BUZZ SODEMAN The Buzzman BUZZ SODEMAN / SPECIAL TO THE PVT Anthony Finley, in the No. 67 car, won the Unabomber feature Saturday at the Pahrump Valley Speedway. The quarter-mile dirt track will be silent this weekend, as all classes take a break to heal, repair, or replace. Advertisement

The IMCA Supernationals in Boone, Iowa, took their toll on Saturdays racing card at the Pahrump Valley Speedway.

Noticeably absent were the outlaw karts and the usual cast of characters piloting IMCA modifieds.

With Jim Bonetti, Levi Kiefer, and Todd Nunnally headed to the heartland, the top four in outlaw karts (Taylor Bonetti, Shane Nunally, Austin Kiefer, and Cole Hammack) were presumably riding along and enjoying the scenery. Three IMCA's did make an appearance, one to ensure a track championship (Leland Hibdon), and one inching ever closer to the comfort of his recliner (Racin' Jason Pike).

Fred White was the benefactor of some much needed seat time and as the season has rolled along the concrete wall has benefited.

Pike captured his 99^th IMCA feature event, as well as the heat race and needs one more feature victory to reach the 100 milestone mark.

White was a distant second in the heat and main while Hibdon worked on the setup of his Larry Shaw prepared IMCA before departing immediately for Boone.

Providing their own brand of excitement were the "touring" Bombers.

Although their numbers dwindled from their last race, the enthusiasm to race "hell bent for leather" remained high. Anthony Finley, in the lone Ford, endured in the feature as Chris Gray (in an appropriately numbered B52) and Fred Harding bombed out.

Last week's main event winner, Wade Pearson, had a repeat in mind until he spun out but still held on for second with J.J. Nunn completing the podium. Nunn eked out the heat win.

The always-competitive mini stocks opened the evening's festivities with three heats of racing. Joe Rogers Jr., Bubba Ray, and John Burch Jr. claimed the checkered flag. Rogers' win was very convincing, a whole straightaway ahead of his nearest competitor.

Once Ray got to the front and passed Tom Buckwalter it became a "no brainer." As a point of interest, Buckwalter was driving a car with number 83 on the side, whether or not this had anything to do with Bob Ruud's number 81 being permanently retired is unknown. The mini stocks became the first class since I began covering the speedway to have a trophy dash won by the popular Ray.

The mini main featured three and four wide racing on the straight-aways and lapped cars figuring in the makeup of the final three.

The wave of the green found a three-car breakaway in progress, featuring Eric Slusher, Burch, and Buckwalter while Bill Delahunte tried to reel the pack in. Getting into lapped traffic led to Buckwalter falling off the pace.

In the second segment of the race, it became a four-car battle for the checker. Eventual winner Delahunte was busy fending off the challenges of Burch, Ray and Tony Martin. Martin was eliminated from the podium when he contacted a lapped car and Burch faded to third.

The order of finish was Delahunte, Ray and Burch.

Five weeks of racing has taken its toll on some of the front runners, most notably, "Rapid Rick" VanBuytene, who has watched his points lead shrink considerably, and Terri Little, suffering from fuel pump woes.

VanBuytene waited until the white flag lap to make a pass that carried him to victory in the super stock heat while Dan Snowden rested in the pits, failing to make the call in the heat.

This is important, as you'll see. Lost in the suspense of the final results was the fact that Stacy Stinson was married in the afternoon and was spending his honeymoon evening at the track.

Noteworthy, too, was the problems encountered by "Flyin' Bryan" Wulfenstein between turns three and four. Snowden corrected whatever was ailing his ride and smoked the field. VanBuytene was unchallenged for second as "Little Wolfie" was plagued with a trunk lid that worked loose and acted as a "speed brake." The first-year college student held on for third.

Pro-4 points leader Marty Mclaugh was a "no show," quite possibly because of the 128-point lead he has built up. Terri Little debuted her recently purchased Pro-4, from Kevin Williams, but suffered a "mechanical detonation" on the backstretch in the feature.

Court Connell, who was dedicating this race to his father, affectionately known as "Whispering Bill," swept the heat race and the main. Court was more proud of the "Feature Winner Sticker" than the $150 cash prize and the trophy, which he wanted to present to his father. He had also wanted his father to come out for the on track trophy presentation.

Cory Little, who was going for a "three-peat" in the main, settled for second because of the determination of the young Connell, who mounted charge after charge. Almost lost in the moment was the third place finish by Terry Crawford.

Cars and drivers now have two weeks to recuperate from the almost non-stop scheduling by the track. Both entities need the time to heal, repair, or replace. This is local track racing with the "brutal" NASCAR schedule separating the "boys from the men," the "best from the rest," and the "contenders from the pretenders," coining all those sports clichés.