Howard rumbles to Saturday checkers at Desert Thunder 

Results

Wyatt Howard was the Saturday night Friesen Performance IMCA Modified winner at Desert Thunder Raceway, earning $1,000 and Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational qualifying eligibility for his ninth checkers of 2022. (Photo by Jennifer Greener)

By Janelle Bates

PRICE, Utah (July 23, 2022) – Wyatt Howard won the Saturday night Friesen Performance IMCA Modified feature at Desert Thunder Raceway. 

Howard’s ninth win of the season paid $1,000 courtesy of Castleview Hospital in Price and made him eligible to qualify for the Fast Shafts All-Star Invitational.

The defending track champion pulled ahead of the leaders midway through the race and finished ahead of the pack. 

“The win feels amazing. Everything just fell into place and it feels great to be able to show all the hard work paying its dues,” Howard said. “The Modified class most is probably the most frustrating class on the planet, from trying to work with the rules and keep the right setup for what we’re competing with each and every night.”

Howard, 26, made his racing debut in 2010 at the age of 14. The third-generation dirt track racer comes from a family with a vibrant and interesting racing history. His father Harvey owned and operated Desert Thunder Raceway from 2000 until 2020.

“Howards just seem to have a hair for competition and Desert Thunder has always been my home,” Howard said. 

Shane and Erin Weybright purchased Desert Thunder Raceway from the Howard family in 2020, a transition that is bittersweet for the Howard family.

“I’m glad someone has been able to save the track from being cleaned off the map. I couldn’t begin to say how thankful me and the rest of the Howard family are to the Weybrights for carrying on our legacy of Desert Thunder,” he said. “They are keeping the place we called home for so many years a place that we can continue to support and retreat to whenever needed.”

When Howard isn’t racing, he can be found hunting and fishing in the Eastern Utah wilderness.

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