By all indications, the opening night for Fernley 95A Speedway was a success. The car count was nearly 70, and fan turnout was decent considering the chilly weather and threat of rain. Local drivers fared well, with Dayton's Loghan Cologna finishing third in the Pure Stock Mini division and Silver Springs driver Justin Schilling in fourth.
Dayton's Race Wilson won the Dwarf division main with Shane Ramthun of Carson City third. Fernley driver Steve Crook finished second in the Modified Minis, while Carl Barlow of Silver Springs won the Hobby Stock main. Fernley's Bryan Moore in second, Royce Goetz of Dayton fourth, and Silver Springs driver Dean Clark was in fifth. Gary Nevers of Carson City was the highest-finishing Pro Stock driver in third, with Gardnerville's Dwight E. Bolton taking fifth.
Finally, Shawn Natenstedt of Fernley claimed victory in the IMCA Modifieds, while Gardnerville's Russ Cazier grabbed second place. Fernley 95A Speedway is dark this weekend, but racing resumes next Saturday night.
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On the national and international scene, last weekend was the busiest so far this racing season. Fans complained about the "boring" Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway, but Roush-Fenway Ford driver Greg Biffle was just fine with his first win after a long drought.
Don't look for Texas to make major track configuration changes as are anticipated at Bristol. It took a while to get the track right at Texas, and I'm pretty sure they're going to leave it as is, boring racing or not.
Not so boring was the IndyCar race at Long Beach, where Penske driver Will Power overcame a 10-position penalty and a 12th-place start to win.
In NHRA action, Spencer Massey won the Top Fuel division in the Four-Wide Nationals at Charlotte, Robert Hight scored his fourth consecutive Funny Car win, and Pro Stock honors went to Greg Anderson.
And on the other side of the world, Nico Rosberg won the Chinese Grand Prix from the pole, the first pole position and victory for Mercedes since 1955. Of course, from 1956 to 2010 Mercedes wasn't active in Formula 1 as a team, although they have provided engines to McLaren for the past several seasons.
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This weekend, the Formula 1 circus visits Bahrain after an off-again, on-again discussion about the political unrest there. Rosberg and teammate Michael Schumacher were both fast in Friday practice, and could be a threat to score back-to-back Mercedes wins.
NASCAR is in Kansas, and the Hendrick organization is looking good to score its 200th Sprint Cup win. All four Hendrick cars finished in the top 10 at Texas last Saturday night, and Jimmie Johnson leads the series in laps led at Kansas with 501. You can never count Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., or Kasey Kahne out on a mile and a half track.
The 2012 Indy 500 entry list has been released with a disappointing 34 cars, four of which have no driver assigned. I was hoping for a bigger field, but I suspect that engine availability is the reason for the low turnout.
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If you have a classic car or motorcycle (or even a contemporary one that you're proud of), the Legends of the West is looking for entries for its second annual event in downtown Carson City. Carson Street will be closed between Robinson and Musser streets for the event, which takes place on June 30. The motorcycle categories are Vintage, Classic, Custom, and Open. Car categories are Vintage, Pre-'65, Muscle Car, Street Rod, Low Rider, Rat Rod, New Gen, Open, Truck, Mini Truck, Import, and VW. Each entry is only $25 ($20 with five cans of food for FISH). And kids from 5-15 can enter a bicycle, pedal car, or wagon for the donation of one can of food. The event will include live entertainment, food and beverages, a parade, raffles, and the ninth annual Extreme Motor Officer Training Challenge put on by the Carson City Sheriff's Office. For entry forms or additional information, go to www.eventsnevada.com or call 775-887-1294.
