1/14/2024
Ahumada Jr. posts 3 consecutive top-10 finishes in Wild West Shootout
Carlos Ahumada Jr. continued the strong start to his 2024 campaign on Wednesday through Sunday with four more races close to home at Vado (N.M.) Speedway Park. In four nights of action to close out the 18th annual Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout, Ahumada finished no worse than 13th.
He competed in both Modified A-Mains to kick off this year’s racing season on the first weekend of the 18th annual event, and his Hacienda Mechanical No. 65x ride was among 52 cars in the class at the 3/8-mile oval when the six-day miniseries got back underway on Wednesday. The El Paso, Texas, driver opened the night by marching from 10th to fourth in his heat, putting him in the seventh starting spot for the night’s 25-lap, $1,000-to-win feature race. He climbed one position to finish sixth.
After a scheduled off day on Thursday, Ahumada returned to the track on Friday as one of 59 Modified drivers with their sights set on a $1,000 victory. A runner-up finish in his heat race positioned Ahumada 12th to start the 25-lap A-Main. He moved forward a solid eight spots and crossed under the checkered flag fourth behind Terry Phillips, Jake O’Neill and Cade Dillard. Jake Gallardo rounded out the top five.
On Saturday, the Modified winner’s share increased to $2,000, bringing 57 cars to the track. Ahumada turned in another solid performance, finishing third in his heat race and starting 11th in the 25-lap feature. He again moved forward, coming home eighth.
A $2,000 prize was also on the line in Sunday’s finale, with Ahumada among 44 Modified competitors at Vado. After a sixth-place finish in his heat, Ahumada grabbed the runner-up spot in his B-Main to start 19th in the 25-lap main event. He finished in the 13th position, his only finish outside of the top 10 in four nights of racing.
Full results from the Wild West Shootout are at www.wildwestshootout.net.
Article Credit: Tyler Rinken image