‘After the Duel’ is a big hit at speedway

The “After the Duel in the Desert” IMCA Modifieds race at the Pahrump Valley Speedway was a winner in every way, according to – everybody.

Five-year track owner and operator Chad Broadhead said the race was perfect.

“There were no delays, and time-wise it couldn’t have been better. All the drivers seemed really happy with the race,” he said.

J.J. Nunn, racer of the Bomber class and 4th place winner, agreed it was a great course and a great day.

“This is fun. It’s fun when things work, and this event worked,” he said.

Las Vegas drivers as well as local drivers, and those who came from out of state and out of country said they were impressed with the preparation of the track, according to Broadhead. A Las Vegas driver, and winner of the Bombers main event said it (the track) was better than Vegas.

The following were the winners of each class:

IMCA Modified - Randy Thornell, Car No. 7T.

WCSS - Zach Thorp, Car No. 5.

Bombers - Gary Wyatt, Car No. 65.

Sport Mods - Ben Kates, Car No. 23K.

Racing enthusiasts David Bodendorfer is a big fan and said he was preparing to race here next year and has been in training in the under 25 racers category.

“The racers are really on today. It’s a beautiful day, the track is great and everybody is driving well. It’s the best I’ve seen,” he said.

Close to 50 IMCA Modified drivers showed up, which means there were nearly 100 drivers in all four divisions racing that came from Canada, Missouri, Kansas, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, and Arizona, California and other locations in Nevada.

The crowd grew in size as the day went on filling most of the bleachers, and the kids were pressed up against the fence in hopes of getting a trophy from one of the drivers. Racers Nunn and Wyatt said handing out trophies after the race to the kids is a big tradition.

“It’s part of what we do, that makes this fun,” Wyatt said.

Track announcer for the race John Trent said the event was off to a great start.

“I thought it was a great event. The track never turned tacky or dry that can turn a race into a dust bowl, and we had a lot of out of town drivers that did real well on the track. People seemed to respond very positively to the event overall,” he said.

There were no women drivers this year, but Broadhead looks forward to the new season and a greater number of drivers including women, newcomers to the sport, and more people knowing that there is an event happening in town (Pahrump), that is inexpensive, fun for the whole family, with colorful and experienced racers.

There’s only one race left this season, on Nov. 23, of all classes with the expectation of 45-60 drivers participating. The race is from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Speedway will open again in February 2014. There are 20 scheduled races next year, with a Dwarf National race of 70-100 drivers.

“People love this race,” Broadhead said. “Those little, tiny cars have a 1000 cc motor in them.”

A driver’s banquet will take place on December 8, at 6 p.m. at El Jefe’s in Pahrump. This is where the year’s speedway drivers receive awards, money, share stories of the season and wrap up the year. Broadhead said, “Our fans are definitely welcome too.”