The night might have only been the 27th of June but we like to start the Independence Day festivities early here at Southern New Mexico Speedway and the drivers will be bringing their normal on track fireworks but we also have the GREATEST firework show this side of the Rio Grande during intermission. The fans, the drivers, and the track crew are all ready for the best night of the year so far as we go racing with Southwest Region ASCS 360 Winged Sprint Cars!
After the heats we will go straight into the XMODS main event as it is not yet dark enough for the fireworks. Brian Klein in the UNO will start from the pole and will lead the field of 20 cars to green for this 25 lap feature event.
On the restart it is Christy Georges-Barnett running deep to the bottom and taking the lead from Brian to lead the first lap. Luckily for her she had just crossed the line to complete that first lap when the 9, 7c, and 41 all go spinning in turn 3 and we have 1 caution after 1 lap. The 82 of Sherman Barnett will start outside row two just behind his wife!
They run 3 more laps and all of a sudden it’s the Barnett show up front with 21 laps remaining! One more lap like that and boom here comes Donovan Flores in the 07 with 20 laps to go!
The 07 is chasing the first two hard but for a few laps but he cant make a single thing work high or low and its not going to get any easier anytime soon! Well it wouldn’t have anyways, had the 00 and the J17 not gotten together causing a caution as the J17 barrels through the infield. But that happens and we have to restart with 18 to go.
The 44 still leads but now its her husband, The Sherminator, who will have the inside on the restart and the 07 will have to push the outside hard to get past them. Georges will take off early as the green drops and Sherman will hold onto second but Flores will not give up that easily and he still sits on the bumper of the 82 in third.
We finally reach 10 laps in and Christy still leads her husband around but now the track champion of Paddy Rush has caught them all and is looking to battle with the 07. Few more laps of that and the 44 and 82 separate from the field once again. The 44, 82 pair now battle for first while the 07 and 52 duke it out for third and the UNO, 3 pair have at it for fifth. The pairs are all separated out at this point but two-by-two they run nose to tail and door to door all the way around.
Only 8 circuits remain at the southern New Mexico Speedway for the USRA X-Mods and it appears the 52 and 07 have caught the 44 and 82 who where battling hard up front. Fireball Donovan Flores will clear the 52 and here he comes for Sherman Barnett with only 5 laps to go!
Christy has reached lapped cars and because of that the gap she had is quickly shrinking! Here comes the field to make things interesting as only 4 times around remain on the board. Somehow the 44 clears all the lapped cars while still holding first place and it’s the 82 who is barely holding off the 07 and 52 for second.
As they come to the white flag the top 4 are nose to tail and even though Christy Georges Barnett has the best shot at it, it is anybody’s game to change! Speaking of change and Donovan Flores will run the 82 high into turn 1 and both the 07 and 52 are able to jet by down the inside. Sherman must have been jostled by that push because he will finish a very close fifth place. However, even after that move on Sherman the 44 is completely gone from the 07 grasps and she will lead flag to flag in this X-Mod main event just like she did in the heats! Donovan Flores will push hard but take home second tonight in 07 as Paddy Rush rounds out the podium third place finish in the 52TX.
Now since we didn’t have an intermission before that X-Mod main we will take it now because it is officially dark and this firework show is gonna be off the chain and out of the yard for the over 3,000 fans in attendance tonight! The fireworks show proves that is the best in the state without a doubt and we hope that if you didn’t catch it you don’t miss us next weekend for the show again in El Paso at the Speedway Park on Friday night.
After that amazing firework show it’s time for the on track fireworks as the street stocks are set to run 20 laps with 16 cars! The MR13 of Rudy Tarin Jr. is the inside poll sitter to drag them out at the green, Rudy will get a great jump when the green flag waves and he will lead the first two laps cleanly but here comes Noah! Noah Hollingshead that is in the 3H machine. Noah will dive inside down turn 2 and makes it stick quickly down the backstretch. The 3H leads the 3rd lap. Also, chasing hard with the 3H is the 44JT of Jaime Torres who is all the way up to second after starting inside row 4 with Hollingshead outside row 4.
The 44JT will is all over the bumper off the 3H for the entire lap until Caution with 16 laps remaining. This caution is for the 00 who sits stalled in turn 4 backwards. The 3H will lead us back to green but lets see if the momentum of the 44Jt was stalled any by that caution.
On the restart the 3H and the 44JT seem to have put rocket fuel in their cars because they are gone! The 44X of George LaRose is up to second and coming hard but its going to take some work to catch those leaders. The 0 of Lloyd Turner started in the rear and is up to sixth already as he puts in heaters like the leaders.
Noah Hollingshead is holding a strong lead of Jaime Torres but we are 12 laps in when Torres finally finds the groove out of turn 2 and will drop the hammer to pass Noah down the back. Before they can exit turn 4 and reach the start line, Caution waves again!
Unfortunately for the 44JT he didn’t reach the stripe before the yellow waved and the 3H will retain the lead as he was the leader the last time they crossed the stripe. The 44x and 0 also just got a nice little surprise as they are back in this thing with 8 laps to go.
The 48t of Paul Telles Jr. runs in fifth place but on the restart the top drivers of 3H, 44Jt, 44X, and 0 are going going gone! 15 laps in with 5 to go and the 3H still leads and is now trying to get away from the field but the 44JT has a clear gap to catch him as the 0 and 44X are bumping and bangin for third.
Only 2 circuits remain and the 0 is finally going to pass the 44X as they enter turn 1. The 44X got a little high into lapped cars there and no way was Lloyd Turner going to miss the opportunity right there. Smooth and clean from Lloyd.
The 44JT is there in the last lap just like was all night but it’s the 3H of Noah Hollingshead who is going to run a fantastic race and win this with style and skill. The 0 of Lloyd Turner will round out the podium in third as he barely holds of George LaRose who will finish 4th.
After that show of skill from Noah Hollingshead its time for some Southwest Late Models! Cliff Hansen is a DNS in the 911 machine and the 5 of Christy Georges Barnett leads us to the green just after her win in that X-mods race a little bit ago.
Trouble turn 1 of the start as the 72 spins around. We will have a complete restart. The 3K had already taken the lead with the G17 trying inside for second quickly. They will go back to their starting positions and lets see who took notes from that first jump.
The restart has the 5 leading lap 1 but into turn 1 for the second time around she is going to completely loose the car up high and around goes our leader! The 3D of Dave Deetz has inherited the lead now with the 29 of Mercedes Abercrombie all the way to second early in this one. The 3k is Keko Perez runs in third with G17 Fito Gallardo in 4th. The 744 of Scott Logston and 57 of Billy Roy Harris are charging the field hard just behind them.
5 laps in and the 3k, G17 and 744 are all going to go 4 wide around and under the 29 for second position! The 3ktakes that spot as the G17 will sit in third as the 29 is fighting just to stay alive right now.
We still have 19 laps remaining and here comes Scott Logston! He worked his way to third over Mercedes and Fito just before the line last time and now he wants Perez as his next victim. He makes quick work of the 3K but before they pass the line, caution waves for debris and the 3k gets second back with the 3D still smoking them up front.
On the restart here comes Logston to the bottom and its Logston who will lead lap 10! The 744 machine is really working here tonight as he just blazing a trail out front of the 3D and 3k while the G17 and 29 go at it for fourth.
As Scott Logston gaps the field we will have a caution just 12 laps in with 13 to go for the 29 who spun around turn 2. On the restart its going to be Scott Logston in 744 trying to gap the field again but the 3D, 3K and G17 are all there to make that difficult.
They drop the green and before even completeing 1 lap its caution again. This caution wouldn’t be a big deal except for that under yellow, last nights winner the G17 of Fito Gallardo will pull from the racing surface and not return.
Back to green its Logston showing the way in 7 as we finally pass the half way mark in this race! Logston is going going gone once again as the 3K is holding off the 5 who has driven all the way from the rear after having that trouble early. Impressive driving from Christy Georges to get back up to the front.
The 3K is holding steady in second with Barnett pushing him hard but if those two aren’t careful they are both going to loose a spot because here comes Sean Bray the man in the 14B machine on a mission!! The 5 will get loose in turn 3&4 and pull from the raceway as her night comes to an end. Dave Deetz in 3D is sitting a solid fourth now as the 14 is putting on a passing clinic back here.
Caution again! 8 laps to go after 6 cautions in this race and only 8 of our original 17 cars remain on the track. Logston was way up again before that yellow but drags them out of turn 4 and back to green flag racing we go! The 744 might be blitzing out front but Sean Bray is on a mission in that 14 and he will almost blow the doors off the 3K for second.
Only 5 circuits remain and Logston is way up once again over the 14 but its Bye Bye Sean Bray into turn 4 as he goes up and over the berm to the backside! He will reenter the raceway in fourth but he is way far back now and there is no way he is going to come back from that slip.
Scott Logston will have smooth sailing those last 5 laps and lead by a mile at the checkered flag with Keko Perez fighting hard for second place. The real battle came from the 14 and the 3D who go nose-to-nose door-to-door at the stripe and it comes down to close to the eye so we go transponders! After the computer sends it through the system its Sean Bray taking home a well-deserved third by mere 100ths of a second. Dave Deetz in 3D put on a heck of a show and will finish with a hard and wild earned fourth place.
That was a crazy race and to let you catch your breath we give you the hornets! Not to fast and normally crazy yall are going to enjoy this one. The 69H of Eddie Tellez will lead the first lap but 4 wide for the lead down the backstretch and Batman Rudy Tarin Jr will lead lap 2.
The 13x of Benny Penna will be the 28T’s only challenger and when he has problems Rudy Tarin Jr is going to have no problem walking away with this one. Only 5 laps into this 12 lap main event and we are down to 4 cars as 4 cars have already left the raceway.
Rudy Tarin Jr will return to his dominating fashion and win 4 weeks worth of Hornets racing straight at the Southern New Mexico Speedway. He led every single lap and won this race by a mile over the 28 of Brenda Carr who fought of the 12 of Larry Maag for second. The 9 of Chris Gonzalez finishes another night with a top 4 so congratulations to him.
Now, you have had your fireworks. You have had your killer supporting classes. So! It is time for some Southwest Region ASCS 360 Winged Sprint car action!!! 16 Winged Sprints have made it out to race tonight and we will go racing for 25 laps around the Southern New Mexico Speedway tonight!
Lorne Wofford in 18 will start on the pole and the man he battled all night Jesse Baker in 22 is just to his outside. Notable for the start of this race is that last nights winner, the 74B of John Carney II will be starting in the very rear of the field after trouble in the heats. Wes Wofford, son of pole sitter Lorne, also starts on the last row with Carney.
The 18 rips the start but here comes the 8 car of Bob Ream Jr. to the front after 1 lap. The 8 is absolutely blazing a trail around the 18 and it seems like he might just be driving a fighter jet instead of a racecar!
After just 2 laps the 8 is almost a full straight away ahead of the 18 but caution for the 14 who is 360’ing through turn 2. We bunch them back together and give Lorne Wofford another shot in this one. Single file restart all the way to the line because of ASCS rules and this one is already getting heated!
The 8 absolutely blasts on the start once again but just like last night blast off in these cars can sometimes lead to smack down and around he goes in turn 1! The leader is over the berm and Lorne Wofford is back to the front while running high. The 18 will lead that lap but before he can lead anymore the 91 of Casey Buckman is going to loose control into turn 4 and caution waves.
Wofford will use the high line on the restart and Boy oh Boy does it look like he has found the groove up there. Jesse Baker is peaking low in that 22 machine but it wont stick as Lorne is just pulling traction out of nowhere up top.
Rick Ziehl in 20Z is coming strong and will just blow by the 22 for second with 19 laps to go. Ziehl just now has to chase down the 18 who is blitzing around the outside way up front.
The 20Z wont have to work too hard to catch the 18 as the 19 of Wes Wofford will get into the 74B down the front stretch, sending the 74B carouseling into the infield causing a yellow. The 19 just made things interesting for his pops up front but that’s racing and we go back to green with 18 to go.
On the restart it looks like the 20Z will be coming hard for the 18 but into turn 3 a giant puff off smoke comes from that car and Rick Ziehl just tanked his motor ending his night in a rough way. Luckily we completed 1 more lap.
The 18 still leads just as he has every lap so far but it is now the 22 back into second and right on his bumper with the 01 of Kaylene Verville sitting third. Royal Jones will round out your top 4 with 17 laps to go. Royal is driving the heck out of that car after almost taking the win last night in El Paso.
They restart clean enough for the ASCS official and we go back to racing! Baker will be there for a few laps but both Wofford’s are running that high line to the brink of extinction and it is working great on the exits. The 18 goes just a touch too high into 3&4 with 11 to go and the 22 will jump all over that! It’s the 22 to the lead at the line with 10 laps to go! The 01 is also going to pass the 18 into turn 1 but Lorne is loving that high line and is not gonna leave it. Here comes the 131 on a rail for third and Wofford has his hands full now.
There are only 8 circuits remaining and the 22 is checking out way up over the 01 while the 131 has finally cleared the 18 down low. The top 4 are pretty spread out and it seems that Lorne Wofford would rather ride the high side than be a bottom feeding blocking everyone else’s line so he will stick to the top tonight and fall back from Royal.
Within the next 3 laps Royal Jones will catch the 01 and they both reel in the 22 to make this finish interesting! 5 laps remain and the top 3 are all nose to tail trying to make this one for the history books.
Those last 3 laps Kaylene cannot find a way around Jesse Baker as he holds the bottom like a true champion. Jesse Baker in 22 will take the win and 01 of Kaylene Verville fights hard for a well deserved second place. A valiant effort from the 01 and she cannot be disappointed with that amazing finish here tonight. Royal Jones raced a hard race as well and will round out the podium. For the second night in a row he is top 3 which gives him the title of Mr. Consistent on the weekend so congratulations Royal! The 9 of Ryan Linder and the 21TX of Brandon Shure will finish out the top 5. As for your pole starter Lorne Wofford he looks to have troubles in the last few laps of this one that could either be he lost the brakes a few laps ago, the rear suspension came completely off the car, or maybe its just really muddy up high. Impossible to tell from the tower and Lorne is lucky to finish just inside the top 10 with a 9th place finish tonight.
After the race Jesse Baker was a very popular man but amidst all the screaming fans and autographs he still had time to give us the run down on the evening. You could tell by his smile that this was a well-earned win for him.
How was the track it looked like it grooved out low really well for you?
“The track was great. It got really smooth down bottom and I could just drive the car. We actually set the car up to run the bottom because every time I run here I find that the guy who can run the bottom is the one who has the best shot at winning it.”
This win seems like a big one and you where flying out there tonight, How did you feel behind the wheel?
I felt great tonight. I didn’t get too tired because the track was no where near as rough as last night. Feels good to get this big of a win especially doing it like that out there.”
When are we going to see you again?
“I will be here in two weeks for the Non-Wing show and I hope to put on the same kind of style as tonight. This was fun I just hope I can do it again.”
IF you missed us this weekend do not miss out next weekend as we go racing with all the normal classes coming back to the speedway! If you want more fireworks be sure to join us Friday Night in El Paso at the EP Speedway Park.
Gates open at 5:30
Racing starts at 7:45
Come hungry for some action and you will not leave without an adrenaline rush.
See YOU there!