Dan Beaver
Western DIRTcar Public Relations
520.249.8486 / dbeaver@dirtcar.com
LAS CRUCES, NM – November 5 – While racing in the East and Midwest is beginning to wind down, it is heating up in the Southwest with the 11th annual Fall Nationals at Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, N.M. on tap for a three day show November 5th-7th.
The gates open for three days of action at 4:00 pm Friday, November 5, 2010 and racing will begin at 6:30 pm. An earlier start time has been announced for Saturday and Sunday’s show with the gates opening at noon and racing kicking off at 2:00 pm, but drivers started arriving early.
“DIRTcar Racing is honored to be involved with an event of this magnitude,” said DIRTcar Racing Western Region director Chris Morgan. “The Fall DIRTcar Nationals grows bigger and bigger every year and shows the short-track world what a great UMP DIRTcar Modified program that Royal Jones and his staff are building at Southern New Mexico Speedway.”
The DIRTcar Racing UMP Modified sanctioned event drew a record crowd of 107 Modifieds for last year’s edition of this race and just as many are expected this year. There are 10,000 reasons for so many drivers to converge on SNMS this weekend: Sunday’s A-main will pay $10,000 to win, $5,000 for second, and $1,250 to start, which is more than many weekly events pay to win. One aggressive driver will also pocket $1,500 on Sunday in the form of hard charger award.
In fact, the benefits of winning could be more than twice as great if one of the drivers who qualify on the front row has enough nerve. Track promoter Royal Jones is daring them to drop to the back and try to make their way to front in Sunday’s 50-lap A Main. If either of them can win after starting shotgun on the field, the winner’s purse will swell to $25,000 in what the track is calling the Double Dog Dare.
Taking the Double Dog Dare won’t be an easy decision, however, as the track is hosting the best Modified racers in the country on a very racy surface.
Nearly 30 loads of clay were hauled into the track in preparation for this weekend’s Fall Nationals and 40 drivers showed up to practice and groom the new surface. With times dipping down into the high 14 second mark, the track is going to be fast all weekend and drivers who showed up for practice on Thursday might have an advantage.
In addition to local hot shoes that include Stormy Scott, Jimmy Ray, Royal and Bumper Jones, and Fito and Jacob Gallardo, drivers from 12 other states have already taken laps at SNMS. Iowa’s Kelly Shryock, Ryan Guston and Zack Vanderbeek, Missouri’s Jeremy Payne and Terry Phillips, and California’s Kellen Chadwick have made the long tow, but Modified drivers from as far away as Oregon, Minnesota, and Arizona are also featured.
Johnny Scott, Terry Phillips, and Jason Hughes have dominated the Fall Nationals, with Scott keeping Springfield, Mo.’s Jeremy Payne at bay last year with Rodney Sanders, Randy Timms, and Phillips rounding out the top five. Nearly all of the top 10 finishers from last year will be in attendance this weekend to close the gap on Scott and local fans are not going to want to miss the action.
Who’ll win this year’s DIRTcar Racing UMP Modified Fall Nationals? Stay tuned-or better yet, get a ticket and come see for yourself. If you can’t make it to the track, the race will be broadcast at http://modfury.com/.
Contact: Dan Beaver
Western DIRTcar Public Relations
520.249.8486 / dbeaver@dirtcar.com
Twitter: @DIRTcarWest
Chris Morgan
Director Western Operations
World Racing Group/ DIRTcar
805.637.1426 / cmorgan@dirtcar.com
