LAS VEGAS, Nevada — Friday the 13th was anything but unlucky for race fans as they witnessed 430 laps of green-flag racing as the Duel in the Desert at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway concluded its second of three race nights with a record-breaking entry list of 264 IMCA Modifieds.
Ricky Alvarado and Will Brack ran off and hid from the rest of the field during the first IMCA Modified A-Feature, only to see their tremendous advantage erased by a six-car accident in Turn 1 at the halfway point. The caution period placed hard-chargers Steve Arpin and Johnny Saathoff squarely on their doorstep. Arpin grabbed second place with eight laps remaining but Alvarado checked out once again and Saathoff was held up by a lapped car for a handful of laps. At the finish line, it was Alvarado, Arpin and Saathoff.
Bobby Hogge built up a huge lead in the second 25-lap IMCA Modified A-Feature, pacing the second-and-third-place cars of Paul Stone and Jeremy Mills by a full straightaway. Hogge had to battle ferociously with heavy lapped traffic with 10 laps remaining, coming perilously close to disaster on several occasions. Brad Pounds spun in Turn 1 and brought out the caution flag and Hogge's advantage evaporated. On the restart, Hogge slid high in Turn 2 and allowed Stone and Mills to pass on the inside. Stone went on to win, followed by Mills and Hogge.
Iowa's Robbie Roselli won the 15-lap IMCA Stock Car feature.
Friday's winners:
First heat: Jim Graves.
Second heat: Monte Bolton.
Third heat: Will Brack.
Fourth heat: Johnny Saathoff.
Fifth heat: Randy Brown. (Eight cars eliminated in a nine-car accident on the front straightaway on the opening lap.)
Sixth heat: Ricky Alvarado.
Seventh heat: Dennis Durman.
Eighth heat: Benji LaCrosse.
Ninth heat: Christy Georges. (Inherited first place after leader spun out in Turn 4 on final lap.)
10th heat: Jeff Conner.
11th heat: Brian Burnes.
12th heat: Justin O'Brien.
13th heat: Paul Drake.
14th heat: Jeff Taylor.
15th heat: Bobby Hogge.
16th heat: Paul Stone.
17th heat: Jimmy Mills.
18th heat: Randy Hall. (In a photo finish over Las Vegas' Dan Fitzgerald.)
19th heat: Nate Caruth. (16-year-old Caruth raced from ninth to first on the first lap.)
20th heat: Jordan Grabowski.
First B-Feature: Cody Gerhart.
Second B-Feature: Dylan Smith.
Third B-Feature: Jason Snyder.
Fourth B-Feature: Travis Metz.
Fifth B-Feature: Terry Belcher Jr.
Sixth B-Feature: Brad Pounds.
Seventh B-Feature: Ryan Cottrell (Las Vegas)
Eighth B-Feature: Anthony Madrid.
Ninth B-Feature: Eddie Kershaw.
10th B-Feature: Sean Nolan.
IMCA Modified Dash: Chris Abelson.
IMCA Modified Wild West Shootout heats: Ricky Alvarado, Paul Stone.
First 25-lap IMCA Modified A-Feature: Ricky Alvardado.
Second 25-lap IMCA Modified A-Feature: Paul Stone.
First IMCA Stock Car heat: Trent Murphy.
Second IMCA Stock Car heat: Kevin Opheim.
15-lap IMCA Stock Car feature: Robbie Roselli. (Took the lead from Opheim on the final lap.)
Thursday, Nov. 12, 2009
Thursday results: Duel in the Desert at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
LAS VEGAS - The annual Duel in the Desert for IMCA Modifieds began tonight at the Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The opening-night schedule was expanded to 20 heat races thanks to a record entry list of 264 cars (from 24 states and four Canadian provinces). The previous record for entries - 219 - was set in 2008.
Thursday's winners:
First heat: Jay Noteboom.
Second heat: Derek Klima.
Third heat: Ryan McDaniel.
Fourth heat: Bobby Hogge.
Fifth heat: Grant Younghans.
Sixth heat: "Nitro Nate" Caruth.
Seventh heat: Chris Abelson.
Eighth heat: Jason Breese.
Ninth heat: Scott Drake.
10th heat: Bobby Moore.
11th heat: Vern Jackson.
12th heat: Jason Snyder.
13th heat: Randy Hall.
14th heat: Dominic Ursetta.
15th heat: John Flory.
16th heat: David Murray Jr. (2003 and 2008 Duel in the Desert winner).
17th heat: Jay Steffens.
18th heat: Jordan Grabowski.
19th heat: Jeremy Payne (2005 and 2006 Duel in the Desert winner).
20th heat: Johnny "The Jet" Saathoff (2004 Duel in the desert winner).
First B-Feature: Larry Hood.
Second B-Feature: Monte Bolton.
Third B-Feature: Will Brack.
Fourth B-Feature: Christy Georges.
Fifth B-Feature: Sherman Barnett.
Sixth B-Feature: Zane Devilbliss.
Seventh B-Feature: Tim Czarneski.
Eighth B-Feature: Kellen Chadwick.
Ninth B-Feature: Jeff Taylor (started at the rear of the 22-car field and took the lead in 10 laps, then made contact with a lapped car and ran the last five laps with sheetmetal rubbing heavily on his smoking right-rear tire).
10th B-Feature: Anthony Madrid.
First 20-lap A-Feature: Chris Abelson (Sioux City, Iowa) led wire-to-wire.
Second 20-lap A-Feature: Dominic Ursetta (Arvada, Colo.).
Saturday, Nov. 14
3 p.m. - Spectator gates open.
3:30 p.m. - Mandatory wheel-packing.
5 p.m.
IMCA Stock Car Last-Chance Race.
Legends Cars practice.
IMCA Stock Car Dash (top 8 from Friday).
10 IMCA Modified Last-Chance Races.
Legends Cars heat race.
Bomber Enduro hot laps (5 min.).
WWMT North-South Shootout.
IMCA Stock Car A-Feature.
Legends Cars feature.
$7,777-to-win IMCA Modified Duel in the Desert A-Feature.
Bomber feature (30 laps).
