Manzanita Speedway AZ- 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.

ParkerStore/Lubrication Equipment sponsored 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 teammate Rickie Gaunt on the eighth lap, had things under control until Ream picked up the pace and wrested the lead from him on the 23rd 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 11th place finish.

Joey Moriarity was the best of the non-champions as he 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 18th 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.

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
10. Rickie Gaunt 325