4. 7r-Ryan Gaylord, 5. 19sb-Lance Mari, 6. 92p-John Parmeley, 7. 45T-Trent Gaust, 8. 66p-Paul Stone, 9. 97-Josh Sneed.
First “B” Main: 1. 44-Jason Noll, 2. 75jr-Chaz Baca, Jr., 3. 5z-Zack Madrid, 4. XXX-Jessie Rogotzke, 5. 45T-Trent Gaust, 6. 17-Justin Miller, 7. 4r-Ross Statham, 8. 67-Jim Collinsworth, 9. 56d-Garth Dushanek, 10. 15s-William Slocum.
Second “B” Main: 1. 19sb-Lance Mari, 2. 66k-Kyle Strickler, 3. X04-Mike Strobl, 4. 71-Brent Schlafmann, 5. 66p-Paul Stone, 6. 00-Nate Warren, 7. 77x-Austin Kuehl, 8. 92p-John Parmeley, 9. 4h-Don Hagan, 10. 97-Josh Sneed.
“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 20rt-Ricky Thornton, Jr., 2. 4tw-Tim Ward, 3. 62-Hunter Marriott, 4. 60-Anthony Roth, 5. 5L-Cody Laney, 6. 59-Mark Stewart, 7. L8-Brian Schultz, 8. 7r-Ryan Gaylord, 9. 44-Jason Noll, 10. 40jr-Bubba Stafford, 11. S-Collen Winebarger, 12. 71-Brent Schlafmann, 13. X-Josh Rogotzke, 14. 45-R.C. Whitwell, 15. XXX-Jessie Rogotzke, 16. 66k-Kyle Strickler, 17. 24s-Steve Simpson, Jr., 18. 174-Ethan Dotson, 19. 5z-Zack Madrid, 20. 87-Curt Lund, 21. X04-Mike Strobl, 22. 101bc-Bryson Curry, 23. 75jr-Chaz Baca, Jr., 24. 19sb-Lance Mari.
