Crossing the line second after Jan. 15's last-lap clash between Bub McCool and Ronny Lee Hollingsworth at Tucson's Wild West Shootout, Billy Moyer had no doubt he was runner-up. After all, Moyer reasoned, the checkered flag follows the white flag at every dirt track in the country, and he's seemingly raced at all of them.

But when the 53-year-old Hall of Famer was told that, at least twice earlier in the week at USA Raceway, white flags interrupted by caution flags meant a race was restarted a MORE

The Wild West Shootout has the honor of being on either extreme of highway miles logged en route to a dirt track race. The Arizona miniseries ranks both as the longest driving trip I've ever made to a dirt race (some 1,800 miles on my first visit to Casa Grande in 2008), and as the shortest driving trip I've made to the track (about 7 miles to this year's races in Tucson).

At the risk of being a prima donna, let's just say Saturday's few miles behind the wheel — after a smooth airplane ride MORE

Let's just get this out of the way: If the Jan. 9 daytime race at USA Raceway's Wild West Shootout in Tucson, Ariz., is a total snoozer, I'll take blame for jinxing it.

That said, something struck me during Saturday's daytime opener. Of the handful of daytime dirt racing events I've seen the past few years, it seems they've all been pretty good. Some of have been downright excellent.

Saturday's racing at Tucson was no exception, even though action started under bright sunny skies at 1 p.m. and MORE