Hotter than the heat at noon

It was a quick and hasty night of racing at El Paso Speedway Park but we still had plenty of action to go around! Fifty-four cars would make it to the green flag drop in 4 main events on the evening. Six super trucks, Eighteen Street Stocks, Thirteen legends and Seventeen USRA Modifieds all showed up to showdown and with that many cars on track racing is never going to disappoint!

We started the Feature mains with the six Super Trucks. This will be a 12 lap main event and the 22 of Chris Dermine will lead them to the green while the Sherminator, Sherman Barnett, will start inside on the back row. Sherman is the man to watch here as he is always flying in this Super Truck class. At the drop of the green it will be Dermine leading heavy out front for the first couple of laps but watch out cause here comes the 501 Jaime Bejerano down low! Wait for lap 3 and Bejerano is going to make the low line stick into turn 3 taking the lead clean as can be from Dermine.

That’s the way they will run for 4 more laps until here comes the Sherminator up to third! 5 laps to go and its Sherman Barnett taking his 82 machine all the way to the bottom in 1&2 to make the pass for second on the 22 of Dermine. Barnett is going to run that middle line hard trying to catch Bejerano but he still has Dermine all over his back bumper. Things are staying consistent around the track for the next two laps but three laps to go and the 22 of Dermine is going to loose and go spinning. WE stay green but now Sherman Barnett doesn’t have to worry about blocking his lines and has a straight shot for Bejerano who is loosing ground quick! Down to the white flag and the Sherminator is riding the bumper of Jaime Bejerano but he cant make anything stick and the 501 of Jaime Bejerano is going to come out of turn 4 ahead by a length and win it clean! Barnett drove a hard race from the back row but it wasn’t enough tonight as he takes home a hard fought second. The 98 of Rusty Bowen takes home the lone third while putting in consistent laps. The 16 of Denis McMaster and 81 of Kendra Efird will round out the top 5 respectively while the 22 machine finishes in 6th one lap down after a solid run most the night.

On to the Street Stocks we go and Boy Oh Boy are they ready to rumble! 17 of these bad dudes are going to start the main event after Noah Hollingshead has car trouble in the heat and wont make the main. George LaRose in 44x is the man to watch in this feature as he has already won his heat and the dash for cash tonight. If he can win this main event he will be taking home an extra 3 very crisp One-Hundred Dollar bills thanks to Casey Minks who has put up the money for the driver who can win the heat, the dash for cash, and the feature! LaRose is starting outside row 5 and will definitely be on a mission for the dough here!

At the green the 3 of Dennis Anderson will lead emm to racing. This one is going to get rowdy early as down the backstretch 4 cars are going to go four-wide for the top 5! Anybody who knows racing knows that four-wide back there on the stretch isn’t going to work and something is going to have to give. Well, the give tonight is going to come in the form of the 21 car sailing off turn 3 and into the outside wall. She stops just on the other side of the berm and caution comes out just as the leaders cross the line. 1 lap complete and the 44x has already moved up two positions. A-21 of Danny Rodriquez leads as the 74J is starting this restart second and somehow the 0 of Lloyd Turner is already up to third after starting 11th! He was doing some great driving back there and it looks like he will be the one to give George LaRose a run for the money tonight.

We go green and it’ll stay pretty orderly out there for the next 4 laps as LaRose is moving his way forward while the A21 still leads the 0 and the 74J. Turner passed Josselyn for second just as the A21 who is leading takes it way to far inside of turn 4 and clips the inside barrier tires. He goes slingshotting from the inside and slams the outside wall hard! The tires comes flying onto the track in his wake and we have to go yellow to put them back where they go. It looks like the A21 will try and keep racing after that hard hit but he will have to go to the rear for causing that yellow to come out. Because the A21 was leading but caused the yellow it will now be Lloyd Turner who leads us to green after just 5 laps! 19 laps remain and the 0 leads the 74J to green while the 44x has moved his way to fifth.

At the drop we will get in two more laps before the 44x of George LaRose will loose the entire right front wheel on his car and he goes cascading off into turn 1. HE goes over the berm and clears the racing surface so we stay green! Heartbreak for LaRose as he was moving through the field quickly in this one and had won his heat and the dash for cash already. His night is over.

15 laps remain and it’s becoming the 0 of Turner show up front. He is a full straightaway length over the 327 of Robert Vega who has passed 74J of Jason Josselyn as Josselyn begins to fall back. It’ll only be a half lap after getting passed for fourth that Jason Josselyn will pull off the track. At this point in the race we have lost 6 cars in 4 laps! LaRose kicked that off and the field is slowly diminishing.

10 to go and Turner is still pulling from the 327 and 12 of Cheyenne Arone who now runs third. Those two are battling hard for second and Turner has the cruise control set, no problems for him. The 327 is finally going to break loose from the 12 but in no way is he catching the 0 tonight! The 327 either needs a caution, a miracle or both to have any hope in this one.

Only 5 circuits left around The Park tonight and Lloyd Turner will be celebrating in the pits. However, when was the last time something came that in easy in dirt track racing!? A caution will fly for the 327 who was running a solid second is stopped in the top of turn 2 and will have to be towed from the track. Another heartbreak for him as he was running great laps tonight.

As we go back to green only 6 cars remain on the track! That’s right, we have dropped from 17 cars at the start of this thing down to only 6 with 5 laps still remaining. Lloyd Turner will bring them to the green as the 12 and the 777 of Jaime Montelongo are chasing each other around for second.

The last five laps are only going to see Todd Froats in the L750 making moves on the 29 of Ted Cain for fourth because up front Lloyd Turner has waster no time and is sailing ahead once again! Lloyd Turner will win it in style while the 12 of Arone holds off the 777 of Montelongo for second. Todd Froats worked his way into fourth over the 29 of Ted Cain. Victor Brazza may have been the last car on track in this one but sixth place is his as 11 other drivers wont even make it to the finish in this one!

Fifteen laps are in order for the Casa Nissan Legend cars tonight as 13 pull onto the track to duke it out. The 46 of Rick Fitzwater leads them to the green. We will complete one lap and right at the flag stand the AK47 and 37A are going to get together hard. Slamming each driver in a different direction as both spin and both have to leave the track with extensive damage.

On the restart it will be the 902 of Mike Zuloaga who goes low and makes it stick to pass for the lead. He wont be there long as just at the same moment the 77 of Brady LaBree is going to find the high line and come rocketing off turn 2. They will go door to door but it’s the 77 with way more traction around the outside and he will take the lead.

The distance is 5 laps in with 10 laps to go and the top 3 of 77 LaBree, 902 Zuloaga, and 37 Jackson go Nose to Tail for the lead. Down the back stretch the 77 is going to pull way slightly as the 37 goes outside door of the 902 and makes it stick in turn 3. I hope LaBree has a rear view mirror in that thing because here comes Joshua Jackson in the 37 machine and he is a rail!

As the 37 catches the 77 at break neck speed we look back to the battle for third as the 237 of Steven Arellano is battling hard with the 902. Those two are pushing each other too the limits and it’ll be the 237 who comes away with third as we have 5 laps remaining. Also in the top 5 is the 11 year old of Gunner Harris in the 54.

Only 3 laps remain when the 37 has finally caught the 77 and they will go door to door at the line! It’s the 77 leading just barely as the take the green flag for two laps to go but into turn 1 the 37 has the power line down low and there he goes! The lead now belongs to Jackson but LaBree seems to have a problem down the backstretch and over the berm he goes headed to the pits with a mechanical issue. As the 37 leads the field to the checkered flag the 237 of Arellano is going to blow by the 902 of Zuloaga for second and that is how they will finish! The 46 machine of Rick Fitzwater is a solid fourth place and the 11 year old of Gunner Harris will finish with an awesome 5th place.

The last race of the night is going to be the USRA Modifieds! 17 cars for 25 laps and plenty of drivers to take the win. The 19 of Donovan Ooley and the 07 of Donovan Flores will start on the first row but the man with a plan, MR Cool, Fito Gallardo is starting inside row 2 and after winning at least one feature race in the last 4 weekends he is not a man to underestimate tonight!

The 07 will lead lap 1 but the G17 has moved right on his bumper as caution flies for the 54 stalling over turn 3&4. We completed 1 lap and we go back to green with the 07 and G17 leading the field.

On the restart Fito is going to work low and he will give the 07 a little love tap coming off turn 3. Somehow the 07 held onto that one and the G17 will loose a little ground there. There are a completed 5 laps on track when the 7J of Paul Johnson gets loose in turn 4 and around he goes. He barely misses getting creamed by the back of the pack and we go yellow to clear him from the racing surface.

Fito Gallardo has got to be happy with this restart as he was slowly loosing ground to the 07 machine. We bunch them together and wave the green for 20 laps remaining! Immediately Jimmy Ray in the 9 moves himself into third and Boy Oh Boy is this one going to get crazy. Top 3 are all running together and Jimmy Ray is looking hard for that win. Flores is going to work the middle and Fito will try the bottom for the next few laps but it will be Flores by a nose over Fito every time at the line. 15 laps to go and Fito is still knocking on the door! He wont give up and he wont give in. This race is hotter than the El Paso heat at noon.

The top 2 have fallen in line now and just play cat and mouse around the speedway as Jimmy Ray has fallen to clutches of Austin Adams in 85. Adams is still way back from the leaders as he sits in third. Fito is looking low but pushing the middle and as they take to the line with 1o laps to go Fito is going to dive into turn 1 full throttle! In true Fito Fashion its clean as can be but it finally sticks for him! He is going to take the lead and run with it down the backstretch.

The 07 is going to take back second from Jimmy Ray with 7 to go as Fito is looking to put a planet between himself and the rest of the field here tonight. As the G17 continues to make distance the 07 and 9 are going to go back and fourth countless times. Its like they are playing a game and neither can get far enough ahead for the other to cut any slack. It’s intense and is definitely the best battle of the night.

With 5 laps to go it is Fito Gallardo so far up that you have to look in front of him to even find second. HE is looking clean and trying to make the finish in style but it wont be! As usual for Fito there will be at least one more caution he has to make it through to take the checkered flag. This caution comes out for Sherman Barnett who has stopped in turn 2 with a car failure but now we have a race as Jimmy Ray, who passed Donovan Flores just before the caution, will be right under Fito on the restart. Jimmy Ray will have to be perfect on this restart because Fito always is but anything is possible and this thing isn’t over until one of them crosses the finish line as the checkered waves. Jimmy Ray and Donovan Flores are chomping at the bit from row 2 as we go back to green but Fito Gallardo doesn’t even flinch and away he goes. Like a rocket Fito gaps the field leaving nothing to question. He is definitely the man on a mission tonight.

One more caution keeps Fito from his victory just yet and this one comes from Fito’s son Jacob who looses his entire right rear quarter panel entering turn 1. The track crew gets that cleared and we will go back to green with 3 laps left on the tower.

On this last restart Fito is going to waste no time and just like he has all night he will take the lead and absolutely run away with it. The real battle is going to come from Jake Gallardo in J17 who blows by Donovan Flores for third but will run out of track and laps to get Jimmy Ray for second.

It is Fito Gallardo taking the win in the USRA Modifieds once again here at the El Paso Speedway Park as Jimmy Ray holds of a hard charging Jake Gallardo for second and the 07 of Donovan Flores will finish fourth.

This is 4 weekends worth of winning for Fito Gallardo who has been on absolute fire lately! After the race the pits where buzzin and the drivers where chirpin, here is what Fito had to say about the track, the car and the wins.

Four weekends in a row worth of winning. How does it feel to be so absolutely dominate Fito? “It feels great for sure. I just have to keep pushing and doing what we are doing to keep winning.”

You moved from your customary high line tonight to win this one. What was up with that? “Well I just go where the track wants me too go. The High line and the low line where both a little slimy tonight so I squeezed it right down into the middle and it worked out. We messed with a new bar that hadn’t even been touched in 2 years of owning this car and obviously it did the trick. I was happy with the way it came around.”

If you missed the great action tonight we go racing again next Friday night with the 360 Winged Sprint cars. Those guys will be bringing the noise as they battle for the cash! Don’t forget your earplugs and don’t forget to come join us!

Gates open at 5:30
Racing starting at 7:45!
Come Hungry for some good racing and you wont be disappointed!