{"id":131305,"date":"2026-05-31T17:37:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T23:37:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-speedway-kicks-off-season-with-jd-minor-memorial-races\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T17:22:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T23:22:36","slug":"cortez-speedway-kicks-off-season-with-jd-minor-memorial-races","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-speedway-kicks-off-season-with-jd-minor-memorial-races\/","title":{"rendered":"Cortez Speedway kicks off season with JD Minor Memorial races"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The
The Cortez Speedway at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds kicked off its 2026 summer racing schedule with the JD Minor Memorial races on May 30. The event began with a parade lap to honor Dolores-native JD Minor, and his father drove the purple 57 car to lead the convoy of riders around the track to pay tribute. (Courtesy of Shandra Minor)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

CORTEZ \u2013 The roar of the stock car engines reverberates off Mesa Verde and carries into the heart of Cortez for several weekend nights each summer. That same energy echoed through the Cortez Speedway grandstands on Saturday night \u2013 the fairgrounds abuzz with families reconvening for the start of another special racing season.<\/p>\n

The season opener for the International Motor Contest Association harbored an extra layer of emotion on an unseasonably cool evening on the 3\/8 of a mile oval at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds. The racing series, operated by Blood, Sweat and Tears Promotions, kicked off its 2026 summer schedule with the JD Minor Memorial races, honoring the Dolores-native and racing enthusiast who tragically passed away in 2024 at the age of 16.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Minor family poses with JD\u2019s father Jesse and mother Shandra (center) in front of Jesse\u2019s Northern SportMod number 57 car. The Cortez Speedway at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds kicked off their 2026 summer racing schedule with the JD Minor Memorial races on May 30. (Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Among the hundreds of fans in attendance and dozens of competitors in the eight racing classifications, JD and the Minor family\u2019s impact had become impossible to forget. A parade lap to open the ceremonies showcased the overwhelming community support, while JD continued to oversee the pre-race lineup lane where he used to \u201ctell grow-ups what to do\u201d while getting them in the correct position to take the track.<\/p>\n

When the green flag dropped, the adrenaline kicked into full gear, making the opening two turns of the sprint track into a blur of dust and traded paint. From there, racing strategy kicked in, turning each line and aggressive pass into a moment that either yielded a big payoff or a disastrous spin on the banked curves.<\/p>\n

Sport compact winner Clay Tillia of Dolores found a line he liked and stuck with it on his way to the win in the 15-lap event.<\/p>\n

\u201cI held my line \u2013 for the front-wheel drives, it\u2019s just too slick up at the top of the track, so I just stayed low,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Dolores driver briefly gave up the lead in the middle laps, but surged back in front with a low-line burst that gave him the breathing room to slowly pull away. Tillia was quick to deflect his own achievements \u2013 his fifth win in eight tries in the sport compact division to begin the summer series \u2013 by recognizing how far along his children have come in their racing careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy daughter Coral is one of the top racers in nation right now as a rookie (sport compact division),\u201d Tillia said, while son Ruger and daughter Paley both have found a passion for the sport after the whole family took up racing at the same time, \u201cWe were helping a buddy move his race car, and my wife thought our daughter might be good at this \u2013 and now three years later we\u2019ve got 11 cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Tillia, and for many of the crews that lined the pit area beginning at 3 p.m. on race day, the battle scars on each vehicle are badges of honor from the love of the sport.<\/p>\n

\"Dolores
Dolores driver Clay Tillia (KO car on the left) leads the field to the green flag in the Sport Compact division at the JD Minor Memorial races at the Cortez Speedway on May 30. (Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cI haven\u2019t worked a single dent out of this car (Tillia\u2019s sport compact winning vehicle),\u201d he said, and then added with a laugh, \u201cand if it gets too banged up, you can replace the whole car for less than a shock might cost on another car.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the end, Tillia drove home the importance of the night \u2013 honoring a community member and fellow motorsports enthusiast on a night that captured the racing spirit of the Four Corners region.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is home right here,\u201d he said of getting to honor a fellow Dolores community member and friend in the JD Minor Memorial, \u201cand it\u2019s worth being here for anything in the world \u2013 no matter the places, this is where you need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shortly after Tillia captured one of the first checkered flags of the night, the future of sprint track racing took center stage. Cortez 13-year-old Brantley Frans cruised to victory in the Junior Warriors class \u2013 his second win in two nights after taking control at the Aztec Speedway on Friday night \u2013 a sign of a bright future ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dad (John) got me into it \u2013 and I\u2019ve been racing sport compact for the past three years,\u201d said Frans, who has aspirations of taking the track points championship this summer. John Frans claimed fourth in the sport compact adult division.<\/p>\n

Just one year away from getting to join his father in that division, Brantley Frans talked about his car\u2019s setup like a savvy veteran, recognizing the tweaks he\u2019s needed to make to get his car ready for each track.<\/p>\n

\"Cortez
Cortez driver Brantley Frans (No. 9 car) leads the field in the opening laps of the Junior Warriors division at the JD Minor Memorial races at the Cortez Speedway on May 30. (Ben Bradley\/Special to The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cThe track was really good tonight, it was super smooth and dry-slicked off, so there was good traction,\u201d he said, \u201cwe did a lot of setup, I spent the whole week working on it \u2013 I\u2019ve learned about everything you can do to get them running just right.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rest of the night featured plenty of excitement, including JD Minor\u2019s father Jesse honoring his son\u2019s legacy with a strong run in the Northern SportMod division. Riding in the purple 57 car that was wrapped by his daughter Samantha\u2019s KFR Graphics company, Minor sported pictures of his son and family as he kicked up dust in the Cortez Speedway turns.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Cortez Speedway at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds kicked off their 2026 summer racing schedule with the JD Minor Memorial races on Saturday, May 30. The event began with a parade lap to honor Dolores-native JD Minor, and his father drove the purple 57 car (bottom left) to lead the convoy of Minor\u2019s family and friends riding around the track to pay tribute. (Courtesy of Shandra Minor)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Minor took fifth place, while Dove Creek\u2019s Brody Spangler moved up from his opening fourth-place position to take the win in the Northern SportMod class.<\/p>\n

Northwest New Mexico drivers swept the podium in the Mod Lite race, with Farmington\u2019s Gabe Shim taking first in front of Shane DeVilbiss and Leon Shim. Another San Juan County driver took the top spot in the Modified division, as Farmington\u2019s Regan Tafoya edged Dove Creek\u2019s Camron Spangler and Dolores\u2019 Ryder Green for the top of the standings.<\/p>\n

In the Hobby Stock division, Bayfield teenager Hunter Ferrell topped the field, while Dove Creek\u2019s Race Fisher won the Stock Car race ahead of New Mexico drivers Jeramy Hughes (Carlsbad) and Ron Brewer (Bloomfield). New York racer Brandon DuVall captured the Warrior division ahead of La Plata, N.M., racer Dennis Spencer.<\/p>\n

The JD Minor Memorial races are just the opening salvo in a summer filled with motorsports action at the Cortez Speedway. Fans can look forward to events on June 26 and 27 for a doubleheader on Fan Appreciation weekend. Then, on July 24 and 25, coinciding with the Montezuma County Fair, the Speedway will be alive with action again.<\/p>\n

The schedule continues with \u201cBack to School Night\u201d on Aug. 29, followed by the IMCA Championships on Sept. 25 and 26. On doubleheader weekends, Friday action begins at 7 p.m., with Saturday races starting at 6 p.m. For more information on race nights and the circuit, fans can check out bstracing.com or their BST Promotions Facebook page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

series filled with plenty of excitement as Four Corners showcases driving talent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":131306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6313],"tags":[2104,28,6419],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-131305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-2","tag-auto-racing","tag-headlines","tag-tj-trueanthem"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131305"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":131456,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131305\/revisions\/131456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131305"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=131305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}