BUD SHOOT OUT RIGHT ON TARGET AT TRP!

Source: Dan Ruth
Date: 11/01/2007

Under beautiful Southwestern skies the eighteenth Bud Shoot Out came down to a real old fashioned Shoot Out. With the Tucson Raceway Park competition rules in place for this unique event it was hoped that competitors from throughout the Southwest would attempt to take home some of the over $10,000 in CASH. After a calm practice under the Southwest skies and full moon on Friday night, it was apparent that the newly crowned 2007 Speed Truck Challenge Champion, Victor Pfluger, was here to make his mark and long time Southwest Tour and now SRL competitor, Mike Mendenhall from San Diego, California was also right on TARGET! With over twenty five cars expected to participate under the unique format it was sure to be exciting to the last lap.

The format gave TRP's four Late Model Feature winners from the 2007 NASCAR Whelen All-American Racing Series automatic transfer to the Bud Ultra Dash regardless of how they qualified and at the end of the time trials, Victor Pfluger in his Blythe legal Limited Late Model with big spring stock clip and two barrel carburetor had proved the weight rules do work at TRP. Mike Mendenhall in his Tour legal car with narrow tread width and 9 to 1 engine was second followed by young Mat Williams in last years ULSMA Championship car. The sixteen fastest qualifiers staged on the front straight for the Bud Ultra Dash and based on their qualifying position the fifteen guys and one gal chose their doors on the two Budweiser delivery trucks. Two beautiful BUD Girls rolled up the doors to expose their starting positions to the thrill of the crowd! At the end of the door drawing ninth fasted qualifier Matt Levin had drawn the number one starting position with thirteenth qualifier Jerry Thitchener on the outside front row. By the luck of the draw, fast qualifier Pfluger was starting fourth and second quick Mendenhall starting third. With the positions set the sixteen fastest cars set out to take the Mitchell Milner green for fifteen fast and furious laps. At the end it was Levin and Mendenhall one and two with J.D. White and Arizona State Champion Joe Paladenic done for the day with blown engines.

The fifteen lap Bud Select heat comprising of qualifiers 17th on back was all Rick "The Butler" Butler over Mike Donoho whom started last due to missing qualifying. With the field set for the 100 lapper, Jeff Catlin would pace the pack in the Jim Click Dodge Nitro for one last 2007 event. With all the guns drawn, only five laps were complete and the red was out for a multi car incident on the back straight that would eliminate last years Bud Shoot Out winner Mike Egurola, this years TRP Track Champion, Ron Norman, young Bobby Collister and Cassie Gannis. The debris and oil cleanup was strewn the length of the back straight and took for what seemed to be eternity to get cleaned up. When the track again went green it was to be all Mendenhall out front with Williams lurking in the shadows followed by Levin. As Mendenhall was gathering lap leader bonus dollars, Levin had decided to follow and save his equipment while Williams and Pfluger would fight it out for third. A short lap thirteen yellow would give Ned Champine the lucky dog and racing would resume until a solo spin and fire in turn three by Brian Harrington, Jr. would bring out another red. During the red it was determined Brad Moyer had lost a rear pinion seal and oiled down the complete raceway. Three hundred pounds of kitty litter later and they would again go green until a spin in turn three with Duane Hunt Sr. and Robert Bush on lap 82. The green again flew with Mendenhall still out front but getting real loose and Levin just waiting for the time to pull the trigger. During the last twenty laps the mix of power plants would show the rules parity as a Tour car would lead, Levin's old TRP Spec Super Late in second, USLMA Super Late in third, Donoho's straight rail Crate Engine kit in fourth and Pfluger's Limited Late Model in fifth. The real show was Mike Szlauko in his Crate Engine car blasting through the field to no avail as he was one lap down. During the last ten laps he was over a half of a second quicker than the leaders! WOW!

On lap 91 Levin would bully his way under Mendenhall and take the lead until the end with Mendenhall's tires all but gone. Levin had patiently stalked Mendenhall, keeping him in his sights until it was time to pull the trigger and take the lead and with that the coveted Bud Shoot Out win! Mendenhall's well deserved second would net him twelve hundred dollars in lap bonus awards along with $1000.00 cash for second. Levin would take home the beautiful Bud Shoot Out Trophy, the Bud Pole Plaque and ten laps of leader bonus along with the winners share $2000.00 in cash. Levin's name will now go up on the Bud Shoot Out Billboard along other Soutwestern gunslingers the likes of Ron Norman, Chuck Wares and Carl Trimmer.

At the completion of Victory Lane ceremonies Tucson Raceway Park General Manager Dan Ruth would thank the competitors and crowd for the opportunity to bring pavement Stock Car racing to the Old Pueblo in 2007 and with that said Good Night and God Bless.

Hope to see ya all next year!

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