All good things must come to an end.

So goes it with the Dirt Oval dot Com Duel in the Desert, Nitro Tour, Race #1. Now that its all over we can sit back and reflect on the should have, could have and would have’s. There can only be one Winner in each Class. But there is always a next time!

Congratulations to all the Winners: Mike Lubanovich, Billy Fisher, Dennis Klein, Raymond McCoy and Robert Moore.

Special Thanks goes to Gary and Cinda, who without their support none of this would be possible. The hot dogs and hamburgers really hit the spot! Just Thank You, Thank You and Thank You!

Not enough can be said for the M&M Boys, (Mike Lubanovich and Mike Bordjal; a.k.a. Mom and Aunt Bea). Week after week they work on the track and give us regulars a superb track to run on. I must say you have outdone yourselves again! “Stiffy” Johnson did a great job in calling the races. We should not forget the volunteers who swept the track and lent a hand when and wherever needed. Thank You!

Another big Thanks to Craig Frase from DODC who promoted the event and did the technical inspections.

I can’t end this without saying thanks to our sponsors: Holiday Inn, Associated, Custom Works, Klein R/C Motorsports, TMR Chassis, Byron Fuels, BP Chassis, Nitro Sprint Cars, Auto Zone, Performance Radiators and Hooters!

...and last but not least our of town guests from California, Illinois and elsewhere

Sounds like a script for a Nascar Driver trying to get all his plugs in Victory Lane. Doesn’t it!

I must apologize that I cannot be more specific in the following write up, but I can only now fully appreciate what Mom & Aunt Bea do for us each week! Having two or more agendas is tough!

The Duel in the Desert started last Wednesday Night with an invitation to all participants to take part in the weekly racing held at R/C Sports Mania. Racing that night, was laid back and every one had fun.

Thursday was set aside for practice, quite a big turn out. There were all sorts of things going on, some where tweaking their cars, getting them just right. Others were happy with theirs and were engaged in some lighthearted ribbing, psychological operations and generally shooting the bull.

Friday Night, the first two rounds of qualifying began. The Electric Sprint Mod and EDM drivers put down some real fast lap times down in the low 7’s and the Drivers in Nitro Sprints, both Open and DODC Classes were in the high 6’s. Just in the first heat! The second heat was just like the first, fast and with real wheel bumping side-by-side races throughout the field. At no time did I see any stroking. Racing was getting intense, with more to come.

Saturday Night, the last heat of qualifying and the Mains…Wow! More hard racing, and I mean hard racing, these drivers were after it. Last chance to get the TQ position and improve their place in the heats and starting grid. There was not a lot of crashing or cars flaming out or any other crazy stuff, like wheels falling off, loose pinions, etc. This is not normal!

While setting up for the Mains, there was a Best of Show competition and picture taking over on the asphalt oval. Sort of a break to get the track just right and take care of any last minute glitches. Maybe to give the driver’s some time to relax!

So start the mains, I was finally able to watch most of the races this time as my A Main wasn’t until Race 8. Joined by a lot of others who were set to go. We settled down behind the catch fence in anticipation for some real racing. We were not disappointed.

The first D Main set the mood for the rest of the evening. Intense does not describe the goings on. I thought the quals had been good, but these guys were vying for the two bump up spots in the upcoming C Mains, B Mains and eventually the A Mains. The drivers put forth a good show, pushing a little harder in the turns than before and really lighting up the tires and they dug in for the run down the straight-aways. Power wheelies and tire lofting became the norm, going slide-ways, bumps, and spinouts where inevitable and happened. But it did not detract from the goings on! They all were going for it! C Mains, more of the same. I was standing with one of the B Main racers and he was complaining about his hand sweating! I wondered who else was having the same problem.

“B” Mains, the final 2 bump up spots for the “A” Mains were about to be decided. At the tone, cars were digging in and gone. The first few laps you could have thrown a blanket over the entire field. But this did not last for long, cars flipped down the straights, (several of which, I didn’t think were ever going to stop) throwing parts everywhere! And the field spread out and the A Main Line ups had been decided.

Our webmaster “Boone”, Tyler Norton and Craig Frase were the biggest movers. Boone and Tyler starting from the C Mains and running all the way to the A’s. Way to go! Boone was fun to watch, he proved that you didn’t have to have the fastest car in the field, but by keeping after it, staying out of trouble and digging in you can make it. He drove that car for all it was worth, on the same line lap after lap! Tyler took the bump up’s and finished 3rd in the Sprint Main, now that is doing something! Craig also bumped up from the D to the B in the sprint main, falling four spots short to getting into the A. Another valiant effort by anyone able to go through two bump ups!

The A Mains were not disappointing either, great racing here too. But the biggest of them all was coming up. DODC and Open Class Sprinters. 10 cars on the grid, the best of the best about to duke it out! Some drivers were a little jumpy, there seemed to be some problems getting the rolling line up correct. The Top Qualifiers did not waste anytime in establishing their supremacy and stayed there! Lap times were improved; I heard several 6.5’s called out. The rest of the field is where the racing was. Good clean, hard and fast racing. This was one that you had to see it to believe

The track had been well maintained all night resulting in high traction and high bite track. These A Main gassers where throwing rooster tails and bits of dirt into the crowd. I don’t know how much of the racing surface was removed during these heats but the track held up even for the last race of the evening. I looked over the track at the end of the night; it was still in good condition and could have sustained another full round of racing! The M&M Boys as I said earlier really outdid themselves.

The ShootOut/Trophy Dash…big sprinters against small sprinters, inverted and every other one, 5 and 5. More good racing, more of the same, but different somehow.

I mentioned earlier, that we all couldn’t be Winners. Though not everyone took the Checkered Flag, we are all winners in a hobby that has proved itself once again. It has provided a lot of fun, bragging rights and the opportunity to have the best people in the world to call “friend”. We have filled up our storybooks to last for another year. Hundreds of stories, each time these stories will be embellished more and more. What more could you ask for?