FK Rod Ends Arizona Speedway
Fast Facts: Keyser Mfg. Wild West Shootout
By Robert Holman
DirtonDirt.com weekend editor
Keyser Mfg. Wild West Shootout
(Complete coverage)
Dates: ($5,000-to-win features, along with heats and consolations on Jan. 6, 7, 10, 12 and 13; $13,000-to-win feature, along with heats and consolations Jan. 14).
Track: FK Rod Ends Arizona Speedway Arizona Speedway, Queen Creek, Ariz. (third-mile high-banked dirt oval)
Purse: Total Late Model purse of more than $180,000.
Primary sponsors: Keyser Manufacturing, O’Reilly Auto Parts, FK Rod Ends, Black Diamond/Club 29 Race Cars, M&W Transport, Mesilla Valley Transportation, Border International Trucks, Arizona Differential, RHR RacingSwag, Barnett Harley Davidson, Hoker Trucking, Total Seal Piston Rings, Karl Performance, Textron Off-Road, Shaw Trucking, M&S Concrete, AR Bodies, Earnhardt Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge Ram, Pro Power Engines, VP Racing Fuel, Penske Racing Shocks and Hoosier Tires.
Sanction: None for Late Models.
Other divisions: USRA modifieds ($1,000- and $2,000-to-win programs) and X-mods ($500- and $1,000-to-win programs).2017 winners: Bobby Pierce, three wins; Billy Moyer, one.
Former miniseries champions: Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, Ill. (2017), Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, Ga. (2016); Rodney Sanders, Happy, Texas (2015).
Winningest series drivers (complete history): Billy Moyer, Batesville, Ark. (12); Terry Phillips, Springfield, Mo. (10); Jimmy Mars, Menomonie, Wis. (5); Steve Francis, Ashland, Ky. (4); John Anderson, Omaha, Neb. (4); Don O'Neal, Martinsville, Ind. (4); Pat Doar, New Richmond, Wis. (3); Tim Fuller, Watertown, N.Y. (3); Darrell Lanigan, Union, Ky. (3); Jonathan Davenport, Blairsville, Ga. (3); Bobby Pierce, Oakwood, Ill. (3).
Tickets: Single-day general admission $20 (children 6-12, $10; children 5-and-under, free) for each of the first five nights; Sunday, Jan. 15 general admission is $25 (children 6-12, $10; children 5 and under, free). Six-day adult general admission $125. Advanced tickets available at wildwestshootout.net.
Pit passes: $35 daily.
Camping: Free at Arizona Speedway. Spots are first-come, first-served.
Pay-per-view: Shows set for Jan. 6, 7, 10, and 12-14, DirtonDirt.com’s live video coverage includes every lap of Super Late Model and modified action, complete with on-screen race lineups and a live timing and scoring feed. A complete miniseries package is available to DirtonDirt.com subscribers for $79.99 and non-subscribers for $89.99. Single-day packages for first the five rounds are available for $22.99 per day, while a single-day package for the finale costs $24.99. The Michael Reiners-produced broadcast will feature Ben Shelton on play-by-play and Dustin Jarrett reporting from the infield and pits. Follow this link for complete pay-per-view information.
Miniseries website: wildwestshootout.net
Wild West Shootout office phone: (520) 664-2074
Track phone: (480) 926-6688
Notes: FK Rod Ends has obtained track naming rights for the six-race mini-series, with the Phoenix-area facility now called FK Rod Ends Arizona Speedway for the duration of the event. … Title sponsor Keyser Manufacturing is offering a $250,000 bonus to any driver who can pull off a six-race sweep in the miniseries, with an added incentive of $100,000 going to any driver who can win five of the six features and a $50,000 bonus for capturing four main events. Any driver who wins at least three of the six events will earn a $10,000 bonus. ... Points fund: $10,000 (co-sponsored by M&W Transport and Black Diamond & Club 29 Race Cars), with the overall champion earning $3,000. … O'Reilly Auto Parts is the presenting sponsor. ... The miniseries switched to a time trial qualifying format for last year’s event and will continue that in 2018. … The format includes time trials, eight-lap heat races, 12-lap consolations and a 30-lap feature. The $13,000 finale is scheduled for 40 laps. ... This marks the 16th time in the last 17 years the racing season has been kick-started with a high-profile event in Arizona. FK Rod Ends Arizona Speedway, just outside Phoenix, hosts for the second time. ... Bobby Pierce won three of the four events contested last year. … Rain forced the cancelation of the final two events in 2017, halting Pierce’s bid to win the $250,000 bonus. … Promoters added an additional $12,000 to the purse, upping start money for the first five events from $400 to $500 and adding $1,000 to the Sunday finale winner’s share, an increase from $12,000 to $13,000. ... More than 150 drivers in three divisions are expected during the six nights of racing. ... Ricky Thornton of Chandler, Ariz., was the 2017 Mesilla Transport Border International USRA Modified champion. … USRA Modifieds will race for $1,000 each day and $2,000 each Sunday. ... Saturday and Sunday events go green at 5 p.m., with Wednesday and Friday events starting at 7 p.m. ... There will be scheduled testing on Tuesday, Jan. 9 from 5-9. Cost $200 per car; no pit passes required.
Late Model purses
Jan. 6, 7, 10, 12, 13
1. $5,000
2. $2,500
3. $1,500
4. $900
5. $800
6. $700
7. $650
8. $600
9. $550
10-24. $500
($100 for non-qualifiers)
Sunday, Jan. 15
1. $13,000
2. $5,000
3. $2,500
4. $1,500
5. $1,200
6. $1,000
7. $900
8. $800
9. $750
10-24. $700
($100 for non-qualifiers)
Event schedule
Friday, Jan. 5
3 p.m.: Pit gate opens
6-9 p.m.: Practice
Saturday, Jan. 6
3 p.m.: Gates open
5 p.m.: Hot laps, followed by time trials and racing
Sunday, Jan. 7
3 p.m.: Gates open
5 p.m.: Hot laps, followed by time trials and racing
Tuesday, Jan. 9
3 p.m.: Pit gate opens
5-9 p.m.: Practice
Wednesday, Jan. 10
5 p.m.: Gates open
7 p.m.: Hot laps, followed by time trials and racing
Friday, Jan. 12
5 p.m.: Gates open
7 p.m.: Hot laps, followed by time trials and racing
Saturday, Jan. 13
3 p.m.: Gates open
5 p.m.: Hot laps, followed by time trials and racing
Sunday, Jan. 14
3 p.m.: Gates open
5 p.m.: Hot laps, followed by time trials and racing
