It would be an understatement to say Doug Hamm had a good day at the race track.
The Las Vegas veteran set the NASCAR Modifieds track record in qualifying and went on to win the 35-lap feature for his 48th career victory at The Bullring at LVMS on Saturday. Hamm held off opening-day winner Brian Reed and Utah's Lynn Hardy to earn yet another trip to the Winner's Circle at the 3/8-mile paved oval.
"It's awesome," said Hamm, whose 15.474-second qualifying lap established a track record. "I've got luck on my side. My girlfriend flew in from Colorado and sealed the deal tonight."
Jimmy Parker Jr. and Tyler Fabozzi split the 35-lap NASCAR Super Late Models races that bookended the evening's racing action. Parker Jr. edged Dennis Rock by 1.167 seconds in the first race to secure the 11th Bullring win of his career.
"It wasn't me, it was the machine," said Parker Jr., whose last Bullring win had come in 2010. "This was a three-year project (we started) three years ago, and we said we were going to put together the nicest race car we've ever got to play with. I just can't thank my guys enough. They make me look good.
"I feel like a 15-year-old kid all over again."
Fabozzi fought his way from the back of the pack to the front, passing six-time track champion Scott Gafforini for the lead with seven laps remaining. He held off the 66-time Bullring winner by 1.771 seconds for the checkered flag.
"The car was just perfect tonight," said Fabozzi, who won the track's USLCI Legends season title last year. "The cautions definitely helped us, and I just tried to keep it clean as much as possible. I can't thank the crew enough, because that thing was amazing."
Kyle Jacks won for the second time this season and fourth consecutive race in the NASCAR Bombers class, crossing the line 2.286 seconds ahead of Vinny Raucci Jr. It was win No. 15 of Jacks' career.
"It's a lot of work to get to where we are now, and I'm happy to be able to get there," Jacks said. "It takes a lot of work to do this, and I couldn't be more thankful to all the friends and family for all the work they put into this car. That was the first time I've made a pass on the outside in quite a while, and that was a lot of fun."
Chuck DeGuevara, 60 years young, taught the youngsters a lesson in winning the 25-lap NASCAR Super Stocks race. It was the second career trip to the Winner's Circle for DeGuevara, who is the patriarch of a family that has produced three generations of Bullring winners.
His son, Joe, and grandson, Ethan, also have won races at the LVMS short track.
"Not too bad for a 61-year-old dude," said DeGuevara, who will celebrate his 61st birthday in May. "I'm just thrilled to be (in the Winner's Circle) again. I never thought I'd get her once, and now I've been here twice, so I'm very happy."
Sam Jacks, who set a Super Stocks track record of 16.644 seconds in qualifying, challenged DeGuevara for the race lead before a last-lap spin relegated him to a fourth-place finish.
In the 25-lap USLCI Legends race, Jason Irwin pulled away for a 6.115-second margin of victory and his 35th career Bullring win. Irwin will split time between racing at The Bullring and competing in the Lucas Oil Modifieds series this season.
"It doesn't get old, and it's always challenging, for sure," Irwin said of the win. "We haven't brought the Legend car out for a while, so it was fun to do that. We'll be back out here with a Lucas (Oil Modifieds) car on May 5 and will be back out here for a big Legends show in April."
Landon Gresser won for the second consecutive race weekend in the USLCI Bandolero Bandits division, while Kaden Crouch improved to 2-0 in the Bandolero Outlaws class this season. "Racer X" won yet again in the Skid Plate Cars division, taking the 15-lap feature by 1.126 seconds ahead of Ben Williams.
Next event: Racing returns to The Bullring on Saturday, April 14, with the Canada-based North American Big Rig Racing series kicking off its 2018 season. Kids 12 and under get in free with a ticketed adult to all Bullring events again this season.
Tickets are available on www.LVMS.com or by calling 800-644-4444.
NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Event No. 2
Complete results
NASCAR Super Late Models 35-lap feature No. 1
- Jimmy Parker Jr.; 2. Dennis Rock (-1.167 seconds); 3. Scott Gafforini (-1.407); 4. Dezel West (-1.624); 5. David Anderson (-4.073); 6. Kayli Barker (-4.291); 7. Johnny Spilotro (-5.897); 8. Stan Mullis (-6.307); 9. Charlie Pike (-9.176); 10. Toni Breidinger (-1 lap); 11. Ray Hoffman (-2 laps); 12. Tyler Fabozzi (-11 laps).
USLCI Bandolero Bandits 12-lap feature
- Landon Gresser; 2. Sabastian Lafia (-.804 of a second); 3. Trayc Walker-Scott (-1.168); 4. Tuscan Nuccitelli (-2.741); 5. Brody Moore (-3.125); 6. Owen Romzek (-9.230); 7. Alexis Bjork (-9.444); 8. Ashton Leonard (-12.871); 9. Levi Barral (-16.837); 10. Eliana Danko (-2 laps); 11. Aedyn Sawyer (-10 laps).
NASCAR Super Stocks 25-lap feature
- Chuck DeGuevara; 2. Mason Sargent (-2.625 seconds); 3. Matt Larsen (-3.717); 4. Sam Jacks (-7.126); 5. Matt Cunningham (-13.009); 6. Billy Paddack Jr. (-14.677); 7. Chad Mattos (-15.553); 8. Eric Martin (-1 lap).
Skid Plate Cars 15-lap feature
- Racer X; 2. Ben Williams (-1.126 seconds); 3. Cindy Clark (-32.384); 4. Dennis Dowell (-41.820); 5. Jeff Bargerhuff (-1 lap); 6. James Brazzeal (-1 lap); 7. Scott Stockwell (-2 laps); 8. Fred Droegemueller (-4 laps); 9. Robert Leahy (-5 laps).
USLCI Bandolero Outlaws 12-lap feature
- Kaden Crouch; 2. Amilleo Thomson (-1.086); 3. Chloe Lynch (-2.200); 4. Brendan Tracy (-6.361); 5. Cameron Guy (-1 lap).
USLCI Legends 25-lap feature
- Jason Irwin; 2. Jaron Giannini (-6.115 seconds); 3. Michael Todd Glazier (-6.995); 4. Devin Lane (-7.090); 5. Dylan Fabozzi (-7.513); 6. Branden Giannini (-9.895); 7. Brian Williams (-12.857); 8. Cole Kaetts (-13.931); 9. Jordon Holloway (-14.200); 10. Zachary Telford (-14.327); 11. Gary Wagener (-14.737); 12. Ricky De Le Ree (-15.084); 13. Gary Luck (-1 lap); 14. John Hans (-20 laps).
NASCAR Bombers 25-lap feature
- Kyle Jacks; 2. Vinny Raucci Jr. (-2.286 seconds); 3. Tim Maserang (-2.920); 4. Adam Simon (-3.774); 5. Jim Merlino (-4.698); 6. Steve Danko (-6.131); 7. Kirk Hance (-8.835); 8. Anthony Mann (-8.984); 9. Mark Skinner (-9.804); 10. Joseph Bradbury (-14.961); 11. Zachery Nicholls (-16.616); 12. Robert Schumacher (-18.678); 13. Michael Miller (-19.600); 14. Bradley Thompson (-23.040); 15. Carl Duryee (-1 lap); 16. Anthony Riegert (-1 lap); 17. Steve Dewey (-2 laps); 18. Billy Hern (-11 laps); 19. Aaron McMorran (-24 laps).
NASCAR Modifieds 35-lap feature
- Doug Hamm; 2. Brian Reed; 3. Lynn Hardy; 4. Chris Bray; 5. Pat Petrie; 6. Justin Miller; 7. Ron Reed; 8. Mason Sargent; 9. Steve Durbin; 10. Tom Pfundstein; 11. Vinny Raucci Jr.; 12. Joe DeGuevara; 13. Tadd Burns.
NASCAR Super Late Models 35-lap feature No. 2
- Tyler Fabozzi; 2. Scott Gafforini (-1.771 seconds); 3. Jimmy Parker Jr. (-2.512); 4. Dennis Rock (-3.104); 5. Stan Mullis (-6.312); 6. David Anderson (-6.793); 7. Kayli Barker (-7.185); 8. Johnny Spilotro (-7.687); 9. Toni Breidinger (-2 laps); 10. Ray Hoffman (-2 laps); 11. Dezel West (-19 laps).