http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdbPPgbDApM

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.

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 25^th 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.

Progress Continues at Tucson Speedway As we move forward with repairs and improvements at Tucson Speedway, I would like to give you an update on our progress.  Although we have been slowed down trying to get the electricity turned on at the raceway, we are still on schedule to begin tune and test dates in February.  We will begin racing in March with races scheduled on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays and will run through June 1st.
All the boards on the bleachers are over 20 years old and they are being replaced.  The replacement boards have been primed and are 80% installed.  The saw cutting of the cracks on the racing surface is complete and repair work continues.  We anticipate the repairs will be completed and the entire racing surface sealed with a double coat of a high grade quality sealer by mid January.  Remodeling to the tower areas, the VIP area, the grandstands, the restrooms, the concession areas and the office area continues.  Once the power is on we will be able to make repairs and upgrades to the Tire and Fuel Barn, the Tech Shed and to the Back Gate Registration Office.
On our website: www.tucsonspeedway.com we have begun to add drivers who have confirmed their plans to race beginning in March.  If you are planning to race and would like to be included, please email me at:  Keith@tucsonspeedway.com
Three of us attended the RPM Promoters Workshop from November 28th – December 1st in Reno, Nevada where we exchanged ideas with other promoters, met with vendors to discuss products and services for Tucson Speedway.  Many good ideas were shared and one clear message is that we are not selling racing, but rather we are selling entertainment to the entire family.  This message has reinforced our thoughts and plans at Tucson Speedway.  Another clear message we all heard loud and clear is that race tracks must begin to attract the next generation of fans and racers.  As us “baby boomers” fade away, very little is being done to recruit younger fans and racers.  We need to rethink some of our marketing efforts and activities to attract new fans.
If you have any bands you might recommend for the track have on race nights, activities you would like to see on a race night, other types of motorsports events you would like to see at the track, please send me an email with your thoughts to: Keith@TucsonSpeedway.com .

Details listed below.

The wingless forces of the ASCS Canyon Region, the competitive X Mods, the exciting Factory Stocks, the Mini Sprints and the action packed Southwest Modlites will take to Tucson’s USA Raceway for two full nights of competition tonight and Sunday as they honor Tucson’s Hank Arnold.

Picture Courtesy of Dusty N Suzi Facebook

Jeremy Sherman ASCS Points Leader

Chargin' Charles Davis Jr on the Move!

Some of the “Seasoned Citizen” Race fans like myself may remember the Doublemint Chewing gum commercial jingle ” Double Your Pleaseure, Double Your Fun “ !  But if you don’t remember that popular jingle, it doesn’t matter because the Sunoco Fuel ASCS Canyon Region Non-Wing Sprint Cars will be running two main events this week at Tucson’s USA Raceway.   The Sprint Car Stars will double your pleasure as they will be doing double duty with the two features.

The Sprint Cars will also have the featured main event that was cut short by a down pour on July 3rd.   15 cars that were scheduled in the July 3rd feature are eligible for the makeup main scheduled at the beginning of the race program. 

Sherman in Victory Lane

Two-time ASCS Canyon Region champion Jeremy Sherman carries a 106-point advantage over defending series champion Charles Davis, Jr., into the night on the strength of five wins and ten top-fives in as many feature events thus far.

While shut out of victory lane so far, Davis, Jr., still holds second by 52 points over R.J. Johnson.  Andrew Reinbold and Ronnie Clark round out the current top five in points, with the rest of the top ten including Bruce St. James, Mike Martin, Josh Pelkey, Justin Quinn and Ryan Linder, with Brian Hosford just 18 points outside the top ten.

X-Mods, ASCS2 Mini Sprints and SW Modlites will also be racing this Saturday.

General admission tickets will go on sale when the gates open at 4pm for only $15 for Adults, $12 for Seniors, Students and Military, and all kids 11 and under are FREE. The VIP Suite will also be available by a first come, first serve basis at an unbelievable upgrade price of just $5 this weekend only!

Racing action will begin promptly at 6:45pm.

Halfway Home Season Passes will allow race fans to get all the action of the remaining 2011 scheduled events at an unheard of low price. Season Passes are on sale for only just $99 for a limited time Suite Access Passes will allow race fans the opportunity to enjoy the races from USA Raceway’s VIP Suite. Enjoy the races in luxury! Suite Access Passes are now on sale for only $149. Get em while you can!! These limited season passes are also available by calling the USA Raceway office at 520-574-8515.

The entire 2011 USA Raceway Schedule can be previewed online at http://www.usaraceway.net/schedule

USA Raceway is located east of Tucson off I-10 exit 265, then 1.6 miles south on Craycroft Road, which turns into Los Reales. For more information please, contact the track at 520-574-8515 or additional information regarding USA Raceway can be found at www.usaraceway.net

Stormy Scott Passing Chad Ayers to take the Lead

This Saturday evening exciting Family Entertainment is waiting for you at USA Raceway.  The USRA Western Modifieds, the Unifirst Super Stocks, Factory Stocks and Hornets will be racing this weekend.

Heading the racing program this week at USA Raceway is the USRA Sanctioned Western Modifieds.  The track promoter has beefed up the purse with $ 1000 to Win and $ 100 to start in an effort to attract more cars for tonights race and a chance for the modified teams to weigh in with concerns through a questionaire prepared by the track.  The answers and opinions will help guide the track in terms of rules and sanctioning body in the 2112 season. 

Chad Ayers, the points leader, has a slim 25 point margin over Cody Alvarez.   Tucson racing legend Carl Trimmer is third in points with a 29 point lead above Rick Spencer.  Dana Fite rounds out the top five. 

Daniel Stricker streaking down the Back Stretch

Action is really heating up in the Unifirst Super Stock Points Championship as Daniel Stricker pictured above had a strong second place finish behind Marty Hussak last Saturday night.  With his finish last week he is tied with Terry Hill  for 1st in the championship chase.  Brian Brown is a mere 19 points behind the point leaders and he is followed by Dana Boatwright always a threat to win.   Consistent and steady racer Rod Hiestand rounds out the top five in the Unifirst Super Stock division.

This week Terry Churchwell will try to extend his lead in the race to the Factory Stock championship.  Robert Burchett, a past champion is in second with only 13 points separating him and Dylan Newberg.  George Lein is in 4th with fan favorite and seasoned veteran Ron Bishop rounding out the top five.  Expect a full field of cars again in this class.

The always exciting Hornets will begin racing action at 6:45pm.  Rear wheel points leader is Jerry McCollum with September Rhoads running second in points.  Stephen Lee leads the points in the front wheel drive with Ricky Whitwell, Beckie Grube and PJ Haro rounding out the top four.

Rick Ziehl Flying on the Wings of Rick Sipes

(Keith Ames)  Rick Ziehl completed a personal first by winning the third of three consecutive ASCS races this past Saturday at USA Raceway in Tucson.   It was a special evening as the Ziehl team paid a tribute to Rick Sipes who unexpectantly passed away early Friday morning.  Ziehl chose to remove his top wing and replaced it with the wing from Sipes # 1 “Green Machine” in honor of the accomplished Tucson Racer who would run the wheels off any race car he drove.  He rode to victory on the Wing of his good friend Rick Sipes in the Sunoco Fuel ASCS Southwest Region this Saturday at the 3/8-mile USA Raceway clay oval.   The Ziehls’ are a class act.

Ziehl was followed to the checkers by Calvin Landis who has moved within 50 points of John Carney II who finished in the 6th slot.  Joshua Hodges, Dalten Gabbard and Perry McMillan rounding out the top five.  Sunoco Fuel ASCS Southwest Region Feature Results from USA Raceway:

“A” Feature (25 Laps): 1. 20z-Rick Ziehl, 2. 79-Calvin Landis, 3. 74x-Joshua Hodges, 4. 77-Dalten Gabbard, 5. 27-Perry McMillan, 6. 8-John Carney II, 7. 22-Mike Rux, Jr., 8. 78-Jody Williams, 9. 57x-Steve Stone, 10. 44k-Koty McGullam, 11. 8az-Jordan Stetson, 12. 76-Jesse Stone, 13. 55T-Brent McKee, 14. 5-Kyle McCutcheon, 15. 1x-J.T. Imperial, 16. 43-Rick Eckert, 17. 41w-Joshua Williams, 18. 90-Lance Norick, 19. 15c-Joey Chester.

Chad Ayers recorded back to back wins with the victory in the USRA Modified this past Saturday.  Ayers was followed to the checkers by Cody Alvarez, Brian Clark, Mike Brandon and Dane Jorgenson.

Dustin Jones was a convincing winner as he posted his 1st win in the exciting and competitive Factory Stock Division.  Terry Churchwell has extended his points lead with a very strong 2nd place finish.  Dylan Newberry, Jason Pugliese and Kevin Souligne finished 3rd, 4th and 5th.

This week Dwarf Cars as always, put on a very competitive and exciting race and came to USA Raceway with a full field of cars.  This week Brian Stehr grabbed the 1st place trophy.  He was followed to the stripe by Ryan Irish in second, Ryan Henesey, Eddie O’Neill and Daniel Lamm were all in the hunt for the win and finished third, fourth and fifth.

July 2nd and July 3rd will Feature the Sunoco Fuel ASCS Canyon Region Non Wing Sprint Cars billed as the Firecracker 40.  Both Saturday and Sunday the traveling Western States Stock Car Series, the X-Mods and the Southwest Mod Lites will join the sprint cars for two exciting nights of competitive racing.

General admission tickets will go on sale for only $15 for Adults, $12 for Seniors, Students and Military and racing will begin promptly at 6:45pm. Race fans for an additional $5 you my upgrade your ticket to the great indoors and enjoy the races from USA Raceway’s VIP Suite. First come, first serve basis to the first 80 customers)

To keep up on all the latest news and happenings please sign up for USA Raceway E-News.  The track update registration can be found at the top of the home page www.usaraceway.net

The 2011 USA Raceway Schedule can be previewed online at http://www.usaraceway.net/schedule

USA Raceway is located east of Tucson off I-10 exit 265, then 1.6 miles south on Craycroft Road, which turns into Los Reales.  For more information please, contact the track at 520-574-8515 or additional information regarding USA Raceway can be found at www.usaraceway.net