The sweet smell of methanol burning will fill the air this Friday and Saturday night, June 29-30, during the eighth annual Jim Henry Memorial Modified Shoot-Out at Fairgrounds Speedway.

The 3/8th-mile dirt oval track is located about three miles east of Cortez on U.S. Highway 160 at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds.

Tickets for the show are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors, $4 for children aged 6-12, and children under 5 are free. Pit admission is $25 for this show. Gates open at 6 p.m. and races start at dusk. Also running will be Mini, Hobby Stocks, and IMCA Street Stocks. The show is sponsored by KRWN-FM in Farmington.

The best drivers from the Cortez-Durango area plus some from northwestern New Mexico, northern Colorado, southern Nevada, and southwestern Utah are expected. They will be chasing $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second, $500 for third, $325 for fourth, $200 for fifth and $150 for sixth based on a 30-car turnout for the International Motor Contest Association-sanctioned races in that classification.

Here are the Modified standings (through Friday’s results) at the local track: Craig Nelson 184, Rick Hobbs 180, Larry Cornell 177, Dennis Rieb 174, Robert Gallegos 173, Tom Cadle 163, Vern Hisel 143, Aaron Spangler 142, Taylor Yazzie 101, Tyrone Yazzie 98, Tony Hill 97, Chase Burson 91, Don Hammell 79, Danny Nelson Jr. 77, Dulane Cocleasure 63, Todd Tipton 61, David Joy 54, Michael Barber 50, Brandon Carley 38, Mike Farley 37, Regan Tafoya 32, Bo Tucker 29, Danny Keith 27, Jerry Harris 26, Derek Niel 25, Ron Woods 25, and Gary Higgins 24.

If this past Friday night’s Modified Main event is any indication, it should be an outstanding show.

Despite several crashes, rollovers, restarts, it was well worth the wait as the IMCA Modified Main event saw Craig Nelson (car no. 11X) of Farmington come from behind to nip Spangler (16) of Dove Creek at the wire.

After three restarts because of crashes on the initial lap, the race finally got under way. Tyrone Yazzie (16) of Bloomfield, N.M., who had won an earlier heat race, took the lead with Taylor Yazzie (18) also of Bloomfield, and Spangler trailing. Taylor Yazzie and Tyrone Yazzie changed leads and the changed again. But it was during the first turn of the third lap that Spangler moved out front.

Spangler battled with Rieb of Cortez (00) for the lead while Nelson, the Yazzies, and Eddie Farley of Farmington (51) were in the second pack by the 10th lap while the Tyrone Yazzie spun out and dropped way back. Spangler maintained control and the lead. By the 12th lap, Spangler and Rieb were right at the top with Nelson, and Hobbs (82) of Dove Creek now challenging. Veteran driver Hill (007) of Cortez could not get his car in a position to challenge.

By the 16th lap, Spangler was definitely the driver to beat. But Nelson had moved into second and Rieb was holding on to third. That’s the way it was after the 19th lap. But on the final lap, Nelson made his move and beat Spangler at the wire. Farley came in third, Taylor Yazzie fourth, Hobbs fifth, Tyrone Yazzie sixth, and Hill seventh.

In the first Modified Heat race, the elder Taylor Yazzie went wire-to-wire in winning. Spangler followed closely behind him the whole 10 laps. The closest race was actually back in the second pack between Tony Cadell (3), Hobbs, and Hill, and Gallegos (11). Hobbs finished in third, Cadle took fourth, Hill fifth, and Gallegos sixth.

The Modified Heat No. 2 followed. Tyrone Yazzie blitzed the field. He grabbed the lead and never looked back at least through the first eight laps. But Rieb challenged in the final two laps. Farley came in third and Nelson fourth.

On June 15, Spangler captured top honors for IMCA Modifieds. Nelson took second, Brandon Carley third, Rieb fourth, Hobbs fifth, Cadle sixth, and Taylor Yazzie seventh.