SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. (May 25-26) – Chaz Baca got his first win of the season on opening night while Zachary Madrid’s victory on night two of the John Morris Classic at Arizona Speedway got him on the ballot for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational.
Baca led start to finish in the Saturday feature, starting third and pulling away from the rest of the IMCA Modified field after a pair of late cautions. Making the most of the fast top line, he took the checkers ahead of Tyler Mecl and Madrid.
Madrid also used the high side in Sunday’s battle of hard chargers: He raced from 14th starting to get the win, ahead of the 11th starting Baca and 12th starting Jason Noll.
Both features paid $1,000 to win.
Baca, the defending E3 Spark Plugs State champion and already an All-Star candidate, had a win and two runner-up finishes to show for three starts in a new 2019 MRT Chassis.
“I sold my old Modified at the start of the year. I got my first win of the season in just my second night in the new car,” he said. “We’re feeling really good about it.”
Madrid was feeling far from good about anything following a fifth place run in his Sunday heat.
“I made a couple mistakes. I wasn’t too happy with myself and I wanted to prove I could do better,” he said. “In the feature, nobody stuck to the top in (turns) one and two so I went there and it worked.”
He was up to third by the 13th circuit, then passed John Morris Jr. and Baca and led to the finish.
“Chaz was really fast. I knew I had to get up there too or he’d be gone,” said Madrid. “We were really happy to get this win. One of our main goals of the year was getting on the Fast Shafts ballot.”
George Fronsman swept the IMCA Sunoco Stock Car weekend, winning from sixth starting on opening night and from ninth on night two.
Karl Kustoms Northern SportMod checkers flew Saturday for national points leader Chase Rudolf, who’d started 10th, and on Sunday for Cole Carver.
Stock Car and SportMod features each paid $500 to win.
May 25 Feature Results
Modifieds – 1. Chaz Baca; 2. Tyler Mecl; 3. Zachary Madrid; 4. Jeff Stafford Jr.; 5. Jason Noll; 6. John Parmeley; 7. Bryson Curry; 8. Jake Pike; 9. Kelsie Foley; 10. Trevor Miller; 11. Duane Rogers; 12. Chuck Grohnke; 13. Norman Uptain Sr.; 14. Roy Poeling; 15. John Morris Jr.; 16. Kent Rosevear; 17. Randy Ahrns; 18. T.J. Wyman; 19. Joe Haresky; 20. Guy Norton; 21. Eric Center; 22. Brenda Kirby; 23. Jimmy Mills; 24. Rob Colclasure.
Stock Cars – 1. George Fronsman; 2. John Luck; 3. Cody Center; 4. Dennis Losing; 5. Steve Soboski; 6. Michael Shea; 7. Aaron Hetrick; 8. Christopher Boulware; 9. Brian Hyatt; 10. Anthony Streit; 11. Darryn Werkmeister; 12. Robert Werkmeister; 13. Josh Werkmeister; 14. Corey Hurley; 15. Joey McCullough; 16. Bo Partain.
Northern SportMods – 1. Chase Rudolf; 2. Cole Carver; 3. Andy Clower; 4. Anthony Madrid; 5. Taylor Kuehl; 6. Mark Harrison; 7. Steve Bitting Jr.; 8. Speedy Madrid; 9. Darin Center; 10. Michael Egurola; 11. Joey Jock; 12. Jesse Turner; 13. Cory Parent; 14. Steve Duffy; 15. Ty Rogers; 16. Adam Echter; 17. Shelby Frye; 18. Bryan Miller; 19. Cody Miller; 20. David Jones; 21. Kyle Salo; 22. Arthur Garcia Jr.; 23. Terry Bridges; 24. Ty Weidner.
May 26 Feature Results
Modifieds – 1. Madrid; 2. Baca; 3. Noll; 4. Morris; 5. Foley; 6. Stafford; 7. Uptain; 8. Curry; 9. Mecl; 10. Jay Foster; 11. Pike; 12. Parmeley; 13. Kirby; 14. Wyman; 15. Mills; 16. Poeling; 17. Dale Irby; 18. Rogers; 19. Matt Blevins; 20. Miller; 21. Doug Meeks; 22. Chad Stevens; 23. Wes Meeks; 24. Grohnke.
Stock Cars – 1. Fronsman; 2. Center; 3. Hetrick; 4. Larry Brigner; 5. McCullough; 6. Losing; 7. Josh Werkmeister; 8. Soboski; 9. Cody Ashcraft; 10. Luck; 11. John Parmeley; 12. David Gill; 13. Hurley; 14. Darryn Werkmeister; 15. Hyatt.
Northern SportMods – 1. Carver; 2. Frye; 3. Speedy Madrid; 4. Rudolf; 5. Anthony Madrid; 6. Kuehl; 7. Center; 8. Harrison; 9. Bo Partain; 10. Rogers; 11. Turner; 12. Egurola; 13. Cody Miller; 14. K.J. Goodwin; 15. Shayne Bradley; 16. Ronnie Sanchez; 17. Donald Costa; 18. Jones; 19. Drew Costa; 20. Jock; 21. Rene Madrid Jr.; 22. Duffy; 23. Weidner; 24. Rex Hasley.