DON McDERMOTT MORE COLUMNS Advertisement

Auto racing will return to southern Nye County in 2008, according to Rick VanBuytene.

The Death Valley Raceway, a one-third mile dirt oval located in Amargosa Valley, will hold its inaugural race Feb. 9, according to its Web site, www.DEATHVALLEYRACEWAY.homestead.com.

Subsequent racing dates, according to the site, are Feb. 23; March 8, 22; April 5 (first night race, 7 p.m.), 19; May 3, 17, 31; June 14, 27-28; July 12, 25-26; Sept. 6, 20; Oct. 18 and Nov. 1. The February and March programs will start at 1 p.m.; so will the Oct. 18 and Nov. 1 cards.

The IMCA modifieds, super stocks, mini stocks, classic coupes, sprint cars, modified minis, Bombers, factory stocks and Dwarf cars will be featured most weeks, the site reports.

VanBuytene, for years one of the standout drivers at the Pahrump Valley Speedway, is the director of racing at the Amargosa facility, located just off Highway 373 near the Ash Meadows turnoff. The track is banked and clay-based.

The speedway held a test-and-tune last weekend, with more than 60 cars and 200 people in the pits, "and close to 50 people in the stands," said VanBuytene, who advised that construction "continues on the facility."

Check the Web site, which has rules and technical information listed.

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Pahrump Little League baseball and fast-pitch softball registration continues from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Honeysuckle Park.

For other information, go to www.eteamz.com/pll or call 751-3881.

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Karen Weitz, the girls' basketball coach at Las Vegas Centennial High School, did a marvelous job directing the Las Vegas Classic, a tournament for some of the top girls' teams in the southwestern United States.

Weitz coaches an excellent girls' team -- one that won the Classic title and will contend for the Nevada Class 4-A state championship. It's unfortunate, however, that she cannot work with the same vigor with tournament officials. They would undoubtedly do a better job.

The 2007 tournament, played Dec. 27-28-29, was marred by inconsistent officiating, most notably on what constitutes a foul. Sometimes, defenders were assessed fouls for merely handchecking an opponent. On other occasions, ball-handlers or rebounders were practically knocked into the stands and no fouls were called. It was a miracle no player was severely injured from those excessive physical contacts.

And too often, official scorers and timekeepers lost track of the action, allowing mistakes in book-keeping or allowing time to run off after a whistle sounded, or not having the possession arrow used correctly.

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If work progresses at its present pace, the Pahrump Valley High School gym will be ready for action next week, which means the Jan. 19 Southern Nevada Class 3-A League basketball games against Boulder City will be played there.

The gym was undergoing a massive reconstruction job because of water damage caused by a storm in September.

The Nye County Wrestling Championships will be contested in the PVHS gym Jan. 23. League duals will be held there Jan. 30, and on Feb. 2, Pahrump Valley will host the Southern 3-A regionals.