Albuquerque, NM (6/9/21) – Caleb Stelzig, the lighting fast 15-year-old rookie contender, earned his first career Lucas Oil POWRi NMMRA Sprint Car Series victory in just his 6th sprint car start on Saturday night at Sandia Speedway for their ‘Roaring Thunder’ event presented by Mosher Enterprises.
As you could only imagine with an event name like Roaring Thunder, storms were in the area early in the program and a slight drizzle through heat race competition would make for one of the fastest surfaces drivers have seen at Albuquerque’s home for dirt track racing.
Fifteen drivers were split into three qualifying heat races by random draw to determine the starting lineup for the feature. Heat 1 would fire off the evening with the No. 41 of Devon Amos taking an early lead until a mechanical failure would hand the win over to Rio Rancho’s Michael Fanelli and his blue deuce machine. JR Bonesteel and Caleb Stelzig would finish 2nd and 3rd. Dillon Tanner would lead the way in Heat 2 with his beautiful No. 92 car nicknamed “Red October” while Robert Marfia and Clint Miller settled for podium finishes. Finally, it was El Paso, Texas’ Don Grable who took the win in Heat 3 while past champion Josh Grady found trouble in turn 3 and Travis Oldfield and Caleb Saiz fought hard to round out the top three.
The final race of the night called for 25-laps around the 3/8ths mile for the Lucas Oil POWRi NMMRA Sprint Cars with Miller and Marfia leading the field to turn one. Miller led the opening laps but the first caution flew on lap three for James Hatch, who came to a stop at the topside of turn four. Upon the restart came big time trouble for JR Bonesteel in the No. 0 as he hopped the right-rear tire of Clint Miller in turn one. Bonesteel would barrel roll his car multiple times before finally coming to a stop at the end of the access road near the pit entrance. Bonesteel was okay, but unfortunately done for the evening.
With only three laps in the books, drivers were visibly anxious to click some laps off including rookie contender, Caleb Stelzig, who had already snuck his way into the runner up spot before the red. A fantastic jump earned Stelzig the lead on the restart, and to the topside he went as he showed the veterans how to get around Sandia Speedway. Stelzig’s impressive run wouldn’t come easily though as the driver struggled with a broken brake caliper, causing his car to pick up the left-rear tire on the entry to nearly every corner. The next caution flew in the air on lap 8 for a two-car pileup in the middle of turns one and two involving Saiz and Fanelli. Another good restart would allow for some breathing room for leader Stelzig, but it was a madhouse behind him as other drivers tried to make their way up to the front. Notably, a major slide job granted Grable the 2nd position on lap thirteen as he sent his Budlong Motorsports entry deep into turn three to pass Farmington, New Mexico’s Josh Grady.
With laps dwindling down and Stelzig entering lap traffic, another caution flew with only six laps remaining. This time, it was for rookie Craig Stringfellow in turn two, who was on track for his best race of the season. Grable had one last shot at the lead, but was unable to get side by side with Stelzig, who continued to work the high line to perfection for the last five laps. Stelzig would see the checkered flag first, followed by Grable, Saiz, Grady, and Spencer Hill rounding out the top-five. Grady is also credited with the hard-charger award as he advanced eight positions in the main event.
With Saturday’s victory, Stelzig also became the fifth different winner in six races for the Lucas Oil POWRi NMMRA Sprint Car Series in 2021, marking his first career sprint car victory in just six attempts, a statistic unmatched in New Mexico Motor Racing Association history.
“It feels amazing to know that we have the speed and consistency to win and be running in the top five for the point standings in our rookie season,” said Stelzig. “Somewhere towards the end of the race I gradually started losing brakes. I knew I just had to rely on the 700 HP under the hood to get me around the race track. I am super stoked on this win and hope to park it in victory lane again! Of course this wouldn’t be possible without Michael Fanelli Motorsports, Duke City Powder Coating, Johnny Boy Motors, SEH Motorsports, Wayne Rue, the Mansfield family, and my grandparents.”
In a rematch of series supremacy, the state-of-the-art Vado Speedway Park will host Hot City Nights featuring the POWRi Border Tour taking on the POWRi NMMRA in non-wing sprint racing. So far in 2021, the 2020 POWRi NMMRA Rookie of the Year Devon Amos claimed the first meeting in April while perennial front-runner and open-wheel great Rick Ziehl edged the field in the second series skirmish last May. Who will beat the desert’s best to win the Lucas Oil POWRi Border Tour vs New Mexico Motor Racing Association III?
POWRi NMMRA/Border Tour Details at Vado Speedway Park on Saturday, June 12th:
Pit Gates Open – 4:00 PM
Grandstands – 5:00 PM
Drivers Meeting – 6:30 PM
Hot Laps – 7:00 PM
Racing Action to Follow.
General Admission Prices for Vado Speedway Park:
Adults (16-64) - $15.
Seniors (65+)/Military/Students (12-15) - $12.
Youth (6-11) – $5.
Kids 5 & Under – Free.
Hot City Nights Promo: Residents with Valid ID from Canutillo, Vinton, Santa Teresa, Sunland Park, and Prado Verde - $5
Classes Scheduled to compete on Saturday, June 12th for Hot City Nights at Vado Speedway Park include the Lucas Oil POWRi New Mexico Motor Racing Association/Lucas Oil POWRi Border Tour, USRA Modifieds, Legends, Super Trucks, and Late Models. The first 250 Mothers in General Admission receive a complimentary carnation courtesy of Flower-Land of Las Cruces. Track details can be found online at www.vadospeedwaypark.com.
More news on the Lucas Oil POWRi Border Tour Sprint Series including information on Vado Speedway Park can be found online at www.vadospeedwaypark.com or “Like” Vado Speedway Park and the POWRi Border Tour Series on Facebook.
Further information on the Lucas Oil POWRi New Mexico Motor Racing Association, such as rules, driver profiles, and series history is available online at www.nmmra.com or “Like and Follow” on social media.
Follow along for more information such as race recaps, updates, full results, and press releases online at www.powri.com, or on Twitter & Instagram at @POWRi_Racing, or on Facebook at POWRi. POWRi League rules, contingencies, forms, and payouts can be found under the info tab at the top of the POWRi website.