Article By Ryan Neuharth, Courtesy Of USRaceway.net - Photo By Chris Burback
Tucson, Arizona - Picking up right where he left off the 2009 season, Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, WI wheeled his BSB Manufacturing / Chevytown / Deppe Enterprises / Wiles Driveshafts / Baileigh Industries / Pro Power Racing Engines / MB Customs Chassis to the opening night feature win of the 2010 Wild West Shootout.

Mars would earn the pole for the night's 30-lap, $3000 to win main event after starting last and winning his heat race, gathering the most passing points of the 52 competitors who filled the USA Raceway pit area. Mars would grab the lead at the drop of the green with six time SWDRA Champion Lonnie Parker, Jr taking second from his outside front row starting spot. John Anderson would slot third followed by Matt Aukland, and Randy Korte rounding out the top five.

Korte would jump from fifth to third on lap two as Kelly Boen swapped sixth with Rob Mayea and Billy Moyer made his way into the top 10 from twelfth. With five down Mars was quickly stretching his advantage as Parker, Jr and Korte battled high and low for the runner-up position while Heckenast, Jr now having cracked the top five. The races first caution would appear on lap six when Winnipeg, Manitoba driver Mike Balcean erupted in a cloud of smoke on the front stretch and ended his evening.

Mars lead the field back to green on the Delaware double file restart as Parker, Jr continued to hold off the charge of Korte. John Anderson still had a hold of the fourth position as Kelly Boen jumped from seventh to fifth and the series all-time winningest driver Terry Phillips was now 10th from 18th. The yellow would appear for the second time for a spinning Jeremy Payne on lap eight. On the restart, Korte made the move to second on lap nine as Boen now took the forth spot from Anderson and set his sights on the top three.

Terry Phillips was on the man on the move as the Springfield, MO pilot dispatched Matt Aukland on lap eight, Billy Moyer on lap nine and Heckenast, Jr on lap 10 to now find himself in seventh. That trio would race two and three wide for position as Boen now began to put serious heat on Parker, Jr for the number three spot. Boen would grab that spot on lap 13. Half way home Mars continued to lead followed by Korte, Boen, Parker, Jr, and Anderson rounding out the top five. A great four car battle for the sixth spot, now occupied by Phillips, was ragging as Moyer, Rob Mayea and Heckenast, Jr swapped seventh through ninth lap after lap.

Anderson and Parker, Jr would swap fourth twice on lap 16 and race side by side until Anderson finally secured that spot two circuits later, and Phillips moved Parker, Jr back another spot on lap 19 to now find his way into the top five with 10 to go. The battle was now on for sixth as both Moyer also found their way past Parker, Jr on lap 19 while Mayea and Heckenast, Jr staged their own personal battle to stay locked in the top ten with just ten laps remaining.

Mars began to encounter the back of the field as Boen moved ever closer to Korte and the two raced side by side to finish off the 20th circuit and begin lap 21. Boen would make the high side work to his advantage and was now in the lead chase position, slowly reeling in Mars as the top two picked their way through the slower lapped traffic. With just five to go Mars again stretched the advantage as Korte moved back in on Boen. Anderson, Phillips, Moyer, Heckenast, Jr, Parker, Jr and now Pat Doar from his 19th starting spot was ninth with Mayea rounding out the top ten.

Caution would appear once again on lap 28 for a slowing Lance Matthees, and again on the restart as Brad Looney and John Lowry founded themselves making contact and spinning in turn two. Moyer and Korte would jump to the outside on the restart and find it beneficial as Korte snagged second from Boen and Moyer jumped from sixth to fourth in a three wide fight with Anderson and Phillips. Up front it was all Jimmy Mars as he cruised to his first feature win of 2010 and his third career Wild West Shootout checker flag.