MILLER, ARTZ TAKE HOWARD MEMORIAL HONORS

Winnemucca, NV...Former Winnemucca Regional Raceway champion Robert Miller started near the rear of the 17-car IMCA Modified feature Friday night at the raceway during the second part of the Ken Howard Memorial race and was able to add one more race win to his racing resume.  The Gardnerville star wasn't the only winner in the Modifieds that night as Battle Mountain ace Randy Artz became the winner in the inaugural running of the Howard Memorial since he won the honor by putting up enough points in the two-day to finish ahead of the rest of the field.  Artz won the first leg way back on April 18 but the next night the winds and rain washed the event away...until this past Friday, when Artz guided his Dodge powered Modified to a fourth place finish, enough to crown him the Howard winner.

The feature Friday had so many caution flags that the track could have painted the town yellow.  No full moon was in sight and the calendar didn't read Friday the 13th, and April Fool's day was already past.  Winnemucca driver Tim Mazour took advantage from his outside front row start to lead at the initial green flag, with defending track champion Cory Sample right behind him.  As the laps went by, Mazour led first Sample, then Artz, then Sample again as Sample needed points in his quest for another title and Artz wanted to win the Howard Memorial.  Winnemucca's Rodney Sweet dug into the front stretch wall during lap four, but was able to return to the arena before the next green.  A Frank Itturiaga spin put another yellow in everybody's face and a lap later the yellow found Miller's spin.  By the end of the race the fans thought that the drivers were doing their impressions of a washing machine that was stuck on the ‘spin cycle'.  Nonetheless, Mazour was outstanding as he was in top form, making a bid for his first ever on his home track although he did beat 2006 champion Dan Fitzgerald that season in Elko for his first IMCA feature victory. Would Friday be the night?

On lap 10 it was Mazour, Sample, California point leader Randy Brown, Miller, Idaho runner Don Baisch, and Sweet.

On the 12th circuit, Miller got by Sample for second and had his sights on Mazour, with another spin on tap.  During the restart Miller was shuffled behind Mazour, Baisch and Sweet.  On the every next go-around, Baisch punted Mazour leaving turn two, lifting the rear of Mazour's car and pushing him down the back stretch, spinning his car into the infield and taking the lead for him.  Now, sometimes a driver can get away with this type of a thing, but not with the leader as most of the fans and officials looking right at you.  Mr. Baisch was immediately disqualified and Mazour back as the leader, but Mazour's machine had suffered too much damage that returning the track would take many, many laps.  IMCA rules give drivers in situations like this two or three laps for drivers to make repairs, but Mazour was unable to continue.  At the next green, the new leader was Sweet with Miller closely behind followed by Jesse Gonzales, Brown, track point leader Ward Amberson, and Artz.  Sweet led for another circuit until Miller took control.

During his 2003 championship year, Miller was known as Butch Cassidy here, as the he would win here consistently.  He would smell those checkered flags, winning nine out of 10 races run here that season.  Cassidy would smell those trains and stagecoaches for his ‘hole in the wall' gang would loot.  Miller is a modern day Butch Cassidy in the same manner, but without the Sundance Kid.  When Miller takes the lead, 99 percent the race was over.  It was Friday night, as Sweet was unable to catch him.  Sweet did finish second followed by Brown, Artz, Amberson Billy Pearson, and Gonzales.

After the race Miller said: "We read that Dan Fitzgerald took my record of most IMCA victories here in Winnemucca earlier this year, so we came back to reclaim it.  And doing this during the second stage of the Ken Howard race is great.  Ken was a great guys and this place would have not been here without him. This is one of my favorite tracks and would like to race here a lot more, but the fuel prices are keeping most of us at home."

Another visitor Dave Wearin from Battle Mountain was the feature winner in the Pro Stocks as the annual ‘joint points' races were contested in both the Pro Stocks and the Pure Stocks.  Wearin took the lead on the sixth lap from Lee Bosch and was never in harms way from that time on to the checkered. A season record of 12 Pro Stocks were in the feature with one from Battle Mountain and seven from Summit Raceway in Elko.  Runner-up to Wearin was James Ogden, third was Jay McLeod the Elko point leader, fourth was Bosch while fifth went to local point leader Shawn LaRocque who was racing the Pure Stock of Dale Schofield, as LaRocque's car again had engine woes.  At the checkered, Wearin had a full straight-a-way lead over Ogden in second.  The drivers received points at all three tracks (Battle Mountain, Summit and WRR).  Wearin and Bosch won the heats.

The second part of the joint point arrangement was with the Pure Stocks.  Elko driver Geoffrey Bullock took the lead away from Dale Schofield during the fourth go-around and held it until lap 17 when Bullock took the wrong line leaving turn two with a back marker in front of him.  Schofield took the other line and was able to pass him before going into turn three.  Four cars from Elko augmented the field to seven.  WRR point leader Shaylin Sample finished in fifth behind Schofield, Bullock and James Lister.  Lister won the heat race.

The Mini Mods were not included in the joint point process, but two cars from Elko had the trip.  Shalynn Guthrie, a 15-year old from Spring Creek, was very competitive but wasn't able to beat WRR point leader Tim Garner who won his fourth feature of the season.  Fourth in the feature was Elko driver Tanner Baer.  Between Guthrie and Baer was Mike Wogan, who drove to third.  Garner won the earlier heat race.  Locked in a battle for the track title with veteran driver Dominick DeGrazia, Garner picked up a big four points on the contender and now leads by nine with only one race remaining for the season.

Ten Dwarf Cars, three more than Snow White required, were ready for action on Friday.  In the feature race it was all Dominic Gabiola as he held off Dave Jenkins and point leader Chris Forgnone. For Dominic it was a wire-to-wire victory.  Jenkins and Rodney Sweet won the earlier heat races.