SPECIAL TO THE PVT Todd Nunnally three-wheels his IMCA modified around the one-third mile dirt oval at Death Valley Raceway in Amargosa Valley. The next races are Saturday, starting at 1 p.m. Advertisement

AMARGOSA VALLEY -- When it was announced last year that Pahrump Valley Speedway was closing its doors for good, the Pike family of Pahrump suddenly found itself being asked to replace the long-standing facility.

After all, PVS had been home to racers and fans for more than 20 years. The mere thought that Pahrump would be without a race facility was frightening. And with short tracks dying all over the country, getting someone to replace PVS did not seem likely.

Long-time IMCA modified driver Jason Pike and his wife, Tanya, answered the call when the family purchased 20 acres just south of Highway 373 for the creation of Death Valley Raceway -- which opened with a bang Feb. 9 by welcoming more than 60 cars on a glorious day with 70 degree temperatures.

DVR will return with a 1 p.m. event Saturday, and follow with action twice each month with day racing scheduled before lights are added for night racing in April.

The Dwarf Car Nationals April 18-19 is expected to draw entries from all over the country during a season that will stretch through July 26, before a summer break that ends Sept. 6.

Purchasing land in Pahrump became too costly, so the family looked north to the current location - and the phrase "build it and they will come" fits DVR like a ball in a glove.

Now called "The Track Your Mama Warned You About," the facility has turned a bunch of long faces into big smiles.

Track personnel were working up the last minute adding the final touches. When the gates opened, fans flocked to what has been described as a "diamond in the desert."

And it wasn't hard to find racers, fans and businessmen instantly lauding the Pikes for their efforts to build the one-third mile clay track.

"I'll tell you," said Jim Marsh, a long-time Southern Nevada automobile executive who also owns the Longstreet Inn and Casino near DVR in Amargosa Valley. "The impact was immediate for us, considering that opening day of the track made our New Year's seem like a walk in the park."

Phil Hayes, a two-time track champion at Craig Road Speedway in North Las Vegas, who owns a shop in Pahrump, was thrilled with the opening race.

Although he has stayed away from auto racing for several years, Hayes was ecstatic with the opening of Death Valley Raceway.

"This track could be one of the hottest short tracks in the country," said Hayes, who was involved in the construction of two IMCA modifieds at the opener. "I like what I'm hearing and I think these people sincerely know what they are doing."

The inaugural event at DVR drew more than 60 cars from several states. Ronnie Williams of Las Vegas won a 23-car IMCA Modified field to highlight the event while competition in Dwarf cars, micro minis, mini stock, 360 sprints and classic coupes complemented the program.

Better yet, the track conditions were ideal and the clay composition held up well under heavy traffic. The program was run efficiently and the field of drivers and fans scurried back to their homes telling anyone who would listen that a new short track in Amargosa Valley was the hottest thing since Howard Hughes hit Southern Nevada.

Jim Wulfenstein, who drove his son's IMCA modified, also had good things to say.

"They did a great job," Wulfenstein said. "I really was impressed with what I saw, and the racing was fun."

Further information regarding DVR is available at www.deathvalleyraceway.homestead.com.