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San Felipe Pueblo, NM....April
23-24......The huge season opener for Hollywood Hills Speedway saw the SCOA
winged 410 sprint cars and the NMMRA wingless 360 sprints in action with full
shows on both Friday night and Saturday night. On Friday night, Colorado's Pat
Bourke was the $2750 winner in the SCOA winged 410 sprint car feature beating
Kansas invader Dennis Park and New Mexico's own Dion Hindi. A three hour long
wheel pack session delayed the Friday night action with strong winds and
temperatures in the 30's chilling both crowd and competitors. Much better
conditions on Saturday night found former World of Outlaws regular Hindi picking
off the $2750 win ahead of Washington star Gary Taylor and Jesse Baker.
Taylor is now wheeling the Conklin equipment out of Denver, Colorado. In the
NMMRA action, Bobby Seals won the shortened 20 lap feature on Friday night ahead
of double division racer Rickey Hood and Bo Baker. This win paid $950 and both
sprint car classes paid $200 to start each night. The Saturday night NMMRA main
was also shortened to 20 laps and Taylor enjoyed a huge night as he won the $950
prize ahead of Larry Stoerkel and another double division racer Jason Martin
from Liberal KS.
The Friday night racing had 25 SCOA winged 410 sprint cars and Farmington's Mike
Grady won the first heat race with Park making a late charge to capture heat 2.
Robert Gomez survived a rough heat 3 to win. Park won the Sander Engineering
Trophy Dash. Park and Bourke had the front row for the main event. The first of
several caution periods during the feature saw Mike Rux and Leroy Apodaca
tangle, collecting James High. Rux flipped, but was unhurt. All three were done
and the restart saw Park pulling away from Bourke with M Grady third ahead of
Hindi. M Grady gained second on lap 5 and Jeff Slinkard broke for a lap 6 yellow
flag. M Grady took the lead from Park on lap 7 and Rickey Hood's night ended in
a lap 8 tangle with Hindi. Park retook the lead from M Grady, but it M Grady
back in front with five laps to run. Bourke then pulled off a slide job to take
second from Park. On lap 22, John Stroud lost a wheel and M Grady clipped the
loose wheel and flipped violently. M Grady was unhurt and Bourke led the final 3
laps to win ahead of Park, Hindi, Jason Grady, Scott Box, Gomez, Steve Martin,
Justin Fisher and Rich Bubak. Hindi had restarted at the rear after his lap 8
tangle with Hood.
Saturday night again saw 25 winged 410 sprint cars including Friday night flip
victims M Grady and Bud Goodwin. Using a last lap pass, Hindi won the opening
heat race ahead of M Grady and Taylor. Stroud beat rookie Fisher and Josh Grady
in heat 2 and Jesse Baker outraced Jason Grady and Rickey Hood in heat 3.
Hindi's dash win earned him the pole position for the main event. J Baker shared
the front row for the start. Hindi pulled away from J Baker and the rest of the
field on the opening lap. Taylor, J Baker and Jason Grady dueled for second. On
lap 10, Friday night winner Bourke and Steve Martin tangled and Martin flipped
end for end without injury. Hindi controlled the race and Taylor moved up to a
second place finish ahead of J Baker, Jason Grady, Fisher, James High, Slinkard,
Park and Hood.
The NMMRA wingless 360 action on Friday night attracted 24 cars. 2002 rookie of
the year Kelly Denison won heat one ahead of three time champion Bobby Seals.
Hood raced to a win in heat 2 over 2003 champion Bo Baker. Jon Taylor, the
grandson of New Mexico legend Buddy Taylor, won heat 3 ahead of Nick Rael. 21
cars survived to start the feature race, but a quick red flag saw Charlie Fegan
clip the berm in turn 4 and do two slow rolls. He was not hurt. By midway, Seals
had charged from 9th starting to the lead. J C Powell Jr hopped a wheel on the
straight and barrel rolled numerous times out the pit gate. He also was unhurt
and Seals won the 20 lapper ahead of Hood, Bo Baker, Tom Ball, Dennison, Ricky
Johnson, J Taylor, Jeff Brumfield Jr and Chris Faber. NMMRA had a 25 car turnout
on Saturday and 23 survived to start the feature race. Robert Marfia Jr beat
Kansas invader Jason Martin in heat 1 and Washington transplant G Taylor
outraced Larry Stoerkel in heat 2. Ball beat J Taylor in heat 3. A first lap red
flag in the scheduled 25 lap feature found both Hood and Ball flipping. They
were done for the night along with Ricky Johnson, who had a broken front end.
Stoerkel fended off the heavy challenge of G Taylor for 14 laps, but G Taylor
raced to the front on lap 15 and won. A broken front end forced Ron King to
stall for a red flag. Time shortened the race to 20 rounds with G Taylor the
winner ahead of Stoerkel, Bo Baker, Nick Rael, Kristy Smith, Denison, Fegan,
Friday night winner Seals and Russell Gossett. The NMMRA group is traveling out
of state for the first time in several seasons when they go to Montezuma
Speedway in Cortez, Colorado on May 1.
Summary - Friday
Unwinged 360 Sprint Cars
Heat 1-Kenny Denison, Bobby Seals, Jeff Brumfield Jr, Tom Ball, Tim Jones.
Heat 2-Rickey Hood, Bo Baker, Ricky Johnson, J C Powell Jr, Jason Tanner.
Heat 3-Jon Taylor, Nick Rael, Charlie Fegan, Russell Gossett, Jody
Williams.
Main-Seals, Hood, Baker, Ball, Denison, Johnson, J Taylor, Brumfield, Chris
Faber, Jones, Williams, Steve Copeland, Ted McAdams, Kevin Faber, Gossett,
Powell, Larry Stoerkel, Thomas Murray, Kristy Smith, Fegan, Rael.
Winged 410 Sprint Cars
Dash-Dennis Park. Heat 1-Mike Grady.
Heat 2-Park.
Heat 3-Robert Gomez. Main-Pat Bourke, Park, Dion Hindi, Jason Grady, Scott Box,
Gomez, Steve Martin, Justin Fisher, Rich Bubak, Jesse Baker, Brian O'Donnell,
Josh Grady, Zeke Ziska, M Grady, John Stroud, Jason Martin, Shaun Sander, Rickey
Hood, Steve Stone, Jeff Slinkard, Leroy Apodaca, Mike Rux, James High.
Saturday
Unwinged 360 Sprint Heats
1-Robert Marfia Jr, Jason Martin, Kristy Smith, Kevin Faber, Jody
Williams.
Heat 2-Gary Taylor, Larry Stoerkel, Nick Rael, Chris Faber,
Ron King.
Heat 3-Tom Ball, Jon Taylor, Kelly Denison, Bo Baker, Jeff Brumfield Jr.
Main-G Taylor, Stoerkel, Baker, Rael, Smith, Denison, Charlie Fegan, Bobby
Seals, Russell Gossett, Brumfield, C Faber, Williams, K Faber, J Taylor, Paul
Whitehead, Thomas Murray, King, Ted McAdams, Tim Jones, Marfia, Ricky Johnson,
Ball, Rickey Hood.
Winged 410 Sprint Cars
Dash-Dion Hindi. Heat 1-Hindi, Mike Grady, Gary Taylor.
Heat 2-John Stroud, Justin Fisher, Josh Grady.
Heat 3-Jesse Baker, Jason Grady, Rickey Hood.
Main-Hindi, G Taylor, J Baker, Jason Grady, Fisher, James High, Jeff Slinkard,
Dennis Park, Hood, Stroud, Jake Pierson, Josh Grady, Rich Bubak, Bud Goodwin,
Robert Gomez, Jason Martin, Pat Bourke, M Grady, Brian O'Donnell, Scott Box,
Zeke Ziska, Steve Stone, Shaun Sander, Steve Martin.
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