Cars were running hot at the Pahrump Valley Speedway

The soaring 110-degree temperatures on Saturday night didn’t deter the crowd or the racers from coming out.

Once the sun went down, the evening was perfect for racing.

“It truly was comfortable and a great night for racing,” former racer and racing fan John Hix said about the evening.

Rich Horibe, a Modified Class driver at the Pahrump Valley Speedway, easily won his heat race on June 17, but the main he found to be a bit tougher. Nevertheless, he got the win.

Horibe (No. 13) went up against Dan Fitzgerald (No. 87N) in the main, barely edging him out in the end at the Pahrump Valley Speedway late Saturday night.

“Rich Horibe is one of the better drivers out there,” Chad Broadhead, owner-operator of the speedway said. “He is steady and consistent. He could go out and be successful and compete anywhere.”

Horibe explained his advantage in the heat race.

“I have a little bit more power than some of the motors,” he said. “A lot of guys run crate motors now. So they are limited on horsepower. I am running an unlimited horsepower motor. When their pedal is all the way down their wheels won’t spin on the dry track as easily as mine does.”

The dry track wasn’t a factor in the earlier heat races.

“During the heat races, the track was a lot more tacky,” Horibe said.

John Hix said he liked the way Horibe handled himself.

“He was driving really well in the main,” Hix said. “He came out of the turns well and took it to the other races on the straightaway. He would hit and come out running. He also guarded his corners, taking them tight and not letting other racers in. Once you take that turn wide and someone puts a nose in there and the next thing you know, you’re in second place.”

Hix raced cars on and off the track for 25 or 30 years, racing Ascot Park (Los Angeles Speedway) in Gardena in the 1970s, which was a half-mile dirt course.

Horibe’s horsepower was too much for his heat but he then went up against Fitzgerald in the main event.

“Against Fitzgerald, it looked like Horibe dialed back the power for fear of spinning out,” Broadhead said. “It’s a trade-off. Usually on a dry track.”

Horibe said even the heat races were not that tacky.

“The heat races are usually fast and tacky,” he said after his heat race. “And so our heat race was dry so I had to go with a dry setup. It seemed to go OK it wasn’t fast but it was good enough. Dan was in the running for a national championship. He will be really tough to beat.”

The Micro Sprints Class was also exciting to watch as racer Shawn Moore (No. 96) in his Mod lite gave the Micro Sprints a run for their money, taking first in the main.

During the race, there was a momentary scare when Jason Funk (No. 02) hit the wall coming out of turn four. A red flag came out as paramedics rushed to make sure everyone was OK.

“I ran out there as quick as I could and I remember telling him to, ‘Stay in the vehicle and the paramedics are on their way,” speedway flagman Dale Geissler said. “I wanted him to stay put until they had checked him out. I am pretty sure that he was knocked out for a bit.”

The next two speedway events will be on July 1 at 7 p.m. and July 15 at 7 p.m.

Contact sports editor Vern Hee at vhee@pvtimes.com