FALLON - Highlighting the racing card this week was the Hobby Stock Challenge, an endurance event for this division. And it was a challenge but just to survive the caution-plagued event, but in the end a husband and wife team took the victory.

Normally Shawn Natenstedt pilots an IMCA Modified, but for the second week in a row he was driving his wife's Hobby Stock with her in the passenger seat.

"It's a totally different animal than the modified," he said. "I've got to restructure my whole driving curve as it takes a lot to drive one of these smoothly. We dialed it in after last week and my wife helped me with the setup."

Shawn and Missy started the race dead last, which might have been a good thing.

Just before the start, the officials shortened the race to a pair of 25-lap segments from the original 30, with a 10-minute pit stop at the halfway point.

A preview of what was to come happened on the first attempt when one car spun in front of the pack before the 21-car field even completed one circuit.

The first leader was Chris Neal. Then on the other two attempts, Jimmy Berhorst held the point. After three attempts, several cautions and at least a couple of red flag periods to clean wrecked cars from the track the field had covered five green-flag laps in 40 minutes.

By then the frustrated officials cut the event to one 30-lap race but later decided to keep the pit stop but make the second part a 10-lap shootout to the checkered.

During the first segment, it appeared as though Jeff Wilson would have the race locked up as he showed the entire pack his heels. Back in traffic Natenstedt, Dean Clark, who also had a passenger on board, and Carl Barlow were moving toward the front.

After several more cautions the field was cut to 16 cars still left on the track. Late in the first segment Wilson dropped from the lead after getting a flat when a slower car turned into his.

Now, Natenstedt was in the lead with Clark on his back bumper followed by Royce Goetz, who decided to race once more at Fallon before heading to North Carolina.

At the pit stop, leader Natenstedt made some air pressure adjustments to the car while his crew added fuel to the car. When the green waved again he took off and stormed away to claim the overall victory.

Clark was second with Goetz third. Barlow, who normally is a contender had to fall out with mechanical problems.

For Missy Natenstedt, an accomplished racer in her own right, the ride was both a lesson as well an interesting experience.

"It's a little weird not being on control but you notice a lot more things not driving," she said. "I'm trying to learn how to drive with two feet, left foot braking, as I don't do that know and am watching Shawn to learn."

Earlier in the evening the IMCA Modifieds took to the track for their 25-lap feature. First on point was Russell Rosario while Jesse Gonzalez and Natenstedt headed to the front.

They did have contact on the third lap that dropped Gonzalez to the back. Two laps later

After the first caution on lap five, Natenstedt used an outside pass to claim the lead. Behind him Bill Pearson and Gonzalez were giving chase.

Two more cautions kept the cars bunched, but with four to go, Natenstedt got crossed up exiting Turn 4 and Gonzalez just had to take evasive action.

From that point on he stormed away to the win followed by Gonzalez and Pearson.

"It was an aggressive track and I set up for the end, hoping it would go dry-slick and it didn't," Natenstedt said. "The car was awesome but I was protecting the bottom line in Turn 4 as it was slick and rough on top. I do need to thank my sponsors, Samco Fabrication in Reno, Silverado Casino and Jake's Gas in Fernley."

Although Bruce Ferrier led the charge when the Pro Stock feature began, it took Travis Petersen less than five laps to claim the lead. Despite several cautions, he was never headed and was followed across the line by Dean Cichiwocz, who tired to make a race of it.

We had a lot of cautions out there but we just did our job as we're on a mission tonight to go to the front and win," Petersen said. "It's out first time out there this year and have to thank my crew because they put this car together in about 12 hours. We had to change tires as they run different things out here but it didn't matter as we went right to the front and won."

The GenX as a class is shrinking as several drivers are moving up to either the Bomber or Hobby Stock divisions so only five cars answered the green this night.

Charging from the back, Skeeter Donaldson grabbed the lead and was chased by Cody Thunder. They would finish in that order.

I was disappointed at first because there were only about four or five cars," Donaldson said. "I put a new motor in the car after blowing it up two weeks ago then I made some adjustments after the heat race so it handled well."

He then thanked sponsors, D Bar M Holsteins, Wingstop, Dickies BBQ Grill, Natenstedt Racing, Jenks Racing, Big Mike, Impact Graphics and the Pizza Factory

The track's Outlaw Sprint class is slowly building and on this night only four of these winged racers took the green. It was a party of three with Dan Edgington fell out early.

Mike White was in the catbird's seat until he got turned sideways just prior to taking the white flag. This put Tony Taylor in the lead and the chase was on as they raced to the checkered flag.

White managed to get the lead back so he and Taylor crossed the line in that order with Wayne Walsh finishing third.

After two attempts the Rat Mod feature began. Frank Kay was on point early until mechanical problems ended his night.

Next to lead was Glenn Lee but he couldn't hold off a charging Luis Miranda, who eventually made the winning pass. At the checkered Sean Renfro was second and Lee slipped back to third.

"I adjusted my car to what I thought the track was going to be," Miranda said. "The 81 (Glenn Lee) put up a really good fight but I finally got the best of them."

One maddening item that bedeviled the officials was an electrical problem that would suddenly cut the lights on from either the starter's stand, the warning lights or those that illuminate the track from Turn 4 to past the starter's stand.

In fact one Hobby Stock start came after the warning lights went out, the usual signal for the green flag. Officials are going to take a look at that before the next event.

•This week's racing begins Wednesday at Desert Raceway Park in Lemmon Valley. The Northern Nevada Kart Club is hosting the four-day long Grand National Sprint National Championships.

Kart racers from across the country are in town and different classes race each day for their national championships.

On Friday the Lovelock Speedway, in conjunction with the town's Frontier Days, hosts two nights of racing. Friday's racing begins at 7 p.m. while there is a 6 p.m. start to Saturday's action.

Another Saturday race, beginning at 7 p.m., is at American Valley Speedway, in Quincy, Calif.

The new Nevada Motorsports Park, located close to the fairgrounds in Gardnerville, hosts two days of racing. Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. has local riders while Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., is for the vintage MX bikes in the AHRMA series.

OTHER RACING NEWS

•Only three of NASCAR's Nevada Quartet saw action this weekend.

At the Camping World Truck event at Kentucky Speedway T.J. Bell didn't have a good Saturday afternoon when engine problems dropped him to 23rd after starting 10th.

Saturday night's Nationwide event was staged at Gateway International Raceway where Kyle Busch came from ninth to take the win but an accident dropped Brendan Gaughan to 31st at the finish.

CORRECTION

•In July 4th race report about Rattlesnake Raceway, there was an error concerning the Gen-X race winner. Jon Shilling actually won that race.

RESULTS

Rattlesnake Raceway - July 18

Hobby Stocks:

Heat Winners - #1 Royce Goetz, #2 Jeff Wilson, #3 Shawn Natenstedt

Main (30-Lap Section) - 1. Shawn Natenstedt, 2. Dean Clark, 3. Royce Goetz, 4 Mike DeWinter, 5. Bob Vaden

Main (10-Lap Shootout for Overall Finish) - 1. Shawn Natenstedt, 2. Dean Clark, 3. Royce Goetz, 4. James Renfro, 5. Jeff Foster.

IMCA Modifieds:

Heat Winners - #1 Shawn Natenstedt, #2 Bill Pearson

Main (25 Laps) - 1. Shawn Natenstedt, 2. Jesse Gonzalez, 3. Bill Pearson, 4. Wade Lumsden, 5. Russel Rosario

Pro Stocks:

Heat Winner - Travis Petersen

Main (20 Laps) - 1. Travis Petersen, 2. Dean Cichiwocz, 3. Michael Prein, 4. Gary Nevars, 5. Jerry Crowley

Sprints:

Heat Winner - Tony Taylor

Main (15 Laps) - 1. Mike White, 2. Tony Taylor, 3. Wayne Walsh

Bombers:

Heat Winner - #1 Brian Kaster, #2 Annette Rinehart

Main (20 Laps) - 1. Brian Kaster, 2. Annette Rinehart, 3. Caleb Lumsden, 4. Kelly Thompson, 5. Nick Pruit

Rat Mods:

Heat Winner - Luis Miranda

Main (15 Laps) - 1. Luis Miranda, 2. Jon Schilling, 3. Glenn Lee, 4. David Woods, 5. Duncan Lee

GenX:

Heat Winner - Cody Thunder

Main (12 Laps) - 1. Skeeter Donaldson, 2. Cody Thunder, 3. Yolanda Kaster, Steve Foster