SPECIAL TO THE PVT IMCA modifieds will compete Saturday and Sunday on the one-third mile dirt oval at the Death Valley Raceway in the Amargosa Valley. Competition begins at noon each day. Best of the Best Wild West Shootout What: Motorsports returns to the Death Valley Raceway Saturday and Sunday, with the first two events in the Best of the Best Wild West Shootout. Events 3 and 4 are Jan. 24-25, with events 5 and 6 Feb. 14-15. Where: The one-third mile dirt Death Valley Raceway in the Amargosa Valley Raceway, near the Longstreet Hotel When: Saturday and Sunday, starting at noon each day. The gates open at 9 a.m.with drivers meetings at 11 a.m. Admission is $10 for adults. Who: Featured will be the IMCA modifieds, along with Dwarf cars, min-stocks and street stocks. The payoff: $1,000 will be paid to the winner of the IMCA feature races each day. $500 will go to the street stock main victors.The only charge for drivers is a $30 pit pass. Advertisement

AMARGOSA VALLEY -- Leland Hibdon is getting as big a rush from being a promoter as he did when the Pahrump race-car driver and builder was ranked among the top competitors in in the Southwest.

"(Promoting) is something different ... there is a lot of work to do," said Hibdon, whose first venture into running the show is Saturday and Sunday at Death Valley Raceway. The Best of the Best Wild West Shootout is a series of six races, to be contested over three weekends. The other dates are Jan. 24-25 and Feb. 14-15.

The speedway, which opened in February 2008, was a project conceived by the Pike family (Jason Pike, his wife, Tanya (Leland's sister) and Jim Pike, the patriarch of the motorsports family. When the Pahrump Valley Speedway closed its gates for good at the end of the 2007 season, Death Valley Raceway was already becoming a reality.

"We've done a lot of work on the track," said Hibdon. "We moved 70 loads of dirt (Pahrump clay "gumbo" and built up the track 1-1/2 feet at the base and up four feet along the wall. We had to move the flag tower.

"We'll have two distinct racing grooves," said Hibdon, who will not drive his own cars this weekend. Justin Yeager of Wyoming and Rick Alvarado of Colorado are coming in to be speed jockeys on those rides.

Dan Fitzgerald, a Las Vegas school teacher who is among the top modified drivers in the country, will compete as well. "In fact, we're expecting some 40 modifieds to be here this weekend," said Hibdon. "Once we announced we were going to do this series and said the first-place payoff would be $1,000 both days we've been getting a lot of calls from drivers who plan to be here."

Besides the modifieds, the Dwarf cars, street stocks and mini-stocks will be the support races. The street stock features each day will pay $500.

"And we've given the drivers a good break; all they have to pay is $30 for a pit pass," said Hibdon, noting the gates will open at 9 a.m. and the first race will be at noon each day. Assuming 40 modifieds show up, the 25-lap feature race will have 24 starters.

Heat races will determine the starting grid for the feature events.

Hibdon has been keeping close tabs on weather reports. It is winter, after all, and at this time of the year, the motto is, if you don't like the weather, wait a minute.

"According to (long-range) forecasts, it is supposed to be 58 degrees with sunshine and no wind this weekend," said Hibdon. No wind is relative; the speedway is in a desert setting and being prepared for unusual weather patterns is a necessity.

"We're excited about doing the promotion for this series," said Hibdon. "Jim and Tanya have a lot on their plates ... I was happy to be able to do this."

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For updates and the 2009 regualr-season schedule, check the Death Valley Raceway Web site, www.deathvalleyraceway.homestead.com. Opening Day is Feb. 21 at 1 p.m.