Central Arizona Speedway
Fuller opens with victory at Wild West Shootout
By Joshua Joiner
DirtonDirt.com staff writer
Tim Fuller earned $3,000 in the Wild West Shootout opener. (photofinishphotos.com)
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. (Jan. 5) — Fourth-starting Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., took the lead on lap four of Saturday’s Wild West Shootout feature and controlled the remainder of the 30-lap race to claim a $3,000 victory during the first night of a doubleheader weekend at the recently reopened Central Arizona Raceway. | Arizona coverage index
Fuller advanced quickly after a lap-two restart and easily wrestled the lead from outside polesitter Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville, Ark., two laps later. He maintained a slight advantage over third-starting Justin Kay of Wheatland, Iowa, throughout the majority of the race and survived a restart with five laps remaining to win in his first-ever start in Arizona.
Kay settled for a solid runner-up finish ahead of sixth-starting R.C. Whitwell, who was the highest finishing home-state driver in third. Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., made a strong charge from fifth on the final restart, nearly taking over second before falling back to fourth at the finish. Open-wheel modified standout Rodney Sanders of Happy, Texas, finished fifth in his first Late Model start.
Polesitter Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis., got shuffled back to fourth on the race’s opening lap and ended up sixth. Moyer Jr. faded to ninth, finishing one spot behind his father Billy Moyer, who started 22nd after getting caught in a heat race incident.
Action continues Sunday at Central Arizona Raceway with the second leg of the two-race Wild West Shootout. DirtonDirt.com will broadcast Sunday's action live via online pay-per-view. | Order live video
Wild West Shootout: (1) Tim Fuller, (2) Justin Kay, (3) R.C. Whitwell, (4) Shane Clanton, (5) Rodney Sanders, (6) Pat Doar, (7) Lonnie Parker Jr., (8) Billy Moyer, (9) Billy Moyer Jr., (10) Garrett Alberson, (11) David Karst, (12) Joey Moriarty, (13) Mike Balcaen, (14) Jeff Manka, (15) Rob Mayea, (16) Jim Whisler, (17) Nick Bartels, (18) Dave Deetz, (19) Paul Guglielmoni, (20) Ron Bartels, (21) Darryn Waldo, (22) Dan Henrickson, (23) Don Shaw, (24) Troy Rubke. Did not start: Kevin Faddis, Wes Hall. Heat race winners: Sanders, Fuller, Whitwell.
Feature lineup
Row 1: Pat Doar, Billy Moyer Jr.
Row 2: Justin Kay, Tim Fuller
Row 3: David Karst, R.C. Whitwell
Row 4: Rodney Sanders, Shane Clanton
Row 5: Garrett Alberson, Mike Balcaen
Row 6: Don Shaw, Joey Moriarty
Row 7: Lonnie Parker Jr., Jeff Manka
Row 8: Ron Bartels, Rob Mayea
Row 9: Paul Guglielmoni, Jimmy Whisler
Row 10: Troy Ruebke, Kevin Faddis
Row 11: Nick Bartels, Billy Moyer
Row 12: Darryn Waldo, Dan Henrickson
Row 13: Wes Hall, Dave Deetz
Heat race results
Feature lineup set by passing points; top eight redraw
First heat: Rodney Sanders, David Karst, Joey Moriarty, Billy Moyer Jr., Lonnie Parker Jr., Rob Mayea, Nick Bartels, Billy Moyer.
Second heat: Tim Fuller, Justin Kay, Shane Clanton, Jeff Manka, Don Shaw, Troy Ruebke, Kevin Faddis, Darryn Waldo, Wes Hall
Third heat: R.C. Whitwell, Pat Doar, Mike Balcaen, Garrett Alberson, Ron Bartels, Paul Guglielmoni, Jim Whisler, David Deetz
Pre-race notes
The Wild West Shootout returns to Central Arizona for the first time since 2008. The event began at Central Arizona, but moved to nearby Tucson (Ariz.) International Raceway after Central Arizona closed during the middle of the 2008 season. It was successfully held at Tucson from 2010-2012, drawing as many as 70 Late Models before promoter Benji Lyons moved the event back to Central Arizona this season. … Tucson has planned its own January events with the six-race Winter Extreme scheduled for Jan. 12-20. … After missing Friday’s practice due to travel issues, Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., is in the pit area today plans to compete. He joins Kennedy Motorsports teammate Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., who is competing in Arizona for the first time. … Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis., is debuting a new Capital Race Car this weekend, joining Clanton and Fuller as the only Capital cars entered in the event. … Garrett Alberson of Las Cruces, N.M. is racing an older MasterSbilt Race Car this weekend that his team recently purchased. He plans to use his MasterSbilt from last season next week at Tucson. … Nick Bartels of El Segundo, Calif., is debuting a WFO Chassis this weekend. … Racing action is scheduled to get under way at 4 p.m. A pill draw will determine Late Model heat race lineups which will use passing points to determine feature transfers and lineup. IMCA Modifieds, super stocks, pure stocks and dwarf cars are also in action.
Heat race lineups
Top eight in passing points redraw for feature lineup
Heat one
Row 1: Rodney Sanders, Joey Moriarty
Row 2: Nick Bartels, David Karst
Row 3: Dan Henrickson, Lonnie Parker Jr.
Row 4: Rob Mayea, Billy Moyer
Row 5: Billy Moyer Jr.
Heat two
Row 1: Tim Fuller, Jeff Manka
Row 2: Wes Hall, Troy Ruebke
Row 3: Justin Kay, Darryn Waldo
Row 4: Kevin Faddis, Don Shaw
Row 5: Shane Clanton
Heat three
Row 1: Dave Deetz, Ron Bartels
Row 2: R.C. Whitwell, Mike Balcaen
Row 3: Paul Guglielmoni, Pat Doar
Row 4: Garrett Alberson, Jim Whisler
Partial roster
Troy Ruebke (2), Waddell, Ariz.
Darryn Waldo (2), Billings, Mont.
Rodney Sanders (7k), Happy, Texas
Lonnie Parker Jr. (8), El Mirage, Ariz.
Mike Balcaen (10), Winnipeg, Manitoba
Pat Doar (11), New Richmond, Wis.
Dave Deetz (12), Las Cruces, N.M.
Justin Kay (15), Wheatland, Iowa
Tim Fuller (19), Watertown, N.Y.
Billy Moyer (21), Batesville, Ark.
Billy Moyer Jr. (Jr.) Batesville, Ark.
Paul Guglielmoni (22), Vacaville, Calif.
Jimmy Whisler (28), Otis, Ore.
Kevin Faddis (31), La Platta, N.M.
David Karst (33), Casper, Wyo.
Wes Hall (35), Casa Grande, Ariz.
Garrett Alberson (36), Las Cruces, N.M.
Rob Mayea (37), Bend, Ore.
Don Shaw (42s), Ham Lake, Minn.
Joey Moriarty (51), Glendale, Ariz.
Dan Henrickson (97), Rapid City, S.D.
