Wild West Shootout Recap

​The weather may have been brutally cold here, but the action was hot down south as the 10th annual Wild West Shootout at the USA Raceway in Tucson, Arizona came to an end last Sunday night. The series of six events in nine nights produced results that may not surprise most race fans, but also some controversial incidents involving racers from our area. Jonathan Davenport won three times, along with the overall series title, while Don O'Neal won two, and Darrell Lanigan made his new car owner, and NASCAR star Clint Bowyer happy winning one event. See how our own contingent of local talent fared against some of the biggest names in the sport.

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Dustin Strand and Ricky Weiss - Strand qualified for the feature three out of six nights, with his best result being his tenth place run on night four. On the opening night of the series on January 9th, Strand was running inside the top three during the first nine laps in the main event, when a mechanical failure sent him pit side. Strand also saw an impressive collection of no fewer than seven B Mods that he built compete, including entries driven by Lance Schill and Scott Bintz. ​​​Weiss qualified for two main events including his best finish, an 18th place run on night three, but a pair of runner-up finishes in the Pro Power dashes he ran were arguably his best performances of the series. 

​Pictures courtesy of Mike Spieker.
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​Donny Schatz and Don Shaw - Schatz missed the first two events while racing Sprint Cars in Australia, but once he returned stateside, he looked impressive in the late model. Schatz qualified for three of the four events he entered, finishing fourth on Tuesday the 13th. ​If a hard luck award was given during this series, Shaw may have been a front runner for it. Shaw saw a lead in his heat on the first night of the series go by the wayside on lap three, but charged from last to 5th in his B Main that night. Things didn't improve for Shaw, as he missed qualifying the next three features. Shaw was leading his heat on night five when he and World of Outlaw Champion Shane Clanton made contact in turns three and four. Both drivers would hit the wall, with Clanton taking a barrel roll shortly after, ending the series for both racers amid a smattering of colorful language. 

​Pictures courtesy of Mike Spieker.
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Rob Odegard and Jeremy Keller - Much like his surprise third place run in his heat at the John Seitz memorial last September, Odegard, who had not yet qualified for a main event, finished third in his heat on the sixth and final night. Odegard went on to finish a more than respectable 12th in the 50 lap finale. Unfortunately, Keller didn't qualify for any of the main events, but he did get to run the Pro Power Dash on night five, finishing tenth. 

​Pictures courtesy of Mike Spieker.
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Pat Doar and AJ Diemel - This pair of veteran Wisconsinites had some tough luck during the series, as Doar qualified for two of the six main events, finishing 24th in both. Diemel's series got off to a strong start as he qualified for the feature in each of the first three nights, finishing eight on night one, and sixth on night two. However Diemel, after a DNF on night three, failed to qualify for another main event. 

​Pictures courtesy of Mike Spieker.
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Blake Jegtvig, Corky Thomas, Lance Schill, and Scott Bintz - This assortment of former and current NLRA talent made the tow to Arizona to compete in the Modified and X-Mod (B Mod) divisions. Jegtvig, who finished 32nd in the NLRA standings this past season, had a pair of top six runs in his Modified. Jegtvig's best run was a fifth place finish on the sixth and final night. Schill, who ran with the NLRA in 2012, finished third on night four in his B Mod. Thomas, who ran third at the first NLRA series inaugural event in Winnipeg in 1998, ran 20th on night one in his Modified. Bintz, who made his NLRA debut in Jamestown in August, finished seventh in his B Mod on night four and 21st in his A Mod on night one. Bryan Kakela, who helps Cody Skytland with his Late Model effort, finished tenth on night four in his B Mod. Kent Arment, winner of the NLRA series feature at Norman County in August 2013, finished 16th on night five in his Modified. Another notable result from the series was Hickson, ND native Tyler Peterson's win in the B Mod feature on night two. 
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​Picture of Jegtvig's No. 2 courtesy of Mike Spieker. Picture of Schill's No. 17 courtesy of Traci Palya.
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​Scott Ward and Jimmy Mars - An 18th place run on night one was Ward's best finish of the series, in the only feature he qualified for. Ward was leading his heat on night four when he and eventual series champion Jonathan Davenport were involved in an incident that looked like the one that would take place between Shaw and Clanton two nights later. Davenport completed a slide job, the aftermath of which saw Ward catching the outside wall, ending his night. Mars qualified for four of six main events, with his best run being a second place finish on night two. 

​Picture of Ward's No. 37 courtesy of Mike Spieker. Picture of Mars' No. 28 courtesy of Traci Palya.