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Southwest Sprints Head for Canyon Saturday; Bernal, Rutherford Star in "Peter Murphy Classic"

R.J. Johnson and Charles Davis Jr. head the list of contenders when USAC’s Southwest Sprint Cars make the trek into the desert this weekend as the series resumes Saturday at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz.

The Allscapes “Back to School Special” at Canyon finds Johnson enjoying a 107-point lead entering Saturday’s race. Davis hasn’t won at Canyon in more than two years, while R.J. owns the last two trophies at the Arizona oval.

Troy Rutherford of Ojai, Calif. led the final 13 laps of Saturday night’s “Peter Murphy Classic” finale at the Merle Stone Chevrolet Thunderbowl Raceway in Tulare, Calif. to win the USAC West Coast Sprint race over Friday night’s winner, Ryan Bernal. Rutherford grabbed the lead from Brody Roa on the 18th lap in his AAA Propane Service/Trench Shoring Spike/Shark and led the rest of the way to beat Bernal, Bud Kaeding, point leader Roa and Richard Vander Weerd.

Bernal, of Hollister, Calif., captured Friday night’s race at Tulare. He wheeled the Metal Works/Tri-L Mandarin Ranch ART/S & S past Roa on lap 10 and led the rest of the way to beat Roa, Jace Vander Weerd, Kaeding and Danny Sheridan.

Roa will lead the West Coast Sprints into an August 6 date at Santa Maria (Calif.) Raceway.

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