The highly anticipated opening Thursday night of the Riskon360! Open Wheel Showdown saw Winged Sprint Cars and Speed Tour Super Modified begin their on track action in search of record paydays at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Davey Hamilton, Jr. of Nampa, Idaho set a blistering lap in his Kirk Morgan Racing No. 14 Sprint Car, running an 11.887 second lap on the .375-mile oval at 113.579 miles per hour average. Hamilton led the nearly 50 Sprint Cars that took times throughout the two lightning-fast practice sessions.
“It’s intense. This track is intense. You can’t be full throttle, but you’re living on the edge in these cars here,” Hamilton said. “I went up and watched the other sprint cars go around the track – I couldn’t believe this is what I do for a living. These guys and girls are just absolutely talented. Our car is running good. Everything is going good so far.”
“Our team is so solid this year. This race is about having the best sprint cars drivers in the country competing for the most money ever. We have that this weekend for sure.”
2023 Pink Lady Classic winner Evan Margeson of Tacoma, Washington, Franklin, Mass.’s Bobby Santos III, Tyler Roahrig of Plymouth, Indiana, and 2023 Must See Sprint Car champion Jason Blonde of Litchfield, Michigan rounded out the second practice session top-five.
Blonde led the evening session with a 12.096 second lap. Temperatures fell into the evening and the night session saw speeds increasing considerably.
“This is what it’s all about. You live for this stuff. It’s an honor to race against all these great drivers,” Blonde said.
11-time Indianapolis 500 starter Davey Hamilton, Sr. topped the Speed Tour Super Modified proceedings at press time, driving down to a 12.168 second lap during the second session. 2023 Oswego Classic winner Dave Danzer was second fastest in the night session of cars which had recorded times.
Activity increases tremendously on Friday for the inaugural Riskon360! Open Wheel Showdown with practice for all three participating divisions: the $50,000 to win Winged Sprint Cars, $10,000 to win Midgets, and $5,000 to win Speed Tour Super Modifieds. Grandstands open at 12:30pm to witness all of the action. Winged Sprint Cars will have all important time trails at 2:45pm, which will set the grids for the six 12-lap heat races later that evening. Opening Ceremonies are set for 5pm followed by the heat races and the fast dash for the six heat race winners to duel for the pole of the 100 lap Saturday night feature.
Tickets are available online at www.LVMS.com 2-day and single day pit passes are available at the gate and include grandstand access. Race fans can learn more about the Open Wheel Showdown at www.OpenWheelShowdown.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
