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Nmmotorsportsreport Sept16 NEW MEXICO SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER VOL #1 ISSUE #5 new mexico R E P O R T Report JIM GUTHRIE IS DRIVEN SPRINT CAR RACER A VISIT TO JOSH NASCAR HODGES HALL OF FAME 2 NMMotorsportsReport.com new mexico SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2016 VOLUME 1 ISSUE 5 R E P O R T Josh Hodges Story by David Swope Publisher RaDine William, LLC Editor Dominic Aragon Design & Layout David Lansa Jason Rominger DL Graphic Design Photographers @surfnsprint Jim Guthrie is Jason Rominger Driven WJR Photography Story by David Swope David Swope Editorial Contributors Dominic Aragon Jim Costa David Swope Publication Sponsors ABQ Dragway Car Crafters NAPA Auto Parts Unser Racing Museum Nascar Hall of Fame Yearwood Performance Story by Dominic Aragon Cover Photo @surfnsprint NM Motorsports Report copyright 2016®. All contents of this magazine are copyrighted by NM Motorsports Report, alls rights reserved. Reproduction of any articles, advertisement or material from this issue is forbidden without Tricks of the Trade permission of the publisher. Publisher assumes no responsibility and is not to be held liable for “Nitrous” part 1 errors beyond the cost of the space occupied Story by Jim Costa by advertisers. NMMotorsportsReport.com • 3 Turning right to Go left Photo: @surfnsprint By David Swope The safety record of sprint car racing in recent races. “The biggest difference between Wing and years has been greatly improved with better Non-Wing Sprints comes down to driver input. design of roll cages, fire equipment, helmets Wing Sprints generate more down-force which Josh Hodges and a HANS devise. Track fire & safety per- helps the car’s handling and allows for faster Tijeras, NM sonal are highly trained, specifically to protect speeds while a Non-Wing Sprint relies heavily on the drivers. the driver. On dirt, you never have a perfect race Age: 21 car with the surface constantly changing during The recent death of Bryan Clauson at a the race, it is a chess match between the driv- print cars are high-powered race cars that midget race in Lincoln, Nebraska on August ers,” said Hodges. th compete mainly on ¼ to ½ mile oval, dirt 7 shook not just the sprint car family but the Sor paved tracks. In New Mexico, Sprints entire racing community. Many Indy Car Series The Hodges Race Team has traveled over his only race on dirt tracks. Tracks from Aztec to Las and NASCAR drivers used sprint car racing career with races mainly focused in the South- Cruces see their summer seasons full of both as an intermediate stepping stone on their west, tracks in Arizona, California and around Winged and Non-Winged Sprints. way to more high-profile divisions. Indianapolis New Mexico. Hodges was able to race at some 500 winners A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti, Parnelli of the most Iconic tracks such as Knoxville, Ko- Sprint cars have a very high power-to-weight Jones and Al Unser, Jr., as well as NASCAR komo, Perris and Devil’s Pole in Dallas, Texas but ratio. At a weight of 1,375 pounds at the scale Sprint Cup champions Jeff Gordon and Tony Eldora is still on his Bucket List. including driver for a 410 Sprint car, power out- Stewart. put of 900 horsepower and 600 foot pounds of Josh and his and father, Jack Hodges, decided torque are commonplace for these machines. By Local sprint car racer Josh Hodges started to travel east in 2016. The plan is to get Hodges comparison, sprint cars have 150 to 300 horse- in quarter midgets at Sandia Speedway at more experience on different tracks competing power more than a Formula One engine. old 7 years old. From Tijeras, New Mexico, against different drivers. Indiana was far enough Hodges as moved up the ranks through Micro to find top caliber competition and National Typically they are powered by a naturally aspi- / Mini Sprints and spent this summer racing in Sponsor exposure as Hodges career grows. rated V8 engine with a displacement of 410 cubic Indiana where you can compete in 3-4 races Hodges’ National Power Ranking in USAC (Unit- inches capable of 9000 rpm. With an optimal per weekend. Hodges is currently a student at ed States Auto Club) has been as high as the mechanical setup (engine, gearing, shocks, etc.) New Mexico Tech, pursuing a degree in Me- top 5 in 360 and top 10 in 410 this year. Hodges and the track layout these cars achieve speeds chanical Engineering. is currently looking at 40 shows (races) in the in excess of 160 mph. A lower budget but like- 2016 campaign with the Oval Nationals being in wise very popular class of sprint cars uses a 360 Hodges’ sprint car career started in 2009 November. cubic inch engines that produce approximately with experience in both Wing and Non-Wing 700 horsepower. Sprints. The 2015 season found Hodges focus- Racing in general but specifically sprint car rac- ing more on Non-Wing events and only 2 Wing ing involves a tremendous level of trust in the 4 NMMotorsportsReport.com Turning right to Go left Photo: @surfnsprint Photo: Jason Rominger drivers around you. “You put a lot of trust in each other. Respect is earned by how you drive and putting in the work. There is not specifically a driver code but knowledge about the car, pitching in to keep the car on the track and good feedback to the crew matter,” said Hodges. With 24 Sprint cars starting a Main Event on a track as short as a ¼ mile, safety is a premium JACKSON COMPACTION starting with trust. PROUD SUPPORTER Being a local racer traveling and trying to build a reputation and experience comes at a tremendous cost and can only be accomplished by family sup- port and sponsor financing.T alent alone will only get you so far. Young driv- OF LOCAL RACING ers are required to do sponsor events, media and many public relationship opportunities. Racing is beyond a full time job because most of the time you also have a full time job. Hodges has sponsorship from local business such as Jackson Compaction, Mesilla Valley Trucking, Ortega’s Appliance Repair and Hodges Automotive Repair. Follow Josh Hodges on Facebook, twitter @JoshHodgesRacin and You trash it, we smash it! JoshHodgesRacing.com. 6420 2nd St. NW. Albuquerque, NM 87107 (505) 344-8848 jacksoncompaction.com NMMotorsportsReport.com • 5 Jim Guthrie is By David Swope By David Swope DRIVEN im Guthrie is a long-time resident of NASCAR guys and the age difference. You can the equipment hold out. It is the truest form of Albuquerque. Born in Gadsden, Alabama, be pretty competitive in NASCAR, look at Mark racing because now I am racing myself. I have JJim has no interest in the Crimson Tide. “I Martin.” no excuses.” don’t care for ball and stick sports, never have,” said Jim many times when I have tried to engage WHEN DID YOU DECIDE TO GET INTO Car Crafters has been serving the Albuquerque him in some Lobo talk. Graduated from Eldorado TRIATHLONS / IRON MAN? community since 1982 and is currently High School, spent some time at UNM but rebranding a location to be just like the other ultimately has earned a doctorate in Owning Your “It has been about 3 ½ years. My son in-law 5 locations only it is in Rio Rancho. For more Own Business. Sid competed in an Iron Man down in Cozumel information, check out www.carcrafters.com and my wife and I tagged along. I was like, If you ever spend any time around Jim Guthrie, man this is cool. I should be doing this. People you would agree that he is driven. Driven were asking me if I did the Iron Man and I to perfection whether on the track or in his thought why not I should be doing this. So I company, Car Crafters. We had a chance to bought a bike and started riding. Then I started catch up with Jim and find out what he is up to. running and learned how to swim. You know I like to compete so I got a trainer and got WHAT ARE YOU THE MOST PROUD OF WITH CAR serious.” CRAFTERS? HOW DOES THIS TRAINING COMPARE TO WHEN “The people. All along, the people have YOU USED TO RACE? supported me, even before we built Montano. I have some employees that have been with me “If I knew back then what I know now, I would for over thirty years, a lot of them 20-25 years. have trained differently. I trained 3 days a The growth and success of the business has week. 2 and a hours a day. It was mostly circuit NEW MEXICO been as much theirs as mine. Now we have got training. It incorporated your heart rate being over 160 employees. It is the people is what I am elevated. And there was lifting with all different OWNED AND most proud of.” parts of your body. Then back on the bike and make sure your heart rate is back up then DID YOU EVER THINK YOU WOULD HAVE 6 OR do the circuit again. Training for triathlons is OPERATED MORE CAR CRAFTERS? so specific. Swimming is all upper body and core. Running is lower body and core. Biking 1017theteam.com “No, I never thought it would be this big, I never is definitely legs and some core. I think now, thought we would have more than 20 employees. twice my age when I won in Phoenix, well 19 ESPNRadio1017theteam We had an opportunity with purchasing years, I am in much better shape.
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