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Rodney Sanders takes runner-up in Modified during Vado opening weekend

Coming off his fifth Summit United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) championship last season, Rodney Sanders opened his 2024 campaign by doing double duty in the 18th annual Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout at Vado (N.M.) Speedway Park.

When the event opened on Saturday, Brian Daugherty's Huey Brothers Inc. No. 73 Super Late Model piloted by Sanders was one of 44 in the pits at the 3/8-mile oval, while Sanders' familiar ARMI No. 20 Modified was among 60 entries in that class.

Sanders finished fifth in his Super Late Model heat and missed the transfer by one position, but won his B-Feature from the pole to move into the night’s 40-lap, $11,000-to-win finale. He picked up six spots from his 17th-place starting position to come home 11th.

In his Modified, Sanders tested some new ideas but didn’t find the results he wanted. He finished sixth in his heat and pulled off in the “B,” registering a 19th-place finish and ending his evening before the 25-lap, $2,000-to-win main event.

Sunday also brought 44 Supers to the track, where Sanders again finished fifth in his Super Late Model heat to miss the transfer by one spot. However, he again won his B-Feature from the pole, putting him 17th on the grid for the weekend’s second 40-lap, $11,000-to-win race. He finished in the same position.

Meanwhile, Sanders turned in his usual strong performance in his Modified on Sunday as 57 entries vied for the $2,000 top prize. Sanders was runner-up in his heat and started the 25-lap, $2,000-to-win A-Main from the eighth spot.

He took the checkered flag in the second position, 2.743 seconds behind winner Cade Dillard. Gary Christian rounded out the podium, with Dereck Ramirez finishing fourth and Dan Ebert claiming fifth.

The Wild West Shootout gets back underway on Wednesday, January 10.

Full results are at www.wildwestshootout.net.

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