All-American friends make it clean sweep

Good friends and teammates can get to be a little too close, especially on a racetrack.

Mario Opipari, Phil Goodwin and Darren Rollins are best friends and together work on their race cars in the Chargers stock-car division of the NASCAR All-American Racing Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Bullring.

On May 26 they were so close that it contributed to a crash that took them all out of the race and forced Rollins to miss one event while the frame of his 1987 Monte Carlo could be repaired.

Goodwin was able to make that race and won it.

The trio made a complete comeback Saturday night at the Bullring when they swept the top three spots with Opipari winning for the second time of the season.

Opipari was followed across the finish line by Rollins and Goodwin.

Opipari maintained his position atop the division standings.

“We always race hard,” he said. “We help each other all week and at the track. It’s just fun being out here with your friends.”

Goodwin said, “It’s always a team effort but I race these guys just as hard as anyone.” Goodwin won the Chargers championship the past two years.

In the featured Super Late Models 40-lap race, Dustin Ash won for the second consecutive week when he held off Taylor Barton.

Only 10 of the 19 starters finished.

In other divisions: Joe Deguevara won in Late Models; Jeremiah Wagner won his first Legends feature of the year; Ed Hohman was first in Thunder Roadsters; and in Bandoleros, Brianna Holley won Young Guns and Dylan Kwasniewski was best in Bandits.

* DRAG RACING — Becky Phlegar won the Super Pro title Saturday night in the Jerry’s Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Other category winners were: Walter Shupe (Pro), Ruston Peterson (Sportsman) and Sean Conner (Motorcycle). NHRA Jr. Dragsters winners were: Anthony Peterson (Thunder), Colton Hall (Lightning) and Jordan Palmer (Novice).