The eighteenth annual Wild West Shootout concluded on Sunday afternoon, January 14th at the F.K. Rod Ends Vado Speedway Park in Vado New Mexico. The biggest money of the six race series was on the line for all three divisions that were in action plus big bonus money was also available for Bobby Pierce if he could win his fifth feature race out of the six contested.
That would be a tall task as a strong field of drivers was anxious to knock him off the podium on Sunday but when matters were settled, the only thing that kept him from winning the one hundred thousand dollar bonus was a right rear Hoosier racing tire that stopped holding air with just six laps left in the race .After dominating the fifty lap feature race, his only real challenge would come from Kyle Larson who had closed to within a few car lengths and was getting ready for a late race banzai run but just when Larson figured he'd have to go or else, Pierce suffered the flat tire after he apparently ran over some debris on the track and cut the tire.
In other racing action, Cade Dillard continued his mastery of the Modifieds, winning for the fourth time during the series and Jesse Haynie became a repeat winner with a strong run in the X Mods to close out the series for that division.
The car count for the opener was at a six race low but typically, that is the way it is for the final show. Some teams are blown up or wrecked by the finale while others, facing some likely wicked driving conditions on the way home, opted to get a head start on what might be a very challenging trip for them.
One hundred and twenty drivers signed in to race in the three divisions with both the open wheel classes down back a dozen cars from Saturday. Most of the Late Models did return with a late scratch by Justin Duty after he reported a blown motor in Saturday action. With the reduced car count, a tidy four heats and two B features would be the order of events for all three classes and then it was right into feature race time.
Qualifying would see Dustin Sorensen and Kyle Larson, as the second to the last car out, top the speed charts for the two waves with Larson quickest overall at 14.765 seconds.
Twenty four cars would take the green flag for each of the three feature races with the Late Models again rolling out first following some track prep. Fifty laps would be the distance for the Late Models on Sunday with twenty six thousand dollars on the line for the winner and Pierce hunting for the hundred grand bonus. However, for the first time in six races, Pierce would not start on the front row of the main, having not drawn quite as well as earlier in the series.
Mike Marlar would start on the outside pole and he would use that momentum to take the early lead over Cade Dillard. Pierce would quickly move into second and then begin to close on Marlar. Pierce was running a line on the track lower than most and that gave him an open lane to challenge the leader and with the speed he has shown all week, he was soon breathing down Marlar's neck for the lead.
The two exchanged slide jobs but Pierce was just too strong and on lap fourteen he would drive by Marlar to take over the lead. Pierce would pull away at this point while Marlar fought to hold off Stormy Scott for the second spot.
The first yellow flew with twenty three laps completed when Collen Winebarger would slow with a flat tire. Larson was riding fifth at this point but when the green was redisplayed, he would pick up his pace significantly, driving past Dillard, Marlar and then Scott as he pulled into second.
Pierce would still maintain the lead with a decent advantage but around lap thirty five, Larson started to pick up the pace, apparently realizing it was time to go. He closed to within a couple car lengths of Pierce and was beginning to hunt a line past Bobby. What might have turned out to be a special finish was aborted however, when coming out of turn four on lap forty four, Pierce suddenly slowed with a flat tire and Larson nearly ran up under the slowing leader until he was able to steer by. As dollar signs danced in front of his eyes, Pierce headed to the work area for a quick tire change, and while he was able to race his way back up to seventh, his chance for the big money was gone.
Larson fired for the restart as the new leader and he would comfortably pull away from the field, unchallenged for the win. Marlar would hold off a late challenge from Dillard for second with Garrett Alberson and Scott completing the top five. Only five drivers would not complete the feature and the tire wear issue, which some were concerning about, never did appear to be a factor.
The X Mods would go twenty five laps for their main event on Sunday and regular season Late Model point champion Josh Cain would take the early lead. Cain would come from the outside of row one to take the initial lead over Rob Moseley and J. C. Morton. Jesse Haynie would quickly pick up the pace however and by the time the first yellow waved for a multi car spin on lap seven, he was up to the second spot.
Cain would protect the low line on the restart while Haynie moved up the track a lane and would slowly edge in on the leader. For several laps he laid in wait and finally, on lap twelve, he would drive around Cain and take over the lead. And once in front, he would not be caught. He had quite a comfortable lead when a spin triggered the yellow with just two laps to go.
However, Haynie was not about to be passed on this night as he pulled away on the start and would drive home with his second win of the series over Cain and Morton. Reese Solander and Nick Rivera would complete the top five.
The evening finale produced a field spanking by Dillard as he won his fourth feature of the series and did so in dominating fashion. He would start on the pole and lead all laps and never really be challenged. Chad Wheeler would attempt to hand with him in the early going but it was Tyler Wolff, up from the third row, that would move into second and try to flag down the leader.
The single yellow of the race occurred just at the halfway point with three cars tangling in turn three. This bunched the field and gave Wolff, Gary Christian and Dereck Ramirez their chance at the leader. But as he has done most of the time this week, despite the opportunity afforded to the others, Dillard would simply get on the gas and pull away from the field one more time.
While Dillard took no prisoners as he pulled away again for the win, there was some shuffling behind him in the final running order. Christian picked up the pace and took over the runner up slot while Dan Ebert, just fifth at the halfway point, would make a very late pass on Wolff to claim the third spot. Wolff and Rodney Sanders would complete the top five.
Once again it was another quick show with the final checkered waving before 9 pm. on what was a pleasantly cool night but one of the better race nights of the series. And while the Sunday crowds aren't normally gate busters, this appeared to be one of the better Sunday night followings and based on the cheers when Larson won, I'd say he had many fans in the crowd. There is no denying that his presence on the track this week has been a big draw.
It's hard to believe but this six night series has just flown by. It seems like we were just getting starting and the next thing you know, we are talking about next year. Speaking of next year, while no dates were announced, it was confirmed that the WWS will return to Vado Speedway Park in 2025. Every year, and particularly this year when the weather was without double the worst ever for this event, the rumors start floating around that the WWS will return to Arizona where it truly is a bit warmer this time of year, but that tale was again squelched by management of this event. The reason that specific dates were not announced is that there are some potentially big changes in the world of Late Model racing coming for 2025 in schedules by the big sanctioning bodies and The WWS must wait until these potential changes are sorted out before announcing dates. Next year this event could be run anywhere from possibly a week earlier to perhaps as much as two weeks later, depending on what happens with other events scheduled for Florida. Much is fluid right now but hopefully within a few weeks things will become clearer.
Many people need to be thanked for their help and consideration during this six race series. Thanks go out to event promoter Chris Kearns, Ben Shelton, Dustin Jarrett and all the other folks from FLO Racing. Thanks also go out to Royal Jones and his great crew of employees. This track is a beauty and one that every race fans should see at least once and he has one of the nicest, most pleasant and friendliest staffs I have encountered anywhere.
Special thanks goes out to Trudy and Ed Healy, a pair of the most amazing people I have ever run into and the whole Rancho Milagro Racing team. They treated us like family and made this whole journey so much nicer. Words cannot express the generosity they heaped on us.
Race fans, by all means, put this event on your calendar to attend. Do remember to dress warm but you won't be sorry you visited the best track in the Land of Enchantment.
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