Brad Whitfield and his staff at the Central Arizona Raceway certainly have a lot on their plate during the month of January. They start out with nine race nights spread over two weekends for the IMCA TV Winter Nationals that host well over two hundred race cars every night. They start at 2 pm in the afternoon and race until 9 or 10 pm each night, they turn right around and do it again.
And they are only half done when that mini series is complete. They then bring in a group of different drivers who along with three of their IMCA classes that have the opportunity to race up to sixteen times before January is done, do it all over once again. The Ernie Mincy Early Thaw is highlighted by the Late Model class as Whitfield brings in the powerful Late Models as he and a group of backers try to re fire this class in the desert. Late Model racing has been on the decline here in Arizona for a number of years but there are a group of backers that are trying to get things going again in the Arizona area, and this series, along with some more races spread out over the course of the CAR racing season, are helping in that regard.
This Late Model series features a variety of drivers, mostly from the Midwest, and using different rules packages that hopefully balance out the competition. Much like SLMR does for Iowa and Nebraska, this series endeavors to balance out the open motor cars with the spec engine cars and the crates to provide a balanced race package where all can be competitive. A large number of the WISSOTA based drivers have supported this event over the last two years, and the opportunity to race in warm weather in January and be competitive has brought a number of them back to the desert this year. Probably the only disappointment so far in this year's field is the lack of Arizona, northwest and California drivers on hand as part of this series is to support development of the class in this area. However, there were a solid group of twenty eight drivers that signed on to race for the opening night. Don Shaw, a well known Midwestern Late Model driver and track promoter, was instrumental in getting this racing series going out here last year, and even though this year his involvement was limited to track prep and racing himself, he has been able to keep the "pipeline" of drivers from the upper Midwest traveling out here.
Also new this week was the Limited Modified class and the WISSOTA Super Stocks. The Limited Mods is a combination class of WISSOTA Midwest Modifieds, of which dominated the numbers here as they did also last year, the B Mods and X Mods from Vado and for those IMCA Sport Mods adventurous enough to race in two divisions.
Matt Sparby, a WISSOTA Super Stock driver in Minnesota and part time Winter resident of the Phoenix area, always wanted to race in the desert but with the class he most races in not offered in these parts, he bankrolled the adding of this class to the 2025 Mincy and was able to get nine other drivers to join him in traveling out here. While their numbers were quite small, they would put on some good racing action on the opening night and if asked back next year, hopefully more drivers would join them. This is a support class back in the Midwest and not a lot of drivers that race this class are set up to race in January halfway across the country.
The IMCA Mods, Sport Mods and Stock Cars were the other three classes running again for another six night mini series and for this Thursday night opener, apparently they had a number of them that needed a night off as particularly the Stock Car field was surprisingly small. However, as we get closer to the weekend and drivers and crews get a bit of a break, the numbers in these classes are expected to trend toward Winter National type numbers.
With the slightly smaller numbers expected to race this weekend, the starting times were moved back to 5 pm each night, which does crowd the 10 pm curfew just a bit but does also make it much easier to keep a dirt track in good racing shape without the many track prep sessions that we saw last week, In fact, on Thursday, there was only required one session before the feature races. Track prep was made more challenging, however, by a brutal desert wind that howled for most of the day and evening, creating mini sand storms that made traversing the pits a painful ordeal, getting moisture into the track also a challenge and once the sun set gave the air the feel of a Midwestern night.
One hundred and fifteen drivers signed in for the Thursday night show, just about half of what was on hand last week. Passing points were used to set the feature race lineups for all six classes with only the Modifieds needing a B Feature to whittle down their thirty two car field. With this track racing so fast in the main events, heat race success in garnering as many passing points as possible is vital to a successful night.
It would turn out to be a very smooth night of racing with few yellow flags needed. In fact, the yellow waved only three times in seventeen qualifying races with the one spin rule being in effect. Three of the feature races would also run green to checkers including the Late Model main so it was an excellent job done by the drivers, many were no or limited experience racing at CAR, particularly since it races and looks so much different than it did just one year ago before the walls were added the corners reshaped.
Sport Mods were up first for their main event and this twenty lap feature rolled off nonstop from green to checkers. It was dominated by Ryan Peery who would lead from start to finish after starting on the pole position. He got the jump on Bud Martini right from the start and those two continued to hold the top positions throughout the race.
From time to time, Martini would close up the distance and seem ready to challenge but then each time Peery would pick up the pace and again distance himself from the pack. Peery drove home with a several car length lead in a race that was over quickly but had little drama. Martini would settle for second and another Minnesota driver, Kaden Woodie, would finish third. Joe Docekal made a nice advance late to finish fourth with David Pitt completing the top five.
Twenty seven cars started the Late Model feature with heat race winner Blaine Doppler having difficulties at the end of his heat that kept him out of the main event. It was a tough night for car owner Paul Mueller as his other driver, Austin Kuehl, scheduled to start in the second row of the race, also had trouble before the green flag dropped and ended up in the infield, a big disappointment for the North Dakota owner.
Cole Schill had the pole but on the first lap, Dylan Thornton edged past him to take over the lead. Nebraska driver Josh Leonard moved into second and all time Late Model record holder at this track, , Ricky Weiss, slipped into third. The top three pulled away from the field with Thornton running the high side of the track, just as he likes to do with his Modified.
Clayton Stuckey was also working his way to the front after starting in the fifth row. Lapped traffic became an issue as there was much traffic on the speedway and Thornton got hung up a couple times which allowed Leonard to close in on him and at once point, get beside the leader before Thornton found the hole to pull slightly away once again.
In the second half of the race, Weiss would work traffic and get past Leonard for second and then try to catch Thornton for the lead. However, Thornton had a good run going and was successful in working his way through the traffic. A big move past Rob Mayea with just a couple laps to go left him with an uncatchable advantage and he drove home for the win. Weiss and Leonard followed, with Stuckey getting past Schill to finish fourth. Only four cars failed to finish the nonstop event.
Tough luck saw pole starter James Trantina miss the Super Stock feature as the engine smoke during his heat race was apparently serious enough to keep him from racing. Only nine Super Stocks took the green flag, yet they participated in one of the most entertaining mains of the night. The lead was officially swapped three times but there were other leaders during laps as the top four drivers engaged in a series of slide jobs that produced much excitement.
Max Nelson took the early lead but he was soon challenged by defending WISSOTA national champion Dexton Koch. Jordan Henkemeyer was exciting as he rode the banking all the way up from the fourth row to challenge for the lead in just a few laps.
Koch and Henkemeyer both took shots at the leader, who repelled their early advances. Henkemeyer surprised Koch with an outside pass for second and then moved into challenge Nelson when out of no where, Doug Bolt, all the way from Thunder Bay Ontario, shot around both of them in turn four and edged into the lead, only to have the yellow wave when Koch stuck his car into the wall in turn two.
On the green, Henkemeyer again went to the outside, passed both Bolt and Nelson and shot into the lead, but Nelson slid him back on the next lap to retake first. But with just a few laps left, Henkemeyer wasn't done yet, and he slid Nelson once again for this lead and this time it stuck and he was able to hold on by a couple car lengths to take the win back to Minnesota. Nelson, Bolt, Koch and Sparby would follow.
Just a handful of Stock Cars were on hand, for some reason, but they still put on a good feature race. Kaden Woodie got the jump on Mike Albertsen to take the early lead but Albertsen was all over the leader, looking for a route to pass and grab the top spot for himself. Shelby Williams was lurking in third but close behind as the top three started to put distance on the field in what turned out to be a nonstop feature.
Albertsen started to drop lower on the track, trying to work the inside line and make a pass. He would get up beside Woodie several times but just not quite have enough momentum to pull past. However, the leaders to so involved with each other that they forgot about Williams.
With just a handful of laps left, as Albertsen tried to get inside Woodie once again off turn four, Williams shot to the cushion, got a great head of steam and blew past both leaders to take over the lead. And once in front, he pulled away and drove on for the victory with Albertsen finally getting past Woodie for second. Bo Partain and Kyle Falck completed the top five.
Chaz Baca Jr has been the biggest winner during these January events in Arizona and he added to that total with another wire to wire Modified feature win. His second has been to have great heat race runs which have given him excellent starting positions and he did that once again on Thursday, managing to earn the pole spot.
He took the initial lead over Eston Whisler and Jerry Flippo with Troy Morris III and Tom Berry Jr both on the move. As Flippo flipped his way past Whisler for second, heavy lapped traffic saw both Morris III and Berry Jr. whistle their way up to third and fourth.
Baca Jr. continued to hold the lead but Flippo looked inside him several times, nearly getting by once in traffic. The leaders were still stuck in that heavy traffic when Alan Farley appeared to blow a motor while right in the middle of that group but everyone managed to avoid him as the first and only yellow of the race appeared.
And surprisingly, while still under yellow, Flippo pulled into the infield with problems, surrendering his good running spot. With only a few laps left, Baca Jr. took off and while Morris III pushed hard, he wasn't able to challenge for the lead. Berry Jr. tried the low side but had to settle for third with both Kollin Hibdon and Drew Janssen moving into the top five at the finish.
The Limited Modifieds completed the evening with twenty one drivers taking the green flag which included four adventurous Sport Mod drivers that chose to run in two classes. James Trantina was able to start the Limited Mod feature from the pole after having bad luck with his Super Stock and he would lead the vast majority of the race.
Only two laps were completed before the biggest crash of the night occurred in turn four with five cars slamming together and being eliminated from the event. Back under green, Trantina was being closely challenged by Jarod Klein and Lucas Rodin, the all time biggest winner in this class at the track.
Jake Smith, Jess Brekke and Onyx Johnson were all in contention too as the pack was full and running close together. Two more yellows for minor spins near the halfway point of the race kept the field bunched but Smith was charging as he got past Rodin for second and closed on the leader.
Trantina, however, continued to lead until he got over the cushion in turn one, got hung up on the wall and Smith charged past him to take over the lead. Trantina suffered a flat tire, making a tough night even more difficult to swallow.
Smith would hold off challenges from Rodin to take the win with Brekke making a late hustle up to third ahead of Scott Tofte and Johnson.
Track officials did have to overcome a situation during the program. A transformer blew during the track prep session, knocking out the pa system. More importantly, the track warning lights did not function but officials placed wreckers with warning lights in the corners and they were able to race the Sport Mod and Late Model features successfully this way until the power company was able to restore power. The option of just waiting until power could be restored was not a viable one due to the impending curfew and things worked out just fine under the jerry-rigged system.
The Mincy will continue with full shows scheduled for both Friday and Saturday night before everyone catches a short break once again before sprinting to the finish next week.
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