KTJ GOES WEST, WINS USAC CRA SPRINTS AT CASA GRANDE

Winner Kevin Thomas Jr. (Black Flagged Productions Photo)

By: Lance Jennings

Casa Grande, Arizona (April 18, 2026)………Kevin Thomas Jr. capitalized on Ricky Lewis’ misfortune, then led the remaining 13 laps to capture Saturday night’s Avanti Windows & Doors USAC CRA Sprint Car main event at Central Arizona Raceway.

Driving the Petty Performance Racing #33p Avanti Windows & Doors Sherman, the Cullman, Alabama driver assumed the lead after a flat front tire sent Ricky Lewis to the work area on lap 17, going on to score his second win of the season and earned $5,000 for his efforts.

Lewis rebounded to claim second while point leader and Friday night winner R.J. Johnson came home third. Fast qualifier Cale Coons finished fourth and Eddie Tafoya Jr. placed fifth at the Pinal County Fairgrounds oval.

Greencastle, Indiana’s Coons began the show posting the first Woodland Auto Display Fast Time Award of his career. Racing the Dooling Autosports / Curb-Agajanian #63 Curb Records DRC, Coons turned the fastest lap with a time of 15.264 seconds over Thomas, Lewis, Braden Chiaramonte, Johnson, and the rest of the 19 drivers in attendance.

After becoming the 95th fast time driver with USAC CRA, Coons took the win in the night’s 10-lap Sexton Fire Protection First Heat Race. The USAC National Series rookie contender finished ahead of Chiaramonte, Tafoya, Wayne Siddle, Connor Lundy, Brecken Guerrero, and Zate Legend.

The 10-lap Roy Miller Freight Lines Second Heat Race victory went to “Chargin” Charles Davis Jr. of Buckeye, Arizona. The owner/driver of the MP Environmental Services #47 DRC was followed by Thomas, Johnson, Verne Sweeney, Joshua Shipley, and “The Pineapple” Daylin Perreira.

The night’s third and final heat race sponsored by Rescue Mission Alliance was taken by “The Radio Flyer” Bruce St. James of Apache Junction, Arizona. The owner/driver of the #1AZ Central Arizona Raceway Maxim, with a 360 engine, took the checkered flags over “The Big Game Hunter” Austin Williams, Lewis, A.J. Bender, Dayton Shelton, and Stevie Sussex.

After racing from fifteenth to tenth, Surprise, Arizona’s Joshua Shipley earned the night’s Hard Charger Award / “Best Passing Job” honors at Central Arizona Raceway. The owner / driver of the Advanced Machine Works #2x DRC took home an extra $450 courtesy of Avanti Windows & Doors, photographer Steve Lafond, and Checkered Flag Promotions.

The Avanti Windows & Doors USAC CRA Sprint Car Series will return to action on Saturday, May 2nd at Ventura Raceway. The action packed showcase will also feature the Avanti Windows & Doors USAC Western States Midgets. For more information on the series, visit www.usacracing.com and the social media for USAC Racing. You can also find exclusive content on the USAC CRA Facebook, X and Instagram pages.

AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC CRA SPRINT CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: April 18, 2026 – Central Arizona Raceway – Casa Grande, Arizona

WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Cale Coons, 63, Dooling/Curb-Agajanian-15.264; 2. Kevin Thomas Jr., 33p, Petty-15.379; 3. Ricky Lewis, 15, Bonneau-15.410; 4. Braden Chiaramonte, 73B, Chiaramonte-15.489; 5. R.J. Johnson, 1p, Petty-15.497; 6. Austin Williams, 17w, Dunkel-15.582; 7. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-15.728; 8. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-15.749; 9. Dayton Shelton, 4D, Shelton-15.814; 10. Brecken Guerrero, 98B, Guerrero-15.815; 11. Daylin Perreira, 21p, Perreira-15.946; 12. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-15.969; 13. Connor Lundy, 97, Lundy-15.994; 14. Joshua Shipley, 2x, Shipley-16.039; 15. Bruce St. James, 1AZ, St. James-16.041; 16. Wayne Siddle, 007, Siddle-16.101; 17. Verne Sweeney, 98, Guerrero-16.468; 18. Stevie Sussex, 2, Yeley-NT; 19. Zate Legend, Z8, Legend-NT.

SEXTON FIRE PROTECTION FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Cale Coons, 2. Braden Chiaramonte, 3. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 4. Wayne Siddle, 5. Connor Lundy, 6. Brecken Guerrero, 7. Zate Legend. NT

ROY MILLER FREIGHT LINES SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Charles Davis Jr., 2. Kevin Thomas Jr., 3. R.J. Johnson, 4. Verne Sweeney, 5. Joshua Shipley, 6. Daylin Perreira. NT

RESCUE MISSION ALLIANCE THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Bruce St. James, 2. Austin Williams, 3. Ricky Lewis, 4. A.J. Bender, 5. Dayton Shelton, 6. Stevie Sussex. NT

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr. (5), 2. Ricky Lewis (4), 3. R.J. Johnson (2), 4. Cale Coons (6), 5. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (9), 6. Austin Williams (1), 7. Bruce St. James (8), 8. Braden Chiaramonte (3), 9. A.J. Bender (13), 10. Joshua Shipley (15), 11. Dayton Shelton (10), 12. Charles Davis Jr. (7), 13. Brecken Guerrero (11), 14. Wayne Siddle (16), 15. Verne Sweeney (17), 16. Daylin Perreira (12), 17. Connor Lundy (14), 18. Zate Legend (19), 19. Stevie Sussex (18). NT

**Connor Lundy flipped on lap 17 of the feature.

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 R.J. Johnson, Laps 2-17 Ricky Lewis, Laps 18-30 Kevin Thomas Jr.

AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS / STEVE LAFOND PHOTOS / CHECKERED FLAG PROMOTIONS HARD CHARGER: Joshua Shipley (15th to 10th)

NEW AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC CRA SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-R.J. Johnson-517, 2-Ricky Lewis-461, 3-Austin Williams-429, 4-A.J. Bender-411, 5-Connor Lundy-393, 6-Charles Davis Jr.-343, 7-Verne Sweeney-329, 8-Dayton Shelton-312, 9-Brecken Guerrero-311, 10-Braden Chiaramonte-267.

NEXT AVANTI WINDOWS & DOORS USAC CRA SPRINT CAR RACE: May 2, 2026 – Ventura Raceway – Ventura, California