Bill Mitchell makes it 3 for 3 at the Dirt Track @ NAPA Speedway
Bob & Ray Ingram 6-15-13

The Dirt Track @ Napa Speedway, Albuquerque, New Mexico. What a crazy night at the races. Lots of really fast cars on hand early as most cars and drivers checked into the pits well before 4:00 for a 6:00 P.M. start. The weather was iffy all afternoon with high thin clouds, VERY light sprinkles and some wind and dust. Charlie Fegan and crew had the track in excellent shape and after the drivers meeting the NMMRA Traditional Non-Wing Sprints cars, 21 strong, took to the track for wheel packing and hot laps. The heat races started right on time at 6:00 P.M. and ran without incident and were at intermission before 8:00. Then the wheels fell off as a VERY STRONG WIND with TONS OF DUST hit the racetrack just as the first Main-Event was ending. In our 50+ years of going to dirt track racing in New Mexico we have never seen the wind and dust as bad as it got tonight. At times it was impossible to see across the track. Charlie Fegan and staff delayed canceling the show for just about one hour and as the winds & dust died down racing resumed and the entire program was completed before 11:30. Hats off to the NAPA crew, all drivers as pit crews and especially to the hardy fans who stuck it out and stayed to the end of a very good show.

The NMMRA Traditional Non-Wing Sprints brought out a very nice field of 21 cars to run 3 heats and a terrific main-event. Heat #1 saw last weeks hero of the night Cody Mansfield in the #4X take the win over Randy Smith in the #29 and the #22 of Bo Baker. Heat #2 saw Rio Rancho driver Robert Marfia in the #6X take a very close win over the Russell Gossett #24 driven by Jason Tanner and the #73 of Nick Rael coming home in the 3rd position. Rael runs about the prettiest Hot Pink sprint car you could ever see. Heat #3 saw the big winner from the last 2 shows, Bill Mitchell in the #62 take the win over a very hard charging Jesse Baker in the #7 with the #4L of Kristy Smith taking home 3rd spot. After the lengthy delay for the wind and dust and being last on the program, 19 of the 21 cars on hand made the call for the start of the main-event. From the drop of the green to the checkered flag this one was a race for the books as several cars ran at the front and swapped positions over and over. In the early going it looked like the father and son duo of Bo and Jesse Baker might take home all of the marbles but several other drivers had different plans as first one then another would come up to challenge for the win. On lap 8 the #41 of James Hatch and the #5J of Jeff Brumfield Jr. came together between turns 3 & 4 and got upside down and collected the #52 of Dave Burns who had no where to go. All drivers were able to walk away uninjured, but Hatch & Brumfield were done for the night with Burns able to continue on and finish the main event. The battle at the front between 6-8 cars was terrific as first one then the other took the lead. With a couple of minor yellow flags and the race winding down the winner of the first two shows at NAPA Speedway, Bill Mitchell in the #62 had made his way into the 3rd spot and made his move on the leaders as he took the checkered flag ahead of the #22 of Bo Baker and the #6 of Robert Marfia. This makes Mitchell the undefeated driver in the Sprints cars so far this year, winning 3 of 3 so far. Can Mitchell go 4 for 4 when the NMMRA Sprints return to NAPA Speedway on 13 July?????

Once again the A-Mods had a very short field of only 5 cars, but boy are these 5 cars FAST. The heat race saw the 3J of Josh Cain take yet another win with the 13 of hard charging Luigi Truden coming home 2nd and the #58 of Clint Miller finishing 3rd. The main event was pretty nearly a replay of the heat race as Cain took off from his front row start to take a ¾ lap win over Truden with the #31 of Doug Goodenough coming home in the 3 position. If we could get another 8-10 cars in this division they would be putting on some exciting racing.

As has been the case all year the X-Mods brought out a great field of 21 really good competitive cars. Heat #1 saw fan favorite Tom Melloy in the #62 take the win over the super fast #0 of J.R. Bonesteel and the #87 of Eric Ford coming home 3rd. Heat #2 had another of the crowd favorites and super fast drivers Rob Haaland in the #37 take the win over the #54 of Tim Hooper who has been running really strong this year and the #34S of Donald Scott coming home in the 3rd spot. Hooper and Scott have really been turning up the heat the last couple of shows and are a real threat to take a main event win soon. Heat #3 saw J.R.’s dad Steve Bonesteel in the #00 take the win over the #5X of Rick Boelter and the #29 of Mike O’Neal. As with the NMMRA Sprints the X-Mods were able to start 19 of the 21 cars on hand for the main event. From the very git-go this was a fantastic race with about 8 drivers at the front fighting for the lead and the next 6-8 cars not far behind. Heat race winners Melloy, Haaland and Bonesteel were fighting each other off, lap after lap. There was one very scary moment as the #62 of Tom Melloy spun between turns 1 &2 while running in the second spot. When Melloy tried to get the car pointed in the right direction he was hit in the drivers door very hard by the #79 of Hayden Foy. Melloy was taken to the Ambulance and was being checked out at the end of the program, but word was that he was in good condition. As the dust settled and the checkered flag came out the #0 of J.R. Bonesteel took his 3rd main event win in a row. Chasing Bonesteel home was the #37 of Rob Haaland who is always in the hunt at the end and the #28 of Skimmer Leathem who has been having mechanical problems most of the year and seems to have the gremlins under control.

The Street Stocks had a shorter field than usual with 10 cars to run a single heat and their main event. The heat race had a heated battle for the lead with half of the field. In the end the #43 of Dan Gross Sr. took the win with the #3D of Nathan Medina running a very strong race taking home 2nd place and the #8X of hot shoe Mario Truden Jr. taking the 3rd spot. The main event had all 10 car take the green flag for a very good main event. The main event was a great race but was plagued with several DNF’s. However the #98 of Toy Fisher who was heavily damaged in a BIG crash two weeks ago came on strong and walked off with a hard earned win over the #43 of Dan Gross Sr. and the 8X of Mario Truden Jr. Speaking of the Truden’s, Mario Sr. who nearly destroyed his car two weeks ago was able to build a new car with help from his son’s and friends and was nearly ready to load up and come to the track when a leak in the aluminum radiator was discovered and not able to be repaired in time to make the show tonight. Look for Mario Truden Sr. to be back on the 29th of June faster than ever.

The Cruisers had 12 cars to run 2 heat races and their main event. These mostly novice drivers were able to run all three of their races without a single caution period. Heat #1 saw the big winner so far this year #33 Devon Gates take the win over the #76 of young Madison Conrad who is celebrating her 16th birthday and the #0 of Gary Smith. Heat #2 saw the Petty blue #43 Plymouth of Art Hurley take the win over the #80 of Ernie Sandoval and the #11 of Anthony Cordova. Sandoval in the #80 probably had the most exciting night of all as he was involved he several incidents ( not of his making ) that damaged every corner of his car. The main event saw everybody take the green flag. Once again the #33 of Devon Gates took the win over a hard charging #0 of Gary Smith in the Grocery Getter Station Wagon with the #4M of youngster Rob Moseley taking the last podium spot.

The Hornets had a field of 10 cars to run a single heat and their main event. The heat race had a couple of minor yellow flags and saw the #06 of Patricia Gallegos take the win over the #99 of Lena Duke and the #7 of Rick Boelter. The main event again had the #06 of Patricia Gallegos take yet another win. So far this year Gallegos has won just about every race she has been in on both the dirt and the asphalt. Chasing Gallegos to the stripe was the #29 of Larry Johnson and the #58 of Frank Payne.

Again the Dwarf’s hope to bring down 15 cars but only showed up with 6 or 7 cars to run a single a heat and a main event. The heat had the #66 of David Hand take the 2 win over the #19 of Ken Walker and the #70X of Brian Cumby. The main saw the 70X of Cumby take a very long win over the #66 of Hand and the #17 of Walker.

Here are the UNOFFICIAL results for all divisions. We apologize for any and all errors.

Have A Great Day
God Bless Everybody

NMMRA Sprints
Heat #1- #4X Cody Mansfield, #29 Randy Smith, #22 Bo Baker, #41 James Hatch, #52 Dave Burns, #56 Dillon Tanner, #50 Jerry Higgenbotham DNF.
Heat #2- #6X Robert Marfia, #24 Jason Tanner, #73 Nick Rael, #24C Cody Dons, #4 Jerrill Higgenbotham, #97 David Dykes, #19 Ronnie Smith
Heat #3- #62 Bill Mitchell, #7 Jesse Baker, #4L Kristy Smith, #99 Chuck Jackson, #76 Dean Peek, #5J Jeff Brumfield Jr., #12 Jarrod Smith
Main-Event- #62 Bill Mitchell, #22 Bo Baker, #6 Robert Marfia, #7 Jesse Baker, #19 Ronnie Smith, #29 Randy Smith, #52 Dave Burns, #24 Jason Tanner, #99 Chuck Jackson, #24C Cody Dons, #56 Dillon Tanner, #12 Jarrod Smith, #4L Kristy Smith, #76 Dean Peek, #50 Jerrill Higgenbothan, #97 David Dykes, #4X Cody Mansfield DNF, #41 James Hatch DNF, #5J Jeff Brumfield Jr. DNF, #73 Nick Rael DNS, #4 Jerry Higgenbotham DNS.

A-Mods
Heat #1 and only - #3J Josh Cain, #13 Luigi Truden, #58 Clint Miller, #31 Doug Goodenough, #09 Bill Waltman
Main Event- #3J Josh Cain, #13 Luigi Truden, #31 Doug Goodenough, #58 Clint Miller, #09 Bill Waltman

X-Mods
Heat #1- #62 Tom Melloy, #0 J.R. Bonesteel, #87 Eric Ford, #14 Andrew Fowner DNF, #28 Skimmer Leathem DNS, #21III Avie Chavez III DNS
Heat #2 - #37 Rob Haaland, #54 Tim Hooper, #34S Donald Scott, #79 Hayden Foy, #73 Gerald Haste, #14C Bennie Chavez, #1 Mychal Lucero DNF, #15 Dee Yates DNS
Heat #3 - #00 Steve Bonesteel, #5X Rick Boelter, #29 Mike O’Neal, #78 Gary Guinn, #33 Wild Bill Lynch, #7 Steven Bertetto, #43 Dan Glass
Main Event - #0 J.R. Bonesteel, #37 Rob Haaland, #28 Skimmer Leathem, #29 Mike O’Neal, #14 Andrew Fowner, #34S Donald Scott, #73 Gerald Haste, #62 Tom Melloy DNF, #79 Hayden Foy DNF, #00 Steve Bonesteel DNF, #87 Eric Ford DNF, #1 Mychal Lucero DNF, #54 Tim Hooper DNF, #33 Wild Bill Lynch DNF, #7 Steven Bertetto DNF, #14C Bennie Chavez DNF, #78 Gary Guinn DNF, #43 Dan Glass DNF, #5X Rick Boelter DNF, #21III Avie Chavez III DNS, #15 Dee Yates DNS

Street Stocks
Heat #1 and only - #43 Dan Gross Sr., #3D Nathan Medina, #8X Mario Truden Jr., #98 Toy Fisher, #73 Ric Valdes, #00 Jimmy Smith, #54 Shawn Dutcher Jr., #143 Danny Gross Jr., #99 Joel Duke DNF, #53 R.C. Combs DNF.
Main event - #98 Toy Fisher, #43 Dan Gross Sr., #8X Mario Truden Jr., #99 Joel Duke, #54 Shawn Dutcher Jr., #73 Ric Valdez DNF, #53 R.C. Combs DNF, #143 Danny Gross Jr. DNF, #00 Jimmy Smith DNF, #3D Nathan Medina DNF.

Cruisers
Heat #1 - #33 Devon Gates, #76 Madison Conrad, #0 Gary Smith, #57 Steven Ashley, #26 Cody Sanchez DNF, #15 Cheyenna Yates DNS
Heat #2 - #43 Art Hurley, #80 Ernie Sandoval, #11 Anthony Cordova, #20 John Morningstar, #4M Rob Moseley DNF, #00 Jeff Abeyta DNF
Main Event - #33 Devon Gates, #0 Gary Smith, #4M Rob Moseley, #20 John Morningstar, #80 Ernie Sandoval, #00 Jeff Abeyta, #43 Art Hurley, #76 Madison Conrad, #11 Anthony Cordova DNF, #26 Cody Sanchez DNS, #57 Steven Ashley DNS, #15 Cheyenna Yates DNS.

Hornets
Heat #1 and only - #06 Patricia Gallegos, #99 Lena Duke, #7 Rick Boelter, #97B Justin Morgan, #58 Frank Payne, #29 Larry Johnson, #32 Geoff Smith, #98Y Coulter Morgan, #17 Donette Ford, #94 Richard Garcia DNF.
Main event - #06 Patricia Gallegos, #29 Larry Johnson, #58 Frank Payne, #99 Lena Duke, #94 Richard Garcia, #32 Geoff Smith, #17 Donette Ford, #98Y Coulter Morgan, #7 Rick Boelter DNF, #97B Justin Morgan DNS.