InsideGroove - Race Report

RICKEY HOOD ON TOP IN LAS CRUCES

El Paso, TX -- After a very inactive schedule in 2005, the SCOA winged 410 sprint cars opened a four race in 8 day New Mexico-Texas swing at El Paso Speedway Park on Friday night and veteran Rickey Hood outdueled former WoO regular Johnny Herrera for the feature win. Hood drives for Steve Cushman in 2005 while Herrera is in the Herrera family car that Hood used to dominate winged sprint car racing in the desert southwest for several seasons. Herrera beat Hood in heat 1, but Hood came out on top in both the dash and feature. Jason Martin from Liberal KS loves to race in New Mexico and El Paso and he enjoyed another strong run in third ahead of 2004 SCOA champion Jeff Slinkard. Both Hood and sixth place finisher Brian O'Donnell elected to tow back to Tucson on Saturday to race a $3000 to win show there instead of staying to race the SCOA event in Las Cruces. This race closed the 2005 season in El Paso and Rob Gonzales was crowned street stock track champion after a sixth place finish. Sixth ranked Rob Madrid won the season finale ahead of Wes Benson, Jaime Montelongo and second ranked Paddy Rush. The Legend Cars appeared 16 cars strong and Danny Sander got the feature win ahead of Kyle Sager and Richard Hargenrater.

The 17 car SCOA winged sprint turnout included cars from five states. Herrera beat Hood and Slinkard in heat 1. MoPar faithful O'Donnell won heat 2 ahead of Mike Wells and Colorado's Rich Bubak. J Martin came out on top of heat 3 in front of local star Shawn Sander and Robert Gomez. Hood, Herrera and Wells ran 1-2-3 in the dash that determined the starting order for the front of the feature. It was all Hood in the feature action as he won from the pole. Herrera chased him in second and J Martin ran third. Slinkard was fourth ahead of Wells, O'Donnell, Bubak, Scott Box, John Carney Sr, Ted Lee and Steve Martin. Local star John Carney Jr escaped unhurt in a huge first lap flip in the main event.

Fourteen street stocks were divided into two heats and Edward Hanna won the first ahead of Montelongo and P Rush. Casey Rush outdueled 2004 champion Ozzie Noder and Benson in heat 2 as Gonzales ran fourth. Gonzales did get the dash win over C Rush and Montelongo. Madrid had run fifth behind Gonzales in heat 2, but charged to the feature win ahead of Benson, Montelongo, P Rush, C Rush, Gonzales, Ralph Fountain,

Veronica Arreola and Noder. Gonzales won the track title by 35 points over P Rush with C Rush another 11 points back in third. Martin Lopez ranked fourth and Noder was only six points in front of Madrid in their fifth place duel. Benson was another 7 points back in 7th. Tom Hargenrater won heat 1 for the Legend Cars ahead of Don Reynolds and Jonathan Barcena. Jesse Davenport beat Larry Nance and Richard Hargenrater in heat 2. Lamar Skarda graduated to the winged 305 sprint cars in 2005, but returned to his legend car roots to win the dash ahead of John Barcena and Sager. Sager was last in his heat race and D Sander got fourth in the same heat. The two youngsters dueled for the feature win with D Sander beating Sager, R Hargenrater, Reynolds, Skarda, Jonathan Barcena, Nance, Terry Herring and Josh Bruder.

Summary Legend Car Dash-Lamar Skarda, John Barcena, Kyle Sager. Heat 1-Tom Hargenrater, Don Reynolds, Jonathan Barcena, Danny Sander, John Barcena. Heat 2-Jesse Davenport, Larry Nance, Richard Hargenrater, Jim Funk, Alex Kennedy. Main-Sander, Sager, R Hargenrater, Reynolds, Skarda, Jonathan Barcena, Nance, Terry Herring, Josh Bruder, Funk, T Hargenrater, Davenport, Duane Murphy, Morgan Wright, John Barcena, Kennedy. Street Stock Dash-Rob Gonzales, Casey Rush, Jaime Montelongo. Heat 1-Edward Hanna, Montelongo, Paddy Rush, Donald Gorham, Veronica Arreola. Heat 2-C Rush, Ozzie Noder, Wes Benson, Gonzales, Rob Madrid. Main-Madrid, Benson, Montelongo, P Rush, C Rush, Gonzales, Ralph Fountain, Arreola, Noder, Jorge Hernandez, Hanna, Shawn Sanchez, Gorham, Martin Lopez. Winged 410 Sprint Car Dash-Rickey Hood, Johnny Herrera, Jason Martin. Heat 1-Herrera, Hood, Jeff Slinkard, Ted Lee, Steve Martin. Heat 2-Brian O'Donnell, Mike Wells, Rich Bubak, Jesse Baker, John Carney Jr. Heat 3-J Martin, Shawn Sander, Robert Gomez, Scott Box, Bill Grable. Main-Hood, Herrera, J Martin, Slinkard, Wells, O'Donnell, Bubak, Box, John Carney Sr, Lee, S Martin, Gomez, Joe Alvarado, Sander, Baker, Grable, John Carney Jr.

InsideGroove Latest Reports | InsideGroove Archives
About InsideGroove