NM Motorsports Report

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NEW MEXICO

MARCH 2017

VO L # 2 I S S U E # 2

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RACING IS A

FAMILY THING TRYING TO MAKE

LUCAS OIL

CHILI BOWL 2017

SENSE OF

NASCAR’S NEW RULES


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MARCH 2017 VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2

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Publisher

Lucas Oil Chili Bowl 2017

Story and photos by Adam Mollenkopf

RaDine William, LLC

Editor Dominic Aragon

Design & Layout David Lansa DL Graphic Design

Photographers

Adam Mollenkopf w/ Dirt Racing Syndicate & Melons Photography Benjamin Palmer Brian DeGruchy Daniel Courson Dante Ricci David Swope Getty Images Jeremy Thompson Jerry Markland Ryan Willard Scott Welch, Motor Sports Photojournalist, scottwelchphoto.com Sherrl Creekmore

Racing is a Family Thing By David Swope

Editorial Contributors

Trying to Make Sense of NASCAR’S New Rules By Geoff Bodine

Adam Mollenkopf David Swope Dominic Aragon Geoff Bodine Jim Costa Kyle Magda Scott Welch, Motor Sports Photojournalist, scottwelchphoto.com Taylor Goins

Publication Sponsors

ABQ Dragway, Car Crafters NAPA Auto Parts, Unser Racing Museum Yearwood Performance, Amsoil Seductions, Maverick, Auto & Fabrication, CST Solar, Jackson Compaction

Cover Photo David Swope

Tricks of the Trade

By:Jim Costa

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


Story and photos by Adam Mollenkopf

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’ve have seen many statements recently saying that NASCAR is losing out to dirt racing-both in Sunday viewers and overall interest. Each statement provides different reasons: the excitement is gone, there are too many rules, it seems rigged, or the guy with the biggest checkbook always seems to win. So, in a time when NASCAR struggles to fill their venues with fans (even when they are giving away tickets and can hardly fill their fields with cars), there’s the Chili Bowl. Chili Bowl is an indoor midget race held two weeks after Christmas in Tulsa, OK. Chili Bowl seems to be experiencing the opposite of what NASCAR is struggling with. This event is experiencing continued growth over its 31 events, tickets are unobtainable unless you are on a waiting list, car count has almost out grown the venue, and now,

with TV coverage, its fan base is growing at an exponential rate. I have already established that NASCAR is on the verge of straight boredom, below I will do my best to describe why people are running back to the dirt tracks and why the Chili Bowl is not only considered the Daytona or Indy of dirt racing but why the Golden Driller may be the most prestigious trophy in all of motorsports.

Dirt Racing Syndicate

Now that we have a venue that really doesn’t exist anywhere else, let’s pack the place with cars and drivers. 375 cars and drivers to be exact. Underneath the Expo Center roof, you will find race cars built with every level of budget and drivers with experience ranging from weekend warrior to NASCAR star. Although the combination of top notch driver and top level car sound unbeatable, on dirt and especially at Chili Bowl, that is not always the case. Every year multiple drivers put on a performance that prove if you want it bad enough, with ability and determination, you can overcome lack of equipment and lack of money. Yet one more factor that has disappeared on the NASCAR circuit, you can no longer beat a big budget operation with talent and lesser equipment. A prime example of this came two years ago. Justin Grant entered a car that was built, including motor, for $8,500. In a field of cars were it is not uncommon to spend over $20k on a motor, he finished 23 out of over 340. Because everyone that enters has the perception that a win is possible the car count continues to climb every year.

@dirtracingsyndicate

www.dirtracingsyndicate.com 4 NMMotorsportsReport.com

Let’s start with the venue. The Chili Bowl is held in a 440,000 sq. foot building on the Tulsa State Fairgrounds. The building is free standing, meaning there are no support poles anywhere near the center of the floor, and allows for over 10 acres of unobstructed space under one roof. The race track itself is temporary. Hundreds of truckloads of dirt are brought in and shaped into a ¼ mile dirt track. The grandstands can hold over 15,000 fans. Even when all of that, the building is only half full. The other half of the building is used to house over 150 haulers, vendors and even a trade show.

Track is built. Cars and drivers and checked in. Let’s get on with the event. All entries are divided into 4 qualifying nights. Each qualifying night is a full show (heats, qualifiers, D, C, B, A main’s) and as a driver your qualifying night is your only chance to set your starting spot for Saturday’s finale. Although a bad qualifying night doesn’t mean you can’t make the A main on Saturday, but the road gets super tough. Top 3 on each preliminary night are guaranteed a spot in the first 6 rows of the A main on Saturday night. That means 12 drivers out of 375 can rest easy, the other 363 have their work cut out for them. All have to swim their way through the Alphabet soup, based on your finish on your preliminary night you are placed in a lower main on Saturday, the lowest main being the O main. Finish in the top four in your main, move on to the back of the next main. If you can keep transferring, you can keep racing. Making the main from a deep seed is difficult but not impossible, it’s been done from the H main. You can now start to understand why so many that have won a


2017 SCHEDULE

Golden Driller, the Chili Bowls coveted to prize, consider it to be the biggest win of their career. You can also see why so many that have moved up from dirt track racing to the higher ranks return to Chili Bowl for another shot at winning it. Bringing this all together from the perspective of the ticket holder. A ticket to all 5 nights of Chili Bowl will cost you $375 if you add a pit pass to it. If you watch every lap that will be a total of 370 individual races you will see run. Each one of those races will contain more action than an entire NASCAR weekend. You will see grass roots racers drive around NASCAR and World of Outlaws stars like they are standing still. You will also feel part of bond with each person you encounter just through your love of racing. Best of all you will see a show that involves very few rules, tons of excitement, and no favoritism.

4/8/2017 - Sandia Speedway Albuquerque NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

7/8/2017 - Sandia SpeedwayAlbuquerque NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

4/29/2017 - Sandia Speedway Albuquerque NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

7/22/2017 - Sandia Speedway Albuquerque NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

5/5/2017 - Fairgrounds Speedway Cortez,CO NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

7/28/2017 - Fairgrounds Speedway Cortez,CO, NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA 7/29/2017 - Fairgrounds Speedway Cortez, CO, NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

5/6/2017 - Fairgrounds Speedway Cortez, CO NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

8/5/2017- Sandia Speedway Albuquerque NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

5/13/2017 - Sandia Speedway Albuquerque NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

8/19/2017 - Sandia Speedway Albuquerque NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

6/10/2017 -Sandia Speedway Albuquerque NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA 6/24/2017 - Sandia Speedway Albuquerque NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

9/2/2017 - Southern New Mexico Speedway Las Cruces, NM, NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA with USAC Southwest

7/1/2017- Roadrunner Speedway Carlsbad, NM , Tentative NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

9/3/2017- Southern New Mexico Speedway Las Cruces, NM, NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA with USAC Southwest

7/2/2017- Roadrunner Speedway Carlsbad, NM , Tentative NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA

9/16/2017- Sandia Speedway Albuquerque NMMRA Sprints: NMMRA 10/14/2017- Sandia Speedway Albuquerque

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29-April - Points 6-May - Points 13-May - Points May 27 - 28 - Founders Day/Weekend 3-June - Points 10-June - Points 17-June - Points June 30 - July 1 Witten Warriors 8-July - Points 15-July - Points 22-July - Points 29-July - Points 5-August - Points 12-August USRA Show 26-August - Points 2-September - Points 9-September - Points 16-September - Final Points September 29-30 Last Race Weekend STATE ROAD 605 NORTH MILAN, NM 87021 DIRECTIONS: I-40 TO EXIT 79, THEN 0.2 MILE NORTH, THEN 0.3 MILE WEST, THEN 2 MILES NORTH

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ACING R is a By David Swope NMMotorsportsReport.com

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acing is a Family ThingRacing is a family thing. As long as I can remember, racing and race cars have been a part of my life. Of course, there were periods of time where other things took priority but my love of cars and completion was rooted in my earliest memories. Think back. What is the earliest thing you remember? I remember my Hot Wheels, my Big Wheel and my Dad’s 63 Split Window Corvette. It all started there with that Candy Apple Red beauty. It growled like a Lion and smelled different have anything in the house. My Mom’s cooking was also great but there was something different about the smell of oil, grease and definitely gasoline. The excitement of going to the track and watching the car roar down the track is where I became a FAN. Cheering on my Dad and his high performance machine was a weekend affair that never seemed to happen enough. Win or Lose, I can’t remember. It actually didn’t matter. I had friends that didn’t understand. Their Dad’s played Golf. We tried that too but chasing that little white ball around didn’t measure up to the thrill of all the amazing machines that showed up at the track. I do love Baseball and played Little League through Junior High.

That is when it happened, my first car. It was actually a truck. That ‘56 Chevy carried me back and forth to school, became my identity and also had enough room to fit my Go-Kart in the back. It did not take long for me to need that truck to go faster. The 283 was replaced by a 350hp, 327 out of a Corvette and it was on. It could smoke the tires and still carry that Kart to the track.

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does not end here.

My Dad was my crew chief, driving coach and financed the whole thing. No sponsors needed, after all this is what we do. I think we only won 1 race that first season but it didn’t matter, we were racing. I don’t know if you remember Triple T on West Central but that is where Road Racing was, no Sandia Speedway yet.

One of the parents jumped over the chain-link fence and pulled the Kart off me. “Get back in the Kart, there is only one lap left. You can still finish the race,” he screamed almost like his life depended on it. Still in shock, I thought you must be crazy – I am not getting back in that deathtrap. I had never considered that I might crash. After collecting my thoughts and analyzing the damage to my Kart I looked at that parent and wondered why does he care?

One day at Triple T, we were getting ready to race and one of my fellow combatants (said for effect, we were friends) said “that is Al Unser Jr!” That’s right, maybe 18 years old having just won the Formula Super Vee Championship and he was here watching his cousin Robbie. What is funny is that I raced with Robbie all the time but having Junior in the pits was a treat.

That parent was none other than 3 Time Indy 500 Winner Bobby Unser. Not just a racing legend but a man filled with the passion of motorsports and competition, whether with a local kid at the Go-Kart track or at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Racing always has it highs and lows. One particular Saturday morning, I was racing and one of the other drivers was quicker on the main straight and I was quicker in the corners. He would pull away and I would catch him at the final turn before you head back down the long straight, pulling away again.

NASCAR Coverage

His rear tire went over my front tire, bounced his Kart into the air and ultimately spun out. What happened for me was a little more violent. The front of my Kart stopped on a dime, throwing me out with my Kart eventually landing on top for my helmet. Leaving a black tread mark as the motor stalled and shut off but he story

Of course, Dad pulled me aside after the first heat race and said, “right before the hairpin, he is pulling to the right to swing in to make the left. You can surprise him and get past.” I thought, easier said than done. Heat race 2 – we wind-up in the same place. I thought about what Dad said. 2 laps, 3 laps, 4 laps then I looked up at Dad at the fence with his arms in the air with that expression, “what are you waiting for?” It was now or never and just as Dad had pointed out, he pulled to the right. I was there and ready. Cut the corner with more speed and occupied the vacant space left by the other driver. It surprised him all right but he got used to me not coming so he had committed to the corner. Karts hit and we crashed. Tires touched and chaos followed.

I will never forget that day or the hundreds of other days I spent at the track with my family. Win or Lose, we did it together. Send us your Racing stories and we will share them on our Website or on the Fan Zone page in the magazine. FanZone@NMMotorSportsReport.com


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NMMotorsportsReport.com •• 13 13 NMMotorsportsReport.com


How hard is it to

Trying to make sense of NASCAR’s new rules

WIN THE DAYTONA 500? By Geoff Bodine

I By Geoff Bodine

T

he changes NASCAR has made this offseason are so crazy, I can’t understand them. There’s too much change in such little time.

I love racing. It’s my life. It’s given me a lot, but it’s to the point now where I don’t care about segments, points and cars. I’m at the point where I don’t care about it. I’m not saying I don’t care about NASCAR anymore, it’s just that the new rules are drastic and it’s not the same sport I used to compete in. I don’t know who’s come up with the rules, and I don’t care. The people I’ve talked to about the changes feel the same way. We want to see racing straight up.

won the Daytona 500 31 years ago, and hands down, it was one of the biggest and hardest accomplishments in my motorsports career. All of the pieces came together to make that race special for us in 1986.

I was in my third year at Hendrick Motorsports, and our team was getting better each season. Performance and the finishes were showing, and we were gelling as a team. I was living in Greensboro, North Carolina, but I would drive down to the shop during the 1985/1986 off-season to help work on our cars, especially our Daytona car. We had some aerodynamic advantages with the Monte Carlo’s slope back window and no restrictor plate being used at superspeedway races at the time. We qualified second for the Daytona 500, ended up leading the most laps, and battling the late-Dale Earnhardt for the lead and win. Our team had a great final pit stop and Earnhardt slid through his pit stall. Earnhardt and I were eventually running one-two again as the laps were winding down. He was following right in my tracks. I signaled for him to pass me so I could draft him and save my tires and fuel. He wouldn’t pass me.

All professional sports are businesses, but they are all sports at the end of the day. We’re not seeing amending of the rules in other pro sports. The people in charge, the rule makers, committees, they always have the best interest in making everything better.

With a few laps to go, I was still trying to be conservative with the tires when I noticed off of Turn 4 Earnhardt was slowing down and coming to pit road.

They’re trying to make it better for everyone and are making changes they feel and hope will keep their fan base and attract new ones. But they’re chasing people away.

I ended up drafting behind Benny Parsons for the last few laps, and ultimately won. There were tears in my eyes as I was coming for the checkered flag.

Plus, who is going to keep track of all the changes during the races?

The Damaged Car Policy

The new rule change announced Wednesday is totally ridiculous. What happens with a potential big wreck that wipes out half the field? If I was a team owner or driver, I’d be a little upset. Part of the action in a race is a crew working on a damaged car, trying to get their driver back out on the racetrack. Notice, you’ll see guys come back out so many laps down, not to try and win, but sometimes to points race and more so for the pride and love of racing. Nobody likes to wreck, but when there is one, that’s what the crew members live for: to help repair the damage and get their driver back to the track. The fans are the ones who lose the most on this rule. They won’t get to see this play out anymore. Sponsors may not like this rule either. Even if a company’s logos are adorned on a damaged car, they still want to see their car on the track. There’s an exposure factor.

Overall Takeaway

Everything changes, I understand that, whether we are ready for it or not. I loved the Chase system when it was introduced in 2004, and I still think it is genious. It brings interest and makes point racing more interesting. I might be wrong, and I’ve been wrong a lot.I HOPE I’m wrong, because I want to see the sport grow but it the new changes in Cup are way too confusing. It’s way out of line of racing. 14 NMMotorsportsReport.com

“He’s out of gas, he’s out of gas,” I yelled to my team over the radio.

THE NEXT YEAR

We were running in the top-five in the 1987 Daytona 500. We made a pit stop under caution towards the end of the race, and we knew it was going to be close on gas. Another caution came out a few laps later, and I asked crew chief Gary Nelson if we needed to pit, and he said no. I was skeptical on staying out, knowing there were only a few of us on the lead lap, but Gary assured me there would be enough fuel to make it. With about 10 laps to go, everyone started to pit, and he told me to start saving as everyone started to pit. It was going to be close. I took the lead with nine laps to go, and as the laps counted down, we were running on fumes. I came across the line leading with three laps to go and I ran out of gas. We finished 14th that day. We came that close to going back-to-back in the Daytona 500. I had some more close calls at Daytona after that, but even winning one is hard, and I’m grateful to have done so.

OVERALL

I’m just thankful I had the right people and right team behind me to make the 1986 win possible. One win is pretty darn good.

I know the new rule changes will turn some fans away, and the avid race fans will stick by the sport as well. I will still watch NASCAR and see how the new changes play out. It might be very interesting, or we might be scratching heads wondering what’s going on. They may not be the changes you or I would like to see, but I give the sanctioning body credit for trying to make the racing exciting.

TheRacingExperts.com


Top-five Cup drivers without a win By Taylor Goins

It’s no secret that there is an abundance of young talent in NASCAR today, and that news puts a smile on the faces of fans everywhere. In fact, with the multitude of star drivers retiring recently, many fan-favorites are now racers around 25 years old or younger.

Famous for getting his start in NASCAR by beating Kyle Busch at the Snowball Derby, Jones won a Camping World Truck Series title at just 19 years old in 2015 and turned many heads while making three MENCS starts as a substitute for Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth in 2015.

In due time, many names on this list will be seasoned veterans in their own right and will undoubtedly find great success in terms of both wins and championships.

He had a successful run in the XFINITY Series in 2016 and posted a series-regular best four wins. Consistency and unfortunate breaks plagued the No. 20 team last season, though, and Jones fell short of an Xfinity series title in his rookie season.

Youth has not been served quite yet though, as none of the drivers listed have been able to reach victory lane in NASCAR’s top series yet. Some have had agonizingly close-calls and some are still waiting for all the stars to align, but it would be a safe bet that a few of these racers will breakthrough to the winner’s circle in 2017. It’s clear that these five drivers are on the verge of doing big things, and are currently the top-five Cup drivers without a win:

No. 5 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Despite this small setback, Jones is more than talented enough to step into his No. 77 Furniture Row Racing Toyota and experience immediate success in the MENCS. Prepared in the same shop as Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 78 ride and aligned with Joe Gibbs Racing, expect Jones’ rookie ride to be quick out of the gate. And there is no better 20-year-old to place in a quick race car than Erik Jones.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. entered his MENCS career with great potential and promise, as he won NASCAR Xfinity Series titles in 2011 and 2012 before being called up to owner Jack Roush’s Cup stable.

No. 3 Austin Dillon

Stenhouse still possesses this potential and promise, and his raw talent behind the wheel of a stock car can be seen on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, Stenhouse’s entry into the MENCS coincided with the recent struggles of Roush-Fenway Racing, and he has been unable to reach victory lane so far.

He improved his average finishing position by over six spots from 2015 and had the best season of his young career in terms of pole positions, top-five and top-10 finishes. Dillon was fast out-of-the-gate in 2016 and was able to place together a number of consistently solid runs to advance into the second round of the Chase.

It is never smart to bet against Jack Roush and his drivers for long, however. Don’t be surprised if Stenhouse is one of the drivers to get their first career victory this year. He is especially strong at Bristol, as he has posted a top-10 finish in four of his eight races at the Tennessee short-track, including his career best finish of second in August of 2016.

No. 4 Erik Jones Erik Jones makes an appearance on this list despite never having driven a full season in the Cup series, but his NASCAR resume up to this point in his career speaks for itself.

Of all the names on this list, Austin Dillon would have probably won the award for “Most Improved Driver” in the 2016 season.

It was easily the season where one can possibly look back in the future and say that Dillon “turned the corner.” Few would have been surprised if he found a way to win a race, but through 121 races, his best finish is third. The grandson of car owner Richard Childress, Dillon does not lack for resources, talent, or a winning pedigree. Dillon also enters the 2017 season on a wave of positive momentum after such a successful 2016 campaign. Fans of the famed No. 3 car may see the ride back in victory lane soon, this time joined by Austin Dillon and his trademark cowboy hat.

No. 2 Ryan Blaney Last year also marked the first full-time MENCS season for Wood Brothers Racing driver Ryan Blaney. Blaney, a second-generation NASCAR driver from North Carolina, saw his share of success last season and was a consistent presence in the top 10. Like his fellow 2016 rookie counterpart Chase Elliott, though, Blaney never managed to put all the pieces together and nab a win. Despite falling short of victory lane, Blaney still put up nine top10 finishes and was a runner-up for the Sunoco Rookie of the Year award. With their Penske affiliation, the Wood Brothers team has been able to deliver cars for Blaney that are capable of winning races on a weekly basis. Blaney (who is strong at Phoenix, an early track on the MENCS schedule) could very well grab a win soon into his second Cup season.

No. 1 Chase Elliott Honestly, it still comes as a small shock that Chase Elliott is eligible for inclusion on this list. Elliott, son of 1988 NASCAR Cup Champion Bill Elliott, had an impressive rookie season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series as he garnered ten top-five finishes and was the only rookie to make the Chase for the Cup. However, this sudden success raised the stakes on the already lofty expectations for Elliott, who took over the No. 24 ride vacated by four-time MENCS champion Jeff Gordon. With the eyes of the NASCAR world carefully watching every lap he drove, Elliott proved that he had the talent to back up every expectation place upon him and took home the 2016 Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award. Even though Elliott more than once came within a whisker of notching a victory in his rookie year, the elusive checkered flag managed to escape him through his first full 36-race MENCS season. Driving top-notch equipment for Hendrick Motorsports and entering his sophomore season with more experience than ever before, it is only a matter of time before Elliott secures his first Cup victory.

TheRacingExperts.com NMMotorsportsReport.com • 15


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 16 16 NMMotorsportsReport.com 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


fan zONE

Send us you photos, event info and stories. Become part of the NM Motorsports Report email to FanZone@NMMotorsportsReport.com

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NMMotorsportsReport.com • 17


FOUNDED IN 1977 TO REPRESENT THE AUTO HOBBY IN NEW MEXICO www.nmcarcouncil.com

EVENT LISTING

NMCCC SPONSORED EVENTS MEMBER CLUB-SPONSORED EVENTS and OTHER NEW MEXICO EVENTS

MARCH March 4 NSRA Appreciation Day Adult Toy Factory, Las Cruces Bob Nall (575)382-5742 March 18 Wheels of Dreams 2017 – Field of Dreams, Las Cruces – R. Gonzales (575)527-2508 or www.rodrunnerscarclub.com March 19 TNT Races – Arroyo Seco Raceway, Arroyo Seco – Roger (575)494-4794 www.arroyosecoraceway.com March 25 Annual Patient Appreciation Cruise In – Worth Hearing Center, 7520 Montgomery NE, Albuquerque – 10am-2pm – 872-4327 or amrema@worthhearing.com March 31-April 1 20th Annual Main Event Show & Cruise – Heritage Plaza, Downtown, Artesia Frank or Dorothy (575)746-9477, Gene or Dolores (575)746-4796 for info, or joyce@nmcarcouncil.com for registration

APRIL April 1 Smokin’ Oldies Show & Shine – Courthouse Park, Deming – Otis (575)456-7798 April 2 Races – Arroyo Seco Raceway, Arroyo Seco – Roger (575)494-4794 www.arroyosecoraceway.com April 4 Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steak Burgers Cruise – 10201 Central NE, Albuquerque. Starts at 5:30pm – Get a free frozen custard – DJ music by Rockin’ Rob – Tips are appreciated – Joe Mascarenas 235-5900 April 8 Car Show for “Bridge the GAP” – Hope Christian High School, 8005 Louisiana Blvd. NE, Albuquerque – 9am3pm – Entry $20/car – Open to all vehicles – Benefits Hope’s Annual Fund – misty10771@gmail.com April 18 Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steak Burgers Cruise – 10201 Central NE, Albuquerque. Starts at 5:30pm – Get a free frozen custard – DJ music by Rockin’ Rob – Tips are appreciated – Joe Mascarenas 235-5900 April 21-22 14th Annual Ford Show – Alameda Park, Alamogordo – Open to Fords – Pat Stevenson (575)430-7216

18 NMMotorsportsReport.com

APRIL April 22 Annual Spring Thaw Worldwide Automotive/Old Car Garage, 3322 Girard NE, Albuquerque Appointment is needed – Desiree at 881-2722 or wwauto@aol.com April 23 11th Annual Spring Cruise & Schmoose – Sonic Drive-In, 5000 San Mateo NE, Albuquerque – 10am3pm – No entry Fee – Dash Plaques, first 100 – Ron,Su,and Sheila

MAY MAY May 7 Route 66 Rodders Swap Meet – Morris Field, Los Lunas – Details available later – Save the date May 8 Driving Divas All Woman Car Shine & Show – Fastinos (between Menaul and Candelaria), Albuquerque – 5pm to dark – Karen Campbell or Melinda Otzenburger. karencampbellwithrt66@hotmail.com

MAY (by Gibson), Albuquerque Open to all types of vehicles including motorcycles – Entertainment for kids, food vendors – Joe Mascarenas (505)235-5900 or David 1-850-855-9693 May 27 1st Annual Route 66 Festival Old Town, Albuquerque Free event – Booths available – press@dejavurefinery.com or (505)373-9123 May 27-28 MCA Regional Mustang Show – Marriott Pyramid N Hotel, Albuquerque – Open to Fords – Eric Shirley (505)268-2595 www.riograndemustangs.org

JUNE JUNE June 2-3 Car-A-Fair 2017 – Carlsbad www.carsclubofcarlsbad.com June 2-3 19th Classic Car Show Brandenburg Park, Red River, NM – C of C (575)754-2366 or www.redrivernewmex.com

May 13 ACCH Cars for Kids Car Show – Montgomery Church of Christ, 7201 Montgomery NE, Albuquerque – 10am-4pm, setup 7am-9am – Hosted by LOE GTO Club – (505)514-4573 to pre-register – http://www.facebook.com/loegtos/

June 12 Driving Divas All Woman Car Shine & Show – Fastinos (between Menaul and Candelaria), Albuquerque – 5pm to dark – Open to all cars and drivers; woman-driven cars get free meal – Karen Campbell or Melinda Otzenburger. karencampbellwithrt66@hotmail.com

May 20 Kiwanis Kars for Kids Show – Young Park, Las Cruces – Jim Pudlewski (575)525-9478

June 17 22nd Annual Mopar Fest – Haynes Park, Rio Rancho – Open to Mopars – Paul (505)896-8115 or www. moparclub.com

May 21 NMCCC/Albuquerque Museum 33rd Annual Car Show – Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Rd. NW, Albuquerque – Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Albuquerque Museum 1967-2017 – www.nmcarcouncil.com or joyce@nmcarcouncil.com May 21 Races – Arroyo Seco Raceway, Arroyo Seco – Roger (575)494-4794 www.arroyosecoraceway.com May 24-27 2nd Annual Rally du Soleil Vintage Car Rally Northern New Mexico – Open to pre-1970’s cars – All proceeds from registration fees will benefit local charities – http://rallydusoleil.org/ or (505)883-6240 – Registration is now open May 27 Honor Flight Northern New Mexico Car Show – Veterans’ Park, 1100 Louisiana Blvd SE

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 9am3pm – Raffle tickets for 1968 Chevrolet Chevelle at www.sagebrush.church/autoshow 922-9200 for more information June 18 Races – Arroyo Seco Raceway, Arroyo Seco – Roger (575)494-4794 www.arroyosecoraceway.com June 23-24 – Make-A-Wish Classic Car Show – Convention Center, Ruidoso – Ken Paul (806)236-3066


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 Beach Detroit Motor Speedway Honda Indy 200 of Long Beach 500 presented The Raceway at Indianapolis Belle IsleMotorMid-Ohio 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 Sched

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 • 19


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Luce

Customs By David Swope NMMotorsportsReport.com

T

he Super Nationals has been a New Mexico tradition for over 26 years. Last month over 200 Hot Rods and Customs rolled into EXPO New Mexico representing the best in the industry. Eleven states were represented with Trucks, Cars and Motorcycles. Many of the vehicles were National Magazine Cover and Special Feature Vehicles. A perfect example was displayed just inside the main exhibit hall. The Dirty Bird designed and crafted by New Mexico’s own, Caleb Luce. The Custom 1964 Thunderbird is so unique that you don’t recognize the original T-Bird but at the same time there is something familiar about it. The fabrication in metal, not fiberglass, pays homage to the original construction. The paint is flawless and the racing strips go all the way around the car including the undercarriage. The Dirty Bird made its debut at SEMA in 2015 and its first Super National’s appearance in 2016. This encore performance might be its last. “I am retiring the Dirty Bird. I have other projects that I want to work on,” says Luce. “I have been approached by some manufactures to develop projects with them. I can’t talk about them yet but I am hoping to soon.” Luce is not your regular college student. That’s right, college student at the University of New Mexico in Engineering. Caleb is the son of Randy & Sandi Luce, owners of Jay Walton Automotive located on Central in the Northeast Heights. Caleb grew up in the family business and recently started his own endeavor, Luce Customs. “I look at a project and think, I can make that better or what if we changed that?” explained Caleb. Luce Customs works with Martin Senour Paints and NAPA genuine parts. They specialize in custom design and fabrication including modification and restoration. “It is all in the details,” Luce explained. If you are a fan of customs, you have probably heard of Darryl Starbird. Starbird created many of the “Bubble Cars” that dominated the car show circuits. Luce & The Dirty Bird won the 2016 Darryl Starbird Go for the Gold Award. “When I see Caleb’s work, I think the future of custom cars will be just fine,” Starbird said in regards to Luce. The week before Super National, The Dirty Bird won the top prize at the 2017 Grand National Roadster Show. Luce has worked on many award winning vehicles including Doug Wilson’s 1946 International. His Bronco was also a local favorite which recently. NMMotorsportsReport.com • 21


“TRICKS of the TRADE”

NITROUS

Story By Jim Costa – owner Yearwood Performance Center

R

acing fuels and higher octane can make a good build even better. The ability to utilize higher compression or more boost can be more effective when using the right octane fuels. Octane is a chemical in petroleum that is used to rate different types of gas. In slang, we often use the term “high octane” to define something of very good quality. Many different octane levels are offered in aftermarket fuels. We stock Torco brand race fuels in both leaded and unleaded. We have the 100 and 108 unleaded, 110, 112, 112 Oxygenated, 118, and 118 Oxygenated leaded fuels. We also carry Methanol and E98 (98% Ethanol) fuels as well; similar to E85 you see at the pumps, but much better. So, let’s see if we can make some sense of all of this. The numbers we see on the pump at the gas station are octane ratings, that number is an average of two different octane measurements, RON and MON. The RON is the Research Octane Number rating. Simply put, RON determines a fuel’s ‘anti-knock’ quality or resistance to pre-ignition; or if you want to put in another way, the octane number suggests its resistance to detonation. While MON (Motor Octane Number) is similar, it is tested at a higher engine RPM, therefore it tends to be a lower octane number, usually about 8-12 points lower than RON. Most of the race fuels tend to use MON when determining their octane ratings. Our race fuels have octane ratings starting at 100 and go as high as 118 octane, most engine don’t need 118 octane fuel, but some of us use it in our race engine with high compression, lots of nitrous or under a lot of boost. Most everyone that has stepped up their game find themselves needing more than pump gas can offer. For example, I have a turbocharged Hemi that has two different boost settings, the lower tune works fine on pump gas with a posted 91 octane, the higher boost level requires more, closer to 94 or 96 octane fuel. And for those of us that land in the middle, we have Torco’s Accelerator, an unleaded fuel octane concentrate. You can increase your octane level by as much as 14 points by adding 32 ounces of concentrate to 5 gallons of fuel or only increase it 4 points if you add the can to 20 gallons of pump gas. This stuff works on anything, street or race cars, motorcycles, boats, snowmobile, ATV and UTVs and it doesn’t care if it’s injected, turbocharged, supercharged or normally aspirated. Just pick your poison level and start brewing. The last thing I would like to touch on is oxygenated fuels. I like to refer to oxygenated fuel as FREE horsepower. It takes oxygen to burn fuel; these fuels bring exactly that, oxygen. I found that I needed to increase the jets in my carburetor by 6-8%, meaning my fuel volume increased. This means burning more fuel and making more horse power. Since the price of oxygenated fuels is the same, it is FREE horsepower. No reason to leave it on the table, might as well use it, did I mention it is FREE? All the Torco products are available at either Yearwood Performance Centers. We will be more than happen to discuss your fuel needs with you, stop on by for some “high octane” advice.

22 NMMotorsportsReport.com


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

eVery saturDay 8am-9am exclusiVely on 101.7 fm WWW.1017theteam.com

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 activities with a full hour devoted to our passion. Podcasts of shows are available on demand at 1017TheTEAM.com. Check out our new website at NMMotorsportsreport.com.

NMMotorsportsReport.com • 23



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