new mexico
June 2017
Vo l # 2
issue #5
new mexico
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seis de mayo barley Room Car Show design. build. race unm school of engineering
A Journey back... Caleb Saiz Scott Welch, Motor Sports Photojournalist Š 2016/2017
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G OT P L U M B I N G P R O B L E M S ? Call the Exper ts.
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new mexico
June 2017 volume 2 issue 5
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Publisher
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NASCAR & Xfinity updates
RaDine William, LLC
By Daniel “Matt” Courson Photos by Ryan Willard
Design & Layout
Editor Dominic Aragon David Lansa DL Graphic Design
Photographers
10 Seis De Mayo Car Show By David Swope NMMotorsportsReport@Gmail.com
Adam Mollenkopf w/ Dirt Racing Syndicate & Melons Photography Daniel “Matt” Courson David Swope Getty Images Scott Welch, Motor Sports Photojournalist, scottwelchphoto.com Corey Ringo Double Barrel Photography Ryan Willard UNM School of Enfineering
Editorial Contributors
Design. Build. Race.
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By David Swope & Kim Delker Photos courtesy of UNM School of Engineering NMMotorsportsReport@Gmail.com
21
Adam Mollenkopf Brooklyn Green David Swope Dominic Aragon Geoff Bodine Jim Costa Scott Welch, Motor Sports Photojournalist, scottwelchphoto.com Isabel Conzalez Stan Creekmore Lyle Greenberg Daniel “Matt” Courson Kim Delker
Publication Sponsors
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Cover Photo
Cover photo provided by
Scott Welch, Motor Sports Photojournalist © 2016/2017
A Journey Back By Brooklyn Green NMMotorsportsReport@Gmail.com
NM Motorsports Report copyright 2017®. 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.
NMMotorsportsReport.com • 3
J
Dillon utilizes fuel strategy, captures first career win at Charlotte
By Daniel Courson
By Daniel Courson | Photos by Ryan Willard The Racing Experts
A
ustin Dillon passed seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson with two laps remaining in the Coca-Cola 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway early Monday morning to capture his first career Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory. The Coca-Cola racing family driver led once in the race for a total of two laps, delivering the second win for Richard Childress Racing in 2017. “It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Dillon said. “I can’t believe it. I was just really focused on those last laps. My fiancé wrote in the car, ‘When you keep God in the first place, he will take you places you never imagined.’ “And, I never imagined to be here at the 600 Victory Lane. Praise the Lord and all these guys who work so hard; and my pit crew is the best on pit road. I love it for them. We’re in the Chase. It’s awesome.” The victory came in Dillon’s 133rd career start.
on some things that work for us here,” he said. “Earlier in my career, Charlotte, I would dread coming here because I felt like it was one of my worse racetracks, I wasn’t very good here.”
OVERALL This win was Austin Dillon’s first of his career and second top-10 at Charlotte, joining the ranks of Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Jamie McMurray who also earned their first career victories in NASCAR’s longest race of the year.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Dillon said. “I can’t believe it. I was just really focused on those last laps.
For the third consecutive time, Martin Truex Jr. led the most laps in the CocaCola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Truex, however, came up shy due to a fuel mileage race playing out in the end. “ I think the last few years, we’ve just really hit 4 NMMotorsportsReport.com
“We came back in ’15, and just picked up on that with faster cars. We were getting to where we were running pretty good everywhere. Then we came here. We were just that much better.”
Richard Childress Racing now has two victories in the 2017 MENCS season, after going winless for 127 races before Phoenix earlier this year. 31 cars were running at the finish of the race. 17 drivers finished on the lead lap. 10 drivers led at least one lap during the race.
Blaney leads most laps, captures checkered flag at Charlotte
By Matt Courson | Photos by Ryan Willard/The Racing Experts CONCORD, N.C. – Ryan Blaney led the most laps en route to victory in the Hisense 4K TV 300 XFINITY Series race Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
OVERALL This win was Blaney’s fifth win of his XFINITY career, and first since September 2015 at Kentucky. This is Blaney’s first win at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Blaney, who passed Kevin Harvick after the final restart, led four times for a total of 107 laps. His margin of victory over Kevin Harvick was .244 seconds.
Team Penske now has back-to-back victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the XFINITY Series, and two victories in 2017.
Ryan Blaney and Dave Blaney became the first father-son duo to win to win a NASCAR XFINITY Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Christopher Bell finished fourth in his debut in the XFINITY Series and rebounded after spinning off Turn 4 on Lap two.
“Back then, it wasn’t the XFINITY Series in ’06, but that was pretty neat for my dad to win here,” Blaney said. “I remember watching that race and that was a heck of a race and I hope this was a great race to watch.
Thirty cars finished on the lead lap.
“It was fun to be a part of. We had a really awesome race car all day, having to start in the back and to be fourth by that first segment end was pretty impressive.”
Elliott Sadler unofficially holds a six point lead over second place Justin Allgaier heading into the eleventh race of the season at Dover International Speedway.
NASCAR Coverage Your Top Source of Auto Racing News since 2010
#TheRacingExperts www.theracingexperts.net NMMotorsportsReport.com • 5
2017 schedule
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NMMotorsportsReport.com • 7
2017 NASCAR SCHEDULES
MARCH
MARCH
MARCH
Atlanta - Mar. 5 - FOX - 2:30 PM ET Las Vegas - Mar. 12 - FOX - 3:30 PM ET Phoenix - Mar. 19 - FOX - 3:30 PM ET Auto Club - Mar. 26 - FOX - 3:30 PM
Atlanta - Mar. 4 - FS1 - 1:30 PM ET Las Vegas - Mar. 11 - FS1 - 4 PM ET Phoenix - Mar. 18 - FOX - 4 PM ET Auto Club - Mar. 25 - FS1 - 4 PM ET
Atlanta - Mar. 4 - FS1 - 4:30 PM ET
APRIL Martinsville - Apr. 1 - FS1 - 2:30 PM ET
APRIL
APRIL
MAY
Martinsville - Apr. 2 - FS1 - 2 PM ET Texas - Apr. 9 - FOX - 1:30 PM ET Bristol - Apr. 23 - FOX - 2 PM ET Richmond - Apr. 30 - FOX - 2 PM ET
Texas - Apr. 8 - FOX - 1:30 PM ET Bristol - Apr. 22 - FS1 - 12:30 PM ET Richmond - Apr. 29 - FS1 - 12:30 PM ET
Kansas - May 12 - FS1 - 8:30 PM ET Charlotte - May 19 - FS1 - 8:30 PM ET
MAY
MAY
Talladega - May 7 - FOX - 2 PM ET Kansas - May 13 - FS1 - 7:30 PM ET Showdown - May 19 - FS1 - 6 PM ET All-Star Race - May 20 - FS1 - 6 PM ET Charlotte - May 28 - FOX - 6 PM ET
Talladega - May 6 - FOX - 1 PM ET Charlotte - May 27 - FS1 - 1 PM ET
JUNE Dover - Jun 4 - FS1 - 1 PM ET Pocono - Jun 11 - FS1 - 3 PM ET Michigan - Jun 18 - FS1 - 3 PM ET Sonoma - Jun 25 - FS1 - 3 PM ET
JULY Daytona - Jul. 1 - NBC - 7:30 PM ET Kentucky - Jul. 8 - NBCSN - 7:30 PM ET New Hampshire - Jul. 16 - NBCSN - 3 PM ET Indianapolis - Jul. 23 - NBC - 3 PM ET Pocono - Jul. 30 - NBCSN - 3 PM ET
AUGUST Watkins Glen - Aug. 6 - NBCSN - 3 PM ET Michigan - Aug. 13 - NBCSN - 3 PM ET Bristol - Aug. 19 - NBC - 7:30 PM ET
SEPTEMBER Darlington - Sep. 3 - NBCSN - 6 PM ET Richmond - Sep. 9 - NBCSN - 7:30 PM ET Chicagoland - Sep. 17 - NBCSN - 3 PM ET New Hampshire - Sept. 24 - NBCSN - 2 PM ET
OCTOBER Dover - Oct. 1 - NBCSN - 2 PM ET Charlotte - Oct. 7 - NBCSN - 7 PM ET Talladega - Oct. 15 - NBC - 2 PM ET Kansas - Oct. 22 - NBCSN - 3 PM ET Martinsville - Oct. 29 - NBCSN - 1 PM ET
NOVEMBER Texas - Nov. 5 - NBC - 2 PM ET Phoenix - Nov. 12 - NBC - 2:30 PM ET Homestead-Miami - Nov. 19 - NBC - 2:30 PM ET NMMotorsportsReport.com 88 NMMotorsportsReport.com
JUNE Dover - Jun 2 - FS1 - 5:30 PM ET Texas - Jun. 9 - FS1 - 8 PM ET Gateway - Jun. 17 - FS1 - 8:30 PM ET Iowa - Jun. 23 - FS1 - 8:30 PM ET
JUNE
JULY
Dover - Jun 3 - FS1 - 1 PM ET Pocono - Jun 10 - FOX - 1 PM ET Michigan - Jun 17 - FS1 - 1:30 PM ET Iowa - Jun 24 - FS1 - 8:30 PM ET Daytona - Jun. 30 - NBCSN - 7:30 PM ET
Kentucky - Jul. 6 - FS1 - 7:30 PM ET Eldora - Jul. 19 - FS1 - 9 PM ET Pocono - Jul. 29 - FS1 - 1 PM ET
JULY Kentucky - Jul. 7 - NBCSN - 8 PM ET New Hampshire - Jul. 15 - NBCSN - 4PM ET Indianapolis - Jul. 22 - NBCSN - 3:30 PM ET Iowa - Jul. 29 - NBC - 3:30 PM ET
AUGUST Watkins Glen - Aug. 5 - NBCSN - 2 PM ET Mid-Ohio - Aug. 12 - NBCSN - 3:30 PM ET Bristol - Aug. 18 - NBCSN - 7:30 PM ET Road America - Aug. 27 - NBC - 3 PM ET
SEPTEMBER Darlington - Sep. 2 - NBCSN - 3:30 PM ET Richmond - Sep. 8 - NBCSN - 7:30 PM ET Chicagoland - Sept. 16 - NBCSN - 3:30 PM ET Kentucky - Sep. 23 - NBCSN - 8 PM ET Dover - Sep. 30 - NBCSN - 3 PM ET
OCTOBER Charlotte - Oct. 6 - NBCSN - 8 PM ET Kansas - Oct. 21 - NBC - 3PM ET
NOVEMBER Texas - Nov. 4 - NBCSN - 8:30 PM ET Phoenix - Nov. 11 - NBC - 3:30 PM ET Homestead-Miami - Nov. 18 NBCSN - 3:30 PM ET
AUGUST Michigan - Aug. 12 - FS1 - 1 PM ET Bristol - Aug. 16 - FS1 - 8:30 PM ET
SEPTEMBER Canadian Tire - Sep. 3 - FS1 - 2:30 PM ET Chicagoland - Sep. 15 - FS1 - 8:30 PM ET New Hampshire - Sept. 23 - FS1 - 1 PM ET Las Vegas - Sep. 30 - FS1 - 8:30 PM ET
OCTOBER Talladega - Oct. 14 - FOX - 1 PM ET Martinsville - Oct. 28 - FS1 - 1:30 PM ET
NOVEMBER Texas - Nov. 3 - FS1 - 8:30 PM ET Phoenix - Nov. 10 - FS1 - 8:30 PM ET Homestead-Miami - Nov. 17 - FS1 - 8 PM ET
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Moriarty MX Race Series Schedule 2017
Taking pracTical To new heighTs
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October 14-15 Race Series Round 7 2015 Schedule
INDYCAR SCHEDULE March 12
May 28
DATE RACE Firestone Grand Prix of St.
2017
Iowa Speedway
LOCATION 101st Indianapolis 500
Indy Car Schedule April 9
5:30 PM TIME
Petersburg presented Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Streets of St. Petersburg July 1612:30 PM Streets of St. Petersburg Indianapolis Motor Honda Indy Toronto Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach Streets of Long Beach 4:30 PM Speedway 12:30 PM Exhibition Place
March 12 April 9
April 23
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
Barber Motorsports Park
12:21 PM
3:30 PM
3:30 PM
Toyota Grand Prix of Long June 3 July 30 May 13 Angie's List Grand Prix of Chevrolet Indianapolis Dual in Indianapolis 3:50 PM Detroit Motor Speedway Beach Honda Indy 200 The Raceway at Indianapolis Belle IsleMotorMid-Ohio of Long Beach 500 presented MayStreets 28 101st Indianapolis Speedway Sports Car 12:21 PM Course Park The Raceway at Belle Isle Park 3:30 PM 3:50 PM 4:30Chevrolet PM Dual in Detroit June 3 April 29
June 4
Phoenix 250
Honda Indy Grand Prix of Firestone 600 Alabama June 25 Kohler Grand Prix Barber Motorsports Park 3:30Iowa PMCorn 300
July 9 July 16
Honda April 29Indy Toronto
Phoenix 250 Honda Indy 200 Phoenix International ABC Supply 500 Raceway
July 30
August 20 August 26
August 20 The Raceway at Belle Isle Park 3:50 PM June 4 ABC Supply 500 Texas Motor Speedway 8:30 PM
Chevrolet Dual in Detroit America The Raceway at Road Belle Isle Park Iowa Speedway
St. Louis 250
2:30 PM
1:00 PM 5:30 PM
August 26
3:50 PMExhibition Place
September9:303PM
Gateway Motorsports Park
8:30 PM
MayGrand 13Prix at The Glen
September 3
September Angie’s 17 List GoPro GrandGrand PrixPrix of of Sonoma
3:50 PM
Pocono Raceway
3:30 PM St. Louis 250 June 10 Gateway Motorsports Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course 3:30 Park PM Firestone 600 9:30 PM 2:30 PM Pocono Raceway Texas Motor Speedway
9:30 PM
Indianapolis Indianapolis Motor Speedway
9:30 PM
3:50 PM
April 23 Dual in Detroit Chevrolet
June 10
Phoenix International Raceway
Grand Prix at The Glen Watkins Glen International 1:30 PM June 25 Watkins Glen International 7:00 PM Kohler GrandSonoma Prix Raceway 1:30 PM Road America 1:00 PM
September 17
GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma Sonoma Raceway .com 7:00 PM
July 9 PrintYourBrackets Iowa Corn 300
2015 Schedule
Formula 1 2017 Schedule
RaceRace # #1 Grand Prix
Date Race #11
1 Australian Australian Grand PrixGrand Prix March 26 2 Chinese Grand Prix Race #2 3 Bahrain Grand Prix Chinese Grand Prix 4 April 9Russian Grand Prix
March 26 Hungarian Grand Prix July 30 April 9
5
Race #3Spanish Grand Prix
7
Race #4Canadian Grand Prix
Race #12 April 16
Belgian Grand Prix April 3027 August
Race May #13 14
Bahrain Grand Prix 6 Monaco Grand Prix April 16
Italian Grand Prix May 28 September 3 June #14 11 Race
Russian Grand Prix Grand Prix 8 Azerbaijan April 30 9 Austrian Grand Prix Race #5 10 British Grand Prix Spanish Grand Prix 11 May 14Hungarian Grand Prix
Singapore Grand Prix June 25 September 17 July 9
Race #15
JulyGrand 16 Malaysian Prix October July 30 1
Race #6Belgian Grand Prix
Race #16 August 27
12
Monaco Grand Prix 13 May 28 Italian Grand Prix
Japanese Grand Prix September October 83 Race #17 17 September United States Grand Prix October 1 October 22
Race #7Singapore Grand Prix
14
Canadian Grand Prix 15 Malaysian Grand Prix June 11
Race #8Japanese Grand Prix
October 8 Race #18
16
17 UnitedPrix States Grand Prix Azerbaijan Grand 18June 25 Mexican Grand Prix
Race #9
19
Brazilian Grand Prix
Austrian Grand Prix 20 July 9Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Race #10
22 Prix MexicanOctober Grand October October29 29
Race #19
November 12
Brazilian Grand Prix November12 26 November
Race #20
Abu .com Dhabi Grand Prix PrintYourBrackets
British Grand Prix July 16
November 26
NMMotorsportsReport.com • 9
Car Show
M
ay is the official start of the Summer Car Show season. Combine that with many Cinco de Mayo celebrations and associated car shows, the first week in May could be considered one of the happiest weeks of the year for car lovers. The Seis de Mayo Car Show was one of seven official shows that day. Custom cars and trucks, race cars, classics and soon to be classics filled the parking lot at the Promenade Shopping Center located on the Southeast corner of Spain and Eubank on the 6th of May.
The Barley Room opened their doors to the many patrons that joined in the event as well as many regulars. A Fundraiser for the UNM Children’s Hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network was highlighted with a signed racing helmet donated by the Unser Racing Museum and Rockin’ Rob provided the entertainment. Best of Show went to Al Funke and his pristine 1956 Ford Victoria. People’s Choice was awarded to Daniel Winard’s orange 1968 Dodge GTX that was as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. Cooliest Crusier was Jay Goatcher’s 1990 ZR-1. Best Rat Rod was John Snider’s 1952 Ford Mainline. Best Original was Jim Kaiser’s 1957 Caddy. Best Street Rod was Ken Fachini’s 1929 Ford Tudor. 10 NMMotorsportsReport.com
The judging was tight for so many classes including Under Construction won by Bryan Chacon’s 1957 Chevy Bel-Air. Best Muscle Car went to Gerald Walters 1967 Ford Fairlane. Tommy Garcia’s 1973 Honda won Best Motorcycle. Best Race Car went to Larry Pittsley’s 1975 Porsche 914 as well as the Club Attendance Award for Southwest Motorsports. Best Custom was Doug Cloud’s 1956 Chevy 210. Best Restored was Tony Kaumans’ 1966 Chevy II. Dave Konkel remained the King of the 4x4’s winning another Best Truck / 4x4 and Chris Marquez took Best Foreign / Sports Car with his 1987 Porsche 911 Carrera Cabriolet. Trophies & Awards were provided by Yearwood Performance, Mild to Wild and Akasa’s All About Trophies with Print Express providing all the printing services. Thank you all the sponsors including New Mexico Rods & Rides Magazine, NAPA Auto Parts & NAPA Auto Care Centers, Car Crafters and Motiva Performance and a special Thank you to Electric Cloud for supporting the Children’s Miracle Network with your donation. Tune in every Saturday Morning to the New Mexico Motorsports Report on ESPN Radio 101.7FM for more event details.
SouthWest MotorSport Welcomes Enthusiasts at All Levels
SWMS has a Class for all Cars!
Let the Racing Begin! 2017 RAcing nS RetuR to SWMS iA d n A S WAy! Speed
2017 Schedule March 25 - 26 Arroyo Seco Raceway April 22 - 23 Sandia Speedway June 3 - 4 Sandia Speedway August 26 - 27 Sandia Speedway September 23 - 24 Sandia Speedway
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.
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Design. Build. Race.
T
he University of New Mexico School of Engineering has a new intiative, The Venture for Racing Excellence. Their goals include acquiring the latest technology, equipment and facilities for their students and thus attract and retain top students and faculty to UNM. To rank among the Top 10 public university Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE), is their first priority. The LOBOMotorsports Formula SAE program began formally at the University of New Mexico in 1998. It is a unique, problem based, hands-on senior design program where over the course of three semesters, students design, build and race a small Formula-type racecar for international competition. The project includes every aspect of systems engineering, project management and team work seen in a government or industrial engineering development program. In a little over a year, the team takes a system from concept to operation. The program is interdisciplinary and has about 45 students on each year’s team. It is one of the few programs in the country that doesn’t operate as a club. Instead, FSAE is a for-credit alternative to a senior design project. “Students in our program compete among the best financed and best equipped teams in the world. Our students do amazingly well with what they have but they deserve better. The overall result of better facilities and equipment will be a better result in the worldwide competitions, more sponsorships and more educational opportunities.” John Russell, professor and award-winning director of FSAE since 1998. The Venture for Racing Excellence has been established to raise funds for the popular FSAE program and is now actively seeking donations. Their vision is to lead their program to new heights through a series of specific phases and goals. Phase One: People First Employ a laboratory manager with expertise in building, design and fabrication of racecars to work with students and industry partners. That expert is Indy Car veteran Mike Arnold who already is transforming the lab space and was hired in 2017. The urgent need is to raise $50,000 this spring to ensure his continued employment.
Phase Two: Building The transition needs to be made from the existing aging, cramped, outdate space that the program currently uses to a 3,000 to 5,000 square-foot modern lab and collaborative design space where students can build the car. The estimated cost for this phase is $1.5 million. Phase Three: Equipment The current FSAE shops are poorly equipped with outdated machines. Lack of basic equipment has been the primary cause of race failures in the last two years. The new facility will allow the space for new, relatively low-cost machines to be purchased. The estimated cost for this phase is $500,000. Phase Four: Endowed Professorship The creation of an endowed professorship in the School of Engineering would provide leadership and guide the program to national prominence. To could also attract more top talent to UNM. The estimated cost for this phase is also $500,000. The next competition for LOBOMotorsports and the UNM FSAE program is June 21-24 in Lincoln Nebraska. Additional help for this year’s team came from the team that won the 1992 Indy 500 (25th Anniversary) of Alan Mertens and Al Unser Jr. in the Galmer. An article will be in the July edition of this magazine on Alan Mertens and the Galmer written by International Motorsports Journalist, Scott Welch. For more information or to support the UNM Formula SAE program, contact Courtney Holmes, Development Coordinator for the School of Engineering at 505-277-0664 or Courtney.holmes@unmfund.org.
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Generations
Racing
Al Unser III T
he Unser name is synonymous with the racing scene in New Mexico. For Al Unser III, the son of Al Unser Jr. and the grandson of Al Unser, racing started in go karting at age 10, running locally in Albuquerque before branching out regionally to Phoenix. After a hiatus from racing, Unser picked up the helmet and started competing again after he earned his driver’s license. It was thereafter he started racing Formula Fords at the Russell Racing School at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California. Unser finished third in first race at the speedway, and continued to compete in Formula Fords.
of
By Dominic Aragon
In 2004, the third generation driver got the opportunity to run in the Indy Lights Series, the highest series in IndyCar’s developmental ranks. Over the course of five years, Unser III raced for four teams in the series, earning a careerhigh third-place finish five times. He last competed in the series in May of 2008.
THE ITCH TO RACE “I’ve always been around racing. The start of my summer vacation was the Indianapolis 500. As soon as I would get out school, I’d fly to Indy, then we’d start summer in the motor home. “What really got me into racing, I felt the itch. I never really had pressure for it, my parents always told me I could do whatever I wanted, as long as I put 100 percent to it. “To me, pressure is what you put on yourself. If I let that get to me, then I am breaking a mental focus. Why am I focused on that, when I need to focus on actually driving.”
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THE NEXT LEVEL “After I graduated high school, when I was 18, I was taking some classes at the community college here [in Albuquerque] because I did want to stay in school, I wanted to get something as a degree. “My psychology professor, on my first day of school, handed out the syllabus. I look at the syllabus, I bust out my calendar, and look at what races are going up against the tests, because I’m gonna go race. “There was a test on a Friday that I was not going to be at, because I was going to be somewhere racing that day. I went up to him the first day, ‘Mr. Professor, I’m not going to be here on this day, is there a way I can take it beforehand, or afterwards?’ ‘If you’re not here for that test, you’ll fail the class,’ he said. “I actually did go the whole year, did miss that day, did miss the test he did not let me take, took Psych again the next semester, had the same teacher. Luckily, my racing schedule fell in between the tests. I ended up passing, but it was probably then that I didn’t come to the realization, it was was more I was forced to make a choice, and that was what I wanted to do.”
25TH ANNIVERSARY OF FATHER’S WIN “1992, I was 10 at the time. My memories are kind of weird childhood memories where, my grandma had made me a checkered flag vest, and I remember I am in victory lane with that little checkered flag vest.
“At that time, I was racing go karts, so it pushed me a little bit... That’s some place I wanted to be some day.”
“If I could help the team out with a little name recognition, people will be watching me, but that’s a good thing.”
RACING SINCE INDY LIGHTS
PRESENT DAY
“I do still have the itch. I would say I’m a victim of the sponsorship market at the time in 2008. Big corporations were trying to figure out a way to save money, rather than spend money. “Racing sponsorships were extremely hard to get and to come by. Essentially, just kind of became a victim of not being able to get the sponsorship going. “Open wheel, NASCAR, there are so many good drivers these days, it’s all about who can bring the sponsorship. “I miss racing big time. I’ve just kind of come to that realization, that it won’t get back to that level, but I’ll still be able to go do some stuff that’s fun. “Last year, I had the opportunity to run a sprint car at Sandia Speedway. I had a blast. “I see myself, as far as future wise, that’s going to be some of the racing I will get to do.”
WHAT IF A PRO TEAM WITH NOT THE BEST EQUIPMENT CALLS YOU UP TO DRIVE
“I am working at Galles Chevrolet in Albuquerque selling Chevy’s I’ve been here almost five years now. “Rick Galles is actually the first guy my dad drove for professionally...The 92 Indy 500 was with Galles. “I like people, I can talk to people, and I can talk about cars to people. “Nowadays, I definitely watch IndyCar, F1 and NASCAR.”
ADVICE FOR NEW MEXICANS “Do it. Don’t hesitate. In New Mexico, we don’t have a lot of racing, The go kart track I raced at closed down. Go to where the competition is. “Yeah, you could be the star here, and beat everybody, but once you go to the nationals, you’re going to get a real taste of it. You may not beat everybody like you do locally. Invite the competition, it makes you better. SOURCES Racing-Reference.info
“That’s kind of the dream, to have the phone ring, and have someone say come and drive our stuff.
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time favorites – Participants in the car show get a burger and fries lunch – 10:30am-12:00pm – Contact Michele Batchelor (505)2949944 Ext. 281
CAR SHOWS June 1-4 -Rockabilly on the Route
Route 66, Tucumcari – Bands, car & bike shows, fun & games – Simon Cantlon (310)801-2727, RockabillyOnTheRoute@gmail. com, www.RockabillyOnTheRoute.com
June 2-3 -Car-A-Fair 2017 – Carlsbad www.carsclubofcarlsbad.com
June 2-3 -19th Classic Car Show
Brandenburg Park, Red River – C of C (575)754-2366 or www.redrivernewmex.com
June 2-4 -Aztec Fiesta Days Aztec Contact Chamber of Commerce
June 2-4 Tri-State Corvair Event
– Kachina Lodge, Taos –Open to Corvairs – Cheryl (575)7582275
June 3 Philip & Sons Customer Appreciation Car Show
4101 4th St. NW, Albuquerque – Classic, hot rod, vintage, muscle, custom cars/trucks – 9am-3pm – Hamburgers & hot dogs served – Philip 344-8202 or 264-9081
June 12 -Driving Divas All Woman Car Shine & Show
Fastinos (between Menaul and Candelaria), Albuquerque – 5pm to dark – Open to all cars and drivers Karen Campbell or Melinda Otzenburger. karencampbellwithrt66@hotmail.com
June 17 - 22nd Annual Mopar Fest
Haynes Park, Rio Rancho – Open to Mopars – Paul (505)896-8115 or www.moparclub.com
June 17 - New Mexico Backing the Blue to Support 10-82
Home Depot, Hwy 550 & Sprint Blvd, Rio Rancho Sponsored by New Mexico Jeep Group & New Mexico 4-Wheelers, For more information facebook.com/nmbtb/ or e-mail backingtheblue@newmexicojeepgroup.com
June 17-18 Sagebrush Church Fathers’ Day Weekend Car Show
6440 Coors NW (between La Orilla and Paseo del Norte), Albuquerque – Saturday 3-9pm, Sunday 9am-3pm Raffle tickets for 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle at www.sagebrush. church/autoshow – 922-9200 for more information
June 4 Ziem’s Annual All Ford Show
June 18 - Golden Gears Fathers’ Day Car Show
Ziem’s Motors, Farmington
June 10- 4th Annual Car Show
Fun, live music, food - Bear Canyon Estates Senior Center, 4440 Morris St NE - 10 am -3:30 pm - Presented by DUKES CC, ALBUQUERQUE & FRITOS. Any questions call Frank Chavez 505-319-9393
June 10- 23rd Annual Summer Car Show Series Hooters East SanMateo – Setup 7am-10am – Show 10am-4pm, Open to all years makes and models, Entry $20 – Music by: Steve’s Cruisan with the Oldies – 505-269-0496 or 505-332-9222 for info
June 10 - 7th Annual Car Show
Camel Rock Casino – Sponsored by Northern NM Junkyard Classics – 11 am-5 pm
Alameda Park, Alamogordo – Jack (575)491-9804
June 18- Pinon Hills Annual Fathers’ Day Car Show Pinon Hills Church, Farmington
June 18- Fathers’ Day Car Show
Rio Grande Retirement Community, 2331 Westside Blvd, Rio Rancho (across from Rust Hospital) – 2-4pm Call Shellie Pierini (505)994-2800 or e-mail 549Act-Coord@ hawthornret.com
June 18 - Races
Arroyo Seco Raceway, Arroyo Seco Roger (575)494-4794 www.arroyosecoraceway.com
June 23 - Santa Fe Cruise Night on the Plaza
Historic Santa Fe Plaza – Sponsored by Santa Fe Vintage Car Club & Santa Fe Police
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Dept – 5-9pm Mustang Ed (505)310-0381 or Buddy (505)699-2687
June 23-24 Make-A-Wish Classic Car Show Convention Center, Ruidoso Ken Paul (806)236-3066
June 24 - Summer Heat Custom Car Show & Concert
The Downs, Santa Fe – Presented by Southwest Promotionz – Open to lowriders, motorcycles, muscle cars, hot rods, lowrider bikes, dub cars, classics (505)629-5519 or (505)660-7344
June 24 23rd Annual Summer Car Show Series – Hooters West –
Alameda – Setup 7am-10am – Show 10am-4pm, Music by: Steve’s Cruisan with the Oldies – 505-269-0496 or 505-332-9222 for info
June 24 6th Annual Knights of Columbus BBQ Challenge & Car Show
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Albuquerque For information Miguel Troncoso (505)948-4021or biggie505.sk@hotmail.com
June 24 Custom Car Show
Old Tyme Shop Ice Cream Parlor, 10786 Hwy 337 (10 mi. s. of I-40 on Old Rte. 14, Tijeras – Entry $15, $1 hot dogs, Sno-Kones, Popcorn, Kids’ Cones – Awards, live music – 10am-4pm – Open to rods, customs, classics, motorcycles, muscle cars – 281-3892 to pre-register
June 25 -License Plate Land of Enchantment Regional Meet
Raymond G. Sanchez Community Center, 9800 4th St. NW, Albuquerque 8:00am-1:30pm Michael Wiener (505)688-0004 or bestplates@aol.com
June 25 -Blake’s Lotaburger 65th Anniversary Show & Shine
Blake’s, 641 Coors NW, Albuquerque – Free admission – Open to all vehicles but prefer 1952-1965 – 1952-era vehicles will receive Blake’s gift card, Joe Mascarenas (505)235-5900
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Find us at these locations! Our distribution is growing! Look for NM Motorsports and pick up your sponsored provided copy today!
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Albuquerque Defined Fitness- Juan tabo La Salita • Uptown Sports bar Alien Brew Pub New Mexico look • Rudys Airport level 1 • UNM Sports building Hispanic Chamber Commerce Gizmo • Lennys Tires Yeller Sub • Sports System Defined Fitness- San mateo StonefaceTavern Pub Bosque Brewery • Oak Tree Café
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Copies are also available at these Sponsor Locations in the Magazine Yearwood Perfomance CST Solar • ABQ Dragway • NAPA stores Motiva • Unser Museum • Al’s Upholstery 4 Rivers Equipment • JB’s Radiator Drivers Den • Bobby J’s Yamaha SMRI Racing Southwest Windows & Doors Maverick Auto & Fabrication Dropped Axle Speed Shop Buildology • Seductions
Kiean Shay, Seis de Mayo Send us you photos, event info and stories. Become part of the NM Motorsports Report email to FanZone@NMMotorsportsReport.com
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IF YOU ARE INTO IT, WE ARE INTO IT! Whether it has 2 Wheels or 4, asphalt or Dirt track racing, off-roaD or park anD shine. We coVer it all The New Mexico Motorsports Report (NMMR) on ESPN Radio 101.7 FM, The TEAM, is hosted by David Swope every Saturday morning from 8am to 9am. The NMMR radio show focuses on motorsports and related automobile activities around the state and on the national scene each and every week. You are invited to get involved by calling 994-1017 during the show, e-mailing dswope@1017TheTEAM.com, following us on twitter @NMMReport and liking us on Facebook. Join in the fun with your comments on the topics and questions for the guests. This is New Mexico’s only show devoted to motorsport related eVery saturDay 8am-9am activities with a full hour devoted to our passion. Podcasts of exclusiVely on 101.7 fm shows are available on demand at 1017TheTEAM.com. Check out our new website at NMMotorsportsreport.com. WWW.1017theteam.com
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A Journey
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rom the time he could walk, Caleb Saiz has been putting his feet in dirt track mud. Some of Caleb’s earliest memories are at the race track watching his grandfather, Lonnie Saiz, strap into a mini sprint at Hollywood Hills. Caleb says, “I wanted to be like my grandpa. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be involved in the motorsports world.”
@dirtracingsyndicate
The New Mexico local began racing Quarter Midgets at Sandia Motor Speedway at the age of 8. He continued doing that for 2 years then eventually jumped into a mini sprint at the age of 12. In 2008, Saiz won Rookie of the Year at Hollywood Hills Speedway making that the first of many awards he would receive. Saiz continued racing mini sprints for 6 years then took a break while he attended High School at The New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) in Roswell, New Mexico. As soon as Saiz graduated High School and moved back to Albuquerque, he once again had racing on his mind. Saiz began searching for a sprint car ride, in hopes to rejoin the motorsports world. Eventually, in 2016, he landed a ride with David Burns, racing the number 42 Sprint Car. Although Saiz had many years of racing under his belt, the transition back into a race car wasn’t easy. “Getting back into the groove of racing was hard to say the least” says Saiz. “I didn’t realize how much love I had for the sport until I was away from it for a couple of years.” His first season back, Caleb competed at Sandia Speedway in Albuquerque, Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces and Western Tech Speedway Park in El Paso, TX. He had an overall good season earning himself the title of Rookie of the Year for a second time. This season, Saiz has raced at Sandia Speedway and Fairgrounds Speedway in Cortex, CO. Caleb hopes to compete at many more tracks this year and earn himself some first place finishes.
www.dirtracingsyndicate.com NMMotorsportsReport.com • 21
“TRICKS of the TRADE” By Jim Costa – owner Yearwood Performance Center
Drag Racing
101
Photo by Double Barrel Photography I thought we could take a look at some of the basics of drag racing, what to expect when you get to the track and an idea of what it takes to make a full pass down the drag strip. So, when you arrive at the gates of Albuquerque Dragway, you will purchase a TECH CARD, usually a beginner will go the “Yearwood – Street to Strip” events. It is a test and tune type event that gives you a chance to take your car out and get some basic experience in drag racing. Once you have your tech card, you can find a place to call your “pit spot” for the evening, somewhere to park between runs. Then you will need to take your car for a quick TECH INSPECTION. This is to make sure that you and your vehicle have all of the required safety items needed. Quicker the vehicle, the more safety items will be required. The short list; good tires, battery tie-down, radiator overflow catch-can, operable neutral-safety switch, working tail light for night racing, seat belts, fire jacket for any non-oem Turbo, Super Charger or Nitrous Oxide, valid state driver’s license for all participants, long pants, shoes, and a shirt. A full list of safety equipment can be found on www.ABQDragway.com. Now that you completed your tech inspection, go to the STAGING LANES. The staging lanes is the area that everyone goes to get ready for a run. You will be grouped into classes with similar vehicles. Once you reach the front of the lanes, you will be motioned to move forward to the BURN OUT BOX. As you’re driving towards the race track, you will roll through the burn out box. It has a small amount of water in it, after rolling through the water you can spin your tires to heat them up, and clean off any debris. This can give you maximum traction on the STARTING LINE. Now you are ready to STAGE, you will notice there are a set of lights about 60’ in front of the starting line, this is the CHRISTMAS TREE The tree is what starts the race. The first set of lights is the PRE STAGE lights. Once lit, this puts you about 1 ft from the starting line, roll forward and the STAGE LIGHTS will come on. Once both opponents have staged, the COUNTDOWN LIGHTS will come on. They are a set of 3 amber lights that will flash ½ of a second apart from each other, top to bottom. Most drivers will step on the gas when the 3rd or lowest amber light comes on. This will allow the car to start moving just before the GREEN LIGHT comes on. If you wait for the green light you will be “late on the Tree”. If you leave too early, you will “RED LIGHT”. Now that the lights have come down, you will be at full throttle for the entire QUARTER MILE, this will help achieve the quickest time. There are small indicators that will record your time and MPH at different increments as you go down the track. When you reach the FINISH LINE at the end of the quarter mile, lift off the gas allowing the vehicle to slow down. Using your brakes lightly will help reduce your speed in the SHUTDOWN AREA. After your pass is complete, exit the track to the left, drive back down the RETURN ROAD to the ET Slip booth. The guys in the small booth at the end of the track will hand you a paper with numbers on it, this is your TIME SLIP. The time slip provides a wealth of information about your run. It gives you a reaction time, how well your car launched, how quick and fast you went at various points on the track, and what your final ET and MPH was. It also lets you know how your opponent did and who got to the finish line first. I always advise people to take a few minutes and observe others at the track. Get a lay of the land and once you feel like you got the basics, get out there and have some fun, you’ve got this. And when you’re ready for quicker ETs, come see us at either Yearwood Performance location. 22 NMMotorsportsReport.com
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