NM Motorsports Report

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STEVE’S CRUIZIN WITH THE OLDIES

Photographers Adam Mollenkopf w/ Dirt Racing Syndicate & Melons Photography Bill Robertson WJR Photography Daniel “Matt” Courson David Swope Dominic Aragon Drew Garcia john Lamparski Getty Images Luis Zaragoza Lyle Greenberg NMIADA Paul Fields / Bucky Media Works

Story by Spencer Hill

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Editorial Contributors Brooklyn Green Daniel “Matt” Courson Caleb Luce David Swope David Werth Dominic Aragon Geoff Bodine Jim Costa Jim Cowling John Haverlin Lyle Greenberg RJ Lees Scott Welch, Motor Sports Photojournalist, scottwelchphoto.com Spencer Hill

Publication Sponsors 4 Rivers Equipment ABQ Dragway Bobby J’s Yamaha NAPA Auto Parts NMIADA Unser Racing Museum Yearwood Performance Amsoil, Seductions Maverick Auto & Fabrication

NM MotorSports Report copyright 2018®. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted

by NM Motorsports Report, alls rights reserved. Reproduction of any articles, advertisement or material from this issue is forbidden without permission of the publisher.

Publisher assumes no responsibility and is not to be held liable for errors beyond the cost of the space occupied by advertisers.

By John Haverlin

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S T EVE’ S CRUZ IN’

W I T H T HE OLDIES

By Spencer Hill

“I’ve always loved music,” said Haydu. “I would always DJ at parties in the ‘80s. At the time, keg parties were the major hit and I would pull up to play music with house stereo speakers and my cassette deck.”

If you are a car person in New Mexico, there is a very good chance that you know the name Steve Haydu. Between his own drag racing ventures and his mobile disc jockey business centered around car shows, Haydu has stayed involved with hot rods in New Mexico for over 35 years.

“I got into cars through my dad,” explained Haydu.

“Growing up in Ohio, Thompson Drag Raceway was located close to home. My dad used to take us there as kids and I got to see all of the big boys at the time come through to race there. I have always liked the gassers, which is why I bought a 1940 Willy’s in 1980 while going to school at Del Norte High School.”

It was at Del Norte where Haydu would help to pioneer the Del Norte Car Club and become their president.

“Everyone had some cool cars back then,” said Haydu. “I started drag racing myself in 1981 in my truck and I have kept racing it ever since. I was even able to capture the championship in 1983 and wound up in NHRA Magazine which was pretty cool.”

Not much has changed since then, as you can still find Haydu periodically racing at our local dragway, Albuquerque Dragway.

“I think I’ll probably stay racing until the day I die,” added Haydu. “It’s one of those things where once it is in your blood, it is there to stay. Unfortunately it’s just expensive to do. This year will be hit or miss for me as far as how often I get to race. I’m not that competitive, I just like to go out there and have fun.”

If you asked Steve Haydu what the hardest part about drag racing was, he would explain that it is staying consistent. “Pre-staging and staging is the whole rush of drag racing as far as I’m concerned.

There is nothing that compares to that moment and the rush you get before the tree goes off.”

The only thing that Steve Haydu might like more than hot rods and drag racing is music.

6 NMMotorSportsReport.com

In 1990, he brought his two favorite things together to form a business rightfully named Steve’s Cruzin’ with the Oldies.

“I started playing with the car club, Over the Hill Gang,” Haydu said. “I decided to start Steve’s Cruzin’ with the Oldies because at the time, I was going to car shows and nobody was playing any music. If they were playing music, they were playing 80s rock because it was popular at the time, but the old school car show guys didn’t like that very much.

They wanted to hear 50s and 60s music, and that’s why I liked the car gigs. It was the only place you could play that older music.”

Perhaps the most unique aspect that Haydu brings to the table with his disc jockey business, however, is that it is completely mobile. In 2004, Haydu bought a vintage ‘canham’ camper trailer and fitted it to hold every piece of equipment needed to take his show on the road. Unlike anything else in Albuquerque, it is just one more reason why Steve’s Cruzin’ with the Oldies is loved by so many in the hot rod scene.

Among other prestigious events such as the Rio Rancho Park in the Park which kicks the regular season car shows off in April, Haydu has also appeared for Sonic Car Shows, Owl Café Cruise Nights, and countless Hooters Car Shows.

He is arguably most known, however, for being the voice of the Supernationals Car Show which is celebrating 28 years of chrome in 2019. The world renown event has held some of the nicest vehicles in the world since 1991 and hot rod addicts from around the country have flocked to Expo New Mexico to see it ever since. Haydu has been there as the official DJ since 2007, and has since become a staple in the main building playing music hits for the thousands of attendees to enjoy. No Supernationals Car Show would be complete though without hearing Steve blurt out his famous tagline throughout the day reminding folks that they are at the ‘Suuuuuuuupppeeeeerrrrrr Nationals’. The tagline, which originally started out as a joke by Haydu the first year, has now grown to be an expected part of the Supernationals experience every year.

So what’s the secret to Steve Haydu’s success as a DJ? The answer may surprise you.

“The secret is plenty of Cherry flavored Halls Cough Drops, Mucinex, and most importantly, being surrounded by good people. Without support from guys like Bill Veralia and Reggie Tibbetts, I probably never would’ve gotten into DJing at all.”

NMMotorSportsReport.com 7

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The New Mexico Motor Sports Report (NMMSR) on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM The TEAM, is hosted by David Swope every Saturday morning from 8am to 9am.

The NMMSR focuses on motorsports and related automobile activities around the state and on the national scene each and every week. The NMMSR is also on YouTube via the Proview Network (check your local listings for broadcast times). The NMMSR is on Twitter @NMMReport and you can like us on Facebook.

Join in the fun with your comments on the topics and questions. This is New Mexico’s only show devoted to motorsport related activities. Check out our website at NMMotorsportsreport.com.

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NMMotorSportsReport.com 13

“TRICKS of the TRADE”

By Jim Costa – Owner Yearwood Performance Center

LOOKING FORWARD

I

t has been a while since I wrote an article for NMMSR. You know how it goes, life gets busy, etc, etc. It’s a new year and we all have a new lease on life. Good thing is for a lot of us that means racing season is around the corner. Is your project ready? I know mine isn’t? I’d like to say I was

a lot closer than I am. We have acquired a new rolling chassis for the 2019 season, after licking our wounds for the last year and a half, physically and financially. We are hoping to get together a new drivetrain for the S-10 truck chassis sooner than later. It has been a long time and I can’t wait to get back out there and run the quarter mile. Meanwhile, between all the holidays we have still been playing with the 1963 Ford F100 project, getting ready to graft an independent rear-end underneath it. Between that and the supercharged 4 valve 4.6L engine, we’re thinking it should make for a pretty unique ride when it is all said and done.

Speaking of cool projects, what’s in your garage? What’s needing your attention? Has your baby been sitting, maybe sitting too long? Looking at a carb rebuild, or maybe an upgrade to fuel injection, we have everything in stock that you need to get your hot rod out of hibernation. Or maybe you’ve been thinking about more power, perhaps a new crate engine, supercharger or nitrous? We will steer you in the direction every time. We are your car’s best friend, a DIY guy’s dream.

But now we are now gearing up for the Supernationals car show, it’s only a couple weeks away and things are ever changing. The championship winning car of Haley James wasn’t going to be complete, so time to hit the streets again. We reached out to our friend Mike Keenan again, this time he is bringing his gold first generation Camaro, neat project. It basically looks stock in appearance on the exterior and interior, but under the hood lives a 2000 horsepower small block Chevy with twin turbos. Pretty impressive for sure. And of course we are gathering up new parts for our display engines to show what kind of cool stuff we have to offer, we will have a lot of retro-fit fuel injection on hand to show off at the show.

When you are in need of expert advice to get your ride ready for the springtime, look no further than Yearwood Performance, with two locations, we gotcha covered. For over 50 years we have been by your side making hot rodding great again.

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www.swms.org SouthWest MotorSport is a non-profit organization dedicated to recreational Road-Racing based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Originally formed as an outlet for Vintage and Gt racers, SWMS welcomes everyone who has an interest in recreational Road-Racing and karting.

NMMotorSportsReport.com 17

Getting Custom

With Caleb

THE MODERN CUSTOM b yWalton C a l Automotive eb Luce

By Caleb Luce , Jay

Over the last few decades the custom car has evolved from a primitive, mild modified car to a complete hand-built beast, packing major horsepower under the hood. Chopped tops, shaved door handles and a pancaked hood once was all you needed to be custom, but as the industry changed so did our perception. Technological advances and redesigned equipment has brought what once was a dream, into our reality. As our reality changed so does our expectations, beautiful custom cars are becoming a common sight and unbelievable workmanship has become blasĂŠ.

In the early days of customs, pioneers worked with new ideas, untested tools and cars that had never been touched. They paved the way for where we are now, creating a culture that would stand the test of time. This culture created the men and women who have perfected the art of custom, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Modern hot rods are expected to be beautiful and they are, but beauty is only one piece to this intricate puzzle.

Performance is now required in the custom world, 1000hp cars have become common and forced induction is a given, but unlike the early customs this performance must come in a tightly packed and perfectly manicured engine bay.

Builders go to great lengths to build custom turbo setups, one off super charger packages and never seen before nitrous shots.

Building a modern custom begins with choosing the perfect model, Camaros, Mustangs, Chevelles and tri-five Chevy’s were all we saw being modified in the early days, but now anything is fair game. Today we are seeing everything from Volkswagen bugs to Chevy Corvairs being built and they all can make waves if they are built correctly. Choosing the perfect car begins with the body style, body lines are everything and it is important to have a game plan on what can be done with them. Front and tail ends are next, what is possible with the grille and headlights, can the taillight and rear body panel section be modified?

Most builders work with what they have and some builders like I, start from scratch, building on a blank canvas. Next it is important to know what will be done performance wise, including engine, transmission, suspension and chassis. Classic hot rods will have chassis options available, but as we move away from the classics, custom chassis will be required.

Custom chassis have always been my preference, with my background in mechanical engineering I enjoy designing and building my chassis in order to achieve specific performance packages. These attributes are the building blocks of a good custom, without one the build will suffer greatly.

As we dive further into our build, details become essential. Although the major components of the build create the base for a good custom, the detail create a show winning car. Body modification will be the first thing done considering it must be finished before body work and paint. Tasteful body modification are tricky and it is easy to either overdo it or miss the mark on what works. Start with the major mods, sectioning, chopping, and channeling. These will be overall mods changing the look of the entire car, allowing you to move on to the small mods that tie the car together.

The small modification are where most people miss the mark, either overdoing it or not understanding the body lines creating eyesores that can ruin and expensive build. As we tie together the whole body we move on to what cannot be seen, the engine bay, interior and under carriage. Expectations have gone through the roof, this has created an industry of perfection which is a blessing and a curse. We are seeing some of the most beautiful cars ever created, but it has set a precedent of what is required. Out of sight out of mind is no longer an option which means every corner of the car must be reworked. Engine bays must be simple and beautiful, horsepower packaged into a tasteful design while being completely functional. Interiors are expected to be perfection, a flowing design throughout with all of the modern comforts seen in new production cars. Undercarriages must be finished with the same care we take on the exterior with custom parts built to fit and paint schemes to match.

Modern customs have been moving towards perfection at an exponential rate and it is hard to imagine them becoming any better. This being said there was once a point in the past when builders couldn’t imagine how the cars could advance any further, but as technology progressed the cars did as well. With automated equipment and better parts customs will only advance, the world of custom cars became a monster overnight and the best is still to come. The moment we think the cars cannot get any nicer is the moment we will be surprised. The future is bright so pay attention, watch the up and coming builders and brace yourself for a level of perfection never thought possible.

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2019 EVENTS Get any events planned for your group in to joyce@nmcarcouncil.com

JANUARY January 25-27 – 28th Super Nationals – EXPO NM – Albuquerque – Move in Thursday 24th 8am-10pm or 25th 8-11am – Show 25th 12noon-9pm, 26th 10am-9pm, 27th10am-8pm – Entry $45 by January 13, $55 after – Spectator and parking entry fee – 332-9222, www. thesupernationals.com or Yearwood Performance for Information

FEBRUARY February 22 – Valencia HS Car Show – Valencia HS Auto Shop, 310 Bonita Vista Blvd, Los Lunas – Arrive 7-8am, ends around noon – Anthony Chavez (505)859-0491or Office (505)565-8755

MARCH March 2 – NSRA Appreciation Day – Adult Toy Factory, Las Cruces – Open to All – Bob Nall (575) 382-5742 March 9 – Vets & Non-Vets Car Show – Borman Autoplex, Las Cruces – Open to all – Rich Lewis (575)650-7074 March 23 – Feed NM Kids Car Show – Philip & Sons, 4101 4th St. NW, Albuquerque – Non-perishable food donation is required for entry – Lunch for all participants – Raffle – Starts at 9am, lunch at 11;30am-2pm, raffle at 2pm, show ends at 3pm – Philip Lovato (505)264-9081 OR (505)345-5865 March 29-30 – Artesia Car Enthusiasts 22nd Annual Main Event Car Show and Cruise – Main Street, Artesia – As a memorial to Frank Hammond, it will be a non-judged show, as Frank always wanted a show where everyone could just enjoy the cars – Show will be at Heritage Plaza on Saturday, the cruise down Main Street Friday night – Dorothy Hammond (575)746-9477 or dorothy@tberryweb.com March 30 – Liberty Tax Car Show & Market – Kimberley Pierce (505)379-8884, Liberty Tax or kim@197au.com

APRIL April 5-7 – 16th New Mexico International Auto Show – ABQ Convention Center, Albuquerque – New cars – (505)768-4575 www.newmexicoautoshow.com April 6 – Smokin’ Oldies Show & Shine – Courthouse Park, Deming – Dorinda (575)494-7072 April 19-20 – 16th Annual Ford Show – Alameda Park, Alamogordo – Open to Fords – Pat Stevenson (575)430-7216 April 27 – Spring Thaw (Get your Car Tuned for Summer Touring) – Old Car Garage, 3232 Girard NE – Oil change and diagnostics for a donation to Cuidando los Ninos – Reservation required, starting in March April 28 – Cruise & Schmoose – Goodwill Parking Lot next to Sonic Drive In, 5000 San Mateo NE – No entry fee, just show off your ride

20 NMMotorSportsReport.com

WHAT MIGHT ROSS CHASTAIN’S 2019 SEASON LOOK LIKE? HOPEFULLY, IT’S IN-SPIRE-ING

By John Haverlin Photo: Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images

Haverlin’s Hot Takes ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA ENTRY LIST REVEALED

By John Haverlin Photo: LAT Images

R

oss Chastain was poised to drive the No. 42 Chip Ganassi Racing car in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, but the team will cut its Xfinity program due to a lack of sponsorship.

Ganassi released a statement Friday that the car can’t run without funding from DC Solar, which leaves Chastain without a competitive ride.

This was supposed to be Chastain’s big break in NASCAR. After running three Xfinity events in the middle of last season and winning at Las Vegas with CGR, it looked like his ability to wheel a racecar earned him a top ride.

This is a devastating blow for Chastain. But, this doesn’t mean his entire 2019 season is in jeopardy.

He’s still expected to race in the Cup Series. It was announced in October that’d he return to Premium Motorsports.

Last month, Premium owner Jay Robinson was involved in the purchase of Furniture Row Racing’s charter. The new car that will use FRR’s charter will be the No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet. Spire Sports + Entertainment is an agency that represents several racecar drivers, including Chastain.

O

n Wednesday, IMSA announced that 47 cars will race in the 24-hour race at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 26-27. Eleven Daytona Prototype international (DPi) cars, four Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) cars, nine GT Le Mans (GTLM) cars, and 23 GT Daytona (GTD) cars make up the grid for the 57th running of the event. It will mark the first IMSA WeatherTech Championship event in which the entire field will use Michelin tires.

DPi entries: • Six Cadillacs are entered (two Action Express Racing cars, one Wayne Taylor Racing car, one Juncos Racing car, and two JDC-Miller Motorsports cars).

• Acura will feature two DPis for Team Penske. Mazda will enter two DPis with Joest Racing, and Nissan will enter one DPi with CORE Autosport.

Since Robinson has Chastain under his control for 2019, and Chastain works with Spire, it’d only make sense for him to run at least a partial schedule with the new team, right?

LMP2 entries:

So why might this No. 77 car be a better option for Chastain than a standard Premium car?

GTLM entries:

Since Spire owns FRR’s former No. 78 charter, the team will earn a significant amount of money because the charter has been with a high-performing organization over the last three years.

In 2017, Martin Truex Jr. won the championship and finished runner-up in 2018 driving for FRR, so the value of the team’s charter is greater than the other 35 in the Cup field.

It’s really hard to predict how the Spire car will run right now. The team hasn’t announced an alliance, a driver, or a crew chief. But it will be guaranteed some pretty decent funding in its first year. Most start-up NASCAR teams aren’t blessed with that luxury.

Chastain has been solid in the Premium Motorsports cars over the last two seasons. In 36 career starts, he has 10 top-25s including a 20th-place finish in his debut at Dover in 2017. The Cup cars he’s driven to this point have been backmarkers that are expected to finish in the 30s, so give Chastain credit where it’s due.

Ultimately, we don’t know for sure if Chastain will drive for Spire and what kind of performance we could expect to see out of the No. 77. But if he were to drive the car to a few top-15 finishes this season, that’d surely turn some heads and encourage prospective team owners to think he’s the real deal.

It’s a shame that Chastain won’t race with Ganassi in 2019, especially since he had the potential to be an Xfinity champion with the team. But he’s still in NASCAR, and he’ll continue to find his way to the top despite this setback

• DragonSpeed will enter two Oreca 07 cars. Performance Tech Motorsports and PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports will each enter one Oreca 07.

• CORE Autosport will enter two Porsches, Risi Competizione will enter one Ferrari, Rahal will enter two BMWs, Chip Ganassi Racing will enter two Ford GTs, and Corvette Racing will enter two of its cars.

GTD entries: • Four Porsches are entered (one each by Pfaff Motorsports, Park Place Motorsports, NGT Motorsport, and Black Swan Racing).

• Five Lamborghinis are entered (one each by GRT Grasser Racing Team, Magnus Racing, Ebimotors, Precision Performance Motorsports, and Paul Miller Racing).

• Two Acuras are entered by Heinricher Racing with Michael Shank Racing and Curb-Agajanian • Three Ferraris are entered (one each by Via Italia Racing, AF Corse, and Scuderia Corsa).

• Four Audis are entered (one each by Starworks Motorsport, Moorespeed, Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, and WRT Speedstar Audi Sport • One BMW is entered by Turner Motorsport • Two Lexus are entered by AIM Vasser Sullivan • Two Mercedes-AMG GT3s are entered (one each by P1 Motorsports and Team Riley Motorsports).

NMMotorSportsReport.com 21

Haverlin’s Hot Takes SUNDAY: A USGP ANALYSIS AND FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT COVERING F1

By John Haverlin Photo: Photos: John Haverlin / ESPN Albuquerque Raikkonen says that a win with Ferrari wasn’t something he stressed.

And with his tenure at the Italian organization concluding next month, he didn’t feel he had to prove himself before switching teams in 2019.

“If (the win) comes, it comes. It doesn’t change my life one bit,” he said.

Raikkonen will race for Sauber next year, and he’ll be running midpack. But that doesn’t bother F1’s “Iceman,” who began his career with the Swiss team.

“I think that people don’t understand I’m very happy where I’m going,” Raikkonen explained. “In my time with Ferrari, I won the championship with them, I won races with them. For me, as a driver, I want different challenges, I want different things.

“I’m actually very happy to go there. It’s roughly 40 minutes from my home. I’m sure my family will be happy, and I’m happy to be with my family. I think it’s probably the best thing.”

Well, how was it covering F1?

AUSTIN, Texas — Kimi Raikkonen’s 113-race winless streak ended at the Circuit of The Americas on Sunday as Lewis Hamilton nearly secured his fifth Formula One World Championship.

I seriously didn’t know what to expect coming into the weekend. I didn’t know who I’d talk to or what they’d say. And there wasn’t anyone I knew in the media. I spent quite a bit of time alone.

Hamilton started on the pole but finished third behind Max Verstappen, who began the United States Grand Prix from 18th. Initially, he qualified 15th because he hit some curbing during Q2 on Saturday and damaged his rear suspension. Then he was assessed a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change, but the two Toro Rossos started from the last row after switching some Honda engine components.

Walking on pit road before the race was the best part of the weekend for me. I was able to get closer to the cars and photograph them while they were in the garage stalls. Getting close to them had eluded me throughout the weekend, so I was glad that I could look at them from a few yards away.

Another thing that was challenging was getting interviews. As I wrote yesterday, I learned about some media policies in F1 that make talking to drivers pretty tricky.

Raikkonen’s Ferrari was faster than Hamilton’s Mercedes from the start. Both ran the majority of the race on soft tires, and the Finn held off Verstappen and the championship leader in the closing laps.

Hamilton almost clinches Hamilton and Verstappen tightly battled for second with three laps to go.

Sebastian Vettel was running fifth, and Hamilton needed to finish second to clinch the title. Ultimately, Hamilton pushed the issue too hard, ran off-course for a moment, and was unable to reel in the Red Bull driver. Despite not finishing second, Hamilton isn’t concerned with the driver standings.

“Championships are not won by fighting and making silly mistakes,” Hamilton told ESPN Albuquerque during the post-race press conference. “If that was me and Seb, I would’ve been a lot tighter and more aggressive. If we were fighting for the championship for example, but there was no need.

“The key was to make sure I at least finished ahead of Seb, and for me, it doesn’t matter when you win the championship as long as you get it done.

“Ultimately we wanted to win the race today, and going backward two steps is not a good result. But as I said, you can’t win them all; you can’t always get them perfect.”

Hamilton has a 70-point lead with three Grands Prix remaining. Regardless of Vettel’s result at the Mexican Grand Prix next weekend, the Briton would clinch the title with a finish of seventh or better.

Raikkonen’s relief During the cool down lap, Raikkonen shouted,” Finally!” to his team over the radio. After not winning for more than five years, he must’ve felt relief to end the drought. But he says the victory doesn’t change anything about his career, and it was probably more satisfying for his supporters than himself.

“It was a much bigger victory for other people,” he said.

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I was able to ask Hamilton a question during the press conference, and I was pleased with the response he gave me. Other than that, I didn’t get to speak with any other F1 driver during the press availabilities. That was a little frustrating.

Would I come back to F1? Without a doubt, I would. F1 is the pinnacle of auto racing. Yes, NASCAR features the best stock car drivers, and the Monster Energy Cup Series is a prestigious level of motorsport, but it doesn’t have the worldwide following that F1 has.

In the F1 paddock, drivers are treated like celebrities. When one of them appears, fans and media immediately swarm them to snap a picture or get an autograph. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is really popular in NASCAR, right? Well, it’s almost as if 20 Dale Juniors are walking through the F1 paddock.

What’s next?

For F1, there are three Grands Prix. Hamilton will likely tie Juan Manuel Fangio for five career championships in Mexico next weekend. He’ll pass Alain Prost and Vettel, who each have four.

For me, I return to NASCAR at Martinsville Speedway. I’ll be at three of the four final NASCAR weekends, including Phoenix and Homestead-Miami.

My editor David Swope and I had the mindset that this weekend would be a learning experience. It was a way to test the waters of Formula racing, similar to what we did at the New York City ePrix weekend in July. If anything, we’ll be more prepared the next time F1 is on this side of the pond. Hopefully, I can return to COTA or visit Montreal for the Canadian GP in 2019.

Well, it’s hard to believe there’s only a month left in the racing season already. I’ve been around the country and seen a variety of races throughout the year. I couldn’t say this weekend was the most fun I’ve ever had at a racetrack, but damn, it sure was memorable.

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