When the Havasu 95 Speedway drops the green flag on the Western Winter Nationals this weekend it's going to be huge. So huge that it's going to take two days to present all of that ASA sanctioned racing at the most scenic quarter mile paved oval in the southwest located in Lake Havasu City-Arizona. The Western Winter Nationals will feature a wide variety of racing divisions including the Legend Cars, Bandoleros, USAC Ford Focus Midgets, Thunder Roadsters, the Colorado River Late Model Series and the Factory Stocks.
"The Havasu 95 Speedway is currently offering a budget priced two day ticket package."
On Saturday, March 14th, the Legends will take center stage with a special feature race that pays $500 to the winner. The Legend teams will enjoy a high priority on Sunday, the 15th as well. Sunday's Legend Car action will also pay $500 to the winner. However Sunday's race has a lot more at stake for the Legends teams. Sunday's race is also a qualifier for INEX national points. The Legends are very popular at the Havasu 95 Speedway because they literally fly around the quarter mile oval. The cars resemble old style roadsters from the 1930's and 1940's and features a five eighths scale fiberglass body powered by a sealed 1250cc motorcycle engine. The cars are extremely light in weight and that allows them to turn laps around the track compatible to times of a full size late model stock car.
Also seeing action during the Western Winter Nationals will be the youngsters in their small, but very swift, Bandoleros. The Havasu 95 Speedway recognizes that this division is their future crop of drivers and goes all out to support these kids who are starting their racing careers. There's also plenty of support from local organizations such as JJ&B Racing and Bando Stuff. These small race cars are powered by a 570cc Briggs and Stratton Vangard engines. The compact size of the cars often allows for three wide racing and the division's main events are always very exciting.
The division also has a very tight points battle. Local driver Tommy Kelley leads those points standings with 234 points based on two feature wins and five top five finishes. However Kelley's lead is only a mere four points ahead of Kyle Niquette who has five top five finishes so far this season. Also very much involved in this division championship is Alex Morgan who is only eight points away from the leader. Morgan is also having a good season with one win, four top fives and one top ten finish. The Western Winter Nationals could play a huge role in the division's points standings because they will also be racing on Sunday as well. A combination of good and bad racing luck, over the course of two days, could play well into the hands of two of the division's lady drivers. Breanna Nelson holds down fourth in the points standings and is 26 markers behind the leader still within striking distance for an end of the season charge to the top. Shelby Orozco is fifth in the standings 40 points away from the top. The hard charging young lady has two feature wins and four top five finishes. The only reason she's 40 points behind in fifth is because she missed the first race of the season.
Another big highlight in the Western Winter Nationals is going to be Sunday's appearance by the Colorado River Late Model Racing Series. This action packed series is being jointly hosted by the Havasu 95 Speedway and the Lucas Oil I 10 Speedway in Blythe-California. With the final championship race less than a month away, there are two major principals in the series who will be vying for the points title. There are only 18 points separating Austin Murphy and Mark Schriner. This points battle has been neck and neck throughout much of the winter racing season. The only reason there is currently a 18 point gap between the two drivers is due of an eighth place finish by Schriner on a night that Murphy finished second. However a reversal of fortune could tighten this race up again and the catalyst for that could very come this Sunday.
The always exciting USAC Ford Focus Midget Series will provide the Speedway's open wheel racing fans with some additional special entertainment Saturday night when they send their California Pavement Division to Lake Havasu City. Saturday night will also officially open their 2009 season. In that division will be some outstanding, up and coming, young USAC open wheel driving talent. That certainly applies to Tucson-Arizona's Alex Morgan who is the reigning USAC Ford Focus Midget Series national champion as well as the California Dirt Series title holder. Bowman won a combined series high 11 features last year. Also a major player in this series is Pleasanton-California's Ian Millie who won two features last year as well as the California Pavement Series points title. 17 year old Brendan Langlois, who won three features last year, is expected to fly in from his native Canada to join Saturday night's action as well. The California Pavement Series is expected to have their hands full with competition from some visitors. The word is out that the stars and cars from the Utah Pavement Series is expected to join the action Saturday night.
Thunder Roadsters will be making their official debut at the Havasu 95 Speedway and will be racing both on Saturday and Sunday. The Thunder Roadsters are open cockpit cars that resemble the open wheel road course racers from the 1950's and 1960's. They are powered by a sealed 1250cc Yamaha motorcycle engine.
The speedway's always fun Factory Stocks will have a prominent role on Sunday's racing schedule. Jose Guevara, with two feature wins, leads the division's points standings and holds a 52 point advantage over Scott Allen. Mark Berlant, with two feature wins, is in third 68 points back while "Jumbo" John Thorpe, who recently won his first feature of the year, is fourth in the standings 72 markers away from the leader. However bear in mind that this is Factory Stock racing where the running order of the field can go through massive changes during the course of a single lap. That brand of motorized mayhem, which features a very healthy car count, can also change the complexion of the points standings during the course of a single evening.
The Western Winter Nationals will actually kick off on Friday night, March 13th, with a special test and tune session for the racing teams from 6 to 9 pm. This test session is free to spectators and a concession stand will be available. On Saturday, the 14th, the spectator gates will open at 4 pm with the racing getting underway at 6 pm. Sunday, the 15th, is a day race. The spectator gates will open at noon with racing beginning at 2 pm.
The Havasu 95 Speedway is currently offering a budget priced two day ticket package. General admission tickets, for both Saturday and Sunday, are priced at $18. Tickets for seniors, military personnel and the handicapped are $15. Kid's tickets, for ages six to 16, are $9 for both days while kids five and under will be admitted free when accompanied by an adult. The Havasu 95 Speedway is offering special ticket prices for their VIP section which includes pizza and two drinks. Described as the best seats in the house, the VIP tickets are $25 for one day and $40 for two days.
For out of town race teams and fans the Days Inn is the official motel of the Havasu 95 Speedway.They offer beautiful and spacious rooms at very affordable rates. Call 928 855 7841 for reservation information.
For more information regarding the Western Winter Nationals contact Dennis Rudin, for track and marketing information, at 928 716 6634. For car and tech information contact Bill Rozhon at 928 716 6300. Emails can be sent to info@havasu95speedway.com.
