For the first time in several years, Fourth of July racing returned to Fairgrounds Speedway in Cortez and as always, the action did not disappoint.
Highlighting the evening’s competitions was an exciting A-Main event in the Modified class that saw Dove Creek’s Aaron Spangler earn a hard-fought victory over Farmington’s Zane Devilbiss.
Also thrilling fans with plenty of side-by-side racing action were Julie Boettler and Rex Higgins, who finished first and second, respectively, in the A-Main event of the Sport-Mod class.
“First through fifth was super close,” said track promoter Reagan Tafoya. “Rex (Higgins) was coming strong and with a few more laps, he may have caught (Butler).”
In other action, Steffan Carey bested second-place winner Richard Trujillo by nearly half a lap to win top honors in the Stock class. Freddie Brooks finished ahead of Cortez’s Rob Petrose in the Hobby Stock class and Ra Nai Toler won the Sport Compact class.
“The races were awesome and the track was fast,” said Tafoya. “We want to thank the die-hard fans who were out there.”
Due to inclement weather, the Jim Henry Memorial Races, which had been scheduled for July 5, was canceled.
Henry will now be honored on the second night of back-to-back races at Fairgrounds Speedway, which are scheduled to take place Aug. 16-17.
“We’re going to try our hardest to pack those stands,” said Tafoya. “We’re still planning on having fan appreciation day (on Aug. 17) and letting fans meet drivers.”