Tucson Speedway Racing Moments May 4th
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013Click on and enjoy a Tim Olds production of the Racing at Tucson Speedway!
Archive for the ‘Canyon Raceway’ Category
Opening night a success for Tucson Speedway; largest crowd in years
Thursday, April 11th, 2013
Photo by Robert Butterfield•Butterfield Photography Joe Paladenic (63) is seen spinning on the frontstretch on lap 43 of the Super Late Model main event Saturday at Tucson Speedway. He was hit in the right rear by Scott Rueschenberg of Phoenix. Paladenic was sent to the back but made his way to fifth before the race ended.
By Kristi O’Brien
TUCSON — More than a year of planning and hard work paid off for the new management of Tucson Speedway Saturday as opening night welcomed the largest crowd the track has seen in years.
Drivers sped around the track with fans cheering them on from Stomper Hill to turn one. It was a welcome sight for all involved in the night’s events.
“For opening day on an essentially new track, they did very well,” said Hereford resident David Greenberg. “They’re going to hammer some things out and they’ll do well.”
Greenberg has been going to the track since it was dirt, and hopes that the new owners will once again make it a success.
“I thought it was great racing all night,” he added.
The Super Late Model division had the highest car count with 16.
Sierra Vista’s Joe Paladenic started seventh in the field. Ron Norman of Tucson had the pole.
Running fourth on lap 43 of the 70-lap main, Paladenic was hit in the right rear quarter panel by Scott Rueschenberg of Phoenix causing him to spin on the frontstretch bringing out the caution.
The remainder of the field was able to steer clear of Paladenic’s No. 63, avoiding any damage to the car.
Paladenic was sent to the rear, Rueschenberg restarted the race in fourth.
“Had they sent me to the back, I would have been OK with that,” Rueschenberg said.
According to the Phoenix driver, Paladenic was loose coming out of turn four. “When he came back into shape, I was too close and we made contact. I should have given him more racing room.”
“I would never want to race Joe that way, but where I got him was in a way that had he been squared up, it would never have happened.”
With 27 laps to go, Paladenic worked his way through the field making it to fifth before the final lap. Rueschenberg drove his way to the top spot taking the first win of the season.
David Bosley of Sierra Vista was one of three drivers in the Mini Stock division. Bosley, along with Jim Bates and Tim Blodgett, both of Tucson, hope to see the division grow this year.
WIth a limited number of cars, the Hornet division raced at the same time as the Mini Stocks.
Bates took the win, Blodgett came in second and Bosley finished third in the Mini Stock feature. Kyle Milburg of Tucson led the Hornets to the finish line.
Another up-and-coming division at the track is the Start Stocks, formerly known as the Bombers. Kevin Czoka of Tucson took opening night honors in that division.
Six cars lined up for the X-Mod main event. Bob Cramb of Tucson took the lead on the fourth lap winnning the first race of 2013.
The Sportsman class, formerly known as the Street Stocks, saw the return of many veteran racers along with some new blood.
Jason Davis of Tucson took the field to the green flag but soon lost the lead to Dylan Jones of Tucson.
Jones held off Ken Hunt of Tucson in second and headed to Victory Lane.
Racing resumes April 20 with the Late Models, X-Mods, Sportsmans, Start Stocks, Mini Stocks and Hornets.
For information, visit www.tucsonspeedway.com.
Carlos Serrano Receives Two Distinguished Awards in 2012
Monday, December 10th, 2012
Pima County Sports Hall of Fame Award
The Hand of Carlos Serrano Gettin’ on the Gas!
Carlos Serrano Receives Legends & Heroes Award and is Inducted into Pima County Sports Hall of Fame
This past week I stopped by Serrano Motorsports to visit with a friend I hadn’t seen in a few years, Carlos Serrano. As I came into the front of the retail store located at 4532 S. 12TH Avenue, I saw Carlos at his workbench where he was finishing up a single piston cylinder hone job for one of his customers. My reason for stopping by was to visit and to let him know that I am involved with reviving Tucson Speedway, formerly Tucson Raceway Park. I have always respected the spirit of competition and the dedicated focus Carlos has, to be the very best he can be at whatever he decides to do.
While we were filling in the gap of time since last visiting with one another, I learned that Carlos not only had been inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame on October 25th of this year but also in January of this year, he received the Legends & Heroes Award at the AMA Supercross World Championship at Chase Field in Phoenix. The Pima County Sports Hall of Fame is filled with Arizona pro athletes, Olympic Gold Medal winners, and other stars but Carlos is the first motorcycle racer to be inducted. Carlos is very proud of both awards he received this year. I saw the satisfaction in his eyes when he showed me the two awards and I could hear it in his speech tone when he humbly talked about what the recognition meant to him and his family.
Legends and Heroes Award
Recognizing that I would not have learned of the two distinguished awards if I hadn’t stopped in to see him, I decided to let others know who may not be aware of the awards this accomplished Tucson Motor Sports Competitor received in 2012.
A graduate of Sunnyside High School in 1975, Carlos Serrano became a Professional Motocross Competitor after competing in seven events. His resume is filled with victories before he retired from full-time racing in 1997. Look up to see his accomplishments at: http://serranomotorsports.com/about_us
One of Arizona’s best known and most successful motorcycle competitors, Serrano began competing in motocross during high school in the Tucson area and quickly rose to the top by capturing full factory sponsored rides. He has competed on the professional level in Motocross, Supercross, and Superbikes including competing at the International Grand Prix level. Carlos was known for his aggressive riding and for being a fierce competitor. He was also coined the “most widely traveled competitor” by Motocross Action Magazine.
Carlos Serrano has proven his diversity in racing, not only competing on two wheels, but also by having a successful career in auto racing during the NASCAR Winston Racing series and the competitive Craftsman Truck series.
In the 1990s Serrano began racing stock cars in the NASCAR Winston Racing Series and won numerous main events at Tucson Raceway Park. From 1991-94 Serrano received a number of awards from NASCAR while competing at Tucson Raceway Park, including Rookie of the Year, Team Player (three times), Best Appearing Car and Best Appearing Crew (twice).
Serrano opened his own business in Tucson in 2001 which specializes in racecar fabrication and set-up that soon expanded into dirt bike and ATV race preparation and suspension tuning. I hope to see Carlos involved guiding and helping others to be competitive drivers and team owners at Tucson Speedway which will open in March of 2013.
