SHOW LOW - Open wheeled racers and Northern Arizona Dwarf Car drivers celebrated the Memorial Day weekend with two nights of racing at Thunder Raceway Saturday and Sunday.
A big Thank You to Dennis at Phoenix Sprint Cars for all of his help on and off of the track. Gordon, that is one heck of a motor my friend!
Running up front paid off in all three series, for five of the six main events saw winners lead from wire to wire. Stevie Sussex, a second-generation driver from Phoenix, won Saturday's sprint car feature. Sussex was one of eight Arizona drivers who joined the New Mexico Motor Racing Association's sprinters at the Show Low track. Ronnie Smith of Albuquerque, the 2009 NMMRA champion, led until just past the halfway mark of the 25-lap feature. Sussex then got past and held on for the victory.
"(The track) took rubber. We anticipated it would be dry at the top by the end of the race," Sussex said. "Luckily the car was tight enough we could keep the car straight.
Sussex, Andy Reinbold and Shon Duskin were Saturday's heat race winners.
Jesse Baker of Grants, N.M. became the first driver to win two sprint car races at Thunder Raceway this season. Baker started on the outside pole and led the entire NMMRA main event Sunday night. He also won the May 8 feature at the Show Low track.
The race was punctuated by five caution periods. The fourth caution involved front-runners Smith and Gilbert's Reinbold, who were running second and third at the time.
Baker took the checkered flag four car-lengths ahead of second-place finisher Stephen Nix.
"The motor was running real well. The car handled well. Everything went good tonight," Baker said. "There were a lot of cautions and that was probably a good thing. We didn't have to deal with lapped traffic.
"The track became one groove. I didn't want to slide up. They were going to have to go around me," Baker said. Reinbold, Nick Aiuto and Bo Baker were the heat race winners on Sunday. Albuquerque's Scott Box finished 17th on Saturday and seventh in Sunday's feature to maintain his point lead.
This Saturday, June 5, the NMMRA sprints are at White Sands Speedway in Tularosa, N.M.
Caskey sweeps features in new Phoenix Sprint Car chassis.
Ken Caskey of Phoenix debuted a new race car and became the first two-time winner in the Arizona Mini Sprint season. Caskey won both Saturday's and Sunday's feature races.
Caskey started on the inside pole and led all of Saturday's main event with Kenny Brewer, Mike Brewer, Austin Quick and Paul Martin rounding out the top five finishing positions. Albuquerque's Kenny and Mike Brewer were the heat race winners Saturday.
Sunday's feature was slowed by two caution periods for spinouts, but the final 10 laps were under green. Austin Quick closed to within a few car-lengths of Caskey to finish second with Dustin Cormany, Kenny Brewer and Paul Martin with another solid fifth place finish on the weekend. Kenny Brewer and B.J. Arntz were the heat race winners on Sunday. "This is a brand new race car. Last night was the first time I've gotten to race it" Caskey said. "It is a Phoenix Sprint Cars house car and I'm blessed to drive it."
Ken Caskey of Phoenix inspects his race car after losing speed while leading his heat race for Arizona Mini Sprints. The problem got fixed: Caskey led the May 30 feature race at Thunder Raceway from start to finish. Photographer: Andy Staten | |  |
Phoenix' Ken Caskey leads the final laps of Sunday's feature race for Arizona Mini Sprints as Austin Quick closes in. It was as close as anyone else got to the front all race long as Caskey led the main event from the drop of the green flag to the checkered. Photographer: Andy Staten | |  |
Car 43 takes Jones and Cotherman to victory
One car was the star in the Northern Arizona Dwarf Car races last weekend.
Dale Jones of Glendale borrowed Tim Cotherman's No. 43 and won Saturday's feature race. On Sunday, Cotherman returned to the cockpit of No. 43 and made it two-for-two by winning the main event.
"The track was fast and smooth. The car was awesome," Jones said. "I normally race modifieds and stock cars. We had a problem with the (No. 60 - Jones' own Dwarf car). Tim said 'why don't you try this one.' It was my first time in a Dwarf car as far as a full night of racing."
Four caution periods slowed Sunday's main event. The final three laps were run under the green and Cotherman won by 1.5 seconds over second-place Pat Henesey.
"I just stomped the throttle and let her go. I picked the No. 2 pill and had the preferred line," said Cotherman, who hails from Phoenix. "There were a lot of bumps down on the bottom. The track was different every lap.
"What was great was that two different drivers took it to victory lane two nights in a row. The track was different both nights. It went dry slick (Saturday) night. We knew it would go dry tonight."
Thunder Raceway May 29 results
New Mexico Motor Racing Assn.
Sprint Car Series
HEAT ONE - 1. Andy Reinbold, 2. Jesse Baker, 3. Ronnie Smith, 4. Stephen NIx, 5. Jordan Mattson, 6. Stultz, 7. Jordan Stentson.
HEAT TWO - 1. Steven Sussex, 2. Bo Baker, 3. Paul Whitehead, 4. Larry Stoerkel, 5. Jerill Higginbotham, 6. Nick Rael, DNS - Jerry Higginbotham.
HEAT THREE - 1. Shon Duskin, 2. Nick Aiuto, 3. Bill Mitchell, 4. Derek Williams, 5. Stephen Spiak, 6. Scott Box, 7. Randy Smith.
MAIN EVENT - 1. Steven Sussex, 2. Ronnie Smith, 3. Andy Reinbold, 4. Bo Baker, 5. Jesse Baker, 6. Shon Duskin, 7. Derek Williams, 8. Nick Aiuto, 9. Jordan Mattson, 10. Bill Mitchell, 11. Randy Smith, 12. Jordan Stentson, 13. Nick Rael, 14. E. Stultz, 15. Stephen Spiak, 16. Larry Stoerkel, 17. Scott Box, 18. Jerill Higginbotham, 19. Stephen Nix, 20. Paul Whitehead, 21. Jerry Higginbotham.
Arizona Mini Sprints
HEAT ONE - 1. Kenny Brewer, 2. Austin Quick, 3. Paul Martin, 4. Ryan Walter, 5. Jim Mattison, 6. Colton Hardy, 7. Rick Alexander
HEAT TWO - 1. Mike Brewer, 2. Ken Caskey, 3. B.J. Arntz, 4. Pat Wing, 5. James Hatch, 6. Mike Visser, 7. Drew Holleran.
MAIN EVENT - 1. Ken Caskey, 2. Kenny Brewer, 3. Mike Brewer, 4. Austin Quick, 5. Paul Martin, 6. Mike Visser, 7. Ryan Walter, 8. Pat Wing, 9. B.J. Arntz, 10. Jim Mattison, 11. James Hatch, 12. Drew Holleran, 13. Rick Alexander, 14. Colton Hardy.
Northern Arizona Dwarf Cars
TROPHY DASH - 1. Russ Maurrer, 2. Neil Etter, 3. Ben Richey, 4. Rick Haase.
HEAT ONE - 1. J.C. Gilleland, 2. Rick Haase, 3. Heather Henesey, 4. Frank Phillips, 5. Randy Deines, 6. George Cooke, 7. Neil Etter, 8., Seth Gaston.
HEAT TWO - 1. J.J. Lemoine, 2. Steve Kapaun, 3. Dale Jones, 4. Rat Stafford, 5. Rick Godsey, 6. Helen Henesey, 7. Rhett Butler.
HEAT THREE - 1.Pat Henesey, 2. Ryan Gilleland, 3. Brian Stehr, 4. Russ Maurrer, 5. Jason Craner, 6. Russ Madden, 7. Ben Richey.
MAIN EVENT - 1. Dale Jones, 2. Brian Stehr, 3. Pat Henesey, 4. J.C. Gilleland, 5. Ryan Gilleland, 6. Frank Phillips, 7. Heather Henesey, 8. Helen Henesey, 9. Rick Haase, 10. George Cooke, 11. Randy Deines, 12. J.J. Lemoine, 13. Steve Kapaun, 14. Rat Stafford, 15. Seth Gaston, 16. Russ Maurrer, 17. Russ Madden, 18. Rhett Butler, 19. Neil Etter, 20. Rick Godsey, 21. Jason Craner, 22. Ben Richey.
May 30 results New Mexico Motor Racing Assn.
Sprint Car Series
HEAT ONE - 1. Andy Reinbold, 2. Ronnie Smith, 3. Jesse Baker, 4. Bill Mitchell, 5. Scott Box, 6. Jerill Higginbotham, 7. Jerry Higginbotham.
HEAT TWO - 1. Bo Baker, 2. Derek Williams, 3. E. Stultz, 4. Nick Rael, 5. Stephen Spiak, 6. Shon Duskin.
HEAT THREE - 1. Nick Aiuto, 2. Stephen Nix, 3. Steve Sussex, 4. Jordan Mattson, 5. Randy Smith, DNS - Jordan Stentson.
MAIN EVENT - 1. Jesse Baker, 2. Stephen Nix, 3. Nick Aiuto, 4. Shon Duskin, 5. Steve Sussex, 6. Jordan Mattson, 7. Scott Box, 8. Stultz, 9. Ronnie Smith, 10. Bill Mitchell, 11. Stephen Spiak, 12. Randy Smith, 13. Andy Reinbold, 14. Derek Williams, 15. Nick Rael, 16. Jerill Higginbotham, 17. Bo Baker, 18. Jerry Higginbotham, DNS - Jordan Stentson.
Arizona Mini Sprints
HEAT ONE - 1. Kenny Brewer, 2. Dustin Cormany, 3. Mike Brewer, 4. Mike Visser, 5. Josh Shipley, 6. Ryan Walter, 7. Drew Holleran, 8. Rick Alexander, DNS - James Hatch.
HEAT TWO - 1. B.J. Arntz, 2. Austin Quick, 3. Ken Caskey, 4. Pat Wing, 5. Jim Mattison, 6. Paul Martin, 7. Colton Hardy, 8. Allen Saine.
MAIN EVENT - 1. Ken Caskey, 2. Austin Quick, 3. Dustin Cormany, 4. Kenny Brewer, 5. Paul Martin, 6. Mike Visser, 7. Mike Brewer, 8. Josh Shipley, 9. Ryan Walter, 10. B.J. Arntz, 11. Pat Wing, 12. James Hatch, 13. Colton Hardy, 14. Drew Holleran, 15. Rick Alexander, 16. Jim Mattison. DNS - Allen Saine.
Northern Arizona Dwarf Cars
HEAT ONE - 1. Pat Henesey, 2. Tim Cotherman, 3. Neil Etter, 4. Russ Maurrer, 5. Rhett Butler, 6. Jason Craner.
HEAT TWO - 1. Helen Henesey, 2. Rick Godsey, 3. Rat Stafford, 4. Frank Phillips, 5. Ben Richey, 6. Dale Jones.
HEAT THREE - 1. Steve Kapaun, 2. Heather Henesey, 3. Randy Deines, 4. Brian Stehr, 5. Rick Haase.
MAIN EVENT - 1. Tim Cotherman, 2. Pat Henesey, 3. Brian Stehr, 4. Rick Godsey, 5. Steve Kapaun, 6. Heather Henesey, 7. Rat Stafford, 8. Neil Etter, 9. Rick Haase, 10. Frank Phillips, 11. Helen Henesey, 12. Randy Deines, 13. Rhett Butler, 14. Jason Craner, 15. Russ Maurrer, 16. Ben Richey, 17. Dale Jones.
