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SATURday december 2ND...AARON WILLISON WINS RECORD BREAKING $50,000 RISKON360! OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN IN LAS VEGAS...

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (December 2, 2023) – Aaron Willison of Langley, British Columbia, Canada led wire-to-wire for the richest payday in pavement open wheel history, a $50,000 USD or $67,480 Canadian haul, after the 100-lap Riskon360! Open Wheel Showdown for Winged Sprint Cars at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Willison was joined by Kingsburg, Calif.’s Kody Swanson and Dave Danzer of Oswego, New York as winners at the richest short track event in the country for the 2023 season.

“We need equipment to go racing and this is going to fund our entire year. I work really hard on my restarts. We work really hard on our motor program. We work really hard on getting the thing to take off. There’s a lot of effort that goes into that stuff behind the scenes. You got to have a well-rounded skillset if you think youre going to hold off the best in the country. This was the greatest race car I’ve ever driven today and it’s been a dream season.”

Willison earned pole for the 100-lap contest after claiming Friday’s fast-dash. The C- and B-Main Events narrowed the 52 Sprint Cars on the grounds to 26 starters for the feature event on the .375-mile oval.

Bryan Gossel spun in turn four for the first caution flag on lap two. The choose cone allowed track-record holder Jason Blonde of Litchfield, Michigan to drive up alongside Willison on the restart. Willison held the top spot however. Willison, Blonde, and Franklin, Mass.’s Bobby Santos III broke free of the large pack of Sprint Cars. Anthony Quintana of Idaho spun in turn four and collected Canadian Jeff Montgomery for the next caution flag, ending both of their evenings on lap seven.

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Eighth-starting Ryan Litt of London, Ontario, Canada challenged Santos for third in lapped traffic but couldn’t complete the pass with a three-wide maneuver. A restart allowed him to later gain the track position for third.

Willison led Blonde, Litt, Santos, and Tacoma, Washington’s Evan Margeson into the lap 50 break for fuel and a fresh right rear tire.

When racing resumed, Falcon, Colorado’s Mike Hathaway crashed hard into the front stretch wall in an incident which tangled up Audra Sasselli of Selma, Calif. as well.

Blonde back pedaled significantly on the subsequent restart, drifting back to the eighth position. Litt slowed from the third position while Canadian Richie Larson and Oregon’s Kyle Alberding crashed in the fourth turn for a caution on lap 69. Idaho’s Mike Murgoitio also stopped and had to be retrieved. Spins followed on two successive restarts before track workers had an extended stop to clean fluid from turns three and four.

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Willison dominated the final 30 laps of the proceedings for the $50,000 pay day with a 4.882 second advantage at the checkered flag. Santos finished second followed by tenth-starting Davey Hamilton, Jr. Canadian Robbie Price and Idaho’s Bryan Warf rounded out the top-five. Margeson surrendered a top-five finish with just two laps to go due to mechanical issues and was scored tenth. Santos earned $20,000 for second while Hamilton was a $10,000 third.

The all-time winningest USAC Silver Crown driver Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif. charged from tenth on the grid to win the $10,000 to win Riskon360! Open Wheel Showdown for Midgets. Swanson drew the ten inversion with assistance from Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice after setting quick-time over the field of Midgets.

“Yeah I mean it means a lot to me. You asked in terms of my career it certainly does. For me, racing is deeper than just myself. I’m so thankful for this,” Swanson said. “This is the type of drive you drive from Southwick, Mass. for. There’s a lot of people I’m so blessed to have in my life. This is a challenging race track and that’s what makes it so fun to drive. There’s a bunch of a really good cars and drivers that made it special.”

Swanson’s teammate Todd Bertrand of Danielson, CT appeared poised to win the feature. He fended off a challenge from 2023 Little 500 winner Jake Trainor of Medway, Mass. to lead lap 12 in lapped traffic. Swanson worked his way up to second position by lap 21. Trainor drove inside of Swanson on a restart but Swanson held the position. Swanson was running second on lap 31 with an eight tenth deficit to Bertrand. He tracked down Bertrand, then knifed underneath him on the backstretch to lead lap 38.

Bertrand Motorsports wrapped up a one-two finish followed by Trainor, Kody Swanson’s younger brother Tanner, and two-time USAC National Sprint Car champion Justin Grant of Ione, Calif. rounded out the top-five finishers.

In Speed Tour Super Modified action, 2023 Oswego Classic winner Dave Danzer prevailed in a wild 30-lap feature worth $5,000 to win. The Speed Tour had a ten-car inversion which saw fast-time qualifier Danzer and weekend long contender Davey Hamilton start on the fifth-row. Hamilton advanced into the lead by lap 11. A pair of hard crashes on both ends of the track stopped the action, but the drivers involved were uninjured.

Hamilton separated himself from Danzer by a few car lengths before tangling briefly with a lapped car. The contact caused damage that stuck Hamilton’s throttle open, sending him barreling into the turn three wall and onto his side for a caution on lap 24. Danzer inherited the lead and paced the final six circuits for the coveted win followed by Canadian Jim White and Colorado’s Cris Muhler rounding out the podium.

Race fans can learn more about the Open Wheel Showdown at www.OpenWheelShowdown.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

BLONDE BREAKS TRACK RECORD, WILLISON SNAGS POLE FOR LUCRATIVE RISKON360! OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN

Wildlight Motorsports

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (December 1, 2023) – The high-speed thrills of the inaugural Riskon360! Open Wheel Showdown continued Friday night with Winged Sprint Car time trials, heat races, and the fast dash. Litchfield, Michigan’s Jason Blonde stormed to a new track record at 11.629 seconds / 116.089 miles per hour before Langley, British Columbia, Canada’s Aaron Willison snagged the dash win and the pole for Saturday’s $50,000 to win feature.

“Well it’s really an honor. Look at the field of cars we have here today. So many incredible cars and incredible drivers. I’m honored to be out front and lead this historic race to green,” Willison said. “Going to have to get through the first 50 laps nice and clean without beating our stuff up. I think you’re going to really start to see people get after it in the second half of the hundred laps.”

Blonde’s qualifying effort opened official competition for the three-division Open Wheel spectacular, paying a record $250,000 in prize money for Winged Sprint Cars, Midgets, and Speed Tour Super Modifieds. The fast-time itself paid $1000 courtesy of Dave Parrie.

“It feels pretty awesome (to set the track record). Hats off to the Dick Meyers 50m Ram Engineering team,” Blonde said. “Man I tell you, it’s a fast car. Proud to be in it.”

Six Winged Sprint Car heat races followed for 12-laps each, advancing the top-three of each directly into Saturday’s championship feature. Blonde paced the field from the pole in the opening race. Aaron Pierce reeled him in before spinning into a smokey slide on the exit of turn two. Blonde paced the final laps for the victory while Pierce recovered to finish fourth for a B-Main appearance on Saturday night.

Bobby Santos of Franklin, Mass. won the second heat race from the pole over London, Ontario, Canada’s Ryan Litt. Langley, British Columbia’s Jeff Montgomery rode over the front wheels of Idaho’s Mike Murgoitio at the start of the third heat race. The race was completely restarted with Montgomery outfoxing Murgoitio for the victory.

Willison and Davey Hamilton, Jr. of Tampa, Florida staged a thrilling display of battling in their heat race. Willison fended off a three-wide maneuver from Hamilton in traffic to win the race from the outside pole position.

Eric Humphries of Fresno and Tacoma, Wash.’s Evan Margeson rounded out the heat race victors. A redraw of the heat race winners set the dash lineup, with Willison drawing pole alongside Montgomery.

Willison paced all 10-laps of the non-stop dash which will place him on the pole for Saturday’s championship finale.

In other action, brothers Tanner and Kody Swanson traded spots at the top of the practice leaderboard in the Midgets while Davey Hamilton, Sr., Bryan Warf, and Dave Danzer continued to be the top drivers in the Speed Tour Super Modified practices.

All three divisions will stage main events on Saturday night along with C- and B-Mains for the Winged Sprint Cars and qualifying for the Midgets and Sprint Cars. Grandstands open at 12:30pm for on track action. Opening ceremonies are set for 3:30pm with feature racing to follow. Tickets are available at the gate as well as all-access pit passes. Speed Sport TV provides live pay-per-view streaming coverage as well.

Race fans can learn more about the Open Wheel Showdown at www.OpenWheelShowdown.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

TRACK RECORD SPEEDS HIGHLIGHT OPENING NIGHT OF INAUGURAL RISKON360! OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN

Wildlight Motorsports

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (November 30, 2023) – The highly anticipated opening Thursday night of the Riskon360! Open Wheel Showdown saw Winged Sprint Cars and Speed Tour Super Modified begin their on track action in search of record paydays at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Davey Hamilton, Jr. of Nampa, Idaho set a blistering lap in his Kirk Morgan Racing No. 14 Sprint Car, running an 11.887 second lap on the .375-mile oval at 113.579 miles per hour average. Hamilton led the nearly 50 Sprint Cars that took times throughout the two lightning-fast practice sessions.

“It’s intense. This track is intense. You can’t be full throttle, but you’re living on the edge in these cars here,” Hamilton said. “I went up and watched the other sprint cars go around the track – I couldn’t believe this is what I do for a living. These guys and girls are just absolutely talented. Our car is running good. Everything is going good so far.”

“Our team is so solid this year. This race is about having the best sprint cars drivers in the country competing for the most money ever. We have that this weekend for sure.”

2023 Pink Lady Classic winner Evan Margeson of Tacoma, Washington, Franklin, Mass.’s Bobby Santos III, Tyler Roahrig of Plymouth, Indiana, and 2023 Must See Sprint Car champion Jason Blonde of Litchfield, Michigan rounded out the second practice session top-five.

Blonde led the evening session with a 12.096 second lap. Temperatures fell into the evening and the night session saw speeds increasing considerably.

“This is what it’s all about. You live for this stuff. It’s an honor to race against all these great drivers,” Blonde said.

11-time Indianapolis 500 starter Davey Hamilton, Sr. topped the Speed Tour Super Modified proceedings at press time, driving down to a 12.168 second lap during the second session. 2023 Oswego Classic winner Dave Danzer was second fastest in the night session of cars which had recorded times.

Activity increases tremendously on Friday for the inaugural Riskon360! Open Wheel Showdown with practice for all three participating divisions: the $50,000 to win Winged Sprint Cars, $10,000 to win Midgets, and $5,000 to win Speed Tour Super Modifieds. Grandstands open at 12:30pm to witness all of the action. Winged Sprint Cars will have all important time trails at 2:45pm, which will set the grids for the six 12-lap heat races later that evening. Opening Ceremonies are set for 5pm followed by the heat races and the fast dash for the six heat race winners to duel for the pole of the 100 lap Saturday night feature.

Tickets are available online at www.LVMS.com 2-day and single day pit passes are available at the gate and include grandstand access. Race fans can learn more about the Open Wheel Showdown at www.OpenWheelShowdown.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN DRAWS NATIONS WINNINGEST TEAM

Story and Photos from David Sink

(November 29, 2023) When the Open Wheel Showdown officially kicks off Thursday afternoon at the “Bullring” at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, they will have a bullseye on their back, and for good reason. The Kirk Morgan Racing team, with driver Davey Hamilton Jr., are at the top of their game currently.

If you are going to leave Las Vegas with the 50K first place prize money, you must first figure out how to stop this team. They are the winningest pavement sprint car team in the country currently with 8 total wins this season, and fresh off a win in the recent November 4 ‘Sandi DeCaire Classic 41’ at Citrus County Speedway in Inverness, Florida. The event is the biggest winged pavement sprint car race on the Florida based Southern Sprint Car Shootout Series schedule.

The team is owned by Tampa, Florida businessman Kirk Morgan. Morgan started the team in 2020, but it wasn’t until late 2021 that Morgan hired Davey Hamilton Jr. to do the driving duties. After winning the 2022 SSSS series championship, the team hit its stride this season. They picked up the non-wing Dave Steele 15 at Florida in February. Since then, they have also won 3 times with Must See Racing and added several second-place finishes with the series. They also finished second to Evan Margeson in the 27K to win Pink Lady Classic at Meridian, Idaho in September.

Driver Davey Hamilton Jr. is the promoter of the Open Wheel Showdown. But he will now get to focus on being a driver now that race weekend is upon us. He has handed over all responsibilities to capable individuals so he can focus on being just a driver. The team might be one of the early favorites to take home the 50k this weekend based on their performance in 2023.

Owner Kirk Morgan indicated the success of the team is due to team chemistry. Everyone knows their role.

“I must admit, I’m happy with our season” team owner Kirk Morgan commented. “We’ve won a bunch of races and had a bunch of second places. We’re a little disappointed in some of those Must See Racing second place finishes. At times we weren’t on our game as much as we would have liked. But we put up a good fight and had a lot of fun doing it.”

“The Must See series is a lot more fun than I ever thought it would be. We raced at a lot of good facilities up north. Jim Hanks and his wife Nancey put on one heck of a show. We like the competition level and running with those guys”.

The team is headed by crew chief Todd Schmidt. Schmidt is one of the mot respected pavement sprint car crew chiefs in the sport. He has worked with Dave Steele and Troy DeCaire. He was won multiple races and championships prior to his tenure with the Morgan team. He won the 2009 Little 500 with Dave Steele.

“it’s the package, its everything” explains Morgan. “Its Davey, its Todd, its me, its crew member “Luigi”, and it’s our commitment. We win our races at the shop. We don’t win them at the track it’s our commitment. We work three night a week on the car at the shop.”

Being on the road has presented challenges for Moran trying to run a business and race this season, but he’s enjoying the experience. “It’s hard. When I’m on the road I speak to the office daily. I have 5 offices in Florida, but I speak to them on the regular while I’m on the road. It presents a challenge, but I’ve hired good, smart people to stand in my place while I’m gone.”

“Todd has been with me from day one. I was fortunate to grab him when I did. I enticed him to be a team member and we’ve had a lot of fun since. As everybody knows, Todd is a wealth of knowledge. He’s a sprint var guru. He’s our engine builder and a chassis guru. He does the setup and shocks too. Todd is the guy at the track everybody comes to for advice. He’ll help anybody.”

“Luigi is one of the hardest working guys I know. In the shop he works non-stop. He just keeps on going. We all eat, breath, and sleep it.”

Morgan likes the team’s chances to take the 50K back to Tampa. “We go into every race with our heads held high. This is the most stacked pavement race we’ve ever witnessed. There are 20 guys that could win this race and another 20 that could surprise everybody. That’s the neat think about this race. The money has lured everybody to Las Vegas. We’re ready to compete with the top guys from all over the country.”

There is one thing Morgan can predict about this weekends race. “If we win it, the 50k is coming home with us. I’m not much of a gambler” concluded Morgan.

NATHAN BYRD TAKES ON TRIPLE DUTY AT THE INAUGURAL RISKON360! OPEN WHEEL SHOWDOWN

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (November 17, 2023) – 23-year-old Nathan Byrd of Litchfield Park, Ariz. will take on the inaugural Riskon360! Open Wheel Showdown with a triple-duty campaign, racing in the $50,000-to-win Winged Sprint Car, $10,000-to-win Midget, and $5,000-to-win Super Modified divisions at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Byrd will be making his Winged Sprint Car and Super Modified debuts during the event that runs from November 30 through December 2.

Byrd is a fourth-generation racer but the first in his family to pursue a professional driving career. His great grandmother started the Byrd Racing tradition of owning, preparing, and sponsoring race cars. Byrd Racing is most well-known for its exploits at the Indianapolis 500 and Nathan Byrd joins Davey Hamilton, Jr. and Sr. along with Arie Luyendyk, Jr. among entrants with ties to the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. The strong entry list and record-breaking purse have the Open Wheel Showdown set to be one of the biggest events in pavement open wheel racing in many years.

“I’m blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of a racing family and brand that has its roots in Indy,” Byrd said. “It’s cool because I’m technically the first Byrd racer that’s raced at a professional level.”

“It’s really awesome that (Davey Hamilton, Jr.) has been able to make this happen. It’s going to be the biggest Winged Sprint Car show ever and a really special event. I’m grateful to be a part of it,” Byrd said.

Byrd has had one of the most varied racing careers in North America over the last two or three years, racing road courses and short tracks in both open wheel and closed wheel machines. At the Open Wheel Showdown, he will test his adaptability in a Sprint Car fielded by Jimmy Waters, a Super Modified owned by Jim Birges, and a pavement Midget for the juggernaut Bertrand Motorsports.

“That’s been my whole training method, jumping back and forth with different cars,” Byrd said. “Working up the limits in a safe and proper manner. It usually takes me a few laps to adjust to the next car. (At the Open Wheel Showdown) there’s not going to be that much time to do that. I’m going to have to be on it really hard from the get-go.”

The young racer has set realistic expectations for himself, knowing the quality of equipment he will have underneath him against over 100 of the top Open Wheel drivers in the world.

“It’s going to be very interesting to see how I stack up among the Sprints and Super Modified since I’m going in as a newbie and relying on my adaptability,” Byrd said. “I think all the cars I’m driving are going to be very competitive and as long as I do my work as a driver, I definitely hope to be in the conversation and show I deserve to be there.”

Pit pass sales and assigned hauler parking opens on Wednesday before on-track activity begins on Thursday with Winged Sprint Car practice. Practice begins at 2pm and runs until 8pm. On Friday, pit gates open at 9am with grandstands opening at 12:30pm. Time trials for the Winged Sprint Cars are set for 2:45pm. Opening Ceremonies are at 5:00pm with the 12-lap Winged Sprint Car heat races to follow.

Saturday’s championship night includes qualifying for the Midgets and Super Modifieds and all features. Open Ceremonies are at 4:30pm followed by the Winged Sprint Car Dash, C- and B-Mains, and the 100-lap feature. It will also include the 50-lap Midget and 40-lap Super Modified features. Grandstands open at 12:30pm

General Admission Tickets are on sale though the Las Vegas Motor Speedway ticket office and online. Details can be found at both www.LVMS.com and the Open Wheel Showdown website. Adult tickets are $25 and kids 12 and under are free! More information is available at www.OpenWheelShowdown.com

Pit Pass sales will be available at the gates on race weekend and include access to the grandstands. Pit passes are $150 for a three-day pass or $105 for a two-day pass.

The event will be telecast through Speed Sport with a $24.99 access pass available to view both nights of the excitement live! For more info, visit www.SpeedSport.Live