1994 Speedway fans found programs like this one. Advertisement

How many Pahrump Valley Times readers can remember when Pahrump Valley Speedway sold a program at the spectator gate for $2?

The one I have in my possession is from 1994, with color pictures of three of the '93 track champions at "The Diamond In The Desert": Tom Busch in his dwarf car, Jim and Jason Pike in IMCA's, and street stock pilot John Jewell.

The track logo was a 1963 Ford superimposed over a diamond; the car number on that Ford is 81. That was Bob Ruud's race car and number, which has been permanently retired from racing at the facility (that is until the current track ownership took over).

Perhaps Tom Buckwater in the mini stock division might want to reconsider and pick a new number. For you the novice, Pahrump Valley Speedway used to be the Bob Ruud Memorial Speedway. Ruud was a pioneer rancher and community leader for more than 25 years.

Then owner Robert Bolling honored those who worked at the track, including many who remain associated with the track.

Frank Bridwell was working as a tech and now drives a super stock. Pete Wallace worked safety as well as track maintenance and continues today as the tow-truck driver. His wife Gennie worked the pit gate and now accompanies "Petey" in the truck.

Rick VanBuytene also worked safety and now pilots a mini stock as well as a super stock.

Sherri Stringer, wife of Sam and mother to Steve and Josh, was an official scorer.

Also honored were Anna Steib (female spectator of the year) and Richard Ball (male spectator of the year). I wonder if they are still around and whether they still frequent the racing facility.

Black and white photos abound, showing much younger "candid" shots of Jim and Jason Pike as well as Jim's wife. Track announcer Michael J. Rollins, "Bobby" Bolling, Dave Hall, Ricky McLellan, Robin Ruud, Donny Berger, Adam Daffner, Elizabeth Halamka, Dave Erwin, Kelly Monahan, Jewell Bridwell, Lin Deines and Tom Busch were also captured in the merriment of the year-end celebration.

Point standings for the three classes were listed. Local drivers in street stocks were McLellan (2^nd), Adrian Sandoval (6^th), Michael Hildebrand (7^th), Phil Clendennin (8^th), Dave Turner (10^th), Allen Palmer (13^th), Darko Petaros (14^th), and Gerald Garrison (16^th).

Jason Pike edged out his father for the IMCA championship with Erwin sitting in fourth. Sam Stringer was sixth with Wyatt Ehrp (then of Lake Havasu City, Ariz.) in 16th. Hall finished third in the dwarf car race with Kevin Mayer (7^th), Bob Clark (8^th), Dick Tremaine (12^th) and Jim Bonetti (then of Las Vegas) in 14th.

I don't know what the readers think, but I miss purchasing a program crammed with all this information. A program has action photos, driver biographies, explanations of what each color flag represents and places to write down all the competitors in the heat races and the feature participants.

It also rivals the publication produced by the Pahrump Chamber of Commerce, as far as business advertisements are concerned. It further re-enforces the old racing adage, "What wins on Saturday and Sunday sells on Monday."

Lastly, it provides "fodder" for future articles like this, as well as the opportunity to embarrass the likes of those drivers who are still piloting cars around the dirt oval.

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In a recent recap of the Saturday night racing action, I had this to say about the dwarf car division, "The dwarf car class is a far cry from what used to be before the demise of the Southern Nevada Dwarf Car Association. Gone are the cartoon characters that emblazoned the back of the 'diminutive ones,' and the colorful monikers."

I received the following feedback from local dwarf car pilot Bobby Meeks, who took exception to my assessment. I had the opportunity to talk to Meeks during a recent visit to the Pahrump Valley Speedway and came away with the following information:

The Southern Nevada Dwarf Car Association isn't exactly on life support but its numbers have decreased. The current membership, according to the Web site, is 14 drivers and 11 associate members.

Those 14 drivers are very competitive and dominant, as indicated by their success at three national events. In April, at the SNDCA Nationals, Meeks, competing in the seniors division, captured a heat race victory and a second in the "A" main. He followed that up by qualifying for the "A" main at the CDCRA Nationals, held at Victorville, Calif., in June. In July at the SODCA in Yreka, Calif., Meeks garnered a second in the "A" main.

Dwarf car racing first began around 1984 in Phoenix, Ariz. It began as a hobby for people who wanted to race but did not want to have to campaign cars in the increasingly higher cost classes.

The hobby caught on, especially in the Southwest and can be attributed to several factors. The cars were replicas of 1928 to 1948 vintage coupes, sedans and trucks. The cars are powered by 1250cc motorcycle engines that can propel the dwarfs around the track at up to 125 mph, depending on the size of the track. Lastly, they are economical to operate; average cost per race is about $50.

Before I close this chapter of PV Speedway history, can you guess who this driver might be?

He started racing at 16- 1/2 years of age and won a heat race first time in his car. He laid claim to a street stock championship and rookie of the year recognition and was selected as most popular driver. He competed against NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader at Black Canyon Speedway in Phoenix and was looking forward to a long and successful racing career.