InsideGroove - Race Report

JONES CAPS PERFECT LAS CRUCES WEEKEND WITH $1,500 WIN

Las Cruces, NM --

After setting fast time on Thursday night, Minnesota's Ron Jones spent the rest of the weekend practicing his pole position starts as he capped a perfect weekend by leading all 25 laps to post a $1,500 win in the Super Stock portion of the November Nationals Saturday afternoon at The Speedway of Southern New Mexico. Jones has long dominated the modified specials at the 3/8 mile clay oval, but this was first attempt in the Super Stock class as he raced the car that D & M Performance built for him to race in the $10,000 to win events in Enid, Oklahoma and Lubbock, Texas. He ran an aluminum body in those races, winning in Enid and getting spun out of the lead with just 3 laps to run at Lubbock. He had to run a metal body here, but his fast time put him on the pole for his Friday night heat. He won the heat to earn the pole for the 15 lap preliminary feature. He won that and his fast time again put him on the pole for the Saturday dash. He won that to sit on the pole for the rich 25 lapper and he was never passed all weekend as he charged to the win in front of former track champion Henry Brumley, who won $750. Current track champion Mark Morris was a $500 third and Claude Lenderman wheeled his Super Truck to a $400 fourth. Jay Rosales took over the Lalo Trujillo car for the Saturday action and worked his way from the rear of the B Main to a $300 fifth. Rosales finished third in the rich Lubbock race after leading more than 1/2 of that event. Jones later added another $5,000 to his bankroll when he won the 50 lap modified special.

The top 8 finishers from the Friday night preliminary main event ran the dash to set the starting order for the front four rows in the 25 lapper. They were lined up by their qualifying times and Jones won from the pole as Ivan Burton nipped Morris for second. Brumley was fourth over Rick Gallardo. The 12 lap B Main set the final 16 slots in the 25 lapper. Lenderman beat Frankie DeMartino to a lap 3 yellow when Casey Rush lost a wheel and he won the B Main. Marty Scott made a late pass around double division racer Sherman Barnett to finish second. S Barnett crossed the line 3rd, but was disqualified for not reporting to the scales after the race. That moved Paul Ziehl into third ahead of DeMartino and Fito Gallardo. Rosales ran 7th behind Wayne Pelkey. Jack Skillin, Victor Colorbio Jr and El Paso star Roger Owens joined the action on Saturday and both Skillin and Owens made the transfer into the 25 lapper.

Jones' dash win put him on the pole for the 25 lapper and he raced into the lead over Morris, Brumley, Burton and R Gallardo. A spinning Joe Lackey clipped Eric Luchini and Luchini tangled with DeMartino and Christy Georges to force a lap 3 yellow flag. Lenderman gained fifth on lap 6. The next yellow came on lap 10 when Bryan Armstrong spun and was hit by Martin Robinson to end the race for both. Burton was clipped by Scott on the restart and that allowed Lenderman to take over 4th. Brumley got around Morris for second as they raced to a lap 14 yellow when Skillin and Pelkey tangled with Danny Smith getting hit hard by Owens. Burton pitted during this caution and did not return. El Paso racer Steve Flack dropped out on the restart as Scott briefly gained fifth before he spun on lap 16. R Gallardo was sent to the rear for spinning Scott out as Scott was restored to fifth. Artesia's Owen Puckett dropped out. The final yellow came on lap 19 when Scott spun and got hit by Fito Gallardo, Mike Ford, R Gallardo and Paul Ziehl. Scott was disqualified from the race for his actions when he was sent to the rear. Georges was out with a flat tire. On the restart, Brumley slipped high and lost second to Morris only to surge back and retake the spot before the 20th lap was completed. Brumley again gave up second on lap 22 when he slipped high, but he was again able to retake the spot. Jones won over Brumley, Morris, Lenderman, Rosales, DeMartino, Skillin, R Gallardo, and Ziehl.

Summary Dash-Ron Jones, Ivan Burton, Mark Morris, Henry Brumley, Rick Gallardo, Martin Robinson, Joe Lackey, Eric Luchini. B Main-Claude Lenderman, Marty Scott, Paul Ziehl, Frankie DeMartino, Fito Gallardo, Wayne Pelkey, Jay Rosales, Jack Skillin, Mike Ford, Bryan Armstrong, Christy Georges, Rick Ortega, Steve Flack. A Main-Jones, Henry Brumley, Morris, Lenderman, Rosales, DeMartino, Skillin, Rick Gallardo, Ziehl, Rick Ortega, Pelkey, Lackey, F Gallardo, Georges, Ford, Owen Puckett, Flack, Burton, Roger Owens, Danny Smith, Martin Robinson, Armstrong, Luchini.

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