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San Felipe, NM.....April 12.....After
a second place run in his heat race, Steve Nix came from the fifth row to score
a $1,000 win Saturday night as the NMMRA unwinged sprint cars opened their 2003
season at Hollywood Hills Speedway. Nix wheels a Gambler sponsored by Old Trail
Garage, J&R Machine Shop, Bud Long Motorsports and Kendall Oil. Robert
Johnson ran second ahead of Grants, NM veteran racer Bo Baker and SCOA winged
sprint car dominator Rickey Hood. After only running a few dates in 2002, the
club has a full schedule in 2003 with 11 events at Duke City Raceway and 7 here.
The first months on the calendar are busy at Hollywood Hills as they ran the
SCOA sprint car season opener to begin April after the World of Outlaws visit in
March. SCOA returns on April 19. Tonight also featured the only scheduled dirt
modified visit of the 2003 season and 29 cars from throughout the state and
Texas battled for that $500 win. Albuquerque star Richard Johnson drove his Big
Dog Chassis to a narrow victory over Alamogordo's Lorne Wofford and El Paso
female star Christy Georges. Aztec Speedway star Kevin Brown from Durango,
Colorado was fourth ahead of Toby Herring.
The sprint car action saw a 21 car
field divided into three heat races. Charlie Fagan drove his Buckley to a win in
heat 1 ahead of Baker and Larry Stoerkel. Surprise entrant Hood beat club
officer Tom Ball and Ricky Johnson in heat 2. Fagan's teammate, Bobby Seals won
heat 3 ahead of Nix and Christy Smith. On a warm evening, the teams fought a dry
slick and dusty racing surface. The 20 lap main event saw a big 12 car inversion
off the heat race finishes and it took Nix just 4 laps to race into the lead
from the fifth row. Robert Johnson hung on for second ahead of Baker, Hood,
Ricky Johnson, Ball, back of the pack starter Chris Faber, Stoerkel, Miles
Merritt and Fagan. The first Duke City event for the club in 2003 will be run on
May 3.
It was a great date for
the dirt modifieds as all the area tracks are opening their point seasons in
late April or early May. The event drew cars from every direction, but problems
early in the night kept top runners like Las Cruces promoter Royal Jones,
Albuquerque Ford devotee Bo Martinez, Aztec star Jeff Davis, Alamogordo's Larry
Josselyn, Gallup's Kevin Menapace and David Sheffield from starting that feature
race. The main event still had 23 starters and Johnson charged to the win in
front of Wofford, Georges, Brown, Herring, Aztec charger Jody Cornell, Monte
Hunter, Andrew Frazier, Taylor Yazzie and Randy Eitel. The father-son tandem of
Sherman Barnett and Curt Barnett ran 11-12 with Tyrone Yazzie 15th, Amarillo
long tow Rich Lovelady 16th, Butch Reid 21st and the young Scott twins both
having problems. Stormy ran 17th and Johnny was 23rd.
Summary
Dirt Modifieds
Main-Richard Johnson, Lorne Wofford, Christy Georges, Kevin Brown, Toby Herring,
Jody Cornell, Monte Hunter, Andrew Frazier, Taylor Yazzie, Randy Eitel, Sherman
Barnett, Curt Barnett, Julian Garcia, Robert Louder, Tyrone Yazzie, Rich
Lovelady, Stormy Scott, Donald Clinger, Steve Conrad, J R Baxter, Butch Reid,
James Tabet, Johnny Scott.
Unwinged Sprint Cars
Heat 1-Charlie Fagan, Bo Baker, Larry Stoerkel, Kevin Faber, Anthony Tafoya.
Heat 2-Rickey Hood, Tom Ball, Ricky Johnson, #40J, Tim Jones.
Heat 3-Bobby Seals, Steve Nix, Christy Smith, Robert Johnson, Russell
Gossett.
A Main-Nix, Robert Johnson, Baker, Hood, Ricky Johnson, Ball, Chris Faber,
Stoerkel, Miles Merritt, Fagan, Joe Larkin Jr, Smith, #40J, Jones, Tafoya,
Gossett, Seals, Ted McAdams, J C Powell, K Faber, Ron King.
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