COVER PAGE CHAMPIONS 2023
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Congratulations 2023 Champions!
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CONTENTS
1/2 PAGE AD HAL BURNS TRUCK & EQUIPMENT
ALBUQUERQU 60 YEARS OF CROWNING CHAMPIONS BY SPENCER HILL Photos By Cherry Bomb Photoworks
A
lbuquerque Dragway's 60th Anniversary was by far one of the most exciting seasons yet for New Mexico’s premier drag racing facility. As the 2023 season ended on October 12th, five new champions were also crowned. The point system, meticulously designed, awarded 100 points for each round staged, with bonus points adding layers of intensity as competitors worked their way through rounds each race night. Reaching the semi-finals granted a bonus of 25 points, the runner-up earned an additional 50 points, and the ultimate victor would take home an extra 175 points.
In the Real Outlaw Drag Series (RODS), Mike Garcia stood as the 2023 champion with a stellar 356 points, clinching the title with his formidable 1968 Chevelle, equipped with a 665 Nitrous Combo. This championship, a first for Garcia, was hard-earned after years of dedication. Greg Holman, with a close 342 points, and Robert Costa, with 274 points, followed him in a thrilling chase for the newly renamed highest-speed division at the track.
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UE DRAGWAY Reyes Romero in the Love Etc. Sportsman division clinched his third consecutive title with a total of 5912 points. Mike Parish and Gabriel Montoya, with 5450 and 4250 points respectively, displayed remarkable skill and tenacity in their pursuit of glory but would fall just short as Romero would pick up his 3rd-consecutive Sportsman title.
The McKinney Motor Company Super Pro division witnessed Mitch Marcy's ascendancy to the throne with an impressive 5412 points. His closest rivals through the season, Rick Marcy and John McDaniel, amassed 5112 and 4487 points respectively, showcasing the fierce competition at the Super Pro level. In the Burn Out Bullies Pro division, Max Tafoya's relentless pursuit of excellence was rewarded with a staggering 5937 points, the most points accumulated across any of the classes. Wayne Mathews and Carlos Hernandez followed with 5275 and 4300 points, testifying to the high-caliber racing that defines Albuquerque Dragway. Max Tafoya’s season was recognized nation-wide as he also earned 6th place in IHRA’s Summit SuperSeries Mod division. This would also mark Tafoya’s 7th career class championship at the track, with five previous championships in Pro/Mod and one previously in Super Pro.
The TORCO Race Fuels Jr Dragster division was a showcase of emerging talent, with Marshall Tafoya securing the championship with 5049 points. Juan Moreno Jr, Aurelia Camarena, and last year's champion Mason Tuck, followed closely, highlighting the depth of young talent at the dragway. As for the future, Albuquerque Dragway proudly announced its continued partnership with IHRA for 2024 and beyond, under a multi-year sanctioning contract. This union promises to elevate the standards of drag racing further in Albuquerque, ensuring a bright future for the sport. Additionally, the return of the much-anticipated Funny Car Chaos event in 2024 was also announced, promising another year of breathtaking racing and unforgettable moments. Complete Season Points Available at ABQDragway.com
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CLEANING UP AT THE GAMBLER 500 Story and Photos by Drew Garcia
T
he Gambler 500 started in 2014 in Oregon with a bunch of friends racing through the mountains in cheap and impractical cars. As popularity grew and more people started to participate it shifted focus from racing and raising hell in the mountains to cleaning up trash and keeping trails clean... while raising hell in the mountains. With how fast it expanded, there were soon Gambler 500 chapters in every state. The premise is still the same: cheap impractical cars, going where they weren’t designed to go, to help keep our public lands clean. This past October marked the 7th event that has been held here in New Mexico since 2019. At this event, we focused our efforts on an off-roading area west of Rio Rancho. Although this area is not public land, it is used heavily by the public. There are multiple dump sites in the area and it continues to get worse, but with the turnout of 68 people and 43 vehicles ranging from true Gambler cars to side by sides and rock crawlers, we were able to make a small dent in the trash. We collected and filled three 40-yard dumpsters full of trash, 72 tires, and 5 abandoned vehicles. This was the largest turnout and largest trash collection for a New Mexico event to date! It couldn't have been done without the help and assistance from Frank Keane at RZR-VILLE, the Outlaw Desert Racing team and many, many others. If you wish to join in our future adventures, please feel free to join our Facebook group "Gambler 500 New Mexico" and as our motto states “Always Be Gambling”.
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2023 webe racing CLASS champions OVERALL A # Justin Herman
+30 C #45
Kevin Kramer
YAM
KTM
+40 C #416
Sean Ebright
KTM
OVERALL C #206 Thomas Spradling YAM
+50 C #368
Yancy Gore
KTM
PRO AA #11 Andrew Baird
+60 #657
William Bach
BET
C WOMEN'S #888 Louanna Vega
KAW
OVERALL B #13 Samuel Casaceli
KTM
OPEN A # Justin Herman 250 A #105
Isaiah Lamb
GG
IRON MINI #129 Chase Wylie
HUS
+30 A #658
Matt Alexander
KTM
50 CC 3-6 YRS #165 Jaxon Wilcox
KTM
+40 A #36
Patrick Chavez
HUS
50 CC 7-10 YRS # Levi Prol
+50 A #315
Chris Stevenson
KTM
50 CC OPEN # Levi Prol
OPEN B #164 Brice Cochran
KTM
65 CC 7-9 YRS #12 Jase Discoe
YAM
250 B #13
Samuel Casaceli
KTM
65 CC 10-11 YRS #815 Reese Wylie
HUS
+30 B #83
Christopher Taylor YAM
65 CC OPEN #815 Reese Wylie
HUS
+40 B #96
Aaron Renner
85 CC 7-11 YRS #141 Trever Anderson
KAW
+50 B #66
Danny Ashinhurst SCO
85 CC 12-16 YRS #129 Chase Wylie
HUS
KTM
85 CC OPEN #129 Chase Wylie
HUS
OPEN C #206 Thomas Spradling YAM
WOMEN BEGINNER #499 Annie Dyar
HUS
A/B WOMEN'S #441 Emma Dunn
250 C #523
Jack Ebright
HUS
GG
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2023 MMX SOUTHWEST "7" SHOOTOUT CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
125CC 1st - Aiden Leavengood 2nd - William Berry 3rd - Christopher Segura
#311 #99H #611
50CC (AGE 7-8) MINI 1st - Lucas Baca 2nd - Otto Massey 3rd - DJ Spikes
250 B 1st - Cody Lucky 2nd - Coleton Detmer 3rd - Dylan Mitchell
#14 #922 #530
250 BEGINNER 1st - Noah Lovato 2nd - Jude Montoya 3rd - Hayden Foy 250 C 1st - Carlos Quintana 2nd - Jonathan Filip 3rd - Blake Youngs 250 OPEN 1st - Matthew Berry 2nd - Jaydon Romero 3rd - Steven Copeland
85CC BEGINNER 1st - Chad Popchoke 2nd - Caleb Martinez 3rd - Enrique Estrada
#779 #59 #71
SCHOOLBOY 1 (12-17) 86-125 1st - Daniel Meisner #x22 2nd - William Berry #99H 3rd - Aiden Leavengood #311
50CC BEGINNER MINI 4-6 1st - Jessie Romero #199 2nd - Tate Diaz #tc50 3rd - Maverick Huff #78
85CC OPEN 1st - Cobee Serak 2nd - Uriah Lahair 3rd - Garrett Leavengood
#38 #37 #622
SCHOOLBOY 2 (12-17) 125-250 1st - Jayden Phillips #767 2nd - Jaydon Romero #629 3rd - Aiden Leavengood #311
#144 #58 #616
50CC BEGINNER MINI 7-8 1st - Carter Popchoke #7 2nd - Easton Wright #119 3rd - Dylan Craig #76
COLLEGE (AGE 18-24) 1st - Matthew Berry 2nd - Seth Mitchell 3rd - Dylan Mitchell
#12 #28 #530
SENIOR (40+) 1st - Adolph Candelario 2nd - Gilbert Garcia 3rd - Julian Martinez
#477 #88 #916
#11 #22 #906
50CC OPEN MAIN 1st - Tyler Forsberg 2nd - Reece Apodaca 3rd - Jack Baca
#27 #16 #842
GIRLS (11 AND UNDER) 1st - Brayden Abad 1st - Monroe Beniamino
#3 #160
STACYC 12E MINI 1st - Sunny Villeneuve
#1
#12 #629 #97
50CC OPEN MINI 1st - Jack Baca 2nd - DJ Spikes 3rd - Lucas Baca
#842 #10 #439
COLLEGE 50/60 OPEN MINI 1st - Aria Adkins #16 1st - Taytum Delay #777
STACYC 16E MINI 1st - Bailey Jo Franzoy 2nd - Steel Peyton 3rd - Colton Peyton
#28 #76 #712
JUNIOR (25+) 1st - Jarod Cdebaca 2nd - Tim Maes 3rd - Gerard Martinez
SUPERMINI (12-16) 1st - Cobee Serak 2nd - Uriah Lahair 3rd - Joseph Filip
#38 #37 #29
VET A/B (30+) 1st - Jesse Bolen 2nd - David Brown 3rd - Mark Dunlap
#78 #625 #303
VET C (30+) 1st - Joe Azua 2nd - Andre Cordova 3rd - Tee Stefaniak
#113 #419 #49
#439 #515 #10
#94 #312 #331
450 B 1st - Seth Mitchell 2nd - Coleton Detmer 3rd - Dylan Mitchess
#28 #922 #530
450 BEGINNER 1st - Adam Candelario 2nd - Brett Works 3rd - Mitchell Miller
#21 #39 #213
450 C 1st - Carlos Quintana 2nd - Ian Davidson 3rd - Jonathan Filip
#11 #12 #22
450 OPEN 1st - Gerard Martinez 2nd - Seth Mitchell 3rd - Steven Copeland
#331 #28 #97
50CC (AGE 4-6) MAIN 1st - Theodore Temple 2nd - Wyatt Adams 3rd - Blaise Juarez
#139 #12 #717
50CC SHAFT DRIVE PW MINI 1st - Georgie Massey #515 2nd - Christopher Dowdy #12 3rd - Tate Diaz #tc50 MASTERS (50+) 1st - Ronald Diego #613 65CC (AGE 10-11) 2nd - Andrew Urioste #2x 1st - Damien Aplin #17 3rd - David Balch #88 2nd - Colton Adams #99 3rd - Caleb Wright #118 MINI QUAD OPEN MINI T 1st - Georgie Massey #515 65CC (AGE 7-9) 1st - Carter Robinson #38 OPEN A/B 2nd - Milo Schooley #007 1st - Cody Lucky #14 3rd - Tyler Forsberg #27 OPEN BEGINNER 65CC BEGINNER MINI 1st - Noah Lovato #144 1st - Ryder Olson #13 2nd - Jace Mccutcheon #108 2nd - Jaxon Nguyen #11 3rd - Hayden Foy #616 3rd - Jack Baca #842 OPEN PRO 65CC OPEN 1st - Kevin Jackson #98 1st - Damien Aplin #17 2nd - Mason Glorioso 2nd - Colton Adams #99 #116 3rd - Caleb Wright #118 3rd - Victor Diego #613
50CC (AGE 4-6) MINI 1st - Hayden Beck 2nd - Maverick Huff 3rd - Sawyer Saulsberry
#469 #78 #722
85CC (AGE 12-16) 1st - Cobee Serak 2nd - Jordyn Marrs 3rd - Joseph Filip
#38 #21 #29
50CC (AGE 7-8) MAIN 1st - Tyler Forsberg 2nd - Reece Apodaca 3rd - Matteo Davila
#27 #16 #777
85CC (AGE 9-11) 1st - Uriah Lahair 2nd - Garrett Leavengood 3rd - Kasen Cadrain
#37 #622 #222
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PATRIOT CLASS 1st - Jesse Bolen 2nd - Blake Youngs 3rd - Victor Diego
#78 #906 #613
PIT BIKE OPEN MINI 1st - Jayce Corn 2nd - William Pope
#1 #3x
WOMENS AMATEUR (12+) 1st - Alana Canales #767 2nd - Jordyn Marrs #21 3rd - Monica Griffin #78
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2023 FINAL POINTS STANDINGS Photos by Zach Rodriguez - Studio Z Rancho Milagro USRA Modifieds 1. #J17 Jake Gallardo 2. #G17 Fito Gallardo 3. #9 Jimmy Ray 4. #24x Xavier Ortega 5. #131 Royal Jones
Las Cruces, NM Las Cruces, NM Las Cruces, NM Las Cruces, NM Las Cruces, NM
Hacienda Carpet & Tile USRA B-Mods 1322 Pts -62 -69 -109 -138
1. #07 Donavon Flores 2. #93 Greg Gorham 3. #12 Mike Rosales 4. #23H Hector Barraza 5. #44 Christy Barnett
Las Cruces, NM Las Cruces, NM Las Cruces, NM El Paso, TX El Paso, TX
1712 Pts -14 -51 -61 -127
Jake Gallardo: 7 Win, 21 Top-5s, 25 Top-10s, 32 Starts
Donavon Flores: 3 Wins, 11 Top-5s, 19 Top-10s, 34 Starts
Extreme Landscaping USRA Stock Cars
Johnstone Supply Super Trucks
1. #00 Jonathan Burton 2. #M17 Rob Moseley 3. #3J Josh Cain 4. #82 Sherman Barnett 5. #5 Shane McNutt
1. #44 Christy Barnett 2. #B52 Michael Hartman 3. #82 Sherman Barnett 4. #11 Cliff Evrage 5. #9D Jacob Dart
Las Cruces, NM Los Lunas, NM Rio Rancho, NM El Paso, TX Las Cruces, NM
1232 Pts -17 -87 -179 -219
El Paso, TX Las Cruces, NM El Paso, TX Las Cruces, NM Deming, NM
1909 Pts -238 -286 -301 -356
Jonathan Burton: 7 Wins, 17 Top-5s, 19 Top-10s, 21 Starts
Christy Barnett: 10 Wins, 18 Top-5s, 18 Top-10s, 21 Starts
Anthony Sosa Roofing Late Models
S.H. Automotive Pure Stocks
1. #3J Josh Cain 2. #5m Eric McNutt 3. #24 Shane McNutt 4. #28 Ronnie Leathem Jr 5. #004 Devan Smith
Rio Rancho, NM 1427 Pts 1. #99c Chase Ortiz Las Cruces, NM -89 2. #67 Sherrii Minks Las Cruces, NM -259 3. #20S Scott Sullivan Albuquerque, NM -359 4. #37 Ray Abbott Las Cruces, NM -408 5. #P40 Katie Seals
Josh Cain: 7 Wins, 14 Top-5s, 15 Top-10s, 15 Starts
Chase Ortiz: 1 Win, 13 Top-5s, 17 Top-10s, 22 Starts
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El Paso, TX 1854 Pts El Paso, TX -20 T or C, NM -77 La Mesa, NM -133 Bosque Farms, NM -222
POWRi 360 Wing Sprint Car Desert Series
POWRi Jackson Compaction 305 Winged
1. #42 Caleb Saiz 2. #18 Lorne Wofford 3. #45x Don Grable 4. #1 Dylan Harris 5. #116 Vance Wofford
1. #19 Wes Wofford 2. #131 Royal Jones 3. #1 Dylan Harris 4. #22 Jesse Baker 5. #8 Aydan Saunders
Albuquerque, NM Alamogordo, NM El Paso, TX El Paso, TX Alamogordo, NM
541 Pts -37 -43 -58 -73
Alamogordo, NM Las Cruces, NM El Paso, TX Grants, NM El Paso, TX
Caleb Saiz: 0 Wins, 3 Top-5s, 4 Top-10s, 4 Starts
Wes Wofford: 3 Wins, 12 Top-5s, 13 Top-10s, 13 Starts
POWRi Sunset Grill 360 Non-Wing Sprints
Hulsey Racing Legends
1. #21 Caleb Stelzig 2. #45x Don Grable 3. #0 JR Bonesteel 4. #2 Michael Fanelli 5. #77 Colt Treharn
1. #01 2. #17 3. #0 4. #96 5. #34
Albuquerque, NM 1372 Pts El Paso, TX -108 Albuquerque, NM -137 Rio Rancho, NM -153 Los Lunas, NM -252
Caleb Stelzig: 6 Wins, 8 Top-5s, 8 Top-10s, 10 Starts
Dusty Riggs Sean Salazar Jacob Masterson Cale Riggs Steven Mathe
1559 Pts -64 -86 -337 -373
Hatch, NM 2131 Pts Albuquerque, NM -174 Las Cruces, NM -249 Hatch, NM -488 Las Cruces, NM -494
Dusty Riggs: 8 Wins, 21 Top-5s, 23 Top-10s, 24 Starts
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2023 FINAL POINTS STANDINGS IMCA Sport Compact 1. #K8T Katie Barthel 2. #A3 Abby Barthel 3. #22 Ted Neergaard 4. #5 Tess Greenwood 5. #11k Jon Kinder
IMCA Stock Car Ignacio, CO 473 Pts Ignacia, CO -75 Mancos, CO -130 Aztec, NM -169 Pagosa Springs, CO -65
1. #3c 2. #0 3. #26 4. #77 5. #03
Stefan Carey Jeramy Hughes Allen Bradley Traci Bradley Darell Cordary
Bloomfield, NM 488 Pts Farmington, NM -9 Farmington, NM -17 Farmington, NM -44 Hesperus, CO -60
Katie Barthel: 17 Wins, 27 Top-5s, 28 Top-10s, 31 Starts
Stefan Carey: 16 Wins, 27 Top-5s, 29 Top-10s, 29 Starts
IMCA Northern SportMod
IMCA Hobby Stock
1. #97 Julie Keeler 2. #216 Camron Spangler 3. #43 Waylon Hale 4. #17 Rayce Green 5. #14 John Patterson
1. #1 Hunter Ferrell 2. #157 Mylee JoAann Goldwich 3. #33D Kyler Duggins 4. #77 Jenna Wilson 5. #32 Michael Bray
Farmington, NM 484 Pts Dove Creek, CO -15 Mancos, CO -15 Farmington, NM -68 Cortez, CO -76
Bayfield, CO 488 Pts Farmington, NM -44 Farmington, NM -88 Cortez, CO -124 Bayfield, CO -125
Julie Keeler: 2 Wins, 15 Top-5s, 17 Top-10s, 19 Starts
Hunter Ferrell: 4 Wins, 23 Top-5s, 28 Top-10s, 31 Starts
Dwarf Car / Mod Lite
IMCA Modified
1. #43 Shane DeVilbiss 2. #27 Gabe Shim 3. #117 Rafe O'Brien 4. #68 Leon Shim 5. #12B Blain Olson
Farmington, NM 458 Pts Kirtland, NM -23 Cortez, CO -42 Kirtland, NM -69 Cortez, CO -110
Shane DeVilbiss: 12 Wins, 19 Top-5s, 22 Top-10s, 23 Starts
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1. #90 Julian Garcia Sr 2. #M77 Cameron Martin 3. #24R Regan Tafoya 4. #110 Tyrone Yazzie 5. #21 Julian Garcia Jr
Aztec, NM 227 Pts Los Lunas, NM -35 Farmington, NM -55 Farmington, NM -61 Aztec, NM -95
Julian Garcia Sr: 2 Wins, 15 Top-5s, 16 Top-10s, 16 Starts
2023 FINAL POINTS STANDINGS Hobby Stock 1. #69 2. #21 3. #46 4. #33 5. #76
George Baisden Jeremy Kingsbury Craig Walker Dennis Cousins III Dennis Cousins Jr
USRA Modifieds Milan, NM 104 Pts Albuquerque, NM -48 Roswell, NM -64 Mentmore, NM -76 Mentmore, NM -76
Los Lunas, NM 300 Pts Albuquerque, NM -37 Albuquerque, NM -42 Bosque Farms, NM -48 Rio Rancho, NM -205
NOW 600 Micro Sprint
USRA Stock Cars 1. #42D Donny Carey 2. #24 Brett Cooper 3. #2x Ken Curts 4. #44 Jason Bodley 5. #51 Brandon Ward
1. #M17 Rob Moseley 2. #28 Ronnie Leathem Jr 3. #33 Tracy Harris 4. #27 Jacob Pape 5. #3J Josh Cain
Gallup, NM 752 Pts Grants, NM -93 Rio Rancho, NM -103 San Rafael, NM -222 Blue Water, NM -241
1. #11T Jerry Campbell 2. #72 Glenn Holmes 3. #28 Kasyn Mathews 4. #51 Joshua Huish 5. #444 Josh Jackson
Gallup, NM 76 Pts Grand Juction, CO -20 Farmington, NM -28 Farmington, NM -36 Albuquerque, NM -38
USRA B-Mods 1. #25c Cory Polen 2. #23 Kyle Nanco 3. #5 Jake Darby 4. #27N Colton Polen 5. #24 Scott Morlang
Grants, NM Grants, NM Grants, NM Grants, NM Grants, NM
1194 Pts -190 -294 -298 -331
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2023 FINAL POINTS STANDINGS Non-Winged 360 Sprint Cars
305 Winged Sprint Cars
1. #0 2. #2 3. #24 4. #23 5. #21
1. #18 Lorne Wofford 2. #619JR Claudia Sigala 3. #116 Vanca Wofford 4. #99 Chuck Jackson 5. #54 Art Romero JR
JR Bonesteel Michael Fanelli Robert Marfia Craig Stringfellow Caleb Stelzig
Albuquerque, NM 1200 Pts Rio Rancho, NM -186 Rio Rancho, NM -203 Albuquerque, NM -281 Albuquerque, NM -335
Winged 360 Sprint Cars 1. #619JR Claudia Sigala 2. #7 Lorne Wofford 3. #12 Travis Oldfield 4. #72D Derrick Black 5. #4 David Dykes
Stock Cars
Pena Blanca, NM Alamogordo, NM Albuquerque, NM Albuquerque, NM Los Lunas, NM
1456 Pts -374 -492 -694 -774
USRA Modifieds 1. #33 Tracy Harris 2. #91H Monte Hunter 3. #73 Gerald Haste 4. #14 Snowden Duke 5. #98 Burton Fisher
Bobby Sandy Ken Curts Barry Roberts Robert Lewis Andrew Fanning
1. #53 RC Combs 2. #6R Rick Combs 3. #5x Rick Boelter 4. #5T Trevor Combs 5. #96x Herman Garcia
Albuquerque, NM 1149 Pts Albuquerque, NM -182 Albuquerque, NM -557 Albuquerque, NM -681 Albuquerque, NM -690
1. #33 Dennis Cosens 2. #44 Arthur Hurley III 3. #19 Leo Chavez 4. #21R Riella LaRae Fanning 5. #R22 Ricardo Garcia
Mentmore, NM 3092 Pts Rio Rancho, NM -314 Albuquerque, NM -368 Albuquerque, NM -512 Los Lunas, NM -617
USRA B-Mods Bosque Farms, NM 1687 Pts Rio Rancho, NM -220 Los Lunas, NM -321 Los Lunas, NM -356 Rio Rancho, NM -421
1. #7s Hunter Sandy 2. #14 Snowden Duke 3. #95 Andrew Fowner 4. #M77 Cameron Martin 5. #12 Isiah Mendoza
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Albuquerque, NM 1492 Pts Albuquerque, NM -99 Los Lunas, NM -109 Rio Rancho, NM -154 Espanola, NM -504
Cruiser/Hornet
USRA Stock Cars 1. #51 2. #2x 3. #73 4. #13 5. #88
Alamogordo, NM 360 Pts Santa Fe, NM -18 Alamogordo, NM -175 Albuquerque, NM -193 Albuquerque, NM -200
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Albuquerque, NM 575 Pts Albuquerque, NM -11 Albuquerque, NM -88 Los Lunas, NM -154 Albuquerque, NM -162
Non-Wing Micro Sprints
Winged Micro Sprints
1. #23L Lilly Genson 2. #5Jr Jeff Brumfield III 3. #1st Bob Harrington 4. #25 Devon Amos 5. #42m Montana Brumback
1. #42m Montana Brumback 2. #5Jr Jeff Brumfield III 3. #63x Esteban Gonzales 4. #84 Raquel Rael 5. #63 Jeff Helms
Bosque Farms, NM 1604 Pts Albuquerque, NM -28 Albuquerque, NM -102 Rio Rancho, NM -127 Albuquerque, NM -142
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Albuquerque, NM Albuquerque, NM Albuquerque, NM Moriarty, NM Rio Rancho, NM
873 Pts -70 -198 -230 -234
BY NMMSR STAFF PHOTOS COURTESY OF SWMS FB
The Third Annual Miata Mayhew at the Suika Circuit, AKA Sandia Speedway, was contested on Sunday October 14, 2023. University Mazda was the Presenting Sponsor and Bob Cockerham presented the winning drivers with a purse totaling $2,000. Southwest Motorsports officiated the event with a strong cast of cars and drivers. Isaac Sherman qualified his #25 Miata on the pole and lead from the green flag till the finish. “It's been about eight to nine years since I've been actively racing but I had one race maybe a few weeks ago, just kind of getting back into it,” said Sherman about his longtime return to racing. “It felt like I never left, super comfortable. I'm just having a good time. Can't wait to get back into racing and start doing this more often. I'm planning on doing other races on a regular basis out here. I'm also
looking to get into a bigger race series like Trans Am or a drift car to mess around out here.” Sherman took home the $1,000 prize for first place. Mike Travers finished second in the #32 but as one of the promoters, did accept any prize money. Travers set the Fastest Lap on lap #2 on the 1.7 mile road course at 1:32.130 with an average speed of 64.474 MPH. That is really hustling a 1600cc, 2700 pound driving experience that is the Mazda Miata.
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Finishing third in the #72 was newcomer, Vaugh Weber from Colorado. Weber is only 15 so his Dad, Mike, had to drive him down to compete. “We've had the Miata for about a year and a half. I think I've been in carts since I was seven years old,” said young Weber. “We're just racing whatever we can, to have fun with the most competitive fields we can.” Weber took the $600 purse for his efforts. Jim Guthire’s #4 finished 3rd with Sid Sheer finishing fifth in the #30. “I think I hit everything but the pace car,” said Guthrie about his performance in the race. “I'm driving Sean's car. I'm just not used his brake pads and lock up everywhere. Unfortunately, I got into the back of one and then I bumped Jerry all onto the brake zone. I'm going home to change the brake pads.” “Well, you know, we've had a tough first year. I had a lot of goals and aspirations of which we fell short. I didn't get the things done,” said Guthrie while reflecting on his first year of co-owning the track. “We've definitely improved the track surface. Tire wear is much better and it's faster. So in that respect, we're all smiles as racer. We're just going to make it better again next year, so stay tuned.” Kyle Vallejos took home $400 with his 6th place finish in the #35 and Shaleen Brown in the #121 got the prize for the longest tow.
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BY SPENCER HILL The first anniversary of House of Cars New Mexico marked a significant milestone for owner, Oscar Mann, whose longstanding passion for die-cast collecting has blossomed into a thriving business. Nestled in the heart of Albuquerque, the store has become a hub for enthusiasts who share the passion of die-cast collecting, and its success was a testament to the community’s support. Oscar reflected on the year with gratitude, stating, “It's been really great and well-received in the community. We have a lot of collectors here that we thank for their support and friendship. We are looking forward to another great year.” His vision for the store was not only about creating a sustainable business for collectors to enjoy but also about cultivating relationships and a sense of belonging among the die-cast community. Highlighting the celebratory event was Chad Lindberg of the Fast & Furious film franchise, who played "Jesse," making a special appearance for the first time since its grand opening in 2022. His connection to the store and Oscar was evident as he expressed that he was, “Really happy to be back at House of Cars. I love Oscar, I love everybody here at the Albuquerque store, and it's gotten a lot bigger! We're one year in now and Oscar asked me to come back, and I said 'of course'. Everybody is super kind to me here. It’s just a cool, fun, family atmosphere and that’s the way we would like to keep it.” The event not only celebrated a successful year but also set the tone for the future of House of Cars New Mexico. Located at 3301 Coors Blvd NE, Suite F, the store stands as a beacon for collectors and those who appreciate the craftsmanship of die-cast models with thousands of pieces to choose from. With a successful year in the rear view mirror and a community's worth of support, Oscar and his dedicated team look forward to welcoming more enthusiasts into their fold, whether in person or through their online presence at www.houseofcarsnm.toys.
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If there was any doubt that Albuquerque’s Lyle Greenberg likes going fast, that doubt evaporated the day before Halloween 2023 in Las Vegas. After a nearly 50-year racing career in which Greenberg has driven more types and classes of race cars than almost anybody, he had one more class of race car on his “bucket list” … a “big show” NHRA Top Fuel dragster. There are only a small handful of teams in the U.S. that even consider licensing new drivers and then only if the person doing it has a very strong resume. With his strong experience, Greenberg was able to secure a date in the Paton Family Top Fuel dragster based in eastern Canada. They were already planning to race the car at the NHRA Nevada Nationals in Las Vegas October 27-29, 2023. Traditionally many of the Professional teams stay and test on the following Monday. With Las Vegas one of the closer national event tracks to Greenberg’s Albuquerque home, the agreement was finalized. (Story Continues on Pg. 22)
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ALBUQUERQUE'S LYLE GREENBERG EARNS HIS T/F LICENSE IN VEGAS (Story Continued from Pg. 20)
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o upgrade his nostalgia nitro funny car/fuel altered license to a Top Fuel license, Greenberg would be required to make a “moderate” run (i.e., an early shutoff) and then two full runs quicker than 4.30 seconds and faster than 250 mph for the 1,000’ track length. This is not as easy as it might sound because a high horsepower nitro car has dozens of things that can go wrong and the driver has an opportunity to make hundreds of mistakes, any of which might make a run not count. Greenberg is proud that he has qualified for every one of his many licenses in the minimum number of runs, but never in as challenging a car as a Top Fueler. Just making 3 runs in a day is challenging as the team has to completely rebuild the engine and clutch after every run. During the Las Vegas NHRA event, the Paton team showed why they are so highly regarded as they made 5 straight runs between 3.80 and 3.91 during qualifying and eliminations. It was this type of consistent performance that had made the Paton team such a great choice. Sunday afternoon, a new seat insert was installed so that Greenberg fit perfectly in the cockpit, and he was able to execute a full nitro warm-up of the car and get a taste for the feel of 11,000 horsepower. The first run went perfectly with Greenberg executing the burnout, back up and staging exactly as instructed. The car left the starting line with a nearly 5g launch and a 60’ time of 0.856 seconds hit the 330’ clocks at 2.17 seconds and the ⅛ mile clocks at 3.08 seconds at a coasting 278 mph. To comply with the mandatory early shutoff, Greenberg had been instructed to shut off at 600’. Again, his execution was spot-on as the computer indicated he shutoff at 608’. All those times were far better than the best runs Greenberg has ever made with his Cone Hunter nitro funny car at a 0.932 60’, 2.47 330’ and 3.66 sec at 209 mph to the ⅛ mile. The second run was planned to be a full run to the 1,000’ finish line. Again, all the preliminary items went perfectly and then the car made a nice full pull, running 0.871 to 60’, 2.20 to 330’ with nearly 6g’s as the clutch neared lockup, 3.10 at 281 mph to the ⅛ mile and 3.858 at 325 mph to 1,000’. A unique asterisk got attached to this run as the ¼ mile clocks were inadvertently left on. That allowed a 4.63 ET to show on the scoreboard and on the time slip. Since all professional nitro racing in the U.S. was changed to 1,000’ in 2008, there have been very few actual ¼ mile timeslips issued since then. That gave Greenberg the bragging rights to be the quickest and fastest New Mexican in 1,000’ and the quickest ever in the ¼ mile. Just as with the first run, the car was perfect after the second run and the Paton team performed the routine service of a fresh rack of pistons, a fresh clutch and the myriad of other details required to get the beast ready for run #3. Greenberg was ⅔ of the way there towards his license upgrade, but needed the 3rd run to be another great run. Everything went great for 3.5 seconds, with the car running a 0.864 to 60’, 2.19 to 330’ and 3.09 at 282 mph to the ⅛ mile. But, for a yet unknown reason, the safety box got triggered and the engine shut off at 3.56 seconds. With the huge wings creating massive downforce, the deceleration (even without the parachutes) is intense. The car still ran its best ET of the day at 3.855, but lost nearly 20 mph and “only” ran 308 mph. This was quick and fast enough for Greenberg to qualify for his Top Fuel license.
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After the runs Greenberg said “growing up at Albuquerque Dragway watching my dad Paul and all the other heroes of that track in the 1960s and 1970s, I dreamed of racing a Top Fuel dragster like my hero Bob Pavioni. Accomplishing that dream is a huge goal fulfilled. I thought that driving my Cone Hunter nitro funny car was going to be as far as I could get towards that goal. But I figured out a way to take this last step to drive a big show Top Fueler, run a 3-second 1000’, run well over 300 mph and, as an unexpected bonus, get a 4-second quarter mile timeslip.” This not only makes Greenberg the only New Mexican licensed for an NHRA professional class, but the quickest and fastest New Mexican in history. As far as future plans, Greenberg says that, barring a win in the Powerball, he will continue to race the Cone Hunter in Funny Car Chaos, Nitro Chaos and match races.
SCAN THE QR CODES TO WATCH LYLE'S LICENSE RUNS! RUN 1
RUN 2
RUN 3
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From the moment he burst onto the NASCAR scene, Harvick's raw talent and competitive spirit were evident. Born on December 8, 1975, in Bakersfield, California, Harvick was destined for greatness on the track. His journey in motorsports began at an early age, and his rise through the ranks showcased an unparalleled drive to succeed. Harvick's ascent to the upper echelons of NASCAR was punctuated by numerous remarkable achievements. His breakthrough came in the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Series), where he clinched the championship title in 2001. This early success laid the foundation for an illustrious career marked by consistency, tenacity, and a relentless pursuit of victory. 2001 also marked a pivotal moment in Harvick's career, being chosen to fill the shoes of the late Dale Earnhardt Sr. after his passing at the Daytona 500. In just his third Cup series start, he made his first trip to victory lane on March 11th, 2001 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Along with clinching the Busch series championship, Kevin was also named the Cup series rookie of the year.
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After racing for RCR for 13 years, Harvick switched teams. The pinnacle of Harvick's career arrived in 2014 when he claimed the NASCAR Cup Series championship in his first season with Stewart-Haas racing. Harvick showcased his unparalleled talent, clinching the title with a series of breathtaking performances, tallying five wins, 14 top-5 finishes, and 20 top10 finishes throughout the season. His ability to navigate the nuances of different tracks and adapt to ever-evolving race conditions solidified his status as a true racing talent. After announcing that 2023 would be his final full-time season, Harvick finished his Cup series career 13th in point standings after making the Chase for the championship. His career caps off with 60 victories, including the crown jewels of the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600, the Southern 500, and Indianapolis. Looking forward to 2024, Harvick is set to join Fox Sports in the announcers booth.
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- DD TTeto
After 26 years of trying, Doug Kalitta is NHRA Top Fuel champion STORY BY SUSAN WADE
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oug Kalitta didn’t win a single NHRA Top Fuel race in 2022, not what he or anyone else expected after he had acquired top-flight tuner Alan Johnson for his Mac Tools Dragster team. So he wanted to atone for that in 2023. “Throughout the year,” Kalitta said, “I’m thinking, ‘Man, I just have to get a win. That’ll take a lot of pressure off Alan as my crew chief.’ That would definitely not look good on your resume, having Alan for two years and not winning a race.” But he said crew chief Brian Husen and the whole Ypsilanti, Mich.-based unit “really pulled it together and we started going down the track and started making good runs and getting win lights.” They didn’t stop until the last pass of the season, when Kalitta defeated Leah Pruett in a winner-take-all showdown at the In-N-Out Burger Finals at Pomona, Calif., to earn his third playoff-event trophy and
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PHOTOS BY NHRA.COM / DRAGZINE / AUTOWEEK capture his long-awaited first Top Fuel series championship after six runner-up finishes. The first time, in 2003, Kalitta was on the unfortunate end of the second-widest margin of victory for the championship, when Larry Dixon opened a 330-point advantage on him in pre-Countdown competition. In 2019, Kalitta lost to Steve Torrence by merely three points, the second-narrowest margin in class history. He’ll never forget – and no one will let him forget – that he stood at the top end of the track in the 2006 finale, hoping against hope that Tony Schumacher would not win the race and set the national elapsedtime record that carried 20 points. But Schumacher – tuned, ironically, by Alan Johnson – did the seemingly impossible with what has become known as “The Run” to claim the title by 19 points.
That – and three more disappointing outcomes – labeled him as “the driver with the most victories without a championship.” Year after year, especially at Countdown time, it had to be perturbing, the questions about when he would win and his repeated bridesmaid status. Kalitta said the topic is “definitely one of those subjects like getting your teeth pulled. You know, you don’t really feel like sitting around and talking about it.” After all, he knew he was a champion – before he took up drag racing as a driver in 1998, he had earned the 1994 USAC National Sprint Car title. Kalitta came to shrug it off, saying, “It’s not life or death. It’s drag racing.” But it has been a huge part of his life. He spent 587 races and 26 years – more than a quarter-century – trying to earn the Top Fuel championship. In his own mind, he had been in the shadow of his late cousin, Scott Kalitta, the Top Fuel champion in 1994 and 1995, and of his uncle, drag-racing pioneer Connie Kalitta: “My cousin Scott won this thing a couple of times, so I’ve always grown up in his shadow, trying to accomplish what he accomplished. So it was definitely on my bucket list to get a Top Fuel title.” Johnson, crew chief for Schumacher when Schumacher beat Kalitta in both 2004 and 2006, earned his 13th championship with his seventh different driver. Kalitta joined Gary Scelzi (3), Tony Schum-
acher (5), and Larry Dixon, Del Worsham, Shawn Langdon, and Brittany Force, each of whom had one title with Johnson. He was the No. 6 seed in the Countdown. Then, in the first of the six playoff races, a tire on his dragster shredded and wrecked the rear wing during the final qualifying pass. That forced him to rely on his back-up car – which was a favorite of his and turned out to be a pivotal blessing. Kalitta won that race at Reading, Pa., and won the next to vault to the points lead. He positioned himself as No. 2 at the start of eliminations at The Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Kalitta said after overtaking Torrence in the standings, “It’s definitely a big relief.” Pruett, for whom a victory would have been sweet validation, said, “Doug has deserved it for a long time, but he earned it against us.” For just about everyone else, it clearly was the NHRA’s most popular championship achievement. Fans gathered around the post-race podium and cheered him into the night. His peers and colleagues at the awards ceremony the next night at Temecula, Calif., raised their glasses in toast to him.
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Even Torrence, who said that as a youngster he collected autographed cards from Doug Kalitta, confessed that he was cheering for the Mac Tools Dragster driver in the final round at Pomona. “I like Leah, and that team did a great job this year,” he said, but I’ve got to admit that after we lost, I was rooting for Doug. He’s been out here, chasing a championship for a lot of years, and he’s just a good guy.” He said, “When I was a kid, I got autographed cards from Doug Kalitta.” “Dougie, he’s been a champion all along. Now he just has the hardware to prove it,” 2018 Funny Car champion J.R., Todd, the champ’s teammate at Kalitta Motorsports. “Doug’s more than deserving.” Multi-class racer Scott Palmer declared in a Facebook post, “Doug Kalitta winning the NHRA Top Fuel Championship is the best thing that’s happened in our sport in the past decade.” Erica Enders, fresh from securing her sixth Pro Stock title, said that race-day evening, “He’s been the people’s champion for years, and today he’s the world champion.” Kalitta said of his feat and the rousing approval of the drag-racing community, “That’s about as cool as it gets in my book.”
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WORLD CHAMPS: Bobby Pierce, Matt Sheppard, Brad Sweet Crowned 2023 Champions at World Finals By Nick Graziano
Photos Courtesy World of Outlaws / Charlotte Motor Speedway
CONCORD, NC (Nov. 4, 2023) – All dirt roads led to the brightest lights, the largest fireworks, the biggest stage and the most prestigious trophies at The Dirt Track at Charlotte on Saturday night. Basking in the rays of those glowing honors were Brad Sweet, Matt Sheppard and Bobby Pierce. For the first two drivers, it was a familiar sight as Sweet scored his fifth straight World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series title and Sheppard earned a historic 10th Super DIRTcar Series championship. But for Pierce, it was a moment like no other: his first national championship in his first full season with the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models. It’s a moment many wrote off before the season even started. “It was really nice proving everybody wrong, all the naysayers and all that,” Pierce said. "And not just proving them wrong but winning the whole thing and dominating toward the end. Pierce ended the World of Outlaws season with 14 wins 25 top-five finishes and 32 top 10s – he had four Series wins in 77 starts before the 2023 season. While Pierce soaked in the championship glory for the first time, Sheppard hoisted the Super DIRTcar Series championship trophy for the 10th time in his career, solidifying himself as the winningest champion in Series history. “Ten is a big number, it’s a lot of championships,” Sheppard said before pausing, trying to comprehend the significance of his achievement. “It’s just a huge accomplishment for myself and my team.” It’s not only a milestone moment with the Series, but a historic moment in motorsports as Sheppard joins a small elite list of drivers who have reached 10 or more titles, joining the likes of 20-time World of Outlaws champion Steve Kinser and 10-time World of Outlaws champion Donny Schatz in the dirt racing landscape. Milestone moments continued with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series as Brad Sweet, of Grass Valley, CA, clinched his fifth straight Series title by also winning the final night at The Dirt Track at Charlotte – his first win at the track. He, again, wrote his name next to Kinser and Schatz in the history book, joining them under the category of drivers who have won five straight championships. “Really excited we’ve been able to make these accomplishments,” Sweet said. “It is certainly not easy. Every year presents new challenges. Man, I can’t really believe it.” Sweet’s triumph also marked a significant milestone for Kasey Kahne Racing. By bringing the team its sixth World of Outlaws title (Daryn Pittman in 2013 and Brad Sweet 2019-2023), KKR is now tied with Steve Kinser Racing for third most championships with the Series. Coming down to the final Feature in the 72-race season, Sweet beat David Gravel by 60 points to win the championship, finishing the season with 11 wins, 44 top-five finishes and 64 top 10s.
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Did Ross Chastain’s battle with Ryan Blaney at Phoenix change the etiquette of NASCAR’s title race? BY JOHN HAVERLIN
Photos Courtesy of NASCAR Media, Getty Images, USA Today The two drivers with the most to lose while battling each other during the final stage of the NASCAR Cup Series championship finale at Phoenix Raceway on Nov. 5 both ended up being the ones to celebrate with wins. Two winners in one race? Yep. For the first time in the elimination-style playoff format era, which is now a decade old, the driver who won the Cup title didn't also win the Championship 4 race. Ross Chastain took home the Phoenix trophy, but Ryan Blaney, who finished runner-up to him, earned his maiden NASCAR championship. Blaney raced Chastain with a sense of urgency in the final half of the Cup finale since Hendrick Motorsports drivers Kyle Larson and William Byron were still hunting for the title. The Team Penske driver felt he had to get past Chastain because if he didn't, he might get backed up to the front bumper of Larson or Byron. If that had happened, the Bill France Trophy might have slipped away.
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But Blaney failed to pass the Trackhouse Racing driver before the checkered flag waved. It didn't matter, though, as he maintained his position over the No. 5 and 24 drivers to give Penske its second consecutive NASCAR championship. Typically, drivers who aren't competing for the title give those who are a little leeway since they have more at stake. That's been the standard since 2014, but Chastain took this courtesy with a grain of salt and kept after the win for himself. He knew it'd draw the ire of Blaney, but as many racecar drivers are, not because they want to be but because they have to be, he was selfish and thought only about what he needed to do for his team, which was finishing first. "I know he's mad, and I don't care. I do not care," Chastain said about Blaney after the race. "I did not care then; I do not care now. "It's nothing other than wanting to win and hold track position. He could run second and win the championship. He did it last year. He can do it again. He ultimately did it."
Blaney admitted he was frustrated with how Chastain raced, and it was understandable why he was. Blaney had more on the line than just a race trophy, and his crew chief, Jonathan Hassler, believed racing the No. 1 car as hard as possible was the proper decision.
The race ended with both drivers doing burnouts on the frontstretch, so no harm and no foul since both achieved their goals. But Chastain may have changed the way future NASCAR championship races transpire. It wasn't the first time the away-from-the-track watermelon farmer pushed the boundary of what was seen as acceptable. Chastain famously performed the "Hail Melon" to advance himself five ontrack positions at Martinsville Speedway on the final lap last season, and he became a Championship 4 contender because of the daring move. For the same man to push the envelope and not show the same amount of consideration for Championship 4 drivers as shown in previous seasons isn't surprising. So now that he has set a new precedent, will drivers in future championship races compete more aggressively against those vying for a title? "I'm proud that we won," he said. "I watched practice back yesterday morning, Saturday morning. I heard Dale Earnhardt Jr. say, Ross will be one, get up and race these guys. I paused it. I'm like, Would I do that? I don't know. That seems kind of aggressive.
"Racing with the 1 there at the end, I think it was 100 percent the right thing to do," Hassler said. "I think the more cars that we can get between us and those other guys, in the event we have another pit stop later in the race, is going to be a huge help for us obviously with the 24 and the 5 having those really good pit stalls.
"Then I got out there, and I was like, I'm doing it, I am racing them. The difference was I was not going to use my front bumper, front fenders, or side. I'm not going to pinch them up into the wall.
"Yeah, in my mind the whole time, proud of the precision driving we all did. The only contact was him just in a moment of anger, throttling up in (Turns 1 and 2) and driving square up into my back "I'm definitely fine with it. I think that was what we needed to do. There definitely came a point where the 1 and the 19 (Martin Truex, bumper. Other than that, no contact. That's what I'm here to do." Jr.) were up there; we kind of needed to lay down for a minute and just hold our own. He finally did that when the time was right for that." At one point, Blaney reached his boiling point and gave Chastain the proverbial "You're No. 1" gesture, and it wasn't with his index finger, nor was it anything to do with his car number. He also gave the Florida native a firm tap on the rear bumper in the middle of the corner during a green flag run to maneuver him out of the way. Blaney was asked if the contact was on purpose, to which he said: "Well, f—ing right, I hit him on purpose. I mean, yeah, I hit him on purpose. He blocked me on purpose 10 times. So, yeah, I hit him on purpose."
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GETTING TO WORK WITH YOUR RACING HERO. BY DOMINIC ARAGON
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f you would have told me 10 years ago, when I was 19 years old, that I would have the opportunity to write a book on my favorite sport and all-time favorite driver, I would have thought, “what dream did you have last night?”
SCAR. National outlets picked up my story, including Jayski and ESPN. Bodine and I continued to stay in touch after the news story went up.
Taking a chance In 2014, I was still in school at UNM, pursuing journalism and mass communications. One That would have been 2013. During that day, when I was working at my time, The Racing Experts, which I started in 2010, was still in its infancy. Stories were restaurant job in Grants, Geoff sparse and limited, but I was continuing to and I were talking while I had a build sources around the sport and would break, and got talking about his life story. chat with drivers, owners, and whomever to be able to write unique, original stories “Pardon my ignorance,” I said, “but do you for the site. have a book that’s out?” I couldn’t remember seeing one. One of those contacts was Geoff Bodine, the 1986 DAYTONA 500 champion and winner of 18 Cup Series races. Bodine was someone I would reach out to a few times a year and would interview and write stories based on what he’d have to say. Getting to know Geoff
2015 (Brian DeGruchy)
Bodine was in the twilight of his racing career. There were stories I wrote that included him looking for part-time rides in any of NASCAR’s series, charitable causes, and more. In late 2012, I reached out to him about doing an interview, and he agreed. In the interview, he told me he was “99.9 percent” that he was done racing in NASCAR. There was no large press conference or any press release announcing this. He told me “you’re the first (in the media) I’m telling this to.” I appreciated he trusted me to write the story, and the next day, the news was out about Bodine no longer racing in NA-
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He said no, and I told him that if he ever wanted to work on one, I’d love to help him out on it. It was one of those spur-of-the-moment ideas, but I thought it would be a cool opportunity to work with him on it. Geoff gave it some thought, and the next year (2015), he said it would be great to work on some sort of project. Getting to work In the Fall of 2015, we started working on the story. We’d chat a couple times a week. In the beginning, we’d chat for about 30 minutes at a time, I’d ask questions, and transcribe everything we talked about and try to piece it together. We continued to work on the project offand-on over the next four years. Anytime we were at the same NASCAR race weekend, we’d try to set time aside to work together, or I would travel to meet Geoff and work in-person.
Darlington 2023 (Lori Bodine)
of publication of this story is, “All of It: Daytona 500 champion tells the rest of the story.” The forward was written by NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick. Geoff shares stories from his humble beginnings in New York, dressing up as a girl to drive in his first race, serving our country in the National Guard, climbing the ranks of racing, winning the Daytona 500, buying a race team, divorce, surviving a horrific crash at Daytona, and his faith in God. You’ll see Geoff in his truest form — sharing great stories and not afraid to share all about the good, the beautiful, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. You’ll also see exclusive quotes from fellow competitors and NASCAR industry people including Greg Biffle, the late Bob Jenkins, Mark Martin, Ricky Rudd, and others throughout.
Over the early months of the pandemic, we got back on track and made headway on the book. The last year-and-a-half saw most of the heavy work on the project, and in July of this year, we signed with TBN’s Trilogy Publishing as the publisher of the book. The story The name we have settled on at the time
2016 (Dante Ricci)
The lesson
When you are doing something for the first time, it can be a little overwhelming. There were times I thought I bit off more than I could chew. Yet, I had a great support system behind me and this project. Aside from our families and the support they gave us, there were three individuals I would like to properly thank for their help with this. Bill Nourse, current headmaster of the Chesterton Academy in Albuquerque, helped us in making sure our project stayed on track and helped us with the layout of the story. Joseph Wolkin of Whitestone, New York — a two-time published author and current sportswriter with Forbes — pushed us to make this great story even greater. And lastly, Richard Sanders, a former sports reporter from Virginia and current English teacher in Grants, lended his hand in copy editing, making sure all the t’s were crossed, all the i’s were dotted, and the story flowed as naturally as possible. I’ve learned through this experience that if you want something, go for it, no matter what you are eyeing, or what your goals are. If it involves another person, the worst they can tell you is no. I’m forever grateful I have gotten to work with “Uncle Geoff ” and his wife “Aunt Lori,” as my family have gotten to call them by, and that of all the people he could have chosen to do this, he took a chance on a kid from Grants, New Mexico. It is truly a dream-come-true. Take that chance on yourself. You never know what opportunities will pop up.
Pocono 2015 (Dante Ricci)
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Throughout this season, we have had the opportunity of a lifetime as world reknown Car Show Judge, Reggie Tibbetts, has walked us through exactly what goes on behind the scenes when it's time for a judge to look at 5 key areas at a national-level event. In this edition, we will review all of those areas that Reggie has touched on as a season review but first... let's reintroduce you to the man himself and take a look at some of the impressive accomplishments that he has had in his lifetime of being a car enthusiast. Reggie has owned and built over 150 vehicles over the years to include Street Rods, Trucks, Mustangs, Corvettes, Chevelles, Novas and VW’s. Being a tradesman in the early days, Reggie was trained in welding, woodworking and millwright work which gave him the skills to fabricate and use almost any type of equipment and materials on the cars he built. In the early 70’s he built and showed a Tubular Sand Buggy with his wife Margret, named “Good Vibrations”, in a 20 X 20 Display with a turntable, winning 89 Awards many of which were Best of Shows in 10 years before retiring the vehicle. Reggie has stayed heavily involved in building classic and custom cars, and has judged or managed over 33 automotive events each year for over 30 years all over the Nation and built giveaway hot rods and muscle cars for a Casino. He was the co-owner of a nationally recognized event, thesupernationals.com in Albuquerque New Mexico celebrating its 25 anniversary. He has officiated for Super Chevy Magazine, the International Show Car Association (ISCA) and the National Rod & Custom Association (NRCA), Hot August Nights, Syracuse Nationals, Virginia Coastal Auto Show, Starbird's Hot Rod and Custom Car Show, The Next Generation in in Tulsa Oklahoma, well as many independent events.
When a Judge looks at your car they look at 5 areas to include: Body; Paint; Engine; Interior and Undercarriage. Many shows do not look at the undercarriage just because of the trouble in bending down or kneeling and some shows use the undercarriage as a tie breaker at times. All the indoor large car show events almost always judge undercarriage and many or most of the cars display their cars up in the air with mirrors and lights to highlight. In this article we will look at 2 areas to include Body and Paint.
BODY The body of the vehicle is obviously the largest area of the car and issues are typically easily seen from a distance to up close. Judges look at the overall condition of the body include the alignment of all body panels against each other. They are looking for clean same size gaps between doors and fenders as well as the rear quarter. As well they look at Panel gaps, hood to fenders, deckled to quarters and on a truck tailgate to bed and cab to bed as well. This is typically called Fit and Finish by Judges and Car Owners. Consistency of those gaps from the front to the back of the vehicle is important and can gain the owner points. If the bodywork is custom or modified, all the modifications will be analyzed for the quality of the work, not just the quantity of work. There are times where a car is heavily modified and has many cool features but the quality of the work is low level and a vehicle with much less mods wins because of their quality of work. In addition, when judging the body on a vehicle, they are looking at the installation of parts such as all the trim, emblems, lights, bumpers and grille assemblies, glass, as well as the quality and condition of each piece. Quality detail of emblems and the condition of the chrome and polished pieces is of utmost importance as these complete the work done on a vehicle and add the finishing touches to a restoration or modified car.
PAINT The quality of the paint is one of the most difficult and time consuming parts of any vehicle build. The paint will be observed and reviewed from top to bottom and front to back including all the hidden areas such as door jams, rockers, hood and deckled jambs and hidden areas. The paint will be evaluated to check for such things such as and not limited to orange peel, runs, overspray, metallic or pearl inconsistencies, etc. Stripes and graphics will also be rated based on the quality of the work. Graphics are usually applied prior to the clear coat and then are buried with several coats of clear. Today there are now many brand new vehicles that enter events and as we all know most factory paint jobs have an abundance of orange peel on the vehicles. Whether you have a modified car or a new car, they all can be color sanded and polished to perfection. In fact when judging newer cars having a professional color sand and polish your vehicle can make the difference in winning the show as most new car owners do not go to this trouble. Keep in mind that the body and paint are the largest areas and will give the car owner the most points when done well, so take the time and assure you complete this area with the utmost of care. NMMOTORSPORTSREPORT.COM
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ENGINE
INTERIOR
The Engine and compartment are one of the areas that a show participant can gain important points, however its an area of the car that requires a lot of work to thoroughly complete the project. Most well done engine compartments were done with the engine out of the car so that each panel to include the firewall, fender wells and radiator support and frame can be cleaned to the utmost, extra holes welded shut, then sanded, primed and painted. When beginning the reassembly, either use a new wiring harness, a clean and detailed old harness or hide the wires under panels. Make sure to give all the hoses, metal brake lines and fittings attention as well. Detail is the name of the game here and good judges look for those things. As far as the engine, stripping the engine of all accessories, parts and brackets would be the first step, then spend the time cleaning and smoothing the block, heads and intake before priming and painting. Give some consideration to chrome and polished parts at this point. Many times there are parts on the engine that are aluminum that are not polished that can be polished to give bling to the engine. Its important to understand that the frame, suspension top area, fenderwells, firewall, and a missed area under the hood all count as part of the points for the engine compartment, so don’t short cut anything. Make sure you spend the time to assure these areas are prepared and painted well. There are times where a car is heavily modified and has many cool features but the quality of the work is low level and a vehicle with much less mods wins because of their quality of work. In addition, when judging the body on a vehicle, they are looking at the installation of parts such as all the trim, emblems, lights, bumpers and grille assemblies, glass, as well as the quality and condition of each piece. Quality detail of emblems and the condition of the chrome and polished pieces is of utmost importance as these complete the work done on a vehicle and add the finishing touches to a restoration or modified car.
In the interior, from stock to modified, it cannot be overemphasized that the quality, detail and cleanliness are very important. Areas that are observed include, but are not limited to basic components such as seats, carpet, headliner, door panels, trim and dash as well as any other minor and major components. On cars, interior will also include the trunk. On trucks, the inside of the bed at times will be painted or upholstered and will be included as part of the interior. The dash of the car should be completely disassembled and all parts removed to include any top dash cover. The dash should then be prepped, sanded, primed and painted of which this would be a good time to look at your door jambs to see if any attention needs to be done to them as well. The Sill plates and door rubber should be reviewed to see if they are scuffed up or door rubbers are dry and decaying. When replacing the dash parts, assure that all chrome parts and aluminum parts have been cleaned and polished. All gauge covers are not scratched or broken and the dash cover if upholster is not ripped, torn or faded. When reviewing the headliner, assure it is taught and all the lines are lined up, not sagging and the sail panels are firmly in place and not loose. The door panels on many cars are in less than car show quality so assure they are replaced and all door handles and window regulator handles are cleaned and chrome is not blistering or peeling. When upholstering your car there are many levels of upholstery from stock to heavily modified. Assuring patterns and seams are aligned is very important and from seat back to seat back they match. Many of the cars I judge have a lot of wear on the edge of the drivers seat where you slide in and the base is sagging or dipping, a area generally seen by judges. Carpet whether custom or from a kit needs to be taught and not sagging around and over the tranny and driveshaft tunnel. Assure it is tucked under all seats, sill panels and around shifters and consoles. Seat belts should be without stains and wear along the edges.
UNDERCARRIAGE Many vehicles, regardless of extent, have been driven or are daily drivers. However when entering a show of higher level of competition, the undercarriage is judged at equal value with the other categories. Like the other categories, the undercarriage will be judged on the quality and condition of al of its components such as, but not limited to, steering, suspension, braking, as well as the belly pan of the vehicle. Obviously because of tits exterior location, the cleanliness of these components is also in play. For those of you that many not be familiar to undercarriage judging some common points that can and have lead to points deduction include leaks, blemished tires and wheels, as well as grease and oils spread out under a vehicle. You do not have to have a lot of chrome and bright work to score points, however cleanliness and detail are key. Paining of parts and keeping them clean is work, but this is an area that differentiates the top cars from other tiers of vehicles and many times is the area that breaks a tie between to top vehicles. Most of the top show cars suspensions have lots of bright work, anodized parts and the painted areas are done and kept in top condition.
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