New Mexico Motorsports Report May 2022

C OV I D W I L L N OT S TO P U S ! • N A S C A R

FRE

E!

NEW MEXICO

MAY 2022

VOL #7 ISSUE #2

‘69 o r a m Ca “Rouge” RS/LS9

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Invade Vado Speedway Park

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341 Eubank NE Albuquerque, NM 505-293-9190

Publisher: RaDine William Media Editor: David Swope & Spencer Hill

MAY 2022 VOLUME 7 ISSUE 02

Design & Layout: David Lansa & Spencer Hill Writers: Dominic Aragon Jonathan Fjeld John Haverlin Ron Carver Spencer Hill

50 YEAR LOVE AFFAIR

By Ron Carver

Photographers: David Swope Dominic Aragon Getty Images (NASCARMedia) Sara Pennington, Cherry Bomb Photography Scott Welch Motorsports Photojournalist Spencer Hill WHM Photography

WORLD OF OUTLAWSVADO SPEEDWAY PARK Story by Spencer Hill

JR. DRAGSTERS

Plus!

Formula 1’s Miami Grand Prix Hot Rod’s for Hunger

By NMMSR, Paul Fields

Cover photo: “Rouge” 1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS Owner, Ron Carver Photo, Scott Welch Motorsports Photojournalist

Every race matters in NASCAR

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50 Year Love A with my 1969 Camaro Ron Carver’s “Rouge” 1969 RS/LS9 Camaro Story by: Ron Carver Images by: Scott Welch, Motor Sports Photojournalist

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Affair T

he love affair started one day when I drove into the employee parking lot of a department store I worked at during my junior year at Holy Cross High School, New Orleans, La. I spotted the most beautiful Silver with a Black Vinyl Top 1969 RS Camaro. It was love at first sight. I knew the owner must be an employee, so I immediately set out to find that person in the store. After asking around, I found the owner, a young girl just a few years older than myself. I begged her to give me first shot if she ever decided to sell the car. Well, about a year later, and four days before my senior prom, I was able to buy the car. On May 17th, 1972, I drove my new ’69 RS Camaro to my High School graduation.

I drove the car throughout my college years, including the courtship of my now wife of 41 years. I eventually retired the Camaro around 1983 after accumulating over 250K miles and a few bumps and bruises to her body. I stored the Camaro in my mother-in-law’s garage and then outside under a car cover with hopes of someday personally restoring my dream car to her original beauty. Work, life and four kids had different ideas, so the car sat untouched and suffering from the elements for many years.

In the early 2000’s I finally came to the realization that I was never going to have the time, talent, or energy to restore my dream car to the level I desired. So, I made the tough decision to seek a NMMotorSportsReport.com 5

professional to handle the restoration for me. That professional was Robbie Lawless of Lawless Automotive Customs.

Slidell, La. I was already a big admirer of Robbie’s work and knew he could accomplish what I had hoped to do myself.

And accomplish he did, exceeding my loftiest expectations.

The complete restoration took about 10 years and a lot of back-and-forth discussion on what to do at each step of the process. I was Robbie’s biggest challenge because I had a tough time making decisions. Fortunately, Robbie was patient with me and was awesome with his guidance. The car was finally complete in early 2012 and we named her Rouge. The name Rouge was taken from Baton Rouge, the city where I attended college and met my wife.

Rouge started on the car show circuit shortly after restoration work was done, mostly in the deep South. The big show for Rouge took place in the fall of 2012 at SEMA in Las Vegas NV. While on display at the show, Chip Foose saw the car and had high praise for the work Robbie did restoring Rouge. He put his signature autograph and drawing of the Camaro on the dust cover of the Super Charged LS9 engine. Having Chip Foose’ hallmark autograph on the dust cover is a testament to the incredible work Robbie Lawless and Lawless Automotive Customs did for my precious Hot Rod. Rouge and I will make the full circle on Saturday May 21, 2022, when I drive her back to Holy Cross High School to celebrate my 50th High School Reunion and receive my Golden Diploma. I’ve looked forward to that day for a long time with plans to have Rouge in pristine shape for the big event. It’s been a great ride and I foresee many more years with Rouge.

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NMMotorSportsReport.com 7

The Greatest Show ON DIRT INVADES

Vado Speedway Park

By Spencer Hill, Photos by Spencer Hill, WHM Photography & Trent Gower/World of Outlaws

A

fter a fourteen-year absence, the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series invaded the Land of Enchantment on March 29th. It was a unique opportunity for open wheel fans of New Mexico and southwest Texas to witness the world-renowned winged sprint car series for the first time at the newly built Vado Speedway Park, just minutes away from Las Cruces and El Paso.

The last time the Outlaws made a trip to New Mexico, it was Donny Schatz who took the win at the now extinct Hollywood Hills Speedway.

Although so much has changed since 2008, much has stayed the same as many eyes were on the ten-time champion to make a big splash at the series debut at Vado.

High wind gusts and stormy weather pushed the start back for the evening, but the fans stuck it out in the elements and were rewarded with quite the show. All but three drivers broke the track record in qualifying with James McFadden going quick time with a lap time of 12.215 seconds, the fastest recorded lap ever at Vado Speedway Park.

After qualifying wrapped up, drivers hit the track for three qualifying heat races with the top two from each heat transferring on to the DIRTvision Fast Pass Dash to set the starting lineup for the main event. Heat 1 saw McFadden picking up the win, followed by Jacob Allen and David Gravel. Heat 2 went to the driver of the Tony Stewart Racing No. 15 as Donny Schatz crossed the line first with Sheldon Haudenschild and Spencer Bayston in tow. Finally, heat 3 would 8 NMMotorSportsReport.com

see California’s Cory Eliason take the win over defending champion Brad Sweet and Carson Macedo.

Thanks to his DIRTvision Fast Pass Dash win, Brad Sweet had the honor of firing the field off for 30 fast laps around the Vado Speedway Park for the A-Feature. Prior to this event, Sweet’s last victory came during Labor Day of 2021 and the driver of the KKR No. 49 was more than determined to snap his dry spell in the desert. Just one caution would stop the action during the feature on the opening lap, after Noah Gass slapped the wall and came to a stop on the topside of turn two. After the restart, it was a two-man show up front with Sweet fending off huge slide job attempts in lap traffic from the NOS Energy Drink No. 17, driven by Sheldon Haudenschild.

When the dust settled after 30 laps, it would be Grass Valley, California’s Brad Sweet snapping his winless streak at the world class facility in southern New Mexico, with Sheldon Haudenschild, Donny Schatz, James McFadden, and David Gravel rounding out the top five.

“Royal Jones has done a great job here,” explained Sweet. “It’s an unbelievable facility. You’ve got suites, bathrooms, great concessions and a safe, great place to race here. Hopefully he can build an event around this place, it seems like the fans really came out and supported the racetrack even with the weather being a little off. I feel

bad for them. On a Tuesday night plus, they get the cold and the wind, it stinks as a promoter, but I still think a lot of people came and supported and had fun. I think there is a lot of potential here.”

For more information about Vado Speedway Park and a full schedule of their upcoming events, log on to

www.VadoSpeedwayPark.com

NMMotorSportsReport.com 9

COVID will not stop us!

By David Swope

T

he world changed with the COVID outbreak. The streets were empty and a lot of us confined to our garages. Working from home became the new normal, in a lot of case. After the initial shock, most of us were looking for some normalcy. For most of us, looking at cars, attending car shows and connecting with car friends seemed to be lost. What the heck is zoom?

In April of 2020, the reminder feature on my phone popped-up a notification of a car show we were doing at Cocina Azul. I was thinking, man I wish I was at a car show and not sitting here with nothing to do.

I had recently heard about this think called zoom and thought, can we do a car show on zoom? Why not?

My buddy, Andres Trujillo, always has good ideas so he was my first call. His suggestion was Facebook LIVE instead of zoom. What the heck, how bad could it be considering that Spencer Hill, RJ Lees and I started racing marbles just to entertain ourselves which eventually wound up on Facebook? Desperate, maybe – bored, definitely. But no racing on TV, what are we going to do?

We reached out to a couple of local car clubs and asked them to send us a one-minute videos of their cars. Guess what? Most of them had videos on their phone. Cocina Azul put up some gift cards and we were on our way. We did a couple of those shows but wanted more.

Cinco de Mayo came around and our annual show at the Barley Room was on the schedule. Robert Shay and I had been doing this show for six years and wanted to make it seven! Let’s try this by inviting people who have shown at that show in the past and see if they were up to it.

Yes sir, we got ten people to send us video.

Feeling that we are on to something, Andres, Spencer, RJ and myself thought why not create something new – a car show on-line. We found several car shows on-line but thought we could do it better. The Couch Potato Car Show was born.

Other on-line car shows had cars but three of us were former announcers, two of us had hosted weekly radio shows and nobody lacked in something to say which was greatly missing on the shows we found on-line. Our moto has always been confidence over intelligence.

The Couch Potato Car Show was going to be our version of the on-line car show. With cool cars from all over the world and interaction on Facebook via the comment line, we were going to do it our way. I get the cars, Spencer produces the trivia questions and random facts, RJ shares the show with car themed Facebook pages and Andres makes the whole thing work. We have added Dan Watkins and Casey James to fill in with interaction.

The show know has a studio home in Albuquerque, but we can go remote. We did do one show from the Street Rod Nationals as well 10 NMMotorSportsReport.com

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as the Unser Museum, the Evolution of Wheels Museum and Yearwood Performance. We have done the show from a garage at both McKinney Motor Company and Hal Burns Racing (Hal Burns Truck and Equipment). We even did one from the Owl Café, home of the Award-Winning Green Chile Cheeseburger – yes we all had one!

April’s Couch Potato Car Show had 10 fantastic cars from Bakersfield, CA to South Plainfield, NJ. Cars (and Trucks) from a 1927 Roadster to 1988 1500 Chevrolet Pro Street and nicknames “Lumpy” and “Beemer,” basically, a little of everything. The gallery was posted on Facebook and the winning vehicle based on likes & shares was David “Beemer” Norris and his Willys Jeep.

The custom 1965 Willys Jeep in electric green out of Flint, Michigan was a showstopper. We found the incredible ride on Hot Rides – Hot Rods group on Facebook. The Jeep features a 468 Big Block that is supercharged. Power is transferred via the 350-turbo automatic and a 410 posi. New interior and carpet deck out the interior. The new custom drag pipes make it the Mail Truck your Dad always wanted. Beemer (nickname from the 1968 BMW motorcycle he rode around) has built 39 cars out of his garage in the last 5 years.

Go to @couchpotatocarshow on Facebook and check out all 18 shows that we have done including the galleries so you can see all the cars. If you want to enter a car, visit couchpotatocarshow.com. There will be instructions to upload your video and register for an upcoming show.

NMMotorSportsReport.com 11

FORMULA 1’S MIAMI GRAND PRIX TO MAKE ANTICIPATED DEBUT ON MAY 8

Article by John Haverlin, TheCircuitJournal.com It was four years in the making, and it overcame multiple obstacles throughout the planning process, but at last, the highly anticipated Miami Grand Prix will be held on the streets of South Beach from May 6-8.

in the city. It hadn't yet been made official.

The temporary circuit, named the Miami International Autodrome, is built around the Hard Rock Stadium, which is home to the Miami Dolphins football team. The track will not use any public roads, and all the of the infrastructure being used is on Hard Rock’s property.

Lewis Hamilton is a proponent of the Miami Grand Prix as well. He says the passionate fanbase of the city, which regularly follows the NBA and the NFL when racecars aren't present, is crucial in making the event a success. And with American interest in F1 skyrocketing as a result of the popular “Drive to Survive” Netflix series the last few years, tickets to the inaugural event are comparable in price to that of a Super Bowl.

Dolphins’ principle owner Stephen Ross has worked with city officials and Formula 1 to organize and promote the event from the start. Despite the best efforts of local protesters, who said the Grand Prix would create noise pollution of up to 97 decibels within a 2.5mile radius of the stadium, the race got the green light -- eventually.

Initially, the proposal for a street race in Miami was introduced to Miami-Dade County officials in 2018, and the plan sought approval for it to transpire in 2019. Ultimately, development plans were delayed as F1 did not want to approve a “sub-optimal race track” and felt that improving the layout, which was tinkered with several dozen times, to create the best possible on-track product was a priority.

Plans to bring F1 to South Florida once again halted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The racing league, just like every other professional sporting league around the world, had to adjust its schedule and travel protocols to ensure the health and safety of the individuals in the industry. F1 never came to North America in 2020.

Finally, on Sept. 23, 2021, F1 confirmed the Miami race’s date to be in May 2022. The track received its name, and the U.S. got its second date on the calendar.

“We’ve worked hard to create a track with great racing and a venue with unparalleled fan experiences,” Tom Garfinkel, the Miami Grand Prix’s Managing Partner, told F1.com. “There has been tremendous enthusiasm and anticipation for this event, and we’re happy to be able to announce the date so that people can start planning for it.”

When the New Mexico Motorsports Report covered the 2019 U.S. Grand Prix, we asked Carlos Sainz Jr. about the prospect of racing 12 NMMotorSportsReport.com

“I would (have interest),” Sainz told NMMR. “I like Miami. I’ve been there before. I enjoy it, so I would be open to racing in Miami.”

“America is naturally such a big place, and it always felt like we needed at least two races, if not more, there,” Hamilton said last fall.

“When it comes on the calendar, it’s going to be a favorite spot for everyone.

The track will be 3.36 miles, run counterclockwise, and feature 19 turns. The start-finish line and pits will be along the northeast side of the stadium, and the race will be 57 laps.

Charles Leclerc has jumped out to an early lead in the championship.

Ferrari has winning pace again, and the Italian squad’s greatest threat has been the Red Bull team. Mercedes haven’t had the speed that fans have been accustomed to over the last decade, but George Russell is second in the standings and looking to prove he can be as good as Hamilton, the seven-time world champion.

In an 11-year span, the U.S. went from hosting no F1 events to hosting two. And both Circuit of The Americas and the Miami Autodrome are as hot a ticket as anything in the country. For the 2021 U.S. race at COTA in Austin, Texas, the entire three-day weekend crowd was estimated at 400,000 spectators -- a record attendance.

Undoubtedly, the Miami venue will sell out, and admission will be in the thousands of dollars per person.

F1 has never been more popular in the country. So if you can't make it to the race because of the price or distance from home, you can watch the 20 best drivers on the planet tackle the streets of Miami on Sunday, May 8, on ABC at 3:30 P.M. ET.

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Albuquerque Junior Dragster League

Copy by NMMSR Staff & Paul Fields / Photos by Paul Fields and Sara Pennington, Cherry Bomb Photoworks

T

he junior dragster program is designed to allow kids as young as 5 years old up to age 17, the opportunity to race against their peers in half scale replicas of the big show fuel cars you see on TV. Starting out at age 5, kids can make single runs with no car in the other lane while getting more acclimated with racing. They move into the novice class where they can start running against other kids. 8-9 year olds can run 11.90 or slower, the intermediate class can run 8.90s and the

14 NMMotorSportsReport.com

advanced class can run 7.90 at almost 85 mph in the 1/8 mile.

“My kids both run jr’s along with my niece,” said Paul Fields. “Cars can be picked up for fairly cheap, around 2500 for a turnkey older model car. When looking for a car, consider how big the car is vs how big your kid is. The cage size will determine if you kid fits, a 20” or bigger cage is a good place to start,” Paul explained A great place for information about the

division is your local track. Go out and talk to the parents and the kids. The junior community is very helpful and there are plenty of parents who are willing to point you in the right direction.

A list of upcoming events car be found on the Albuquerque Junior Dragster League Facebook page and at ABQDragway.com.

The 2022 season has already started at Albuquerque Dragway with 20 Jrs already making passes. There is a three-way tie at

the top of the points with Juan Moreno Jr (#783), Nicole Dickson (#7505) and Mason Tuck (#18x) all having 525 points.

Nicole Dickson is the 2021 defending division champion. “With both parents coming from a racing background, you could say that racing

is in her blood. While she started racing at 8 years old, she took some time off to pursue other interests before coming back. Nicole finished up 2021 with a very impressive 9 round winning streak, winning both the Queen of the Track and the final race claiming the championship.” ABQDragway.com.

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NMMotorSportsReport.com 17

Hot Rods for Hunger

Car Show May 22, 2022 to Benefit the Storehouse New Mexico Food Pantry Hunger is an ongoing struggle in New Mexico where 1 in 4 children is going hungry. To help, Mopar Most Wanted, Bell’s Brewery, and Premier Distributing are hosting Hot Rods for Hunger to benefit the Storehouse New Mexico food pantry. The event will be Sunday, May 22, 2022 at Albertsons Market at Candelaria and Eubank in Albuquerque (2801 Eubank Blvd NE). Organizer Ashlee Laughlin of Mopar Most Wanted said, “Mopar Most Wanted has a passion for bringing the car community together in a positive way. We love working with the Storehouse because of the positive impact they have on hunger.”

The event starts May 22, 2022, with a Poker Run (8-11 am) where participants will draw cards at five stops around Albuquerque trying to get a good poker hand to win cash prizes. The car show (11 am to 2 pm) will include food trucks, entertainment, and up to 250 of the region’s amazing cars. Awards will be given for best vintage, Mopar, corvette, truck, and more. The Poker Run or Car Show registration are $20 in advance ($25 the day of the event).

Combo registration (both the Poker Run and Car Show) is the best value at $30 ($40 the day of the event).

Hot Rods for Hunger will also include an after party hosted by Bell’s Brewery and Premier Distributing at O’Neill’s Heights.

These sponsors are matching the first $5,200 dollars raised through the car show, doubling the impact for the food pantry.

Brian Hart of Bell’s Brewery said, “Bell’s Brewery is happy to be involved with this year’s Hot Rods for Hunger. Not only will it be an amazing car show and poker run, the after party will be the kickoff to the Bell’s Brewery ‘Feeding Our Backyard’ campaign that will help feed local families this summer.”

The Storehouse is one of New Mexico’s largest food pantries, providing free groceries to 40,000 people annually. Nathan Sanchez, Board Chair for the Storehouse, said, “Hot Rods for Hunger came about because I wanted to combine my two passions, hot cars and feeding people. The car community is always willing to donate their time to help the community and I wanted to raise awareness about the Storehouse.” The food pantry relies on donations. Every dollar raised will provide 5 meals for people in need.

For more information or to register your car visit www.hotrodshunger.org.

18 NMMotorSportsReport.com

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Moriarty

20 NMMotorSportsReport.com

M

oriarty MX is the largest motocross compound in New Mexico. It is currently home to, two full sized motocross tracks, the Main MX and TLC MX, the DKD Electric Mini Track, and the MMX Pro Supercross Track. Located at 38 Martin Road in Moriarty, New Mexico, we take pride in being able to provide our riders with a safe, top-notch facility, to practice their overall riding and racing skills on.

MORIARTY MX 2022 SCHEDULE

New ownership breathed life back into the track in July of 2015.

Owner, Che Mallery, who has over 30 years of heavy equipment operating experience, and is also a local Pro Motocross rider and racer, creates all of the track designs, and prepares the tracks for each of their scheduled events.

Moriarty MX is the main coordinator of the New Mexico State Championship, which is seven rounds of racing, at three separate tracks in New Mexico. The seventh and final round of this series, will be held on the newly rebuilt, TLC MX Track, which has been fully sponsored by TLC Plumbing Heating and Cooling, LLC., for the past two years. Rebuilds have mostly been funded by our riders through a donation process. All that donate to the build, are invited to attend a special premiere practice day, which gives them the opportunity to ride the new layout first. We are extremely grateful to all of our riders, and also to the community, for showing their support when it is needed most.

The track also runs its own series each year, from March through October. The 2022 series is called the “Lucky 13 Race Series”, and takes place on all three motocross tracks, which is sometimes weather dependent. The track is fully staffed with an amazing crew of tenured EMS staff and flagging staff, along with a tower watch.

All events are organized and conducted with safety first practices in mind, not just for riders, but for spectators, as well.

The DKD Electric Mini Track is a beginner track for 50CC/65CC riders, along with STACYC, Pit Bike, and Mini Quads. The mini track runs simultaneously with the Main and TLC MX Tracks, for both practice and race days. Riders compete against each other on all tracks, to earn points to qualify for the end of series award ceremony and banquet.

All information about Moriarty MX, can be found on our Facebook and Instagram pages. This includes upcoming events, rules, and sign-up information. Moriarty MX is located on private property, but it is open to the public for all scheduled events only. Spectators are encouraged and welcomed. Concessions are provided on a regular basis, for the past 7 years, by Yvonne Buelna-Marrs, manager of the Twisted Throttle Café.

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@Aztec.Speedway 22 NMMotorSportsReport.com

Every race matters in

E

NASCAR

By Jonathan Fjeld TheRacingExperts.com

very race matters in NASCAR – or so it especially does now with the current iteration of the elimination playoff format.

When the first iteration of the elimination format was introduced in 2014, the premise was simple – win and you’re in – as the only bonuses given out for playoff seeding were three points for every win in the regular season. However, the bonuses were only valid in the first round of the playoffs – not during the Round of 12 or Round of 8. Every race mattered as drivers needed to perform their best each week to advance in the playoffs but any previous successes were not rewarded with points.

This flaw in the system shut the highest-placed winningest driver in the regular season and the regular-season champion out of championship contention at the finale three years in a row – Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon in 2014, Jimmie Johnson and Kevin Harvick in 2015 – and Brad Keselowski and Kevin Harvick in 2016.

24 NMMotorSportsReport.com

When stages and the playoff bonuses were overhauled to award one playoff point for every stage win, five playoff points for every race win and playoff points for the top 10 in regular-season points (15 – 1st, 10 – 2nd, 8 – 3rd…1 – 10th), those points also carried over into each round beside the championship round. With this format, every race matters as drivers are rewarded for their regular-season performance but they can still be eliminated if they don’t continue to run well enough (e.g., Kevin Harvick in 2020, Kyle Larson in 2017).

Still, critics argue the regular season doesn’t matter enough toward the championship.

Throughout the season, tracking the presumptive playoff seeding helps us understand who the favorites are even as the competitive landscape is a murky sea of championship newcomers (Ross Chastain, William Byron), lingering young favorites (Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney) and veterans (Kyle

Busch, Joey Logano). They are the drivers whose moves can be tracked throughout the season until they arrive at Phoenix as a Championship Four driver or leave Martinsville wishing they were going to Phoenix in that position.

Furthermore, as the bubble battle heats up throughout the season, it can be exciting to monitor who’s in and who’s not – and what drivers may play spoiler in the playoffs. For example, a driver who has several stage wins, but is on the bubble, may miss the playoffs and create new scenarios for

the playoff drivers. For the playoff drivers, we can also track how much of an advantage they will have to start each round, what they need to do in those rounds and, most importantly, how their moves throughout the season may impact whether or not they move on in the playoffs.

NMMotorSportsReport.com 25

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Superior Control. Packed With Technology. Conquer Any Terrain. Superior Confidence. – RZR.Polaris.com

The explosion of the ATV & UTV market in the United States has been amazing in the last few years. Originally designed as a Utility Work Vehicle (UTV) and its companion the All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV), the motorized vehicle in this segment of the market found a home with enthusiasts wanting more than the basic three- and four-wheel experience they were getting.

The aftermarket accessories available was not just limited to motorcycle shops but can be custom ordered from the factory. The RZR also created racing divisions at local tracks around the country.

On Saturday April 23, 2022, at a place called RZR-Ville there was a “take a veteran off-roading event.” The gathering started at 8am and several off-road vehicles showed up, honored to give rides to veterans.

RZR-Ville is located at the west end of Southern Blvd in Rio Rancho. All off-road and side-by-side vehicles were welcome. It is an off-road destination and event center with weekly off-road rides on the many trails originating from the facility. Over 30 off-road and side-by-side vehicles showed up and all veterans got a ride.

Veteran Ron Roberts was there for a ride, but he brought out a few Military Vehicles that greeted you when you arrive at the property. Ron belongs to a Military Vehicle

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By David Swope

Preservation organization that he refers to as a club. “We buy and sell and play with stuff like that,” Ron said. One of the Jeeps Ron explained was a “1953 Marine Jeep originally issued at Kirtland Airforce Base. It came up for sale and I had to buyer it. It is 24-volt system, 4-cycliner but it will run 60 mph. I finally added a back seat and a radio.”

Unfortunately, the Jeep is not pictured here nor was the 1986 Communication Vehicle M1009 or Commercial Utility Cargo Vehicle (GMC Blazer to civilians, CutVee to military personnel) but I did get pictures of the Personnel Carriers on sight. There was a discussion between veterans: Ron, Butch and Bo as to whether they were 107s or 109s.

“Basically, they are rolling workshops and numbered by job description,” explained Butch.

The morning started with donuts provided by Glazed Grinders and lunch was provided by Joe’s Pasta House.

Several sponsors made this happen including Rio Rancho Tire, SMR, Albuquerque 4 x 4, Rio Rancho Off-Road and the Veteran Wellness Center. Outlaw Desert Racing was there and MC, Drew Garcia kept the event organized and entertained. Media sponsors included RZRForums.net, ESPN Radio and New Mexico Motor Events. Manufacture supporters included Bobby J’s Yamaha, Rosedale Motorsports and R & S Powersports. Additional support was provided by Café Bella, Albuquerque Ink & Tattoo and Archuleta Restoration.

Make sure to follow RZR-Ville on Facebook or contact Frank Keane at 505-306-8623 for more events and additional information.

NMMotorSportsReport.com 29

Dan Watkins / Producer, David Swope / Host, Spencer Hill / Co-Host, JR Lees / Producer.

The New Mexico MotorSports Report T he New Mexico Motor Sports Report (NMMSR) started its 10th season in February of this year on ESPN Radio 101.7FM The TEAM. It is hard to believe that we have done 475 shows with only a couple of them being “best of shows” for a holiday break. I can only think of once, maybe twice that we unable to broadcast. Even during COVID, we did not miss a show. The NMMSR is available via podcast on our website, nmmotorsportsreport.com, typically by the day following its airing.

The mission of the NMMSR is to get the word out about events around the state but mainly in the greater Albuquerque area, including Rio Rancho that relate to motorsports. As our show starts every Saturday morning at 8am Mtn., whether it has two wheels or four, asphalt or dirt track racing, off-road or park and shine, we will be talking about it. We combine content from an event calendar, national and local promoters, media, participants and fans.

It is always exciting to see where we will go with only four segments and approximately 44 minutes on content.

The NMMSR would not existing if it were not for the support of ESPN Radio’s president, Joe O’Neill, and his vision of providing local programing combined with the National lineup available with the affiliation with ESPN. Day one sponsors of Yearwood Performance and Jim Costa and Albuquerque Dragway and Jim’s brother Robert Costa

By David Swope

always seem up to whatever we need to succeed. We have had several sponsors that have supported the efforts of NMMSR over the years with financial resources, content, access and all forms of support including the Unser Racing Museum.

Broadcasting a radio show is closer to racing than you think.

It requires a vision, a plan, focus and execution. I learned very quickly that you must be prepared for anything to happen. One time during the first couple of months of doing the show our computer went down and Christian Naranjo had to reboot the computer. I got the hand sign from him to stretch the segment. I can still picture him pulling his hands out from touching each other outward, like stretching a string between his fingers. I literally read the points standing from all the divisions of NASCAR I could find in my notes to not allow silence on the radio, we couldn’t even run commercials. Since that day, I have enough content for two shows because you never know.

The NMMSR radio show is produced by volunteers. It has included interns and a paid ESPN producer but over time it has evolved to volunteers. Our current producer is Dan Watkins who replaced “Superstar” Kelly Watson who had produced more shows than our first, fulltime producer, Christian Naranjo. Current show contributor, co-host and social media producer, RJ Lees, first joined the show after interviewing me for an article he was writing for a college

paper. He showed up the following week at the station and has never left.

The radio show has had a few fill-in hosts including Dominic Aragon (theracingexperts.com) and Spencer Hill who is now my “partner in crime” with all the projects we are involved in promoting motorsports events. Jim Costa even got into the act when I would up in the hospital, unfortunately more than once. Jim is always up for a challenge. Steve Haydu and Gene Grant are a couple of other friends of the show that have filled in. Our intern, Brooklyn Green, once filled in with an all-female guests show. It is exciting to see what we might do next.

Our goal has always to be entertaining and informative even on days that included announcements of the passing of Al Sr and Bobby Unser. We were lucky enough to have had both on the show over the years. It would be impossible to list all the guests we have had or what my favorite show has been.

My favorite interview so far has been with Al Unser Jr. Since I was a kid, Jr was the local hero that I wanted to be like.

He came to Triple T, the go-kart track once on west Central, shortly after winning the Formula Vee championship and all the racers were in awe. Maybe Robbie wasn’t impressed but most of us were.

The question I always wanted to ask him was about giving Emerson Fititpaldi the “thumb-up” and not the “bird” after contact during the 1989 Indianapolis 500. Jr just shock his head and said, “well Dave, I wanted to but I had a moment of clarity, maybe divine intervention,” during the interview.

My goal now is to get the other side of the story.

While reporting from Bristol, Tennessee, for the show, I granted an interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr and in Austin, Texas, caught up with Sebastian Vettel. It has been a great ride so far. NMMSR correspondent and Editor for thecircuitjournal.com, John Haverlin, has contributed to the show and website with content & stories including Fernando Alanso.

We invite you to tune-in every Saturday morning at 8am Mtn on ESPN Radio 101.7FM in the greater Albuquerque area. The show is also available LIVE on the ESPN Radio Albuquerque App, @ globalmotorsportsreport on Facebook and via podcast on nmmotorsportsreport.com. You are also reading our publication here.

Please let up know what you are up to and coming events.

Tag us on Facebook @nmmsr Email: nmmotorsportsreport@gmail.com.