LAS VEGAS, Nev. (Nov. 9) – Jeremy Payne, Jay Noteboom and Matt Mueller were qualifying fea­ture winners on a record-setting Friday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Payne and Noteboom both paced IMCA Modified qualifiers for Saturday’s $7,777 Duel In The De­sert while Mueller took the checkers in the IMCA SportMod qualifier.
In all, 253 IMCA Modifieds and 55 Karl Chevrolet Northern SportMods and Smiley’s Racing Chas­sis Southern SportMods competed on day two of the 15th annual event. The car count of 308 is the high­est in Duel In The Desert history.

Payne, the 2005 and 2006 race winner, led all but the first of 25 circuits in topping Friday’s first event for the Modifieds. He brought Ricky Alvarado along into lapped traffic but wasn’t seriously threatened. Tyson Turnbull and Darin Duffy rounded out the top four. Kellen Chadwick was disquali­fied from third place in post-race tech inspection for an engine rule violation.

Milo Veloz Jr. led the first five laps in the second qualifier before giving way to Noteboom, who led the last 20 times around the half-mile Dirt Track. Brandon Blochlinger and Matt Brack followed.

Payne or Noteboom will draw the outside pole start; the rest of the Friday top four’s will line up behind them. The winners of 12 last-chance races, all lined up by points on Saturday, complete the main event field.

That race will be 40 laps.

Ryan Henley led the first four laps of the SportMod qualifier before defending Duel In The Desert winner Jesse Sobbing zoomed by.

Sobbing’s turn at the front lasted six circuits before he got caught up with a lapped car and col­lected second-running Nick Spainhoward.

That put Henley back at the point. He stayed there until Mueller took charge on lap 16. Henley, Tyler Frye and John Piker followed.

Top four finishers from each of three last-chance races complete Saturday’s SportMod field.

Young Guns and Legends features for the IMCA Modifieds are also on the last night’s card.

The 55 SportMods in town for the Duel hail from 11 states.

Results
1st Modified feature – 1. Jeremy Payne. Nixa, Mo.; Ricky Alvarado, Delta, Colo.; 3. Tyson Turn­bull, Estevan, Sask.; 4. Darin Duffy, Hazleton, Iowa; 5. Scott Drake, Joplin, Mo.; 6. Kyle Brown, Kellogg, Iowa; 7. Troy Cordes, Dunkerton, Iowa; 8. Justin O’Brien, West Union, Iowa; 9. Shawn Natenstedt, Fernley; 10. Ryan Roath, Phoenix, Ariz.; 11. Robert Adams, Redrock, Ariz.; 12. Eddie Belec, Lakewood, Colo.; 13. Jeremy Frenier, Fort Morgan, Colo.; 14. Mike Villanueva, Atwater, Calif.; 15. Kevin Stoa, Albert Lea, Minn.; 16. J.J. Wise, Manly, Iowa; 17. Bob Moore, Sioux City, Iowa; 18. Cory Sample, Winnemucca; 19. Rob Sanders, Bakersfield, Calif.; 20. Brian Foote, Es­sex, Iowa; 21. Travis Hagen, Williston, N.D.; 22. Riley Simmons, Susanville, Calif.; 23. Joshua Vogt, Santa Maria, Calif.; 24. George Ashby Jr., Rawlins, Wyo.; 25. Mike Hagen, Williston, N.D.; 26. Lance Mari, El Centro, Calif.; 27. Zane DeVilbiss, Farmington, N.M.: 28. Will Brack, Mead, Colo.; 29. Luke Wanninger, Minburn, Iowa; 30. Kellen Chadwick, Oakley, Calif.

2nd Modified feature – 1. Jay Noteboom, Hinton, Iowa; 2. Milo Veloz Jr., Colona, Ill.; 3. Brandon Blochlinger, Concordia, Kan.; 4. Matt Brack, Mead, Colo.; 5. Jordan Grabouski, Beatrice, Neb.; 6. Tim Ward, Gilbert, Ariz.; 7. Steven Pfeifer, Minot, N.D.; 8. Mark Stewart, Sedona, Ariz.; 9. Ryan Ruter, Kanawha, Iowa; 10. Bobby Hogge IV, Salina, Calif.; 11. Jason Beaulieu, Campbell River, B.C.; 12. Jesse Stovall, Galena, Mo.; 13. Ed Turnbull, Estevan, Sask.; 14. Travis Sherfick, WaKeeney, Kan.; 15. Alex Hanson, Northwood, Iowa; 16. Jacob Murray, Hartford, Iowa; 17. Johnny Saathoff, Beatrice, Neb.; 18. Jeff Streeter, Chowchilla, Calif.; 19. Chris McKellar, Bakers­field, Calif.; 20. Justin Radcliff, China Spring, Texas; 21. Casey Delp, Rock Springs, Wyo.; 22. Robert Hellebust, Minot, N.D.; 23. Spencer Wilson, Minot, N.D.; 24. Jimmy Reeves, Hanford, Ca­lif.; 25. Nick Nelson, Farmington, N.M.; 26. Brandon Beckendorf, Danube, Minn.; 27. Eric Hamil­ton, Hanford, Calif.; 28. Dylan Sherfick, WaKeeney, Kan.; 29. Dylan Smith, Osceola, Neb.; 30. Daniel Hilsabeck, Adel, Iowa.

SportMod feature – 1. Matt Mueller, Stamford, Texas; 2. Ryan Henley, Aztec, N.M.; 3. Tyler Frye, Belleville, Kan.; 4. John Piker, Bakersfield, Calif.; 5. Jerry Hinton, Adel, Iowa; 6. Steve Hayes, Eastland, Texas; 7. Dean Abbey, Waco, Texas; 8. Aaron Benson, Clear Lake, Iowa; 9. Ben Kates, Tonganoxie, Kan.; 10. Brian Carey, Aztec, N.M.; 11. Tony Rost, Utica, Neb.; 12. Rich­ard Henley, Farmington, N.M.; 13. Cody Brown, Chowchilla, Calif.; 14. Justin Shaw, Sweetwater, Texas; 15. Darrell Hood, Bakersfield, Calif.; 16. Brandon Tenski, Farmington, N.M.; 17. Jesse Sobbing, Glenwood, Iowa; 18. Randy Eitel, Farmington, N.M.; 19. Jordan Lathram, Hobbs, N.M.; 20. Nick Roberts, Des Moines, Iowa; 21. Nick Spainhoward, Bakersfield, Calif.; 22. Austin Kaplan, Des Moines, Iowa; 23. Josh Modde, Des Moines, Iowa; 24. Matt Sotomayor, Sanger, Calif.