Canyon Speedway Park
Shaw surveys Canyon, wins Shootout opener
PEORIA, Ariz. (March 1) — Don Shaw of Ham Lake, Minn., rallied from his 10th starting spot Friday at Canyon Speedway to capture in the season’s opening race on the West Coast Late Model Shootout.
Shaw, a snowbird who spends winters racing in the Southwest, earned his second career series victory and his second victory of the young season. He won last year’s West Coast Shootout event at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway and won in January at Central Arizona Raceway’s unsanctioned Wild West Shootout.
Shaw took the checkers ahead of polesitter and early leader Tony Toste of Arroyo Grande, Calif., while third-starting Nick Bartels of El Segundo, Calif., was third. Outside front-row starter Garrett Alberson of Las Cruces, N.M., and two-time and reigning WCS champion Clay Daly of Watsonville, Calif., rounded out the top five.
The West Coast Shootout, which opens its season with four races the first nine days in March, returns to action Saturday at Canyon for the second race of the track’s Copper on Dirt doubleheader.
WCS @ Canyon: (1) Don Shaw, (2) Tony Toste, (3) Nick Bartels, (4) Garrett Alberson, (5) Clay Daly, (6) Anthony Madrid, (7) Kenny Wallace, (8) Lonnie Parker Jr., (9) Jason Papich, (10) Mike Balcaen, (11) John Cornell, (12) Mike Stadel, (13) Steve Drake, (14) Randy Brown, (15) Dave Deetz, (16) Bill Bartels, (17) Jeff Manka, (18) Bud Grossenbacher, (19) Chad Reichenbach. Heat race winners (among 19 cars): Toste, Parker, N. Bartels.
