It is looking to be a rowdy night as the stands are packed with people and the track is packed with drivers for this Robert Miller Memorial Race! Robert was a great friend and an excellent driver and tonight, under the lights and before the heavens, we are giving this one to him. We know you can hear us up there Robert and from everyone who knew and loved you. Thank You for all the memories, support and advice over the many years we spent together! You will be missed.
The X-Mods are going to take it to green first on the evening and they will also bring plenty of yellows! With all those yellows comes a ton of action so hold on tight and enjoy the ride.
The 20A of Alex Gonzalez will jump to an early lead but its only 1 lap complete before the 3 car spins of the backstretch and brings out the caution. That’s 1 caution.
It is Gonzalez still ripping out front for three more laps when the 41 starts falling back quickly and will collect with the 11 in turn 2 sending both carouseling into the backstretch. That’s caution 2. Before the caution the J17 of Nick Rivera is able to make it all the way up too fourth and will have 21 laps to get three more positions. Rivera is looking amazing.
One more lap complete before the 00 of Stevie Gutierrez and Brian Klein in UNO will touch while battling for second and the 00 gets the short end of the stick. Stevie goes around in turn 2 and we have three cautions before we even break inside of 20 laps to go.
The 20A still leads the UNO but now it’s the J17 all the way too third after the 00 goes to the rear for causing the caution. On the restart Paddy Rush in the 52 will go from the outside row three around the UNO and into third. The J17 dove low and is now sitting pretty in second all over the 20A. They will go door to door all the way around and with 15 laps to go the J17 is finally able to make the bottom stick and take the lead!
Back in second the 52 is pushing the 20A all over the place and the 9 of Jimmy Ray is there to play as well. As we finally start shedding a few laps the 07 of Donavan Flores has caught the three drivers battling for second and we have a four way battle!
Unfortunately before the action can really take off we have the fourth caution of the evening for a lone drive shaft sitting in turns 1&2. The 20A, 52, 9, and 07 where all nose to tail battling for second over the last three laps when the caution came out and now they will all have another shot at Nick Rivera who was blowing them away.
It will just be jostling for position and the J17 pulling away until lap 9 when the 82 will spin in turn 2 and collect a few more cars. The caution comes out but all drivers are going to get it moving again and this one wont take long to settle out. That’s 5 cautions.
It’ll be the J17 leading the 52 and the 07 back to green. The 52 is low and the 07 is high as the 9 and 20A run 3rd and 4th. As the green flag drops the top drivers go nose to tail for one lap before the 6th caution of the night waves.
They wont even get one lap done before the 7C spins out and causes the 7th caution in just 16 laps. This restart will still be Rivera but it’ll be a little different. The drivers will start out single file because one more caution and this race will be over! That’s right, 9 cautions in single race and that race will go automatically to the checkered flag.
They restart with 7 to go and down the backstretch it’s the 52 and the 07 who split Nick Rivera trying to lead. Neither one is going to stick and as the lead drivers bail off into turn 3, Sherman Barnett in the 82 will spin again in turn 2 causing the 8th caution of the race.
With the 8th caution we call it a night for the X-Mods. J17 Nick Rivera held off last lap efforts from Paddy Rush and Donavan Flores but luckily for him 8 cautions ends the night even with 7 laps still on the board. Rivera will win with the default as Paddy Rush Brings the 52TX home in second. Donavan Flores rounds out the podium in this one.
USRA Street Stocks are here to put on a show and everyone in the house is hoping for green flag racing after that caution ridden X-Mods race. With 17 cars showing up this one is gonna be interesting and intense to say the least.
The 4T will jump to an early lead but the 21 will spin before even getting to turn 1 and no laps will be completed. The 77 is also going to pull off under caution with issues.
On the complete restart it is the MR13 Rudy Tarin this time and he will go way up over the others down the backstretch! Unfortunately for Tarin he drives way to hard into turn 3 and will lose control. He is completely sideways through turn 4 as the rest of the field goes thundering by. We will stay under green but it’s the 44JT leading the first two laps.
We are lucky enough to make it three laps before another yellow comes out for debris in turn 2. Bunch the field back together and we go racing! It’s the 44 show up front as 44JT Jaime Torres leads 44X George LaRose with the 0 of Lloyd Turner in third. Turner is going to rip around the outside and jump his way to second. Turner is chasing Torres down as the 44JT gets loose out of turn 2 making it possible for the 0 to rocket by around the outside. The 44x is still third while the 5x of Rick Boelter is charging hard from fourth.
Still 19 laps to go and the 0 leads the 44JT and 5X back to the green. Turner is pulling away again when caution waves for the third time this race and 11th time this evening. This just means another good restart for the 0 but the 5x is there and charging like a hot knife through butter. The 5x is going to sit patiently in second for 5 laps and just as he goes to make his move to the inside, Caution waves again! This one is blamed on the 21 and since this is her second of the main she is asked to leave.
On the restart we have 15 laps to go and Boelter is going to dive the bottom of turn 3 making it stick finally down low! Just after Boelter makes that pass in turn 3, Turner will come charging down the front stretch and overdrive turn 1 causing him to go all the way around for the fifth caution of the Street Stock Main!
With the 0 going to the rear for causing caution it is now the 5x leading the 44JT and 44X back to the drop of the flag. Rudy Munoz has made his way up to battle for second on this restart and if we can go caution free this thing has potential to be an amazing race.
Boelter is putting in a heater of a race all the way around the track but just as it looks like he is going to walk away with this one, he spins by himself into turn2! Nobody was even around for that one and as he comes to a stop off the racing surface we stay green flag racing. Only 10 laps remain and the 44JT has inherited the lead.
Its 5 laps remaining and the 44JT is leading by a mile out there! Jaime Torres will take the green flag, the white flag and the checkered flag here and Southern New Mexico speedway. He is the USRA Street Stock main event winner while the 44x holds onto a second with his hood in his windshield. The 3D Rudy Munoz drove a spectacular race but ended with a third. Nothing to be ashamed of there for any of those drivers.
Late Models is sure to be amazing as Fito Gallardo starts outside of the 72 Jeff Whyman on row 1 with last nights big bruiser Christy Georges-Barnett inside row 3. Those two had trouble last night and who knows how they woke up feeling this morning.
Fito jumps way up early but Christy has made it to third in her 44 machine, already. That was impressive from both drivers. The 57 of Billy Roy Harris sits in between the two of them and he must feel pretty trapped right now because the angry energy on the track is radiating from this one.
Gallardo is looking to take the G17 way after only two laps but in the true fashion of the night we have the first caution of the Late Models and the 13th caution of the night. When we bunch back up to go green it will be the 57 and 44 trying to chase down the G17 machine.
G17 is way up there after 2 more laps but caution again will bring the 57 and the 44 within striking distance of the lead. Unfortunately for those two Fito Gallardo has been killing the competition on restarts and this one will be no exception.
Fito will make it one lap around before the 14 spins off turn 3 and goes deep into the dirt. Caution is coming out for the fourth time in this main after just 5 laps. Racing like this is what you get when all the drivers want to win that money.
Its starting to look up with 15 laps to go but not so fast! The 29 Abercrombie spins in turn 2 and caution will be coming out again. She moves it to the rear of the pack and here we go racing again.
With all this caution commotion it seems Scott Logston has moved his 7 machine up to third. HE had a front row seat to the Barnett Gallardo showdown last night and because of that he was able to take the win. Tonight he wants it all for himself and the car setup seems to be working great.
Restart goes as all the others with Fito taking out quickly! We have completed 11 laps with 14 remaining and Fito as led at the stripe every single time. We have had 18 cautions up to this point from three different races and this third isn’t even over yet.
We are on a 7 lap run, the longest of the night, when the 14 spins out of turn 2 and off the backstretch coming to a halt just on the other side of the berm. This makes 6 cautions in one race. Two more yellows and this one ends in yellow checkered, no matter the lap count, just like the X-Mods.
The restart is smooth and Fito is able to get one lap in. Slowly we are getting through this main event. Fito takes them to 6 laps to go and man is he on the trigger! Scott Logston has moved into second around Barnett finally making that middle line stick.
Its looking good for a Fito running up front by a long shot again but only 5 laps remain and it seems we haven’t had enough cautions just yet so the 3K of Keko Perez will take a dive into turn 1 going all the way around and stopping in the middle of turn 2 once again. It is Keko’s second caution and he is asked to leave the racing surface.
With the seventh restart in this one it is Fito back in front of Logston and Barnett but that wont last long because before the tail end even makes it through turn 1&2 the a whole mess of cars goes crashing together.
Things have gotten out of hand here in the Late Models so the call is made that one more caution and the race will be called to a stop. With this implementation the drivers will restart single file and hopefully make it the last five laps without any altercations.
This is the last restart whether we go 5 laps or not and that is the biggest question. Fito really gaps out over Logston and the top 4 all spread out appearing to be looking for the clear.
We wont be completing the entire race tonight! As the 12 spins off the backstretch with 3 laps to go we are forced to call the racing of the Late Models quits for the night. Fito Gallardo won in dominating fashion after a rough night last night with Christy Georges-Barnett. The 7 of Scott Logston brings home the well deserved second place finish and Christy Georges ran a clean race tonight finishing in third. Fito lead every lap of that race and every restart was phenomenal.
The numbers for the hornets are finally looking good as we stat this 12 lap main event with 6 car! The 69H of Eddie Tellez would lead the first two laps but in turn 2 on lap 3 “Batman” Rudy Tarin JR would come raging through in 28Tand dive the middle of the 69H and 24S for first.
After that move it would be the Rudy Tarin JR show as he continued to pull from 69H. No cautions in this one and Rudy Tarin JR wins it by almost a full half track. He clean sweeps the weekend for the third hornets race in a row. Saul Delgado earns himself a second in 24S and Brenda Carr is third in the 28. Eddie Tellez slipped al the way to fourth after an early run up front.
Last time the Border International Truck 305 Winged Sprint Cars where here it was the 18 of Lorne Wofford coming all the way from last to take the win by mere inches over Cesar Fuentes. Wofford will start 9th tonight because of his win and Fuentes will start 7th. The Rajin Racewear, J&J Chassis number 4 machine of Dylan Harris will start the pole and he was on absolute fire in the heats.
The Missing Man formation reminds us why we have all gathered here this evening and that is to honor the memory of our friend Robert Miller with some good ole fashioned dirt track racing. Man is that a beautiful sight to see. You will always be missed Robert.
At the drop of the green its going to be Harris pulling away early but both Wofford’s are going to fall in line to the bottom of the track in 4th and 5th. Rick Ziehl in 20Z must have looked back and seen those two coming because on lap 3 he will just blow by Dylan Harris like he was stopped. It’ll be Rick Ziehl followed by Dylan Harris, Wes Wofford, and then Lorne Wofford up to fourth after only three laps.
The 20Z is trying to check out but the three-way battle for second is holding him at a respectable distance. However, just as the night has gone there will be trouble in turns 1&2. For the first caution in this one, its Wes Wofford going around. He may have had help from the man, his dad, Lorne Wofford but unless Wes forgot to do his chores this morning, something tells me that one wasn’t on purpose. Wes takes it to the rear for causing the caution and the 20Z leads us back to green with 25 to go.
The 4 and the 18 cant worry about catching Rick Ziehl right now because they have to worry to much about each other. This is the best battle on track right now and it’s for second. They will stay battling until the 4 gets a little loose in turn2 and Lorne Wofford just jumps into the gas. This one is only 7 laps into this 30 lap scheduled circuits but Lorne Wofford has already driven from ninth to second! HE still has a lot of Work on track however, as The Real Deal Rick Ziehl is not an easy man to beat tonight. The 00 of Jerry Gonzalez is up to third as he passes Harris around the outside.
Ziehl is still leading after 13 laps but Lorne Wofford and the 18 machine are right there with him! Ziehl will run a solid outside to middle line while Wofford is going to push the track in every direction that he can. Its working for Wofford as every time at the line he is only behind by a nose.
The top two are door to door just gapping the field when the second caution comes out in this one after 16 laps complete. Its Derek Demartino in 99.5 who is stopped up high in turn 2 with an unknown mechanical issue.
Rick Ziehl will have the lone front row and this restart as Lorne Wofford chooses inside row 2 and the 00 gets a huge break, as he was what appeared to be too far back to make anything happen. When the green flag waves its Rick Ziehl and Lorne Wofford taking this one to the high line! Wofford is going to rail back to the bottom in turn3 just as he has all night but once again is there and just cant stick it cleanly. Rick Ziehl is still grabbing an amazing amount of traction from that outside and there is no way he is leaving that line any time soon.
With keeping in tradition of the night we figure we might as well have one more caution so just as Lorne Wofford dives low into 3 on Rick Ziehl, caution comes out for the 23rd time in Feature racing and for the 3rd time in this sprint main. WE have completed 19 laps and 11 laps of bumpin and rubbin remains!
Rick Ziehl and Lorne Wofford will batlle for the next 5 laps as hard as they can until with 6 laps to go Wofford switches up the line, falls into tow with the 20Z and seems to be trying to ush him around. This is a new strategy from Wofford in this race but maybe he can dive the bottom from the outside and make that stick. Four laps remain and hat’s exactly what Wofford is going to do! However, with lappers in the way it wont happen this time. Those lappers are all over the place.
Two laps remain and it looks like Wofford has lost some ground to Ziehl as they both passed lapped cars. It will be Ziehl who takes the white flag by about 10 lengths and it looks like Lorne Wofford has just run out of track and run out of time in this one. However, its Wes Wofford who is back all the way to fourth after having to go to the back early in this one! Dylan Harris did a great job of holding off Wes for third there.
Rick Ziehl in the 20Z wins in true “Real Deal” fashion as he goes from flag to flag never loosing a lap. Lorne gave it everything he had for second he just seemed to run out of steam at the end there. Dylan Harris drove an awesome race and fought off a hard charging Wes Wofford in the final laps to bring home third.
After the race Rick Ziehl was a happy man in the pits! Here is what he had to say about Lorne Wofford breathing down his neck the whole race and about his car.
How was it having Lorne all over you for most of that race?
“Well I just knew I didn’t want Lorne in front of me. He wins a lot here and to get this one flag to flag it feels pretty good. I just drove were I had to stay out front and that strategy seemed to work pretty well.”
The car looked great tonight how was it out there?
“The car was absolutely great tonight until with 10 laps to go when I lost all my brakes. That really sucked and just made it harder to drive but even then the car still handled pretty good. Probably just gonna bleed the air of the lines and she will be good to go.”
Fito Gallardo also went flag to flag in the Late Models and as usual was willing to give a bit of his time to have a little chat in the pits.
How was it going from flag to flag tonight Fito?
“Oh its awesome. I love to win but leading the whole thing just feels great. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
What happened last night and did it make you drive harder tonight?
“Last night was a bit disappointing because I had worked hard for it. I thought I was going to have it but what can you do right? That’s just how it goes sometimes. But you better believe I came here tonight knowing that I had to win. I was on a mission and didn’t plan for anything but the win. Something like that just sets you up to drive so hard.