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REAM BEATS FELLOW CHAMPIONS IN ASCA SPRINTS AT MANZY
By Windy McDonald

Phoenix, AZ (March 27) Saturday night’s Arizona Sprint Car Association races could well have been billed as the “Race of Champions” as drivers with a combined 12 Sprint Car Championships dominated the seven event program. They won three of the four heat races, the trophy dash and then copped the top five spots in the 25 lap main event and four of them were lap leaders during the event.

Bob Ream, Jr., the 1998 champion showed great patience in working his way from his eighth starting position and chasing down the ’96 and’97 champion Charles Davis, Jr. to post his second win of the season. Davis, who took the lead from his team mate Rickie Gaunt on the eighth lap, had things under control until Ream picked up the pace and wrested the lead from him on the 23^rd lap.

Eric Wilkins, the 2002 champion finished third with six time and defending champion Ricky Johnson, up from ninth, in fourth just ahead of the ’97 champion Josh Pelkey. Gaunt was the only driver able to run with the champions. He started fifth and took the lead from Pelkey on the fourth lap and was running second to Davis when he tangled with a slower car ending his hopes of a podium finish. He rejoined the field and drove back to an 11^th place finish.

Joey Moriarity was the best of the non champions as took sixth ahead of Jeff Slinkard, Marty Miller, R.J. Johnson and Bernie Smith. R.J. was the hard charger of the night as he drove from 18^th to nail down ninth. The night’s only serious accident came in the running of the second heat when Nathan High ran over the rear wheel of another competitors car, did several barrel rolls and a couple of end over end flips. High walked away but the Jerry Pritchett car was virtually destroyed.

Davis won the dash and his heat race, Ream won his heat and Marty Miller, the 2000 champion also won a heat race. Miller led the first two laps and finished eighth. Mike Martin won the semi over R.J. Johnson, Jeff Henry and Casey Shuman.

ASCA SPRINT CARS

Main Event:
1. Bob Ream, Jr. 2. Charles Davis, Jr. 3. Eric Wilkins 4. Ricky Johnson 5. Josh Pelkey 6. Joey Moriarity 7. Jeff Slinkard 8. Marty Miller 9. R.J. Johnson 10. Bernie Smith 11. Rickie Gaunt 12. Chuck Buckman 13. Kelly Dennison 14. Casey Shuman 15. Jeff Henry 16. Mike Kuemper 17. Michael Bryan 18. Tim Beal 19. Ryan Linder 20. Mike Martin.

Lap leaders: laps 1-2 Marty Miller, lap 3 Josh Pelkey, laps 4-7 Rickie Gaunt, laps 8-22 Charles Davis, Jr., laps 23-25 Bob Ream, Jr.

Semi Main:
1. Mike Martin 2. R.J. Johnson 3. Jeff Henry 4. Casey Shuman 5. Jay Ervine 6. Darren Hagen 7. Paul Norbury 8. Seanin Hendricson 9. Ashley Corey 10. Scott Pasmore 11. Andy Reinbold 12. Mike Bonneau

1^st Heat:
1. Charles Davis, Jr. 2. Eric Wilkins 3. Ricky Johnson 4. Michael Bryan 5. Paul Norbury 6. Mike Bonneay 7. Jay Ervine (8 laps, time: 1:59.00)

2^nd Heat:
1. Chuck Buckman 2. Josh Pelkey 3. Kelly Dennison 4. Ryan Linder 5. Mike Martin 6. Ashley Corey 7. James Aragon 8. Nathan High (no time)

3^rd Heat:
1. Marty Miller 2. Bernie Smith 3. Jeff Slinkard 4. Tim Beal 5. Casey Shuman 6. Seainn Hendricson 7. R.J. Johnson 8. Darren Hagen (no time)

4^th Heat:
1. Bob Ream, Jr. 2. Rickie Gaunt 3. Joey Moriarity 4. Mike Kuemper 6. Andy Reinbold 7. Scott Pasmore (time: 2:02.44)

Trophy dash :
1. Charles Davis, Jr. 2. Bob Ream, Jr. 3. Eric Wilkins 4. Bernie Smith

UNOFFICIAL POINTS

1. Bob Ream, Jr. 658

2. Charles Davis, Jr. 642

3. Eric Wilkins 601

4. Joe Mariarity 460

5. Josh Pelkey 456

6. Jeff Slinkard 443

7. Bernie Smith 430

8. R.J. Johnson 396

9. Mike Kuemper 330