NM Motor Sports Report July 2023

BY ROBERT COSTA

ImaginewhatAlbuquerquelookedlikein 1963. NewMexicohadonlybeenastate for50years. Albuquerque’spopulationwas only250,000people,thecitywasmuch smallerandthecitylimitsbarelyreaching thefairgrounds. ThisiswhenAlbuquerque Dragwaywasfirststarted. Whenitopened itdidn’thavemuchmorethanastraight stripofasphalt.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHERRY BOMB PHOTOWORKS, JOHN PATTISON, LYLE GREENBERG

Fast forward 60 years, Albuquerque has almost 1 million people and Albuquerque Dragway has formed itself into an 80-acre facility. It took decades, about 6 of them, to make it what it has become. Hosting 60 events per year, including Street to Strip events, bracket races, All Out Call Out, 505 Cash Days, to name a few. With over 260,000 sq ft of paved pit area, a timing tower, bleachers, concrete barrier walls, a lighted track, PA system, timing system and more. These are all things that racers now take for granted but back in the day, they were unheard of.

Some of the improvements took years to complete. In 1968 with no lights, they decided to use search light and shine it down the track so they could race at night. As rumor has it, the Air Force Base was not very keen on this idea. It was many years later, poles were set, and lights hung so racers could race at night. There are miles of wiring and well over 100 lights on the property now.

There is also a lot of equipment that helps make the track ready for race day. The tire dragger (aka track Zamboni), scrubbers, sweepers, vacuum trucks, VHT sprayer, rescue trucks, tow truck, just to name a few. Let’s not forget all the crew that it takes to operate all of this.

The60yearsofimprovements wasnotdonesinglehanded. Eachoftheoperatorscontributed. Fromthetiming towerthatwasbuiltin1966, theroadtothetrackin1996, the 500 ft of concrete on thetrackin2012,orthe pavedpitsin2022. All theseimprovementswere madebecausethesupport that the fans and racers havegivenusoverthelast 60years.

ORIGINAL PROPOSED LAYOUT FOR ALBUQUERQUE DRAGWAY CIRCA 1962

STORY BY LYLE GREENBERG PHOTOS COURTESY OF DALE SCHAFER

AlthoughDale Schafer was not the first manager of Albuquerque Dragway, nor did he manage it the longest, he was the manager during the period when drag racing became one of the fastest growing sports in America. He used his close connection to the National Hot Rod Association to attract the most famous racers in the country to come to a match race in Albuquerque, NM. From 1965 through 1974, Schafer promoted events that drew large crowds to see nationally known racers and local heroes. Even today, the people who attended those races remember them in amazing detail.

Dale Schafer and others formed the Albuquerque Drag Association in 1961, to try and build a drag strip. In 1962, that group merged with the New Mexico Timing Association (“NMTA”). The combined groups retained the NMTA name and began to figure out how to get a track built. Through many challenges, the track was built and opened in 1964. Prior to that Schafer began to attend NHRA races throughout the western US and was able to see how those events were organized. By 1962, Schafer was named a NHRA

Technical Advisor and became an NHRA insider. This served Albuquerque Dragway well for years to come.

As noted, Schafer was not the first manager of the track. There were others in 1964 and 1965 that, for various reasons, did not work out. So, in the latter part of 1965, Schafer took on the manager role. By 1966, Schafer had created the formula for success that he used for nearly a decade. He would contract with local, regional, and nationally known racers to come to

Albuquerque to “match race” similar cars. The featured cars were typically slingshot style AA/Fuel Dragsters and the then-new Factory Experimentals, which by 1968, had evolved into funny cars. The featured cars would come to town a few days early and be displayed at local car dealerships, speed shops and shopping malls. The races were held monthly from March through October or November and typically had 1,500-2,000 spectators. In addition, he was able to incorporate NHRA “class legal” racing into his events. This gave local and regional racers the opportunity to race in the same format that they would experience when they went to out-of-town NHRA sanctioned events. These classes created many local racers who gained fame and prominence at out-oftown events.

In order to attract the big-name national racers like Don Garlits, Don Prudhomme, Tommy Ivo and many others, Schafer used his access to them at the NHRA national events to begin the recruitment process. Many of these racers criss-crossed the country, racing at tracks from coast to coast, so they had to plan their schedules carefully. Their personal friendship with Schafer made it easier to know that the Albuquerque events would be successful for them (translation … they would get paid!). In the early days, Schafer’s formula also included pitting a local hero against a national racer. This allowed local racers like Bob Pavioni, George Brazil, Sr and others to race regional and national racers.

Looking back on the races that Schafer promoted, he had mastered the art of adapting to the changes that occurred over the years. As the factory experimental cars evolved into funny cars, Schafer saw how popular funny

cars were and began contracting more with them than with fuel dragsters. But he also saw that fuel dragsters, at least regionally, had evolved into traveling groups that provided a bigger quantity of cars. For several years, the Southwest Pro Fuel Circuit (Texas-based) and the Colorado Fuel Dragster circuit ran events at the track. Schafer was not afraid to schedule events that were a bit outside the normal box. Over the years, he had “Powder-Puff” races for women (given that drivers were typically men in those days), hydrogen peroxide rocket cars (to this day the quickest and fastest cars to ever run at Albuquerque Dragway), motorcycle jumpers, wheelstanders and nitro fuel altereds.

DALE SCHAFER (FAR RIGHT)

DALE & LESLIE SCHAFER

One of the highlights of Schafer’s management tenure was scheduling NHRA Division 4 World Championship Series events in 1972 and 1973. These were part of the regional and national points series and attracted contestants from all over the country. In order to get the events on the schedule, improvements were made to the facility, large purses were posted and the races were heavily promoted. This was rewarded with incredible crowds at these events both years that it was run and national press coverage (including a feature in Sports Illustrated).

By the end of 1974, Schafer had been devoting a huge amount of time and energy to the track for over 10 years and found out that J.C. Harris and Ed Martinez were interested in taking over the lease on the property. They purchased the infrastructure and took over the track operation in 1975. Schafer assisted them for the first few races in 1975.

However, Schafer remained an NHRA employee for many years after that. His primary duty at NHRA national events was to handle fuel-check. It might be hard to believe (not!), but racers are always looking for a competitive edge and have resorted to fuel additives that are not only illegal, but sometimes dangerous. The fuel-check process ensures that all the racers use only legal fuels. The fuel-check station is always located on the return road near the end of the track so that the racers have no opportunity to tamper with their fuel before it is checked. This means that Schafer has probably attended more national events than any other person in NM but hasn’t really seen that many cars go down the track. He first retired from NHRA employment in 2013 but went and worked at a few races after that when they desperately needed help until finally working his last event in 2017.

EARLY CONSTRUCTION OF ALBUQUERQUE DRAGWAY CIRCA 1963

DALE SCHAFER AND HIS CORVETTE

There are literally hundreds (maybe thousands) of people who were important to the early success of Albuquerque Dragway. But Dale Schafer was one of the key people who kept the track open and successful during its first decade of existence. His perseverance, managerial skills and racing connections made the track successful throughout his tenure.

Started over 15 years ago, RODS was a special door car group formed to give fast door cars a place to compete heads up. Former track partner Lawren Jones was instrumental in creating the class. His former series the Southwest Outlaw Series (SOS) was a great success in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. RODS did not many rules, had to have doors and had to be fast. Blowers, Turbos, Nitrous, and Prochargers have filled the engine bays of these cars since its inception.

Some of New Mexico’s fastest cars and drivers have raced in this series over the years. Arthur Cordova, Jim Costa, Robert Costa, Denver Dennison, Robert Gallegos, Mike Garcia, Ed Jacquez, Shawn Jones, Mike Keenan, Gordy King, just to name a few. What do all these guys have in common? They all like to go fast. Speeds approaching 200 mph in the 1/8 mile in just over 4 seconds, these short wheelbase cars are always a fan favorite.

Starting in 2023, RODS is now open to all front engine cars including door cars, altered and funny cars. The “RODS” name has been officially changed to the Real Outlaw Drag Series. “This will be an exciting change to the format, they better bring their A game” says 2-time Champion Mike Labbate, driver of a 4000 horse power twin turbo Firebird. Several of the cars that used to run with the Western Fuel Altereds (WFA) are already set to compete in the new RODS group in 2023. Rich Nasby of Arizona was the first of the altereds who confirmed he is ready to take on the door car dominated group.

In 2022 Santa Fe driver, Robert Gallegos reset the current Track record for a door car at 4.09 Seconds. Later that year Mike Keenan set the speed record in 2022 of 189 miles per hour. Will the altered and funny cars come in a take those records? Lyle Greenberg in his Cone Hunter Nitro Funny Car has been as quick as 4.27 seconds at 176 mph.

Thebigquestionthateveryonehasiswhowillbethefirstcartogointothe3’satAlbuquerque Dragway? Willbeitapromod,funnycaroranaltered?

What’sNewattheAlbuquerqueDragway

StorybyThaisonGarcia

As an average spectator attending any sort of motorsports event for the first time, it will feel like a circus of sorts. The first thing one will notice is that just about any track in New Mexico is located at least forty five minutes from the city. The second aspect to a local track is the extreme heat and lack of shade due to the vast desert from which most tracks are located, next would be the announcers, loud motorcycles/cars, testing their machine in the pits, the loud sound of the races themselves and occasional dust storms. Though these tracks may appear to be a bit chaotic, for the racers and the managers it’s an organized sort of chaos, one that becomes a strong addiction for any thrill seeking adrenaline junky.

The nearest dragstrip to Albuquerque is known as the Albuquerque Dragway, which has had a long track record of sixty successful years that will be celebrated this July 28th and 29th. That’s a pretty good run, as the track puts on close to sixty plus events a year, while many tracks across the country seem to be disappearing. What has led Albuquerque Dragway to have such a successful record? What is the future of drag racing - and more specifically, do motorcycles play a part in its future here in New Mexico?

Drag racing motorcycles is a timeless motorsport that dates back to the early 1950’s - with one of the first known tracks located in Santa Ana, California, not surprisingly, just shortly after our own humble track just south of Albuquerque was built. Most people have an idea what drag racing involves, but for those who don’t it simply involves racing a high-performance car or motorcycle in a straight line over

a short distance for the shortest amount of time. To some this might seem like an easy sport to participate in, believe us it is not, and drag racers will tell you that it is all about acceleration at the light, maintaining speed, and of course, reaching the finish line before your opponent.

Though the motorcycle class might not be as large as the car class, the Albuquerque Dragway had their first motorcycle only event, fittingly named Motorcycle Mania, on June 24th and was sponsored by Harley Davidson Thunderbird and Wicked West Harley. This event had four bracket races including, purpose-built drag bikes to modified production motorcycles and an electric motorcycle sprinkled in from time to time. Drag bikes often undergo extensive modifications to maximize power output and acceleration. These

modifications can include engine upgrades, such as increased displacement, high-performance camshafts, porting and polishing the cylinder heads, and adding forced induction (such as turbochargers or superchargers). Some modifications might also include stretching the motorcycle's swingarm, lowering the bike, and using wheelie bars to prevent excessive wheelies.

With all the talk of EV’s (Electric Vehicles) in the motorsports world these days, it’s inevitable that there would be pioneers in the racing world. We’ve already seen electric bikes in road racing and motocross, as well as desert racing and of course daily commuting. So it should be no surprise that electric motorcycles would make their way into drag racing. One such proponent of the electric motorcycle is a Rust is Gold Coffee customer Alex Alcala. Alex has been a Harley Davidson Livewire owner for close to two years and has become an Albuquerque Dragway regular. I had the pleasure of being able to sit down and hear his story first hand over a cup of coffee.

Alex bought his Livewire in 2020 and was blown away by the instant torque and the 105 hp that will literally whip your head. I had the chance to ride Alex’s bike at the Sandia Speedway and was impressed by the smooth acceleration and speed of 0-80 in about 4-5 seconds! This makes the Livewire an ideal if not controversial drag bike right? Well, Alex was determined to get to the track and give it a go. After some apprehension and slight learning curve, he now has a year and a half under his belt. Making about 3-4 races a

year, Alex has managed a 11.5 sec quarter mile and max speed of 110. Although he is the only electric bike currently on the strip, he has had no shortage of challengers. Motorcycle Mania had anywhere from 16-20 motorcycles show up and on a given race day there may be 10-15 gas aspirated bikes. Alex admits there’s some good natured ribbing from some of his fellow racers, but for the most part he has been accepted by the majority of riders at the track with his Livewire.

The Albuquerque Dragway puts on quite a show. According to Alex, “Music is blasting constantly, and you can have your own theme song playing as you get ready to line up at the start.”

Sounds like a great time and a growing event that is much needed in the state of New Mexico, and maybe soon Alex won’t be the only electric bike out there, as there are already Teslas and other EV’s in the car classes. P

ut it on your list of summer events to attend the celebration on July 28th and 29th at the Dragway

Dragway Rd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87105

R/C DRAG RACING Duke City Outlaw Shootout

STORY BY PAUL FIELDS EVENT COVERAGE BY BUCKYS MEDIA WORKZ

The inaugural duke city outlaw shootout took place in Albuquerque on june 24th.

Racers from all over the southwest showed up to race 3 classes. 2.7 index is a index class in which the racers have to get as close to a 2.7 elapsed time as possible.

Real street is the next step up, runs heads up and first to the finish line wins, wheelie bars and tire prep aren't allowed which makes this class very tricky.

Outlaw is the fastest class with cars reaching speed of almost 100 mph in just 132 ft.

The race started off rocky as we had to make a last second location change due to a truck and trailer parked near the starting line of the original spot. We opted to hit up the og race spot on vassar place near main event.

Things got under way quickly, after a few test hits the track surface came around fast, and the outlaw cars were seeing 1.7s and 1.8s after just a few laps. Top speed of the event was 93 mph!

Racing got under way around noon and the finals were run just after 4, with around 35-40 cars in attendance.

Chris Stringer won real street, and juan duran from Carlsbad won 2.7 index and outlaw taking home over $1000 in prize money.

A huge thanks to the following sponsors: Webb rc, shark rc bodies, maclan, pinky tuned racing, get stuck tire prep, d's upholstery, voodoo and frank greer/a to z tire conditioner

You can follow the racers and races at RC Drag No Prep NM on facebook and webb rc for the full race.

A huge thanks to Chris Horcasitas for putting the event together.

2022 Funny Car Chaos Champion

ByDavidSwope

PhotosCourtesyofStevenWilson&FunnyCarChaos

Kirk Williams and the Williams Brothers Racing Inc. TA/FC team from Glenwood, Iowa are pre-entered for the Funny Car Chaos coming to the 60th Anniversary Celebration at the Albuquerque Dragway on Friday July 28th and Saturday July 29th. Williams and his team have racked up 3 Divisional Championships over their 20+ years racing funny cars including being the reining Funny Car Chaos Champion for 2022. They will be the ones to watch with their 2002 Pontiac Firebird, powered by a 472 cubic inch Hemi.

“Coming out to New Mexico, there is going to be a little bit of a challenge because of the altitude,” said Williams. “We used to run in the altitude up in Colorado. It's going to be really interesting and it's gonna be a lot of fun.”

“I've been around racing my whole entire life. My dad and my uncle started drag racing back in 1963. My uncle went on start his own family business. With my dad and brothers, we bought a Super Pro Maverick and just build it up. We ran Super Gas in NHRA for a lot of years,” explained Williams. “My oldest brother, Randy, was the driver at the time and then he got married. That left just me, my middle brother Chris and my dad. We built a Trans Am Gas Car, ran that for a couple of years. It started getting boring. We have got to do something else. Then, we did the dumbest thing we could possibly do, we bought an Alcohol Funny Car in 1999.”

“Here we are today, 25 years later, still having fun,” said Williams with a smile on his face. “When COVID hit, we decided to find another series and get out of the NHRA after 19 years. That’s when we found Funny Car Chaos. What Chris and Tara have put together is fantastic. There's just virtually everybody racing everybody. The point structure didn't matter who was the fastest car, you just had to win your perspective field, A field, B field. The points were the same. That’s what drew us.”

Come out and meet the Williams Brothers Racing at the 60th Anniversary Celebration. Follow them on Facebook and at WilliamBrosTAFC.com.

Justin Ashley’s Star Has Risen In NHRA’s Top Fuel Ranks

BY SUSAN WADE PHOTOS COURTESY OF NHRA.COM

RightnowisagreattimetobeNHRATopFuelracer JustinAshley.

The Phillips Connect / Toyota Dragster driver won half of the first eight races on the Camping World Drag Racing Series tour, including two in one June weekend. That double-up weekend at Tennessee’s Bristol Dragway – which combined the rained-out New England Nationals from Epping, N.H., and the regularly scheduled Thunder Valley Nationals – regained him the point lead he had lost at the April Las Vegas four-wide event.

Along the way, the Long Island, N.Y., racer has banked nine precious Countdown to the Championship bonus points and pocketed $30,000 for winning three Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge finals. (The specialty event features rematches among the semifinalists from previous races.)

“It means a lot to start like this and it’s a result of the team we have,” Ashley said. “You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with, and I feel comfortable saying we have the best in the business. And I think it’s shown. But we can’t get too ahead of ourselves. We know how good this Top Fuel field is, so we can’t stay stagnant. We need to

continue to get better, because everyone else is doing the same thing.”

Indeed, Steve Torrence, from whom Ashley swiped the lead in the standings, is starting to look like the driver he was when he dominated for four consecutive titles. Doug Kalitta finally is starting to gel with tuner Alan Johnson and easily could make a midsummer move from his No. 9 ranking. The John Force Racing duo of Brittany Force and Austin Prock are poised to challenge, and top-five Antron Brown and Leah Pruett are creeping up the ladder.

“The competition is so stiff. Sure, you want more consistency. But the depth of the field is so strong, every round is so tough, that you’re going to have those ebbs and flows. It’s a long year, and I have all the confidence in the world in this team. It’s just great to get off to a good start,” Ashley said.

It has been beneficial for Toyota Gazoo Racing North America (TGRNA), pushing it to the brink of 200 victories during its NHRA presence. Ashley’s “two-fer” at Bristol put the count at 199. Ever since Funny Car’s Jerry Toliver produced Toyota’s first drag-racing triumph, at the February 2004 Winternationals at Pomona, Calif.. the automaker has earned 150 trophies in the Top Fuel class (with Brown’s 56 leading) and 49 in Funny Car (13 by Cruz Pedregon).

“It would mean the world to me to win the 200th race for Toyota in the NHRA. Every race is prestigious. Every race has history, but to be able to do that for Toyota, such a prestigious organization, would really mean the world to me and our entire team.”

Off the dragstrip, too, Ashley has thrived. In late May, at the series; return to Joliet, Ill., and Route 66 Raceway, his team had yet another transition. What had been Justin Ashley Racing & Dustin Davis Motorsports, which had morphed into Max Out Motorsports, became Maynard Ashley Racing with an infusion of cash and corporate networking from Joe and Cathi Maynard.

The goal for this new alliance, they said, is “delivering world-class results, on and off the racetrack, for a growing community of marketing partners and fans drawn to Ashley.” Jim Epler, the former Funny Car racer who already was with Phillips Connect, officially has joined the brain trust. It expands Ashley’s technical reach and connections to eight-time Top Fuel champion Tony Schumacher (through Maynard’s JCM team) and Funny Car’s Tim Wilkerson (through Wilkerson Maynard Racing). With Toyota, Ashley already was aligned with Torrence and Brown.

Ashley called the move “a beneficially strategic” one and said, “I am more excited today about this overall partnership than I have been since I started in the sport. It’s a blessing, and the fact that [the Maynards] have decided to join forces with us validates our team and all that we’ve been working for.”

He’shopingNovember,whentheseasonends,willbeanevenbettertimetobeJustinAshley.

JohnTrapp’s1946InternationalKB1

Dave: What made you decide on an International as your project?

John: I had originally saw a rat rod Dodge at a car show with a 12 value, but I couldn't find a Dodge (donor vehicle). The secondary problem is the way the Dodge fenders attached to the nose cone of the truck, it makes it very difficult to add steel but with the Internationals, they were just perfect. There was almost nothing we had to do except cut it, add steel and weld it back. It had to be a long slender nose to accommodate that straight six of the Cummins. I wanted that slender look; I really wanted that aerodynamic airplane look.

Dave: I think it came all together great because it is a combination of classic muscle and American steel. Yet the curves that you find in the fenders from the era, it really translates well.

John: When I got to the designing of the back of the truck, most of the classic pickup trucks fall short of those big, huge fenders up front. I thought of those 40’s Ford's, all those fenders are very prominent, their bathtubs. I thought those ’49 Ford fenders would match with the front fenders appropriately.

Dave: Did you start at the front? Did you start with the cab? Where did you feel was the best place to get started when you got started working on the truck?

John: The truck used to be a rat rod. There was a 46 truck I had that was just a rat truck and it got wrecked. We were able to salvage the passenger side fender, the back half of the cab and one of the doors, everything else was destroyed. We took the bed of the truck, which is the one that is there now, and basically bought another truck out of North Dakota in the weeds and another truck here in town that wasn't complete and put all three of them put together. We were able to rebuild this truck in its entirety again because I wanted to stretch the cab. There's actually two cabs involved to make that cab. I didn't put a metal strip down the middle, I just took the back of the old cabin and the front of the new cab, making them all both too long and then put them back together.

Dave: It sounds like there's pieces from at least three vehicles. One of the things that's really striking to me is what you've done with the interior. Would you describe what you did there?

John: The truck was going to have race car performance characteristics, even though it's sexy and it's a show truck. It is a functional drift truck, but it can do laps on the track. I decided to go with a full roll cage on the inside. It's very clean and sterile with just some stainless steel or aluminum and nothing but gauges.

Dave: At the Father's Day Fiesta Car Show at Casino Azul, there was a tremendous amount of interest the in the pickup. Not only did they do well with the People Choice voting but with the Best in Show voting. The Best in Show voting was from people who were displaying their cars. How does that kind of make you feel about your decisions and choices on the International?

John: That is a great question because it is Art, this is my form of Art. My art is my expression and I'm going to do it my way. But at the same time, I really want that feedback from the audience, from the spectator. When I see joy on that little boy's face and they walk up to the truck, that's it right there and that moment, I know I made the right decision on every nut and bolt.

Dave: I would say that there was some young 80-year old’s that walked up and had the same look on their face because they remember those trucks. Those trucks basically built the United States. Men and women who worked in those trucks and drove those trucks every day.

John: Yeah, really interesting about this truck is that it has a title from the Department of Defense. It is a World War Two veteran. It’s a veteran, it's a big deal.

Thecompleteinterviewisavailableat NMMotorSportsReport.combypodcastfromJuly8,2023.

BY SPENCER HILL | PHOTOSCOURTESYSRX

Tony Stewart’s Superstar Racing Experience will make a massive move this month as they revitalize the famed “Thursday Night Thunder” series on ESPN.

The Camping World SRX Series has quickly grown to be a fan favorite since its birth in 2021. The series has successfully taken short track stock car racing to a whole new level, pairing the biggest stars from NASCAR, IndyCar, and numerous highly accredited racing divisions with a prime-time television slot as they compete in an IROC-like format perfectly formatted for live TV.

SRX will race on six consecutive Thursday nights in 2023 live on ESPN, starting at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford Springs, CT on July 13th. The multiyear agreement with ESPN is a strategical move to bring back a new version of the famous “Thursday Night Thunder” motorsports programming that brought forth some of the biggest names in racing as it covered grassroots racing across the country in the 80s and 90s.

One of those names just so happens to be Tony Stewart, co-creator of SRX.

“‘Thursday Night Thunder’ is where guys like me, who were just starting our careers in USAC, got the chance to make a name for ourselves because of its presence on ESPN,” Stewart said. “It’s great to see ‘Thursday Night Thunder’ return, but to also be a part of it all over again with SRX.”

In addition to the full-time return of 2022 SRX Series Champion, Marco Andretti, the move to Thursday night will also allow new names to compete for superstardom such as Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Kenny Wallace and more.

NASCAR's return to Le Mans after nearly five decades was daring, but it paid off

ByJohnHaverlin

Photos Courtesy of NASCAR.com / Getty Images

It took nearly five decades, but NASCAR made its return to Le Mans in June 2023 with hopes of redemption from its previous endeavor and impressing the automotive world on an international stage.

When the series first appeared at Circuit de la Sarthe in 1976, it brought two cars to compete in the grand sports car race. Hershel McGriff, a winner of four NASCAR Cup Series races, brought himself, his son Doug, and a Dodge Charger and qualified 47th for the 44th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Junie Donlavey, the late NASCAR team owner whose career spanned nearly six decades, also brought a stock car entry -- a Ford Torino that was run by Dick Brooks, Dick Hutcherson, and Marcel Mignot.

NASCAR's debut at the famous French race was anything but spectacular. McGriff's car had engine issues throughout the trip. When the race finally started, McGriff's No. 4 completed two laps before a piston failure put an end to the effort. The Charger finished 55th out of 56 cars.

Meanwhile, Donlavey's No. 90 Torino suffered gearbox issues shortly before the halfway mark of the race. The car qualified 55th and finished 40th after completing 104 laps; thus, NASCAR's Le Mans experience was over. It was an underwhelming display -- one that McGriff said made him "really disappointed in our performance," in a Motortrend article from September 2020.

Forty-seven years later, a stock car once again ran at the world's most prestigious endurance race, but the circumstances were different than they were in 1976.

NASCAR and Hendrick Motorsports joined efforts to build a highly modified stock car for Le Mans' 100th-anniversary event. The vehicle wasn't competing in any classes as it was a Garage 56 entry, which is a provisional spot on the grid dedicated to showcasing technology and innovation.

The car was based on NASCAR's Next-Gen car, which is in its second season of use in the Cup Series, and donned the Hendrick No. 24 as made famous by four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon. But this specially built vehicle features side view mirrors, functioning headlights, and a variety of aerodynamic facets, including a modified splitter and rear diffuser to help create more downforce.

The car was also lighter and had more power than the traditional Next-Gen stock car. It would set quicker lap times compared to a regular Cup Series vehicle.

Jimmie Johnson, who won seven Cup championships with Hendrick, Jensen Button, the 2009 Formula 1 world champion, and Mike Rockenfeller, the renowned sports car driver with two Le Mans wins, drove the Garage 56 Chevrolet Camaro.

The goal for the Garage 56 NASCAR project was to complete the race and not turn into another disappointment.

Team owner Rick Hendrick was excited about the race but worried about the car failing to meet expectations. He didn't want to see his and NASCAR's squad "fall on our nose."

"From the very beginning with Chad (Knaus) and Greg (Ives), I said we've got to do this right," he said. "We don't spare any expense. Our NASCAR teams can do any kind of race they want to do. I mean, they got the talent, they've got the engineers, and they got a lot of smart people, and they can do whatever."

The car itself piqued the interest of the entire Le Mans paddock. Team members from up and down the grid checked out the car and took photos before the race, as many had probably never seen a NASCAR car in person before.

No points were on the line, and no trophies were there for the taking, but it was a triumph for NASCAR and Hendrick as they completed the race. The car had one minor drive line issue in the final quarter of the 24-hour race, but repairs were made, and it was smooth sailing to the finish. After the checkered flag, the drivers received cheers and applause from fans in the paddock. As Johnson took the flag, NASCAR CEO Jim France raised his hat to salute the car and the driver, who drove the final stint.

The car finished 39th out of 62 entries. And if it hadn't suffered the mechanical issue, it may have been placed in the 20s, which is where it was running for the majority of the race. It was ahead of many GT vehicles and qualified more than three seconds faster than the quickest LMGTE AM car.

"Thousands of hours of hard work by hundreds of people that went into making this thing happen," France said. "And then the way the team and the pit crews and everybody performed all week, it was just fantastic."

NASCAR took a risk in making a return to Le Mans. If it had another showing as it did in 1976, it would not have been a good look for the American series. NASCAR's reputation for big, seemingly industrial, loud machines built by a bunch of beer-guzzling American mechanics is the stereotype that perhaps some European motorsport fans still believe in today.

Looking at a tall, bulky stock car in the middle of a field of fancy and intricate prototypes created by manufacturers such as Ferrari, Porsche, and Aston Martin, among others, certainly provided a unique appearance to the field. But the motorsports landscape took notice of the big, mean, American machine, and without doubt, NASCAR gained respect from those across the pond.

"I hope my dad and my brother are somewhere up there looking down and smiling, but the goal when we set out was to try and finish the race running at the end and not be last," France said. "And we accomplished that."

SundayJune18,2023 • CocinaAzulofPaseodelNorte

Photos courtesy of Reggie Tibbetts

The Inaugural Father’s Day Fiesta Car Show was a tremendous success. Cocina Azul was the host location, treating all the fathers who registered a car with a FREE entrée. A 50/50 funded $300 towards the Randy Combs Memorial Race to be held on Saturday July 15 at Sandia Speedway when winner, Tony Cardenas donated his winnings back to the fundraiser.

LIVE music was provided by Jeff Mann & A Touch of Grey and the Dirt Cheap Band. Trophies were awarded to 12 class winners and many door prizes provided by Yearwood Performance, Teyco Automotive Lifestyle, Pelican’s Restaurant, House of Cars and the Albuquerque Dragway.

The Student / Under 30 Trophy presented by IntelliTec College went to RC Combs’ Harris Terminator Stock Car. The People’s Choice went to Matthew Cardenas’ 1966 Midnight Blue Convertible Ford Mustang which had been a crowd favorite which was reflected in the public voting. The Hagerty Classic Car Insurance Best of Show went to John Trapp’s 1946 International KB1 Truck and Trailer which was voted on only by other vehicle owners in the show.

Class winners were: James Davey’s 1926 Model T Ford – Rat Rod, Arthur Johnson’s 1956 T-Bird – Original, John Avila’s 1933 Ford Roadster – Street Rod, Mike Spaety’s 1926 Dodge Brother’s Coupe – Under Construction, Dave Perotti’s 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle SS – Muscle Car, Bill Hawley – Motorcycle, Mike Conway’s 1976 Pontiac Grand Prix – Restored, Valerie Garcia’s 1949 Chevrolet 3100 Thriftmaster – Truck, Reggie Tibbetts’ 1956 VW Bug – Race Car / Sports Car, John Avila’s 1937 Ford Slantback – Custom, Cindi Duran’s 2018 GMC Sierra – 4x4 and Jorge Coblentz’s 1964 VW Sunroof Kombi – Foreign which were all best in category.

Additional sponsorship was provided by Mild To Wild, Print Express and SEH Motorsports. The next event hosted by NM Motor Sports Report will be the Hooter’s Halloween Spooktacular on Saturday October 28, 2023 – See you there!