(WOMR file photo)
Sometime ago in the previous century, Charles Davis, Jr. made a trip to Yuma to race at the former Yuma Speedway. He can’t remember just exactly what year it was, however, he will not forget his Saturday night visit to this race track!
In the night’s showcase event, the sprint car feature, a first-lap crash forced a complete restart, and Yuma’s Mike Martin took advantage of the opportunity to blast off from his starting position outside the second row, past Davis, Roa and pole sitter Dalten Gabbard and into the lead.
Martin then held the advantage for seven laps before Davis was able to reel him back in and get around him.
“The track was getting pretty thin and I knew I had to make my move before it got too much thinner,” said Davis, “because he wasn’t giving me any room to pass.”
The Buckeye, AZ veteran sprint car racer led laps 8 through lap 24. On lap 24, as the white flag flew, Brody Roa drove his sprinter deep into turn #1, slid up in front of Davis to take the lead, and mashing “the loud pedal” to the floor, thought that he had pulled the move of the race on Davis.
Not so fast my friend!
Davis must have been thinking, as the duo dove into turn #3. One good moves deserves another, and Davis was able to return that “San Jose Slide Job” to Roa! Davis’ “bonsai” move in the last turn of the race proved successful for Davis, and allowed him to grab the Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by MAVTV Canyon Region A Main victory Saturday at Cocopah Speedway.
“I don’t know where Roa was running but he did a hell of job,” said Davis. “I was really surprised when he got that shot coming off of (Turn 2). I said, “Wow! I didn’t expect that.”
“This is a good, high-speed deal,” said a sweat-soaked Davis afterward from victory lane. “l love this race track! I love it!”
Brody Roa’s version of the last lap
“I either had to get it done (in Turns 1 and 2) or just sit back there,” said Roa afterward.
“I tried to block him down the back straight but I couldn’t get underneath him,” added Roa, who is not a regular in the ASCS Canyon Series.
Tommy Deffern shines
On the night’s under-card, the Street Stock Division, Brawley’s Tommy Deffern undoubtedly past more cars than probably the whole field combined on his road to victory! While battling Yuma’s Bobby Horton for the lead near the midpoint of the race, Deffern was caught up in a wreck with some lapped traffic. Unfortunately, Deffern was sent to the rear of the field for the restart. Deffern steadily sliced his way through the field, like a warm knife through butter, to find Horton and Alopho Noriega fighting for the lead.
Deffern maneuvered his way around both Horton and Noriega for the win in the Street Stock Division!
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
