NAPA SPEEDWAY SEASON OPENER ON THE DIRT TRACK
Bob & Ray Ingram

Albuquerque, New Mexico 4-13-13. NAPA Speedway’s dirt track got off to a very good start with 89 cars checked in to run 7 divisions. The Dwarf cars brought 7 cars on short notice with 2 cars from Los Alamos, N.M. and 5 cars coming down from Colorado. The Mini-Sprints were also a late addition and brought a very nice group of 12 cars to run on the shorter ¼ mile track. All other divisions brought out 11 or more cars and promise to have more for the next show in 2 weeks. Look for the X-Mods to have enough cars for a B-Main in the very near future. The weather was fair with nice warm temps but the wind did howl at times. Charlie Fegan has made some nice improvements to the track with possibly the best improvement being not 1 but TWO water trucks that actually worked. With the dust blowing and the daytime sun the water trucks came out several times and gave the track a light spritz which really helped keep the dust down.

The A-Mods had an interesting mix of cars with a couple of X-Mods joining them and 3 cars coming down from Aztec Speedway and 1 car from Gallup coming to join the fun at NAPA. Heat #1 saw the #75 of Bob Harter from Bloomfield N.M. take off from his pole position start and lead the entire race. The battle behind and sometimes beside Harter was furious between the #58 of Los Alamos driver Clint Miller and the #09 of Bill Waltman, with Miller holding on for 2nd and Waltman finishing 3rd. Heat #2 was a great race with outside front row starter #37 Rob Haaland taking the lead and never looking back as the battle raged on between the next 5 cars. At the finish line it was Haaland followed by the #36 of David Radman and the #62 of Tom Melloy. This was probably the most interesting race of the night as the #1 & #3 finishers, Haaland and Melloy are X-Mods running with the A-Mods and doing an excellent job. The 2nd place car of #36 David Radman is an ex-asphalt driver who has made a quick adjustment to running on the dirt. The Main event saw the #3J of last years champion Josh Cain come from his outside 5th row start and take the lead in just a few short laps with a terrific battle behind him. With the laps winding down it appeared that Cain was loosing air in his right rear tire and at the White Flag lap the tire went completely flat, allowing the 2nd thru 5th place cars to nearly overtake Cain, but Cain was able to wrestle the car through the last two turns and hold on for the win. Just as Cain took the checkered flag the right rear tire exploded, sending chunks of VERY hot rubber flying down the track. Chasing Cain to the finish were the #09 of Waltman with the #31 of Gallup N.M. racer Doug Goodenough ( now that is a COOL name ) taking the last podium position.

The X-Mods had the largest car count of the day with 21 cars checking in and taking the green flag. This division is looking like the biggest player this year at NAPA and will quite possibly exceed 30 cars in the very near future. It has been a long time since any class needed a B-Main but it looks like the X-Mods will pull it off this year. Heat #1 saw the top 4 cars running side by side and fighting for the lead with the rest of the pack close on their heels. The #0 of J.R. Bonesteel took the lead but had to battle the #62 of Tom Melloy and the #5X of Rick Boelter all the way. Bonesteel, Melloy and Boelter finished in the 1, 2 and 3 spots in this race. Heat #2 saw the #00 of Steve Bonesteel ( father to heat race #1 winner J.R. ) take the win over the #37 of Rob Haaland and the #21 of Tommy Barela ( the patriotic Red, White And Blue Car ). The X-Mod main event was more like a Boxing Match main event at times as some of the boys didn’t seem to be playing nice and took out several cars before a single green flag lap could be completed. Once the dust finally settled the racing action was very good with the #37 of Rob Haaland taking off to a fairly comfortable lead ( if there is such a thing as a comfortable lead in a dirt track race) with the rest of the field trying to chase him down. In somewhat of an unusual deal the #62 of Tom Melloy and the #0 of J.R. Bonesteel got into a bit of a tussle and Melloy actually shook his fist at Bonesteel. What made this unusual is that Melloy is the most easy going person at the race track and in several years of watching him, he has never even shown that he has a temper ( unless you call GREAT attitude a temper ). At the finish it was the #37 of Rob Haaland taking the win with the #62 of Melloy taking home 2nd place and the #29 of Mike O’Neal running a great race to finish a strong 3rd.

The Street Stocks had a filed of 13 cars taking the green flag. Among the drivers were some newcomers and some old timers that haven’t raced in awhile. I apologize to Mario Truden Sr. for calling him an oldtimer, but if the shoe fits we have to wear it. All of these drivers brought out beautiful cars for opening day, lets hope they look that good at the end of the year. Heat #1 saw the 8X of Mario Truden Jr. take the win from his outside 2nd row start over the #99 of the always tough Joel Duke with the #3 of Mario Truden Sr. coming home in 3rd place. Heat #2 had the #27 of long time racer Jay Pape take the win over youngster #53 R. C. Combs and the #40 of John Cruicshank. Some of the cars in this division would have done justice to the Late Models class a few short years ago, notable among them were the #3 of Mario Truden Sr. ( orange with white graphics ), #8X Mario Truden Jr. ( white with pink? Graphics ) #53 R. C. Combs and the #00 of newcomer Jimmy Smith. The main event went fairly smooth with only a couple of caution periods. The #8X of Mario Truden Jr. jumped out to the early lead but was pressured all the way by several cars. At the finish it was Truden Jr. holding of the #27 of Jay Pape in 2nd with the #98 of Toy Fisher doing a great job of working through the field to finish a close 3rd.

The Cruisers had a field of 11 cars to run a single heat and their main event. These mostly new drivers do a very good job of putting on an entertaining show for the fans. In the heat race the #0 of Gary Smith ( the grocery getter station wagon ) took the win over the #43 of Art Hurley in the Petty Blue 1965 Plymouth with the beautiful #76 of Madison Conrad coming home in 3rd. The Conrad car may well be the prettiest cruiser ever to race in New Mexico. The Cruiser main saw the #33 of Devin Gates take to the high side of the track and set sail for a fairly easy victory over the #15 of Cheyenna Yates and the #0 of Gary Smith. Cheyenna Yates in the #15 had the best drive of the day as the #4M of Rob Moseley spun in the middle of the backstretch in the heat race and Cheyenna dove into the infield at full speed and avoided hitting Moseley in the drivers door. GREAT job Cheyenna/

The Hornets ( the 4 cylinder small car class ) came out with 13 cars to run 2 heats and a main. These little 4 bangers put on a whale of a racing show. The heat race saw the #06 of Patricia Gallegos take the win over the #95 of Andrew Fowner and the #7 of Daysha Boelter. Gallegos won last week in this class on the Asphalt and showed how to do it on the dirt also. An interesting thing happened at the end of this race as the #98Y of Colten Morgan became the first car to do a Rollover at NAPA Speedway in 2013. The main event saw only 11 of the original 13 cars take the green flag but boy did they put on a show for the fans. At the end the #06 of Patricia Gallegos once again showed her dominance in this division by taking the win over the #97B of the hard charging Justin Morgan coming home 2nd and the #99 of Lena Duke not far behind in 3rd place.

The Mini-Sprints came out today with a good 12 car field to run 2 heat races and a main event. The Mini’s are running on the ¼ mile track this year and boy does it get exciting with 12 of these little Pocket Rockets on the small track, I can hardly imagine what it will be like with 16-20 of these guys and gals banging wheels lap after lap. Heat #1 was the #4S of Spencer Hill taking the win over the #2 of David Gay with the #4L of full sized sprint driver Kristy Smith taking 3rd. Heat #2 had the #17 of Jacob Johnston taking the win over another full sized sprint driver #5 Jason Tanner with the #07 of Grants N.M. racer Patrick Hurtado nailing down the 3rd spot. The main event once again saw the #4S of Spencer Hill take the win over the #5 of Tanner and the #2 David Gay coming home in the final podium spot. On the final lap the #84X of Keith Gatewood and the #34 of Ann Gatewood came together very hard. I wonder how the conversation around the dinner table went tonight.

The Dwarf Cars were a late addition and brought 2 N.M. cars and 5 Colorado cars to put on a couple of very good races. A full field of 15 or so of these little Buzz Bombs could be REALLY exciting. The heat race had the #6B of J.C. Gilleland take a comfortable win over the #33 of Clayton Guymon and the #66 of David Hand. The main event saw a great battle between family members J.C. Gilleland and the #2 of Ryan Gilleland run side by side and change positions a number of times before the #2 of Ryan Gilleland took the win over the #6B of J.C. Gilleland with the #33 of Clayton Guymon taking 3rd. spot. These small pint sized racer turn some unreal lap times and are excited about returning to NAPA Speedway with a full contingent of cars in the near future.


A-MODS
Heat #1, #75 Bob Harter, #58 Clint Miller, #09 Bill Waltman, #1 Mychal Lucero DNF, #31K Kevin Faddis DNF, #3J Josh Cain DNF
Heat #2, #37 Rob Haaland, #36 David Radman, #62 Tom Melloy, #31 Doug Goodenough, #31J Juanita Faddis, #8 John Marrs
Main-Event, #3J Josh Cain, #09 Bill Waltman, #31 Doug Goodenough, #58 Clint Miller, #75 Bob Harter, #62 Tom Melloy, #37 Rob Haaland, #31J Juanita Faddis, #8 John Marrs, #36 David Radman DNF, #31K Kevin Faddis DNF, #1 Mychal Lucero DNS

X-MODS
Heat #1, #0 J.R. Bonesteel, #62 Tom Melloy, #5X Rick Boelter, #29 Mike O'Neil, #33 Wild Bill Lynch, #25 Derek Dietz, #14 Andrew Fowner, #87 Eric Ford, #21 Tommy Barela, #28 Skimmer Leathem
Heat #2, #00 Steve Bonesteel, #37 Rob Haaland, #21III Avie Chavez III, #23 Andy Genson Jr., #34S Donald Scott, #76 Mike Ford Jr., #14C Bennie Chavez, #43 Dan Glass DNF, #54 Tim Hooper DNF, #78 Gary Guinn DNF, #86 Charlie Duffey DNF
Main-Event, #37 Rob Haaland, #62 Tom Melloy, #29 Mike O'Neil, #00 Steve Bonesteel, #23 Andy Genson Jr., #54 Tim Hooper, #28 Skimmer Leathem, #34S Donald Scott, #21 Tommy Barela, #14 Andrew Fowner, #43 Dan Glass, #0 J.R. Bonesteel DNF, #76 Mike Ford Jr. DNF, #33 Wild Bill Lynch DNF, #14C Bennie Chavez DNF, #25 Derek Dietz DNF, #21III Avie Chavez III DNF, #5X Rick Boelter DNF, #78 Gary Guinn DNS, #86 Charlie Duffey DNS, #87 Eric Ford DNS

STREET STOCKS
Heat #1, #8X Mario Truden Jr., #99 Joel Duke, #3 Mario Truden Sr., #73J Gerald Haste, #20 Britney Bell, #98 Toy Fisher DNF, #54 Shawn Dutcher DNF
Heat #2, #27 Jay Pape, #53 R.C. Combs, #40 John Cruickshank, #3D Nathan Medina, #1 Ronnie Bell, #00 Jim Smith
Main-Event, #8X Mario Truden Jr., #27 Jay Pape, #98 Toy Fisher, #3 Mario Truden Sr., #99 Joel Duke, #00 Jim Smith, #73J Gerald Haste, #20 Britney Bell, #53 R.C. Combs DNF, #40 John Cruickshank DNF, #3D Nathan Medina DNF, #54 Shawn Dutcher DNS, #1 Ronnie Bell DNS

HORNETS
Heat #1 and only, #06 Patricia Gallegos, #95 Andrew Fowner, #7 Daysha Boelter, #94 Richard Garcia, #07 Jolene Fowner, #97B Justin Morgan, #99 Lena Duke, #7X Rick Jockisch, #29 Larry Johnson, #21 Robbie Garcia, #98Y Coulter Morgan, #41 Kenny Welker, #11 Whitley Chavez
Main-Event, #06 Patricia Gallegos, #97B Justin Morgan, #99 Lena Duke, #7 Daysha Boelter, #07 Jolene Fowner, #7X Rick Jockisch, #11 Whitley Chavez, #21 Robbie Garcia, #94 Richard Garcia DNF, #95 Andrew Fowner DNF, #41 Kenny Welker DNF, #98Y Coulter Morgan DNS, #29 Larry Johnson DNS

CRUISERS
Heat #1 and only, #0 Gary Smith, #43 Art Hurley, #76 Madison Conrad, #57 Steven Ashley, #33 Devin Gates DNF, #66 Erik Williams DNF, #15 Cheyenna Yates DNF, #4M Rob Moseley DNF, #80 Ernie Sandoval DNF, #20 John Morningstar DNS, #10 Marissa Dutton DNS
Main-Event, #33 Devin Gates, #15 Cheyenna Yates, #0 Gary Smith, #4M Rob Moseley, #20 John Morningstar, #43 Art Hurley, #76 Madison Conrad, #57 Steven Ashley, #10 Marissa Dutton DNF, #66 Erik Williams DNS, #80 Ernie Sandoval DNS

MINI-SPRINTS
Heat #1, #4S Spencer Hill, #2 David Gay, #4L Kristy Smith, #84X Keith Gatewood, #34 Ann Gatewood, #69X T.J. McHugh
Heat #2, #17 Jacob Johnston, #5 Jason Tanner, #07 Patrick Hurtado, #24K Kaylee Dons, #1 Duane Oldfield, #11K Tyler James Congleton DNF
Main-Event, #4S Spencer Hill, #5 Jason Tanner, #2 David Gay, #07 Patrick Hurtado, #17 Jacob Johnston, #4L Kristy Smith, #24K Kaylee Dons, #69X T.J. McHugh, #84X Keith Gatewood DNF, #34 Ann Gatewood DNF, #1 Duane Oldfield DNF, #11K Tyler James Congleton DNS

DWARFS
Heat #1 and only, #6B J.C. Gilleland, #33 Clayton Guymon, #66 David Hand, #2 Ryan Gilleland, #70 Sean Apgar, #17 Ken Walker DNF, #42 Rick McCormick DNS
Main-Event, #2 Ryan Gilleland, #6B J.C. Gilleland, #33 Clayton Guymon, #66 David Hand, #17 Ken Walker, #42 Rick McCormick, #70 Sean Apgar

Have A Great Day
God Bless Everybody