News Director 
Story By: BEN SHELTON / WILD WEST SHOOTOUT – VADO, NM – Rio Grande Waste Services will once again be the title sponsor of the Wild West Shootout as the storied miniseries prepares for its 18th edition on Jan. 6-14, 2024 at FK Rod Ends Vado Speedway Park.
The red-hot racing extravaganza will be titled the Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts.
“I am excited to return as the (event) title sponsor for the Wild West Shootout. This will be my sixth overall year to be involved as a marketing partner in some capacity with the event. Chris Kearns and his team continue to impress and exceed my expectations and the move to Vado Speedway Park a few years ago was ideal with the start of Rio Grande Waste Services in the El Paso and Las Cruces area,” shares Rio Grande Waste Services president, Larry Henk. “I believe Vado is one of the Top-5 nicest facilities in the country and the nicest west of the Mississippi and the racing action is second to none. I look forward to the action in January, and let’s go racing!”
Thanks to support from Rio Grande Waste Services, as well as other great event marketing partners, the Super Late Model portion of the week’s festivities includes five $10,000-to-win programs along with a $25,000-to-win / $1,000-to-start finale.
As well as being the title sponsor for the event, Rio Grande Waste Services will once again sponsor many additional bonuses throughout the miniseries. Superlatives sponsored by the Larry Henk led company include a $1,000 bonus for the “Shock the Clock Challenge” to the overall Super Late Model Fast Time (in qualifying) and a $500 bonus for the “Hard Charger” Super Late Model for each of the six nights.
“We couldn’t do what we do with the payouts (which exceeds $320,000) at the Wild West Shootout without great marketing partners like Larry Henk and Rio Grande Waste Services,” says event marketing director, Jason Babyak. “With great support from marketing partners, racers, and fans, I can’t wait to see what January 6-14 has in store for us all at FK Rod Ends Vado Speedway Park.”
Reserved six-day ticket packages are now available for the 18th annual Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts at FK Rod Ends Vado Speedway Park.
The six-day packages are $155, which is a $30 savings off the retail price of $185.
Six-day, reserved seat packages guarantee patrons a seat in the top two rows at the state-of-the-art New Mexico oval.
The mega miniseries features six days of racing spanning January 6-14 with Super Late Models, Modifieds, and X-Mods contesting complete programs each day.
“After everyone saw the amazing racing action that Vado Speedway Park produced at the 2022 Wild West Shootout, we experienced a significant fan attendance increase in 2023. Based on feedback and questions we’ve already received for 2024, we expect another big increase in attendance for the upcoming year’s event, and all this makes the reserved seating more important for fans, who want their specific seats each night,” said Wild West Shootout promoter, Chris Kearns. “Even better they get a $185 value for just $155, when they buy a six-day ticket package in advance. We couldn’t be more excited for the 2024 Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts.”
The January 2023 Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts saw 191 drivers from 20 different states, two countries, and two Canadian provinces enter at least one event as the miniseries enjoyed perhaps the greatest on-track action in its history.
Over $320,000 in prize money will be on the line during the upcoming 18th Annual Rio Grande Waste Services Wild West Shootout presented by O’Reilly Auto Parts on Jan. 6 – 14 at FK Rod Ends Vado Speedway Park. The event includes six complete programs for three divisions.
Each night finds the Dirt Track Bank Super Late Models presented by Black Diamond Race Cars, Mesilla Valley Transportation/ Border Tire Modifieds presented by Rancho Milagro, and RHRSwag.com X-Mods presented by Barnett Harley Davidson competing in action.
Additionally, an open practice session is slated for both January 5 and January 9.
Last but not least, each division will compete for a miniseries point’s championship and accompanying point fund.
