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Saturday's revised schedule called for wheel-packing at 9:30 a.m, hot laps at 10:15, with qualifying for sprints and midgets to follow. At 12:45 five 8-lap midget heat races, 1:45 five 10-lap sprint car heats, a 2:45 midget consolation race and 3:00 sprint consy were to follow. Saturday dawned gray and overcast but with no rain forecast. It turned sunny, but it was still a chilly 46-degrees at 9:00 a.m. All three divisions simultaneously took part in wheel-packing the track from 10:00 a.m. until it was ready for racing. It remained "greasy" longer than expected. Wheel-packing, then hot laps for all three USAC divisions occurred separately until shortly after 12 noon. Then USAC officials wisely decided to use group qualifying to save time for late afternoon track preparation for two-days of racing in one. Long-time CRA pit official Evelyn Pratt said it was the first time CRA has ever used group qualifying. Some 218 laps of racing were on tap Saturday and at the end of racing the track was still racy and multi-groove.

GROUP QUALIFYING: USAC-CRA 410 sprints qualified in five groups of seven to ten cars at a time for six green flag laps from 12:15-12:44 p.m. Then midgets qualified in six groups of eight to ten cars at a time for four green flag laps from 12:45-1:29. Following the six midget qualifying groups there was a makeup session of three green flag laps for three drivers who missed their assigned group order. The three drivers were Johnny Rodriguez, Chad Boat and Billy Mentgen. The best they could qualify was 31st quickest because the top 30 were locked into place by the six-car inversion for five heats. Rodriguez and Boast posted the 12th and 13th fastest times overall. They started their heat races inside row four respectively in the first two heat races as 31st and 32nd qualifiers. The Silver Crown cars qualified in three groups of six cars for four green laps from 1:30-1:46.

Next up were five midget heat races with 11 or 12 starters per race and six-car starting position inversions. The first four finishers in each heat advanced to the A-main. Heat winners were Aaron Fike (from 5th), Brady Bacon (from 2nd), Scott Pierovich (from 1st), Brad Sweet (from 3rd) and Jerry Coons, Jr. (from 5th). Midget heat races ran from 2:11 to 3:50. Five sprint car heats with nine starters per race and six-car inversions sent the first four finishers to the A-main. Sprint heats ran from 3:56-4:57 p.m; the winners were Chris Windom (from 1st), Shane Cottle (from 4th), Levi Jones (from 6th), Coons (from 1st) and Gary Taylor (from 3rd). Officials moved consolation racing to Saturday night so the track crew could start preparing the track for Saturday night racing. The water truck watered the still racy track and began rolling it into shape as the grandstands and pits were cleared of all people. People reentered the track in about 20-minutes with Saturday night tickets or pit passes. The day racing grandstand was about 40% full and the pits were crowded with open-wheel partisans and team personnel. The evening crowd almost filled the 6,000 seats to capacity. Even more people jammed the pits, making the event a success financially despite the rain.

The new Manzanita management team-owner Bobby Martin and general manager Steve Dunn-needed revenue from both days to make the event a financial success. USAC teams and officials had airline flights back to Indiana Sunday so the needs of everyone were met and the two race days in one format made racing on Sunday unnecessary. The purses paid to USAC totaled $92,590. The midget division purse was $21,000. Sprint cars raced for $25,840 and the Silver Crown purse was $45,750. Feature winners collected $4,000 (midgets), $6,000 (sprints) and $10,000 (S/C). Manzanita's track improvements since the November 2007 Western World event greeted fans. All metal grandstands, with seat backs for the center section, were in place. A curved main concession stand offered more space and windows. A higher (20+ feet) reinforced fence on the front straight was in place. Painting and other improvements were noted and more improvements, including a paved parking lot, are planned. Track staff put space heaters on the main concourse Friday to keep chilled fans warm. Saturday night racing began at 7:20 with the midgets 8-lap C-main that sent the first eight finishers to the back of the two B-mains. Then opening ceremonies and National Anthem, sung by Mrs. Tim Skillman (Ginny) from Indianapolis, took place with the grandstands now packed. Charley Allen's vintage sprint car, a drag racer and two desert dwarf cars were on display on the main concourse. Author Buzz Rose and his wife had a table of his books for sale, and track announcer Windy McDonald's daughter sold his hard-cover books about Arizona auto racing.

Two 12-lap midget B-mains (won by Nathan High and Steve Sussex, Jr.) ran from 7:56 to 8:13 p.m. Then a pair of sprint car B-mains (won by Jesse Hockett and Mike Spencer) ran from 8:20 to 8:49. All transfers from the sprint B-mains got their qualifying times back and started from ninth position to the back in their time trial order. The three series features followed. A 29-car midget 25-lap main ran from 9:17 to 9:28. There were 23 cars racing at the finish (RAF), with all cars on the lead lap. The 40-lap sprint car A-main started at 9:48 and concluded at 10:44. Twenty-two of 29 starters finished and 15 drivers completed all 40-laps. The 50-lap S/C feature started at 11:01 and concluded at 11:24 p.m with 17 of 18 starters RAF and eight drivers on the lead lap. Only one yellow flag flew in the S/C race when second place Jon Stanbrough spun to the fourth turn wall. He restarted and climbed back to ninth place by lap 43 when he dropped-out with clutch failure. The temperature was in the high 40s when racing concluded. Fans left the 35th Ave. & Broadway Rd. track praising the close, competitive racing they had just witnessed in all three divisions.

The midget feature had three leaders and four lead changes. Garrett Hansen led lap 1and 3-7; Tracy Hines was on top L 2, and Darren Hagen paced L 8-25. The sprint feature had two leaders and seven lead changes: Shane Cottle (L 1-7, 11-15, 21-32 and 34-40) and Jeremy Sherman (L 8-10, 16-20 and 33). The S/C 50-lap race had three leaders and four lead changes: Stanbrough (L 1-7, 9-12); Bud Kaeding (L 8, 13-40) and Jerry Coons, Jr. (L 41-50). Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., trying to repeat his 2007 Copper on Dirt S/C victory, started ninth and finished third. There was a close three-car position-swapping lead pack during the final 25 laps involving winner Coons, Kaeding and Stenhouse. Winning margins in all three features were: Midgets-50-yards (-1.604) between Keith Kunz teammates Hagen (# 67) and Cole Whitt (# 71); Sprints-two lengths (-0.291) between first-time CRA Regional Series winner Shane Cottle, in his Larry Contos car from Indiana, and Jeremy Sherman in Fred Bryan's # 77 Arizona-based car; S/C-40-yards (-2.507 seconds) between Coons and Kaeding.

HARD CHARGER AWARDS: "Friends of racing" sponsored main event hard charger awards of plaques and cash for all three divisions. MIDGETS-Brad Kuhn gained 14 positions (P 28 to 14). Runners-up were Brad Sweet + 11 positions (P 16 to 5) and + 8 spots by Cole Whitt (P 10 to 2) and Darren Stewart (P 21 to 13). SPRINTS-Jesse Hockett + 25 positions (P 29 to 4). Runners-up were Chad Boat + 18 positions (P 24 to 6), Brady Bacon + 17 (P 26 to 9) and Blake Miller + 13 (P 27 to 14). S/C-Mat Neely + 12 positions (P 18 to 6). Runner-up Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. + 6 spots (P 9 to 3). Stenhouse's # 199 Carl Edwards S/C car was not his winning car at Manzy last year. That car is in storage at the team's shop. His 2008 ride at Manzy was a brand new J & J chassis by Jack Elam with Ford power. Ricky, now 20, joined Jerry Coons, Jr. and Bud Kaeding in an exciting three-way battle for the lead but at the finish he trailed winner Coons by 50-yards (-3.622 seconds).

VERSATILE DRIVERS: Six drivers raced in all three divisions at the Cooper on Dirt. They were (with feature finishes in parenthesis): Levi Jones (Midget # 20-P.12, Sprint # 11-P 3 and S/C # 41-P 7); Hagen (M #67-P 1, Sp. # 67-P 13 and S/C # 92-P 10); Coons (M. # 11-P 3, Sp. # 32-P 24 and S/C # 27-P 1); Cottle (M. # 47-P 27, Sp. # 4-P 1 and S/C # 4-P 4). Two drivers had three rides but did not race in the sprint car main. They were: Stanbrough (M. # 05s-P 7, Sp. # 5x DNQ (engine), S/C # 5 P.18) and Dave Darland (M. # 9-P 17, Sp. # 2az-heat flip and S/C # 56-P 9). Numerous drivers had rides in two of the three divisions. DRIVERS BY STATES: Midget drivers came from ten states as follows: CA-26, IN-12, AZ-5, MO and OK-3 each, CO, IL and WA-2 each, and KS and MS-1 each. The sprint car field had drivers from nine states-CA-19, AZ-10, IL and IN-4 each, MO., N.M and OK-2 each, and S.D and WA-1 each. Silver Crown drivers came from eight states: IN-6, CA and IL-3 each, AZ-2, and FL, ID, MI and MS-1 each.

FLIPS: There were 13 total flips Saturday (5 in midgets and 8 in sprinters) - Midgets-Alan Ballard # 97x (Heat 1), Jerome Rodela # 25 (H-2), Gary Taylor # 5x (H-5), Paul Zimmerly # 60 (C-main), and Nathan High # 12jr (A-main). Sprints-Jesse Hockett # 75 and Chris Urish # 77 (H-1), Dave Darland # 2az (H-2), Kenny Perkins # 34 and Davey Pombo # 38 (B-main) and Gary Taylor # 5, Josh Ford # 73 and Dustin Morgan # 11d (A-main). No S/C cars flipped. Only 2005-06 USAC Western Midget Series champ Rodela, of El Monte, CA, had to take an ambulance ride. He flipped several times leaving turn four to the front straight. His car stopped in mid-track between turn 4 and the starting line. Jerome was dazed and remained in the cockpit several minutes before he walked to the ambulance for a checkup in the pit area. EMTs decided to transport him to the hospital for tests after heat four, so the fifth heat was delayed about 25 minutes until a second ambulance arrived at the infield. Rodela was kept at the hospital overnight for observation.

Darland was the victim of one of the most spectacular flips in Manzy history while he was running fourth in Jim Massey's # 2az DRC-built sprinter on L 6. Hagen's 67 car got into Dave's car leaving turn four, turning it right to the outer wall about 40 yards before the starting line. The impact launched it into a high (20+ feet) and lengthy series of nose-to-tail flips to the entrance of turn one. Witnesses said it flipped 6 to 8 times, others said it flipped 10-12 times, so an estimate of 8 to 10 flips could be accurate. Dave's car landed upright near the outside wall. He quickly unbuckled his shoulder harness and safety belts and climbed from his car. He angrily walked up the front straight to the pits as the ambulance arrived at his wrecked car. Later Saturday night in the pits I spoke to Dave, who had the beginning stage of "red-eye", as he prepared to race his S/C ride. He said his wild ride was not as bad as his 2002 flip at Terre Haute in the Arctic Cat sprinter. A rear tire of Dave's flipping car at Manzy brushed starter Jeff Stetson's shoulder and knocked the flag out of his hand onto the track. He was unhurt and continued flagging. The # 2az car was junk with the tail caved in and the LF and RF frame bars twisted and bent about 45-degrees to the right from the hard impact with the front straight wall.

ENGINE SWAP: Jesse Hockett's DRC chassis flipped at 3:56 p.m in heat one after another car slid up into his car at turn two, turning Hockett's # 75 VKCC sprinter into the crash-wall. It flipped two and a half times in a twisting motion and landed overturned. A wrecker towed his car to the pits. The 75 team had a backup 75 car with a 360 cu. in. engine in it. Jesse raced it in the 360 race during the 360 and 410 sprint doubleheader at Perris a week earlier. The team's 410 engine, housed in a totaled chassis, was questionable also. The torque tube was shoved to the back of the engine according to a crewman. They used the tow truck hook to remove the 360 engine from their usable DRC chassis and installed another 410 engine in it at their mid-infield pit. The intermission from the conclusion of the rain-postponed Friday racing program at 4:57 to the start of the Saturday racing program at 7:20 p.m allowed them ample time to make the swap of 360 and 410 engines. Hockett "the Rocket" started 7th in the 11-car first B-main that advanced only the first four finishers into the 40-lap A-feature. His team did their work well during the two plus hour intermission. Jesse became the third race leader and led the final seven laps of the B to earn his place in the back row of the 29-car A-main. He then raced his way to fourth place with 22 cars RAF. Most people in the grandstands never realized that the 75 VKCC team had performed their swap of engines from their destroyed chassis to their backup chassis.

In Saturday's sprint car third heat race 18-year old Brady Bacon started 8th and was caught in a three-car crash at the starting line on L 3 when 5th place Kyle Wissmiller, from IL, slowed suddenly with a problem. The RF wheel and suspension of Bacon's # 42 Dwight Cheney TCR/Mopar got torn to a weird angle and he continued slowly to the pits. Cheney's crew repaired the damage-broken RF and LF shocks, broken front axle, radius rods and brake line. Bacon drove the repaired car to 2nd place in the 12-lap B and 9th in the feature. Bacon, a Chip Ganassi developmental driver from Oklahoma, told me he does not have a definite career path timetable with Ganassi. USAC midget/sprint car veteran Bryan Clauson is doing well in his switch to a stock car career with Ganassi. Clauson qualified 6th fastest and finished 6th in the second-tier NASCAR Nationwide Series Feb. 15, 2008 Daytona 300 in Ganassi's # 41 Dodge.

MISCELLANEOUS: The rain-soaked track provided a racy conditions once it was worked in properly Saturday for group qualifying by all three divisions. Josh Ford, who qualified in the first group, shattered Manzy's 1-lap midget track record of 21.365 (84.250 mph) by Sleepy Tripp on 11-27-80. Ford drove the same Keith Ford-owned JFM/Fontana in which he won the 2008 Tulsa Chili Bowl Wednesday A-main. Ford's fastest time was 19.729--1.636 faster than the old mark. An astounding 55 of the 57 qualifiers beat the 27-year old former record. The 8-lap track record of 2:53.96 (82.778 mph) by Mel Kenyon on 11-7-80 also fell to Brad Sweet's 2:53.51 in heat four, the only heat with a time recorded. Manzy's 1-lap non-wing sprint record of 18.301 (98.355 mph) by Levi Jones on 11-10-05 did not fall. Fastest qualifier Bret Mellenberndt, from South Dakota, ran an 18.669 best lap of 44 qualifiers. There was no S/C 1-lap Manzy record. Stanbrough's 20.070 (89.686 mph) became the new S/C track record, as 17 of 18 S/C cars qualified with a spread of 2.037 seconds from fastest to slowest.

Retired open-wheel driving great "Professor" Jimmy Sills was in the Manzy pits helping the two-car team of brothers Bradley and Alfred Galedrige, Jr. The Nor-Cal racing school owner/instructor got his hands dirty cleaning mud from the # 26 and 29 midgets and offering advice. Alfred will be enrolling as a freshman in the Purdue University auto chassis mechanical engineering major. Brad will transfer soon from San Jose State to the same Purdue U mechanical engineering chassis specialty as a junior. NASCAR Cup star and 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman graduated with a B.S degree from the same Purdue course of study. I once asked Newman if he attended any Big 10 NCAA football games as a Pursue student. He replied, "no because of racing or studying." The Manzy pit announcer was retired Manzy driver Rick Setzer. Midget heat 3 contained two pair of team cars--# 35 and 35p and the # 07 and 07x. The CRA sprint second 12-lap B-main had a race-long battle for the fourth and final transfer berth to the A-main involving Gardner team cars 96 (Tyler Brown) and 93 (Blake Miller). The young drivers swapped fourth twice before Brown edged fifth place Miller by 15 yards.

CHASSIS/ENGINE DEPT.: The MIDGET field had 14 different chassis and 16 different engines listed on the 60-car entry list. Spike led with 36 cars. Beast-had 5 cars, Bullet, DRC and Stealth had 3 cars each, FSC had 2, and there were eight solo entries. Esslinger Ford led engine builders with 22 engines, followed by Fontana-7, Mopar-5, Chevy, Toyota and Wirth Mopar-4 each and Ed Pink Toyota-3. Nine other builders each supplied one or two engines. SPRINT CARS: There were 17 chassis builders led by DRC-10, Maxim-9, Bullet-5 and Viper-4. Other builders provided one or two cars. There were 18 sprint engine constructors, led by Chevy and Mopar-7 each, Wesmar-5, Gaerte and Shaver-4 each, Claxton and Don Ott-3 each. Other builders fielded one of two engines. The S/C field had 7 chassis and 6 engines. Beast led with 8 chassis, followed by DCR-4 and Maxim-2. Four builders had one chassis in the field. Chevy led with 11 engines, and Foxco-3. There were four solo engines.

Ryan Kaplan, of Chico, drove the # 19w Mike Sala Spike/Bob Wirth Mopar midget entered for sprint car veteran Troy Rutherford, of Ojai. Troy was hospitalized in California with a blood infection before the Phoenix race. Troy, the father of young children, reportedly required four blood transfusions. Latest word is that Troy has recovered satisfactorily. Sala's sub-driver Kaplan, the 2007 USAC Western Series 360 sprint champion and rookie of the year, will be busy this year. He plans to race all season at Irwindale Speedway in the # 51 Justice Brothers High-Point Distributing NASCAR Late Model Chevy Monte Carlo owned by Tim Huddleston. Last year newcomer Scott Jenkins, from Portland, OR, drove the car to several fast times at IS and finished in the top ten in driver standings in the 51 car. Chris Morgan's five-month old daughter Audrey attended the 30th race of her brief life Saturday at Manzy according to mom Allyson. Chris left his USAC Western racing official position after 2007 to run Tucson's USA Speedway, which is owned by the Sweeney family, parents of his wife, who works for Manzanita Speedway in marketing and sponsorship.

The # 17 and # 27 matching Beast/Chevy S/C blue-white & red cars are co-owned by Martin Rotondo and Steve Weirich. Team drivers Jerry Coons, Jr. won and Mat Neely came from 18th (last) to finish 6th with 17 cars still racing at Manzy's Copper on Dirt. Coons won his first S/C feature last year at the banked, half-mile clay Eldora Speedway in Ohio during the Four Crown Nationals. Neely won his only S/C feature in the same Eldora event a year earlier for the same team. Gary Taylor, from Snohomish, WA, moved to Tulsa and raced the # 5 midget and sprint cars owned by Tel-Star Communications Mike and Megan Eubanks, of Tulsa. The Triple-X chassis was built in China (a first) and was assembled by a guy in Washington. Taylor, 26, won sprint car heat 5 by half a lap, the largest victory margin of the ten heat races run Saturday afternoon. He came up to lap a pair of dueling cars on the final lap and wisely backed off a bit. Taylor had the unique distinction of flipping both of his Eubanks rides-in midget heat 5 and in the sprint car A-main.

COMEBACK: Aaron Fike, 25, lost his promising NASCAR truck series career last season because of his reported involvement with illegal narcotics. He was in the top ten in truck points at the time. Banned by NASCAR, Aaron returned to his USAC open-wheel roots in Manzy's Copper on Dirt. The Galesburg, IL driver raced his dad's # 91 S/C car and # 32 midget. His older brother A. J. did not compete at Manzy. RFMS has been the Fike team entrant name for many years. Don Fike jokes that it stands for Run Fast My Sons. It actually stands for Residential Facilities Management Systems. Aaron finished 9th in the midget 25-lap main and 12th in the 50-lap S/C race. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. drove the # 69 RFMS Spike/Esslinger midget at Manzy, but the team scratched it from heat 3 with an oil filter problem. Ricky raced it in the B-main, but he dropped out four laps from the finish while in 4th place, the final transfer position to the A-main. Stenhouse was fresh from his first ARCA 200 a weekend earlier at Daytona
Beach, FL. He was 6th fastest qualifier in his first appearance on the high-banked 2.5-mile track. He had to start last after a practice crash and was back up to fifth place on lap 55 when his car was eliminated after another driver triggered a multi-car crash.

S/C ROOKIES: Two drivers made their first S/C starts ever on Feb. 16 at Manzy. Arizonan "big" Jay Ervine, son of former sprint car driver Al Ervine, drove Jerry Pritchett's # 42 Stewart/Chevy. He started 16th and finished 15th, down two laps, for a $550 payday and enjoyed his new experience. Damion Gardner, the 2005 CRA sprint car champion and Tulsa Chili Bowl 2008 champion, made his S/C debut in the # 28 Ken Pierson DCR/Chevy raced last year by Tim Barber, of San Francisco, who has moved to a formula car road racing opportunity reportedly. Damion started 15th and finished 14th, down one lap, for a $600 payday. Damion had some interesting comments after his first S/C feature. "The Silver Crown car drives like an Aerobus motor-coach versus the sprint car F-16 fighter." Gardner also got the ride in a midget late entry, the # 88 Dallen McKenney TCR/Gowens Mopar out of Clovis, CA. He was a DNF in the C-main.

Dennis Wood was Manzy's general manager when he originated the idea to host a USAC midget, sprint and S/C triple-header at Manzy under then track owners Joe & Millie Kimbro. Dennis was pistol-whipped and robbed of thousands of dollars in track revenue not yet deposited last year when he returned to his home following Saturday night Copper on Dirt racing. Arizonans said the assault was not reported in the daily paper and the case is still under investigation by police. That incident might have been a contributing cause in the Kimbros (husband/wife track owners) selling Manzy to the Martins and for Dennis' absence from Manzy much of last year. Dennis was not present this year for the Copper on Dirt, which got my vote as the best new racing event of 2007. The 2nd Copper on Dirt again honored the memories and achievements of late Arizona drivers Roger McCluskey and Gene Brown. A one-page tribute in the $5.00 color cover, 24-page special Manzy program, was devoted to both popular drivers.

USAC S/C 2006-07 champion Bud Kaeding, 29, had his BK Racing DRC S/C car at Manzy's Copper on Dirt. He also drove NHRA drag racer Cruz Pedregon's Spike/Toyota that Josh Wise raced last season. Veteran open-wheel crew chief Larry Trigueiro, from central California, is heading the Pedregon midget team. Dad Brent Kaeding, a 2008 NSCHofF inductee, was in the pits to watch son Bud race. Brother Tim Kaeding, 30, is one and a half year older than Bud. Nathan High, a 31-year old Glendale, AZ resident, was thrilled by his 10th place in the 2008 Chili Bowl Saturday A-main in only his second attempt at the Tulsa midget classic. "My first time I only made the Saturday E-main," he said. At Manzy four-time AMRA 2007 winner High drove the same # 12jr Robbie Allen Spike/Esslinger Ford. He also raced the equally flourescent red-orange # 12 Robbie Allen DRC/Gaerte sprint car.

Diminutive midget/sprint driver Cole Whitt, 16, is a fast-rising open-wheel driver with NASCAR his goal. He is now racing Bullet midget and sprint house cars for owner Keith Kunz with Red Bull sponsorship. Red-haired Cole is a first cousin of 23-year old NASCAR truck racer Brandon Whitt of San Diego. Brandon has one NCTS victory at Loudon, N.H in the # 1 truck. He had a sub-ride last season and is available for a full-time assignment. Joe Devin, of Devin Race Cars, was present and his IRL Indy Car mechanical wizard dad Mike was expected in Manzy's pits. Bill Carey, from USAC HQ, was in the press box as chief steward for the S/C and midget races. Steve Ostling was present as chief steward for the CRA sprint series. USAC execs Greg Staab and Tommy Hunt were there as well. Rob Klepper assisted track announcer Windy McDonald on announcing lineups. Dick Jordan and CRA's Robert Mayson handled media info in the crowded press box. Dick Hindman, from CA, and Barbara Hellyer, from IN, handled all the AMB
electronic timing/scoring duties.

ROOKIES: (MIDGETS)-Jordan Weaver, 16 year old female 600-cc mini sprint grad from Wichita, KS, drove one of two A. J. Felker's cars in her first trip west as a teammate of Casey Shuman. Ford Focus midget grads Nic Faas, 18, and Paul Zimmerly, 20, were teammates in the # 40 and # 60 Western Speed Racing team Spikes. Robby Josett, 16-year old from Agua Dulce, was the 2006 VRA Junior FF Midget champion and a three-time FF Midget feature winner as a 2007 USAC rookie. Justin Grant, 17, won the 2007 BCRA midget championship. Steve Sussex, Jr., is a Tempe, AZ resident and 16-year old son of retired AZ midget driver Steve Sussex. Steve, Jr. raced one of Michael Burkhart's # 21Spike/Esslinger Fords. Tanner Swanson, 16 year old 2007 USAC No. Carolina FF Midget champion, is the younger brother of Steve Lewis Team Nine driver Kody Swanson. Chad Boat, 16, is the son of Indy 500 veteran Billy Boat who owns his son's # 30 midget and sprint cars. Hunter Scheurenberg, an 18-year old Sikeston, MO citizen, drove Jack Yeley's midget and sprint cars. Michael Faccinto, 16, drove the midget owned by NHRA drag racer Gary Scelzi. (SPRINTS)-Newcomers included Kenny Perkins, 16, Jonas Reynolds, 26, Indiana's Dakoda Armstrong, 16, and fourth generation driver Faas, 18, in his father's Maxim/Chevy.

The Arizona Republic daily newspaper did not have a sports reporter in the press box at Manzy for the Copper on Dirt. Space for motor sports coverage in the paper that weekend pretty much was devoted to NASCAR coverage by AP writers at Daytona Beach. Reporter Jim Giantonio covered auto racing in the Republic in the past. He now has the NHL hockey beat so local coverage of auto racing again takes a back seat to stick and ball (and puck) coverage. Mark Armijo, the Republic's excellent auto racing reporter for years, has moved on to another assignment with the paper. Information about the postponement of Manzy's Friday racing because of rain to Saturday at noon was not printed in Saturday's paper despite the early 8:00 p.m Friday postponement. Manzy staff informed the newspaper in time to get the postponement news into print, which could have helped put many more spectators in the grandstands Saturday afternoon. The Friday Republic sports section at the top of page 14 ran a two column 14 inch, 11 paragraph story (by a track source) under the headline "Stenhouse set to defend title." It told about Copper on Dirt 2007double main event winner Stenhouse trying for victories Friday and Saturday. The Monday Republic had a three-column, 7 inch, 7 paragraph story at the bottom of sports page 7 (by a track source) under the headline "Hagen, Coons top full day of Copper on Dirt races." It recapped all three divisions Copper on Dirt Saturday racing results.

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