Stock car racing and the Fourth of July. That’s just about as All-American as you can get.

The seventh annual Jim Henry Modified Shoot-Out will be held this Friday and Saturday, June 30-July 1, at Fairgrounds Speedway. The featured race will be the International Motor Contest Association Modifieds. Mini, Hobby Stock, and IMCA Stock Cars will be running as well both nights. Gates open at 6 p.m. and racing starts at sundown.

Some of the best modified drivers in the Four Corners area will be converging on the local track, located at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds just east of Cortez. Aaron Spangler of Dove Creek, two-time defending modified track champ, will be among those racing. Current points leader Jay Kibel and Dennis Rieb, second place in points, will compete. J.J. and Jake Harpole of Farmington, Danny and Darrell Bradford of Kirtland, N.M., David Joy of Aztec, Tony Hill of Cortez, and Garye Higgins of Bloomfield will also be among those drivers competing.

And if that is not enough racing action, only a week later will be the Mid-Season Championships on July 7. Another big show coming up is the Hobby Stock Shoot-Out is set for July 22.

All classes ran this past Friday, June 23, on the quarter-mile dirt oval.

Hill had the pole position to start the Modified Main event, but he experienced car problems and eased off during the second lap. J.J. Harpole took the lead and never let go. Chasing him was Rick Hobbs through almost the entire race but Hobbs fell by the wayside when Higgins passed him by at the 15th lap. Harpole won, Higgins came in second, and Spangler third.

Jake Harpole in car no. 96 of Farmington ran away winning the Modified First Heat event. He took the lead following a restart and never let go. Mike Farley held on the second position for much of the race but went out with car troubles. Spangler, in car no. 16, moved into second, despite starting back it the pack, and held on. Higgins finished third and Kibel fourth.

In the second Modified Heat, J.J. Harpole grabbed the lead but Danny Bradford came roaring from behind and took the lead on sixth lap. He held the lead for four laps before Harpole passed him on the high side of the near turn. Harpole won, Bradford came in second, Rick Hobbs took third, and Rieb fourth.

Perhaps the most interesting race of the night was the Hobby Main. The race got off to a shaky start. Three restarts later (starting in single file), the race finally got under way. Marvin Cramer of Dove Creek, driving X car, took the early lead. He maintained in control until the final lap. Cramer spun out at the top of the near curve and Jason Duggins of Aztec, in car no. 33, raced to the checkered flag. Cramer finished second and Ronnie Cook of Aztec third. Cook, who had a flat tire at the start of the race, came back in at the top of the far side during a restart. The race is under protest.

In the Hobby Heat No. 1, Rick Anderson took the lead over Cramer and Cook. Anderson spun in the far curve and slipped to third, passed by eventual winner Cook and Anderson. There was about a 30-minute rain delay between Hobby Heat No. 1 and Heat No. 2. Virginia Semler had the pole position but she was quickly overtaken by Duggins. He breezed to the victory. Dave McFalls came in second and Jason Grady (Aztec, N.M.) third. Wayne O’Dell grabbed the lead in the second lap and raced to victory in Hobby Cortez) fourth.

Levi Hill, a 16-year-old student at Montezuma-Cortez High School, was in complete control in the Mini Main event. Driving car no. 80, he took the lead from Kent Galyon of Cortez and never let go. He had built a large lead, nearly a half-track ahead of his nearest competitor, but a yellow flag forced them to bunch up. Billy Schaapok of Farmington spun and nearly hit the wall in the fifth lap. After Hill had built another large lead, a yellow flag bunched the cars again with just one lap to go. Hill drove to the win. Steve McDaniel of Aztec came in second, Galyon third, and Steve Blair fourth.

Galyon, driving car no. 2, breezed to victory in the Mini Heat No. 1. Schaapok took second, and Hill third. The track at that point was wet and slippery from the sprayed water and rain. In Mini Heat No. 2, McDaniel took the lead over Blair in the eighth lap and held on for the win. Blair finished second and Ryan Hensley of Aztec, third.

Robert Reed of Cortez opened in the lead in the Street Main with Ryan Neely right behind him. But Reed faded and Gary Smouse of Mancos, in car no. 42, took the lead in the second lap. He drove hard and steady for eight laps. Jesse Baldwin, in car no. 55, took the lead when Smouse spun out on the last lap. Max Ksiazkiewicz, car no. 77, came in second, Neely third, and Smouse fourth.

In the first Street Heat, Reed, Baldwin and Smouse battled hard. Reed and Baldwin raced together with Smouse trailing. Baldwin, on the near turn of the seventh lap, zipped past Reed. Smouse, meanwhile, also passed Reed to finish second.

Four Dwarf cars took the track. In the heat race, Aaron Moore, in car no. 7, took the lead on the third lap and held on. Raymie Bristow led the first six laps of the Main Event but car no. 14 (name not available) won. Moore came in second with Bristow in placing third.

On June 9 the Mini Shoot-Out was held. It was originially scheduled for June 10, but was changed. Brady Dimmick of Salida won the event and the $500 first place money. Hill came in second, Ted Butler of Aztec finished third, McDaniel took fourth, and Schaapok fifth. They were followed by Dale Cook, Blair, Randy Dorsett, and Clyde Dattage.

In the Hobby Class, Ronnie Cook captured first, Leonard grabbed second, Brian Floyd third, Semler fourth, and Jeff Jones fifth. Cody DuFrene rolled his car and was taken to Southwest Memorial Hospital with a slight concussion.