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KODY SWANSON EARNS $50,000 PRIZE IN 100-LAP OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN LAS VEGAS

Garrett Kunzman

LAS VEGAS — California native Kody Swanson added another marquee victory to his incredible career, winning the $50,000 BITNILE.com Open Wheel Showdown for Winged Sprint Cars at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Bobby Santos scored a $20,000 second place while 2023 winner Aaron Willison rounded out the podium worth $10,000.

Swanson used the choose cone to position himself for a lap 73 restart alongside Willison, swooping around the outside for the lead. When the caution flew again on lap 82, Swanson chose the outside once more and maintained his stranglehold on the top spot.

Santos worked his way past Willison for second and had his sights on Swanson when a caution flag set up a green-white-checkered finish. Swanson would not be denied as he charged to a .881-second victory. Idaho’s Bryan Warf and California’s Eric Humphries rounded out the top-five.

“I got schooled on the high side (in the first half) so I figured I better wisen up,” Swanson said. “It gave me a chance to keep up my momentum and do what wing things require. The big thing was I was driving the best car.

I knew we had a chance. I’ve run some 100 lappers before. I knew I had to take care of my (tires) and be aware of that. I’m really fortunate it worked out that way and we never quit. This is special. I’ve seen so many friends and family I don’t get to see in the Midwest all year that made the trip out for this. I appreciate what everyone has done to bring this event back to Las Vegas.”

Willison won Friday’s Pole Shuffle and led the 26-car starting grid to the green but was immediately challenged by fourth-starting Santos. Santos soared on the outside past both Swanson and fast-time qualifier JoJo Helberg of Rohnert Park, Calif. on the opening salvo, then scooted underneath Willison to lead lap three.

Santos led Willison, Idaho’s Bryan Warf, Swanson, and Idaho’s Casey Tillman at the lap 50 break for fuel, a fresh right rear tire, and adjustments.

Willison ran alongside Santos on the restart, crossing underneath him in turn four for a thrilling pass to lead lap 51. The move looked to be a potentially decisive one before a caution on lap 73 gave Swanson his opportunity to pounce on the top.

Early action saw the 20-lap B-Main claimed by Indiana’s CJ Leary as well.

Dylan Alarcon,

The 40-lap Super Modified feature was won by 12-time champion Otto Sitterly of New York, giving the Empire State back-to-back $5,000 Super Modified hauls at the Open Wheel Showdown.

Fellow New York pilot Matt Capara had a strong start, preserving over numerous restarts to lead the first ten laps over Sitterly and Davey Hamilton, Sr. Capara then suffered a mechanical problem that thrust Hamilton into the lead.

Sitterly ran down Hamilton, then used the lapped car of Hall of Famer Kenny Hamilton as a pick to go outside for the lead on lap 21.

Sitterly led the final 19 circuits followed by Hamilton and a hard-charging Frankie Volz in third. Colorado’s Cody Castor and Canadian Jimmy White rounded out the top-five.

Las Vegas’ Aaron McMorran simply dominated the proceedings all weekend for the $5000 to win Klotz Synthetics Modifieds. McMorran led time trials on Friday night, drew the one pill, then won his Cometic Gasket heat race.

Despite numerous incidents slowing the proceedings, McMorran was unfazed throughout the 75-lap feature. McMorran led wire-to-wire over fellow Las Vegas driver Sam Jacks. Stephen Brucker of Alpine, Calif., Shelby Stroebel of Idaho, and Kyle Jacks were the balance of the top-five. California’s Eddie Secord won the 25-lap B-Feature.

AARON WILLISON WINS FRIDAY POLE SHUFFLE FOR SATURDAY’S $50,000 OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN...

LAS VEGAS — British Columbia, Canada’s Aaron Willison finds himself in a familiar position at the BITNILE Open Wheel Showdown Las Vegas, where the 2023 $50,000 race winner has earned the pole for Saturday’s 2024 edition after Willison snared the 10-lap Firstline Systems Pole Shuffle. Willison was one of six 12-lap heat race winners on the .375-mile Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Willison then outmatched Good Boy Vodka fast time qualifier JoJo Helberg of Rohnert Park, Calif. in the shuffle for the pole position.

“Yeah that was fun. Honestly track position – we had a good draw and got to start on the pole. I just knew I had to hit my marks and not miss the bottom. It was a good time there,” Willison said. “We’re just starting to establish a trend the longer the cars have been on the track to come to a decision for a baseline for tomorrow night. It’s awesome to have this platform to race on, to have all of North America gathered in one place to duke it out.”

Helberg led the way in time trials with a new track record, storming to a 11.572 second lap at 116.66 miles per hour. Helberg then won the opening CSI Shocks heat race one, with both Jeff Montgomery and Ryan Litt experiencing difficulties that relegated them to a C-Main position.

Willison won the BR Motorsports heat race two while Bobby Santos of Franklin, Mass. won the Elliott’s Custom Trailers heat three. A spin for Indiana USAC champion CJ Leary will have him coming out of Saturday’s B-Main. Casey Tillman won the Wilwood Brakes heat race four and Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif. won the Racing Optics fifth heat race. Jake Trainor of Medway, Mass. won the Sweet Manufacturing heat race.

Litt made quick work of the 15-lap C-Main, presented by RX Help Centers, and will continue his alphabet soup effort on Saturday.

Klotz Modified action was led in qualifying by Las Vegas’ Aaron McMorran, who then drew the one pill in the redraw. All three heat races were presented by Cometic Gasket, with Aaron McMorran, Kyle Jacks, and Rich Lindgren snaring coveted wins.

Saturday action kicks off early with Modified practices at 10:30am. General Admission gates also swing open at that time, with plenty of tickets available at the gates. Supermodified time trials are also on deck. Opening ceremonies are at 1:30pm, with fans then treated to the 100-lap Sprint Car feature, 75-lap Modified feature, 40-lap Supermodified feature and B-Mains for both the Sprint Cars and Modifieds. More information available at www.openwheelshowdown.com

Pit Passes will be sold at the gate and include grandstand access.

SANTOS, JACKS, AND SITTERLY TOP THURSDAY OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN PRACTICES

LAS VEGAS — Bobby Santos, Sam Jacks, and Otto Sitterly topped Thursday practices for the BITNILE.com Open Wheel Showdown at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Nearly 100 participants took to the .375-mile paved speedway for practices across the Winged Sprint Car, Supermodified, and Klotz Synthetics Modifieds.

Santos of Franklin, Mass. set the standard with a blistering 11.927 lap at 113.188 miles per hour in the No. 22A Sprint Car. Afternoon practice leader JoJo Helberg of Rohnert Park, Calif. timed in second quickest followed by multi-time Silver Crown champion Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif., event promoter Davey Hamilton, Jr., and Canadian Jeff Montgomery.

Santos picked up half a second across the two practice sessions to lead the way.

“We unloaded decent. We kind of went back to what we know works in the second practice session. Car has good balance. Looking forward to the next two days. Got to thank everyone at Open Wheel Showdown and Davey for what he’s doing. Been looking forward to this weekend for the whole year,” Santos said. “(Qualifying) is wicked important. This format rewards speed, which is a good thing. There’s so many good cars here so that’s the way it should be. It’s a great format. With that being said, we have to put ourselves in a good position.”

The Winged Sprint Cars will participate in time trials, heat races, the 12-car Firstline Systems Pole Shuffle, and the 15-lap C-Feature on Friday night. All the preliminary events are in preparation for Saturday’s 100-lap, $50,000 to win feature.

Three-time ISMA and nine-time Oswego champion Otto Sitterly backed up his championship resume by leading Supermodified practice. Sitterly darted to a 12.322 second lap, leading 11-time Indianapolis 500 starter Davey Hamilton, California’s Jim Birges, Colorado’s Cris Muhler, and 2025 Colorado Hall of Fame inductee Rich Castor.

More Supermodified practices are scheduled Friday, continuing the run towards a $5,000 prize in Saturday’s 40-lap main event.

Sam Jacks led his younger brother Kyle Jacks in Klotz Synthetics Modifieds practices, timing in at 14.900 seconds. Aaron McMorran rounded out an all-Las Vegas driver podium followed by Idaho standout Shelby Stroebel and California champion Scott Winters. 32 Modifieds took times in preparation for Saturday’s 75-lap feature paying $5,000 to win.

Modifieds will time trial and heat race during Friday night’s action.

Tickets are on sale now at www.OpenWheelShowdown.com or fans can check out the racing live on www.SpeedSport.TV

On Friday, general admission gates open at 11am with practice for Modifieds, Winged Sprint Cars, and Supermodifieds on tap. Winged Sprint qualifying is set for 2:10pm followed by Modified qualifying at approx. 3:50pm.

Opening ceremonies are slated for 4:30pm on Friday followed by 12-lap Sprint Car and 10-lap Modified heat races. The top-two from each Sprint Car heat will advance into the pole shuffle, lined up by redraw, presented by First Line Systems. The 15-lap C-Main is also planned for Friday night.

For more information, visit www.openwheelshowdown.com Tickets and RV reservations are available via the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Pit Passes will be sold at the gate and include grandstand access.

PROMOTER HAMILTON JR. WEARS MANY HATS AT OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN

November 13, 2024 – Las Vegas, Nevada - Event promoter Davey Hamilton Jr. will be wearing many hats when the 2nd annual BITNILE.com Open Wheel Showdown kicks off at the “Bullring” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this Thursday through Saturday November 14-16, 2024.

The Boise, Idaho born 27-year-old will wear the hat as promoter, competitor, fan, and everything in between. It’s no easy task putting on an event with over 120 cars at a venue over 2,300 miles away from his Tampa, Florida home. Logistics alone creates a unique challenge.

What was once a dream for Hamilton Jr. is now a full-time job lasting 365 days of the year. Hamilton Jr. had always dreamed of having a winged pavement sprint car race that paid $50, 000 to win and featured the richest purse in all of pavement sprint car racing.

Last year’s race was such a resounding success that he decided he wanted to do this again, and for years to come. He has taken it seriously. He hired an assistant and opened the Open Wheel Showdown office in Tampa.

Besides his involvement in the promotion of the event, he is also a competitor. He finished third last year and he would like nothing better than to keep the 50K this year. One would wonder how he can handle such a huge workload and still be competitive as a driver this year.

“Last year was one of those ironic perfect deals where I was able to balance everything and be competitive on the rack” explains Hamiton Jr. ”This year there is a lot more stress and moving parts. The event continues to grow. This isn’t just a special race or a hobby. This is a job, and a 24-hour job all year long. This has turned into an event you work all year on, making it the biggest pavement sprint car event of the year.

“There’s probably gonna be 115 plus cars in the pit area. We had over 130 entries, but some people fell out of course. This year I’m a little bit ahead of the game. We moved the walls around. It’s gonna be a little different pit area than were used to. It’s learning. I have 150 plus sponsors that I need to make happy. You gotta do what you gotta do there. Theres a lot of moving parts. I’m excited about Thursday so I can put on my helmet and focus on driving.”

Hamiton Jr. was asked about what needs to happen to make this year’s event bigger than the inaugural 2023 event.

“I’m a huge fan of midget racing. I was gonna race one this year. I think our decision to change a class to the open wheel modifieds I think is really gonna help us draw some of the local crowd. We have modifieds coming from all over the country, but the locals are familiar with modifieds. Last year we didn’t have a fireworks show. This year we are. We have a better understanding of how the events gonna go this year.

“We’ve got 71 sprint cars entered. But we have the best Supe Modified field that has been seen across the country, and that includes the Budweiser Classic at Oswego. They just had a race in North Carolina, and they only had 22 cars. We have 28 Supers entered. 26 are for sure and on their way here. That is huge. I wasn’t expecting that. Nobody was. That makes it entertaining and next year they will have more opportunities. We’ll try to help them better their purse.”

Hamilton Jr. will also be a fan. His father Davey Sr. and grandfather Ken Hamilton will be competing in the Supe Modifies race.

“I’m definitely watching the Super race. Last year I was getting into my car knowing my dad was leading the race with a handful of laps to go. When they threw the yellow, I got out of my car to see what was going on. Unfortunately, it was my dad wrecking. This year it’s gonna be cool to see my dad and grandpa running identical cars. It’s gonna be great for all of us competing on the same night.”

Hamiton Jr. was asked who he would rather see win the Super race if it came down to a photo finish between his grandfather and father.

“It’s kind of hard not to say grandpa, right? He’s getting up there in age unfortunately. But it’s cool to see he’s still competitive in that thing. I know he was fast time in the car at Meridian in June. He’s got some speed in the car.”

As a driver this hasn’t been the best of years for Hamilton Jr. as he has led the nation in feature victories in the previous years. This year bad luck and a continuation of engine failures derailed his season. He was asked if an Open Wheel Showdown victory would make this season justifiable.

“No matter what we’re definitely not gonna say this was a good year. But that would definitely help us move in the right direction going into 2025. Everybody wants to win this race including myself. I’ve put so much work into this thing and don’t wanna have to pay anyone fifty grand” laughed Hamilton Jr. “Winning this race will show people that the talents there and your ready to move onto the next step” concluded Hamilton Jr.

OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN SPEEDS INTO LAS VEGAS NOV 14-16

LAS VEGAS — An international field of over 130 race teams will descend on the entertainment capital of the world when the BITNILE.com Open Wheel Showdown Las Vegas hits the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway November 14-16. Winged Sprint Cars will compete for $50,000 to win for the second annual event, along with $5,000 to win Super Modifieds and $5,000 to win Modifieds. Tickets are on sale now at www.OpenWheelShowdown.com or fans can check out the racing live on www.SpeedSport.TV

An eye-popping 71 Winged Sprint Cars are ready to challenge defending winner Aaron Willison of British Columbia, Canada in the second annual 100-lap feature on the .375-mile paved oval. Willison has maintained his torrid pace over the open wheel world in 2024 with 12 victories. He will face off with the entire 2023 podium including Franklin, Mass.’ Bobby Santos and event promoter Davey Hamilton, Jr. Arguably the most prolific asphalt open wheel racer in North America will be paired with the 2023 track record-setting car as Kingsburg’s Kody Swanson will drive Dick Meyers’ No. 50M. Swanson claimed last year’s Midgets feature at Vegas as well.

2019 USAC Sprint Car champion C.J. Leary of Greenfield, Ind. makes a rare pavement Winged Sprint Car start in the Gossel-owned No. 6G. London, Ontario’s Ryan Litt returns as does 2023 track record holder Jason Blonde of Litchfield, Michigan. Other notable Winged Sprint Car entries include 2023 Little 500 champion Jake Trainor of Medway, Mass., three-time King of the Wing national champion Eric Humphries of Chowchilla, Calif., 2023 Pink Lady Classic winner Evan Margeson of Tacoma, Wash., and the return to racing for Rohnert Park, Calif.’s JoJo Helberg.

Indianapolis connections abound in the field with the Hamilton family, Luyendyk family, Byrd family, and Sneva family represented with entries in the Winged Sprint Cars as well.

Nearly 40 Klotz Modifieds presented by Cometic Gasket will compete in a 75-lap feature for $5,000 to win as well. California standouts Scott Winters, Ian Elliott, and Eddie Secord take on the best drivers from Nevada, the Rocky Mountains, and Idaho in the new division for Open Wheel Showdown.

2024 SPEARS Modifieds championship runner-up Kyle Jacks of Las Vegas and 2024 Bullring championship runner-up Sam Jacks are part of a bevy of local drivers looking to defend home turf with at least eight Battle Born entrants. Kyle Jacks won the 2023 season finale at Vegas with Idaho’s Shelby Stroebel and Utah’s Eric Rhead in tow. Both return for the Open Wheel Showdown. 2024 Colorado National Speedway champion Nathan Gasser will also be competing.

Super Modifieds are headlined by the returns of Kenny and Davey Hamilton in search of the $5,000 prize after 40-laps of feature racing. 12-time Super Modified champion Otto Sitterly of New York recently joined the entry list, looking to follow in the footsteps of 2023 winner of New York’s Dave Danzer in defeating the west coast’s best.

2024 SpeedTour champion Randy Anderson of Tacoma, Washington, multi-time race winner Jim Birges, and many others make up the entry list of two dozen teams.

Action kicks off Thursday with optional practice. On Friday, general admission gates open at 11am with practice for Modifieds, Winged Sprint Cars, and Supermodifieds on tap. Winged Sprint qualifying is set for 2:10pm followed by Modified qualifying at approx. 3:50pm.

Saturday action sees grandstands open at 11:30am with Supermodified qualifying at 1:30pm followed by opening ceremonies at 2:30pm The Modified and Sprint Car B-Features and the Main Events for all three Open Wheel Showdown divisions will follow.

For more information, visit www.openwheelshowdown.com Tickets and RV reservations are available via the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Pit Passes will be sold at the gate and include grandstand access.

BLONDE RETURNS TO OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN IN A FAMILIAR CAR

November 7, 2024 - Jason Blonde returns to the BITNILE.com Open Wheel Showdown in 2024. The Litchfield, Michigan driver was last year’s sprint car fast qualifier. He returns to this year’s event driving for a team he is all too familiar with. Blonde will be behind the wheel of the Tony Nosal owned #42 Diablo Chassis hoping to bring 50k back to Michigan.

Blonde participated in last years event with the odds stacked against him. He was competing at a track he had never been too before, in a car he had never driven, and competing on a tire he hadn’t competed on in a few years. But when the dust had settled, he set the fastest lap ever at the “Bullring” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

His history breaking 11.629 second lap in the Dick Myers owned #50m made him the events Fast Qualifier. This was a surprise to many because Blonde historically hasn’t set many fast times. His speed comes at the end of the night.

His work might be a bit easier this year because he’s now seen the track and is in a car he’s enjoyed a lot of success in. Most recently he used the car to claim the 2023 Must See Racing championship. Racing for the Nosal team, he has won 8 total Auto Value Super Sprints championships. Winning that many championships proves he is consistently a front runner.

During a recent phone interview, Blonde couldn’t hide the excitement to be competing in this year’s event once again and reflected on last year’s race.

“For two days of practice last year we were kind of tight. We were probably eighth or ninth quick. I surprised myself when we went fastest” remembers Blonde. “It was kind of a bummer late in the feature. We were hoping for a top five. We had handling issues. Also, being that it was so cold out’ the motor was puking oil. My feet were drenched in oil and a little bit got on my right rear tire. I couldn’t get off the corners like I could the first half of the race.

“Looking back Dick Myers was wishing we would have blocked the radiator and kept more heat in the motor, so it wouldn’t have puked all that oil.

“A bunch of people came on board this year to make it happen and get us to Las Vegas. BDL Motorsports and Rhino Racing offered to come on bord and get Tony (Nosal) out there. We approached Tony with some sponsorship money and a way to get him there. He was all for it.

“The comfort level in the #42 car for me is really good. The car really likes Hoosier Tires. We also got Katz Well Drilling, Hamilton Trucking, and Bingham Farms on board again this year to help us out to get there. With everybody on board it helps a lot. Without them, we wouldn’t be making that trip.

“I’m obviously going to win. But with the caliber of cars, if we can run top 10 that would feel pretty good. With over 70 cars that’s a tough deal. It’s going to be all about qualifying and getting that front row starting spot for your heat race. That’s probably the most important thing. If everybody’s on the bottom, and we can get the top rolling, we should be sitting pretty good” finished Blonde.

Attached Photo Credit: David Sink

LEARY TO FILL IN FOR GOSSEL AT OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN

November 10, 2024- Las Vegas - The BITNILE.com Open Wheel Showdown revealed Saturday afternoon a driver replacement of a previously entered car. CJ Leary will now take over the wheel of the Bryan Gossel owned number 6g. The replacement was necessitated as Gossel continues to nurse an injury sustained in a racing accident this summer.

The November 14-16, 2024, event at the “Bullring” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will feature Modifieds, Super Modifieds, and will be headlined by a 50K to win winged pavement sprint car race.

The 28-year-old Indianapolis resident is no stranger to pavement sprint car racing, although the Open Wheel Showdown will be his first attempt at winged asphalt sprint car racing.

Leary has a 2022 USAC Silver Crown pavement victory on his resume from a win at Madison, Wisconsin. He also a third-place finish at the Little 500 that same year.

This past season Leary was particularly impressive competing on the pavement with the USAC Silver Crown Series. In six starts he never finished worse than ninth and had a runner-up finish and two third place finishes.

“This will actually be my first time in a winged pavement sprint car” commented Leary. “I was at the World Finals at Charlotte on Wednesday night when Bryan Gossel called. I drove his Silver Crown car at IRP earlier this year. We’ve become friends. He told me he hadn’t fully recovered from his sprint car accident and needed someone to fill in for him in Las Vegas. He asked if I was interested.”

“This will obviously be a good race to hit. Theres a lot of money on the line and Bryan’s got good equipment. We should be a good pairing. We ran well together at IRP in the Silver Crown car. We mesh well together and I’m looking forward to it.”

The biggest adjustment to winged pavement sprint car racing is dirty air. But the 2019 USAC National Sprint Car Series champion Leary feels he’ll be just fine due to his many laps in dirt winged 410 sprint car racing recently.

“I’ve been running winged sprint cars probably 10-25 times a year the last handful of years. The dirty air is the biggest obstacle to overcome. With winged cars everything happens faster. The biggest thing for me will be learning where to put the wing board and racing around guys I’ve never raced with before. There’s a lot of trust racing.”

“This will be a new track for me. I’ve never seen or been to the “Bullring” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Theres are so many unknowns for me. We will have plenty of practice on Thursday and I should get up to speed quickly. Bryan said he ran fifth in the race last year so we should have a good baseline to start off with.”

“It’s all happened so quickly. It wasn’t on my schedule early in the year. I’m looking forward to getting to Las Vegas and making some laps. My expectations are high. I always go to win. We just gotta get out there and get some laps. Hopefully we can make some noise and be a contender.”

Attached Phot Credit: David Sink

WATERS RETURNS TO OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN FULL OF CONFIDENCE

November 5, 2024 - 20-year-old Utah sprint car driver Natalie Waters returns to the BITNILE.com Open Wheel Showdown this year full of confidence in both her ability and equipment.

Waters failed to make the A-main last year, but it wasn’t for lack of effort. She experienced mechanical woes during Thursday’s practice day and got very little practice. Things didn’t get any better after that.

The young lady returns to the event this year with another full season of winged pavement sprint car racing under her belt, and an upgraded race car. Things are looking to take off in the right direction this year. She is one of over 70 sprint car entrants expected to compete in the November 14-16, 2024, event at the “Bullring” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

“I feel a lot more confident this year” explains Waters. “Last year we were still learning a lot about the car. I was still learning a lot about sprint cars in general. I feel this year we’ve got a more solid ground to start off on. We’ve had issues that kind of started in Las Vegas. We’ve recovered since then. I feel we’re already five steps ahead.”

“Last year when we showed up to Las Vegas we only got two minutes of practice because the drive train broke. Everybody else got the entire day. We were way behind. I already feel a lot more confident because we’re coming with a lot better race car.”

Waters explains she is returning with the same car she ran last year, albeit with several updates.

“It’s the same car but we’ve updated a lot. Last year we burned the motor down in Las Vegas. It’s the same motor, but we’ve had it completely gone through and repaired. We had an overheating issue all year last season. Now we’ve gone through everything in the car. We have a new radiator, steering pump, literally everything that’s on the car is brand new. We were like ‘We’re done having issues, so let’s replace everything’ laughs Waters.

“It’s the same motor, same chassis, and everything like that. Everything else is brand new.”

Waters has had an impressive season thus far. “We’ve had a lot of success this year with the shorter races. Last year we had to come off the track way more times than nought because of the overheating issues. This year we won three heat races, did well in Colordao, and finished second in the dash in Colorado.

“The ‘Skunk Cup 50’ at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho was a big one. I was running second and passing for the lead. Me and the leader kinda got tangled up and went to the back. I got back up to fourth or fifth and the motor started getting hot and I had to come off. I was confident. If not a win, a good finishing spot. Now that we’ve got our overheating issues corrected, I feel good about Las Vegas.”

I think our biggest goal this year is to make the race. If we can make the race, and finish it, we will come back happy. There are so many drivers that are going to be there. Many of them have experience, and they are coming to win. Those are our two biggest goals as well as bringing the car back in one piece.”

“There are so many people who are making our trip to Las Vegas possible. Wickless Scentsations, Sorensen Construction Services, Redemption, Brad Huntzinger, West Valley Collision & Repair, and B Graphics are behind us and making this possible” concluded Waters.

OPEN WHEEL RACING GOES ALL IN AT 2024 OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN LAS VEGAS

LAS VEGAS — The BITNILE.com Open Wheel Showdown Las Vegas is fast-approaching with the most lucrative pavement open wheel event in motorsports, November 14-16 at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Winged Sprint Cars will compete for $50,000 to win for the second annual event, along with $5,000 to win Super Modifieds and $5,000 to win Modifieds. Over 125 teams are registered for the $200,000+ event that will be broadcast live on Speed Sport TV.

Aaron Willison won the inaugural Winged Sprint Car 100-lap feature in 2023 ahead of Bobby Santos III in second and event promoter Davey Hamilton, Jr. in third for a talent-laden podium. They will square off against a 70-car entry list – the largest ever assembled on pavement. JoJo Helberg makes his anticipated return to pavement open wheel racing while 2023 Little 500 winner Jake Trainor makes one of his first career winged starts.

Modifieds were added to the Open Wheel Showdown in 2024 and they have responded in force with nearly 40 entries spanning the western states. West Coast champions such as Scott Winters, Eddie Secord, and Ian Elliott will battle with the champion drivers from both The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Rocky Mountains in a 75-lap feature for $5,000 to win.

Super Modifieds are headlined by the returns of Kenny and Davey Hamilton in search of the $5,000 prize after 40-laps of feature racing. 2024 SpeedTour champion Randy Anderson of Tacoma, Washington, multi-time race winners Jim Birges and Nathan Byrd, and many others make up the entry list of two dozen teams.

Action kicks off Thursday with optional practice. On Friday, the Winged Sprint Cars and Modifieds will qualify and compete in heat races. Following heat race action will be the Winged Sprint Car C-Main and pole shuffle.

All three divisions will compete in main events on Saturday evening as well.

For more information, visit www.openwheelshowdown.com Tickets and RV reservations are available via the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Pit Passes will be sold at the gate and include grandstand access.

OPEN WHEEL MODIFIEDS JOIN 2024 OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN IN LAS VEGAS

Christopher Vargas

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (September 16, 2024) – Open Wheel Modifieds will join the BITNILE.com Open Wheel Showdown Las Vegas in 2024, with promoter Davey Hamilton, Jr. announcing the addition of the ground pounding machines that are popular on both the west coast and in the Midwest. Klotz Synthetics will present the Modified action to be also presented by Cometic Gasket on November 14-16. Modifieds will race for a lucrative $5000 to win and $400 to start in a 26-car, 50-lap feature on Saturday night.

Thursday night will feature open practice followed by qualifying on Friday night and main event action on Saturday night. The 50-lap feature will be a non-stop affair on the .375-mile Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Modifieds join the $50,000-to-win Winged Sprint Cars and $5,000-to-win Super Modifieds for the second running of the Open Wheel Showdown.

Both open motor and 602 crate engine Modifieds are being encouraged to compete. All competitors from Friday onward will have all on track activity on Hoosier 970 tires, purchased at the track. Thursday’s optional test will not carry a tire rule.

Kyle Jacks won the 75-lap Modified feature last October for the Star Nursery Classic while Idaho’s Shelby Stroebel was runner-up in 2023 and winner in 2022. Drivers from across the country are expected for the action.

Entry is just $75 and open now at www.OpenWheelShowdown.com Entry is also still available for both the Winged Sprint Cars and Super Modifieds as well with no cap on entries.

Host hotel Southpoint Casino has rooms available via the Open Wheel Showdown discount code through October 1st, while RV spaces can be purchased through LVMS directly. Information on registration, rules, RV, hotel, and tires can all be found at the official series website www.OpenWheelShowdown.com The 2024 BITNILE.com Open Wheel Showdown will be broadcast on Speed Sport TV.