Dana Boatwright begins a pass on Daniel Stricker

Racing action was delayed as Mother Nature waved the yellow flag in the form of a brief shower at USA Raceway.  Additional track prep was necessary and the show began about 90 minutes later than scheduled.

Everyone pitched in to roll in the track and adjustments were made to finish before the 11pm curfew.  Heat races for each division went smoothly followed by the main event for the Factory Stocks.  The Unifirst Super Stock  main was halted with a lap 9 yellow.  Enter Mother Nature again but this time she ended the night as the rain on a seared racing surface makes it imposible to continue racing.

The Factory Stock Results are official.  The promoter has reviewed his decision he made Saturday when the night was cut short by rain.   At this writing, it appears the Super Stock main will be declared official based upon the lap 8 scoring.  More than 50% of the race was complete when the red flag came out following the 9th lap yellow. There may also be adjustments for the cars involved on the lap 9 yellow.  Tapes will be reviewed and the official finish will be forthcoming.    

To show his appreciation for the inconvenience on Saturday, the promoter, Benji Lyons, has an announcement to make to the drivers who did not complete their mains and to the loyal fans who stuck it out.  First of all, he will pay for a pit pass at the next Super Stock Race for each Super Stock driver who raced on Saturday. 

The Hornets will race two events at their next outing and USA Raceway will also pay for the Hornet Drivers pit passes who raced on the 23rd.  There will be two main events and two payouts at the August 6th event for the Hornets.      

USRA Modifieds will run two Main Events on August 6th.  The first main will be the posted lineup for August 23rd rainout and will pay as advertised, $ 1000 to win and $ 100 to start.  The USA Promoter, Lyons, will also pay a second Jackpot modified purse of $ 1000 to win and $ 100 to start on August 6th!

The raincheck policy was followed for the fans but Lyons said: ” Our Fans are the best and have been all season!  To show my appreciation I am announcing that the Inaugural USA Raceway Fan Appreciation Night will be on September 24th.   All Fans will be honored as they enter the grandstands absolutely FREE!  Our fans deserve the best customer service we can give them.”

TUCSON, Ariz. (July 21^st, 2011) – Cash, pride, and a few egos might not be the biggest things at stake this coming Saturday night as we welcome the return of the stars of USRA Modified Series back to USA Raceway, known as the Southwest Center of Speed. Over the previous few months, a clear divide in direction and leadership has become more evident amongst car owners, crew members, and drivers of the division that most consider to be the backbone of the Saturday night racing life. This Saturday, USA Raceway will be collecting a questionnaire from teams in the modified division in an effort to begin looking at sanctioning bodies and rules for the 2012 season. With all the suspense and ongoing rivalry, USA announces a jackpot of a payout with a $1,000 share going to the winner and a $100 bill to start Saturday’s main event. With an overall increase of nearly $2k more than the norm, officials will reward each non-qualifying driver with a voucher good for a free pit pass upon their return to USA Raceway.

If that wasn’t enough, we’ve got more Modified news. All drivers competing in all of the remaining regular season USRA scheduled events of 2011 have a shot at a guaranteed spot in this year’s Wes Hurst Memorial main event in late October against some of the biggest names in the sport held at USA Raceway. The two USA provisional positions, that will start 25^th and 26^th in the biggest Modified show to be held in Arizona, will be made up of the top performer in the remaining USRA races and a drawing from those remaining drivers with perfect attendance in the same remaining events. That drawing will be held on the front stretch during intermission at the Modified season finale at USA on October 8^th.

The racers aren’t the only ones with some extra cash being thrown around though! The first one hundred fans to USA Raceway this weekend will receive a ticket upon entering the main concourse that will give them a shot at a cool $100 bill for just showing up and cheering on their favorite driver. Those 100 early birds will be narrowed by a random drawing at the conclusion of the USRA heat races to just 20 lucky contestants. Those 20 race fans will then be paired with one of the 20 Modified racers that will also be on the hunt for some cold hard cash of their own.

The USRA Western Modified Championship battle will be in full swing this Saturday night as points leader Chad Ayers will lead a cast of Modified racers looking for USA gold. The nail biting Super Stocks continue the struggle for supremacy with a tied points battle between Daniel Stricker and Terry Hill. Coolidge wheel man Terry Churchwell comes into Saturday’s events not only on a winning streak but as the current points leader in the ultra-competitive Factory Stock division. Last but not least is the crowd favorite division of the USA Raceway Hornets. From the yellow tape wearing rookies to the rice rocket racing veterans, this group never seems to leave the fans without an energy filled night of thrill and spills to remember.

General admission tickets will go on sale when the gates open at 4pm for only $12 for Adults, $10 for Seniors, Students and Military, and all kids 11 and under are FREE. The VIP Suite will also be available by a first come, first serve basis at an unbelievable upgrade price of just $5 this weekend only!

Racing action will begin promptly at 6:45pm.

Halfway Home Season Passes will allow race fans to get all the action of the remaining 2011 scheduled events at an unheard of low price. Season Passes are on sale for only just $99 for a limited time Suite Access Passes will allow race fans the opportunity to enjoy the races from USA Raceway’s VIP Suite. Enjoy the races in luxury! Suite Access Passes are now on sale for only $149. Get em while you can!! These limited season passes are also available by calling the USA Raceway office at 520-574-8515.

The entire 2011 USA Raceway Schedule can be previewed online at http://www.usaraceway.net/schedule

USA Raceway is located east of Tucson off I-10 exit 265, then 1.6 miles south on Craycroft Road, which turns into Los Reales. For more information please, contact the track at 520-574-8515 or additional information regarding USA Raceway can be found at www.usaraceway.net

TUCSON, Ariz. (Kevin)  Rick Ziehl continues to be as hot as the Arizona summer as he reeled in his fourth consecutive Sunoco Fuel ASCS Southwest feature win in Saturday night’s 25-lap feature at USA Raceway. Following victory lane interviews, track officials announced a bounty on Mr. Zeihl at the next scheduled ASCS Southwest event at USA Raceway. The lucky individual that puts the brakes on a possible five-peat will be rewarded with an additional $1000! The streak breaker will take home a whopping $2,250 when combined with the regular purse! That’s not too shabby for a night of gettin’ down and dirty on Arizona’s premier 3/8 clay oval!

Ziehl took the win after starting outside the front row in the Wesmar-powered Lucas Oil No. 20z Maxim. Ziehl beat fellow front row starter John Carney II to the checkered flag, with Kyle McCutcheon filling the podium. Carney hasn’t wasted any time in capturing the attention of the Tucson race fans as well as fellow Southern New Mexico Speedway gas man Kyle McCutcheon, who made several convincing charges at Ziehl threw out the main event in his ASI powered machine. With a combined age of just a few days over 30, Joshua Hodges finished up the New Mexico sweep in 4^th, and top Arizona pilot Dalten Gabbard shook the bad luck streak for a solid 5^th place finish.

J.T. Imperial was sixth, with Kyle Sager, Joshua Williams, Lance Norick and Steve Stone completing the top ten. Norick, Carney II and Ziehl topped heat race action.

Marty Hussack didn’t take long to put his new Tucson built hotrod in victory lane after coming up short in its debut just a week prior, which resulted in a heated confrontation in the tech area with rival Super Stock driver Daniel Stricker. The 3^rd year driver of the 17 machine trailed Hussack at the checker flag to take home the 2^nd position. Brian Brown ended the night in 3^rd, pole position starter Lonnie Foss crossed the line in 4^th, and Dana Boatright would round out the top 5.

The Western States Stock Car Series was topped by the Young Gun driver Michael Huffman of Chandler, Az. Stock Car Vet Reed Veralud would come home in the runner up spot as former SCRA Champion Jody Henderson filled the podium in 3^rd. 4^th place would go to longtime CAR supporter Jason Harvil, and second generation driver JC Parmeley would finish out the Tucson top 5. Manzanita Speedway Track Champion Bob Taylor would end his winning streak with a 6^th place finish. Napa- know-how pilot Zack Tate of Coolidge would beat former TRP ace Ron Bishop to the checker flag for the 7^th spot.

USA Raceway’s X-Modified division would see its first three time winner of 2011 as AJ Huebner would add another page to the already history rich Huebner legacy that includes top honors of the prestigious Western World Championships. Huebner would lead the talented group of drivers across the checker flag with his always fast friend Brandon Farrington in 2^nd and the talented teenager Hornet transplant Jason Pugliese in 3^rd. Jesse Patterson would come home 4^th ahead of the always entertaining 5^th place finisher of Bill Wall.

Racing resumes this Saturday night, July 23rd^th with the return of the USRA Modifieds along with the Super Stocks, Factory Stocks, and Hornets. General admission tickets will go on sale at 4pm for just $12 for Adults. $10 for Seniors, Students and Military, and all kids 11 & under are absolutely FREE! VIP Suite Access Passes will also be available on sale a first come, first serve basis for just an additional five bucks! That makes the best view in the Southwest more affordable than ever. But don’t wont too long! Enjoy the races in luxury while not missing a minute of the action. Gates will open at 4pm and the racing action kicks off at 645pm sharp!

USA Raceway is located east of Tucson off I-10 exit 265, then 1.6 miles south on Craycroft Road, which turns into Los Reales. For more information please, contact the track at 520-574-8515 or visit us at www.usaraceway.net.