New Mexico Trail Racing

Today

off road legends, newcomers and a mom who doesn't mind getting dirty.

We'll take you to New Mexico's Choke Cherry Canyon where body damage is understood.

Get ready for side by side. High flying mud racing from Louis.

The

and see why this guy is affectionately known as Mr

Dirt.

The next half hour is nothing but off road action.

If you like to play outdoors like we do, then you know the value of public land and dedicated ovs or off highway vehicle areas.

Well, the Southwest Four Wheel Drive Association has a playground like no other.

Let's head to Farmington, New Mexico to check it out.

Yeah,

located on the borders of Arizona, Utah and Colorado. Farmington, New Mexico is rock crawling. Nirvana.

There's no real restrictions on where you can and cannot go.

So it's pretty much you come out into Choke Cherry Candy and you just

go at it.

Farmington

has to have some of the best wheeling people come from miles, hundreds of miles

all over from the US to do four wheeling here. Even as far away as Iceland with 50 trails in a five mile radius, there's enough fun for everyone like more places where you drive for two or three hours and get three climbs.

We're gonna drive for 30 minutes and do 15 climbs. Some of them pretty easy. Some of them are really hard. Probably in the five range. Some of the competition climbs

for a one shot deal. You either make it or you don't.

Oh, it was a hell of a ride.

Pretty scary

kind of funnel.

I say it moves as good as on his roof as it does on its tires

for the regulars scraping some metal. Ain't no thing.

That's why I come out here for just to unleash the beast. You know, I'll hear that metal mashing and then horsepower rumbling,

you wreck, you wreck,

get up, come back harder,

you wanna get body damage. It can be extreme enough to wear your total race and

within 23 seconds, sometimes it happens. That's how extreme it can get.

And sometimes the saves are as breathtaking as the carnage.

Everybody likes to climb hard and you know, make the big climbs that

it always happen

to make it happen. They have to conquer this Farmington terrain.

We have huge, huge ledges to climb.

Sometimes it takes a lot of horsepower. They're a one shot deal. We call them suicide clients.

It's slick, it can get really slick. They call the slick rock and moab.

But uh

that stuff has more grip than

this does. The sandstone out here is so flaky in some areas that you can spend all day on it.

And out here you've got to do what we call a bump.

What that is, is get up against the led. You get your front end up on it

instead of just trying to crawl up. Things which you're not gonna do at farm

is you just power, break it up

and then use the torque of the motor

to carry you up. The, the bump

and the more power you got, the easier it is to do that and you never run out if you've got plenty.

Jerry's 98 TJ has what it takes.

We put a small block Chevy in it. It's got 410 cubic inches,

400 horsepower and about 500 ft pounds of torque

out here, relying on horsepower and torque won't get you far. Our Jeeps are set up real low to the ground

and real long and that's perfect for our train because we've got a lot of vertical climbs and we want to keep them so we can climb.

The shocks are the key to making anything climb wise. We use the uh the fox shocks,

then we use the limiters, straps on it

and then we use also bump stops

because we don't want to over extend those shocks because that's what tears up shocks is overextended. Either one.

We also use a P power assist ram. What that does is it multiplies your steering capacity by three So when you get up against the rock,

when you want, need to turn right or left and it's, it's jammed up against it. You can still turn and still get to be where you want to be.

He's already spent 60 G on his rig money well spent for the thrills he gets, every time he battles the trails in Farmington

a

little bit of adrenaline rush. Every time you get going

up that climb, even if you've done it before, you still get that adrenaline rush. Basically, we're all adrenaline junkies and we love it.

My adrenaline would be pumping to if I took my $60,000 TJ up against those rocks

home from the same

set of New Mexico to the south sloppy mud

later on off road action

who says mud racing, the man's game

will meet she Richardson, the pilot of her own super stock mud machine.

But up next, there's a hot curry mixed into core racing this season.

We'll see if this future star has the right ingredients to be a pro life champion.

When people are asking for my autograph. I don't feel like in anybody, you know. So to me, it's, it's awesome.

There's nothing like being a rookie who has earned the respect of the veterans who surround him

and in championship off road racing, the name Casey Curry is a star in the making.

Rena

Ter Grieves Taylor and Douglas have long dominated the core series.

This is my life. This is my passion and there isn't anything better because that's why I'm still doing it.

Closing in on the veterans is a youth movement that dreams of one day knocking off the big dogs. There's a whole separate race going on among the egos of these young kids,

one kid's already caught the attention of the ruling class.

Casey Curry, Casey's doing good guys like Casey Curry coming into this sport is really gonna help the level of competition to continue to grow. I'm a real racer

after achieving success in pro motorcycle racing, Casey Curry walked away to pursue his true passion growing up racing motorcycles, all my life, all I ever really wanted to do was race trucks. You know, I don't care if it's in the desert on the shore because I really love racing trucks. It's beyond words. I mean,

it's incredible. His family has been in the off road parts business since 1959. So that passion for racing comes early when you're a curry.

He's been doing it since he were

in a go kart. What a five years old or something?

And he never had started out of his sister. Where would he get a crazy idea?

Grandpa Frank is there to give sage advice. You know, he's 70 something years old. He's still racing. He brings a lot of experience to this pit while Casey and his father enjoy a bond that extends far from the racetrack.

You know, we're together 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is what we do and this is what we live for. He gives me all the support that I need. We're a team that can't lose. You know, me and my dad Roy close when I was racing, he was there looking over my shoulder

and I think that's helped prepare me a lot for

helping KSE. Just kind of looking over his shoulder, making sure he's making the right moves.

The high expectations that come with the curry name aren't going to rattle this rookie.

Yeah, I feel that I have an added pressure just because we are in the business ourselves. But at the same time, I feel that I'm fast enough to run up front

racers dream of running out front in the pro four or two wheel drive classes

when the 22 year old chose to run in the restricted pro lights. He shocked the establishment.

The reason I ran the pro like class is because I feel the pro light class is more towards the younger generation. There's more kids driving a frontier or a Ford Ranger than any other truck. I'm so young and I'm the young gun in the sport that hey, I need to be where my crowd is

on race day. The crowds arrive early to meet the kid who's on the fast track to stardom

when people are asking for my autograph. I don't feel like anybody, you know. So

to me it's, it's awesome

with the hype peg to overdrive. Casey was still in search of his first podium at the second to last round.

The biggest lesson I've learned is everything takes time. Nothing comes overnight. I think it was probably 10 degrees more competitive than we ever imagined.

Place has been his best finish. But the crew knows it won't be long.

He's going to be a good driver. He

goes

full throttle for everything.

It's

crazy at

Chula Vista Raceway south of San Diego. Casey Curry shut down the doubters on the last lap. He made the pass to earn his first career podium.

This is nothing. You know, this is

third place. I'm ready to do more. I feel that this is it, man. This is the bottom of the totem pole. Now it's all up

to here.

It was an emotional day as Casey's father watched his boy become a man.

Couldn't hardly be prouder

right now.

Nice

to see him have it.

Nice to see him earn. It makes all the difference.

Now, Casey is having quite a run in core and in the rock race called King of the Hammers

in a few weeks will bring home coverage of this unique event in the Mojave

desert where Mother Nature gets the best of America's top racers. Speaking of getting beaten down by the terrain, drivers in the core series have one man to blame

with almost 800 horses and speeds that top the century mark core racing is blowing up.

We love it. It's real intense. It's a door to door fender bang and racing. There's no give and take

added to the core schedule in 2005,

Chula Vista Raceway south of San Diego became an instant driver favorite.

This is like a Talladega superspeedway of off road racing. It's very technical and very fast.

The man responsible for this wickedness is track builder, Joe

Guman, otherwise known as Mr Dirt.

I've been moving dirt for 30 years

to be ready for race day. His army of heavy equipment works the track for a month straight.

It's a little over a mile and uh to grade this whole area, we probably moved about 300,000 yards of dirt that includes the hot pits and all that up on top

to the naked eye dirt is well dirt to make it race ready, though, requires special care

out here. This is almost all clay around here. So the big trick is to get it blended to where we get it really good and wet right before they race on it. Otherwise it turns to flower. What Joe does out here leaves the teams making adjustments back here

in a sport of half million dollar machines. Success can be decided by a simple tire groove,

brand new tire

tire grooving is very important. Is this Xtreme 4x4 racing, we groove our tires different for each type of soil condition

to get the best bite on this soil. Every cut

a

purpose

you've got to have channels this way for steering

and then these,

these, this way is all for breaking. You want a bunch of sharp edges. So when you fight the brakes and the tires start to lock up, it's gripping against something. It's hard to believe that grooves can be as vital as horsepower or suspension.

But the proofs in the numbers

yesterday during practice, we used tires that we used in the previous race in Crandon.

They were cut for a softer loer

soil. And during practice out here, we lost seconds on our time.

So this morning when we practice, we had a tire group cut for this harder pack track with more blue groove in it and we increased our speed by almost two seconds lap

when teams can't crack the tracks tire set up. Joe Gi

usually gets blamed.

They're race drivers of course. So they always complain about something I don't pay attention to. I have a thick skin,

thick skin to design it. Nerves of steel to drive in it.

There's lots more ahead on off road action. So stay tuned.

This hall is a hall of famer with a son and granddaughter ready to add to the legacy

wheel profile off road legend, Rod Hall.

And next, the mud mom,

I told them if you wanna beat me, you're gonna have to outdrive me and they give me everything they've got

out on the mud tracks around Louisiana. There's just as much testosterone as there is mud. We do rough painting

and we do jump on top of each other every once in a while. But we have a lot of fun and trucks turning over flipping and a lot of horsepower and a lot of speed. A lot of noise

throw you back to see,

you know, love start flying. It's just a wild ride from then on

down here, mud racing has always been dominated by men.

But those days are now numbered.

I'm not a soccer mom. I'm a mud mom.

Can you just ask any of my three sons? And they'll say she's not an average woman

racing in her second season. Sherry Richardson isn't intimidated by the men.

I've told them if you want to beat me, you're gonna have to outdrive me and they give me everything they've got.

They don't cut me any slack and now we're all fighting for the same real estate. So it's just a bump and grind all the way to the end. You can't tell the difference whether it's a man or a woman driving

because she's just as aggressive as they are. Her

husband was a pioneer in Louisiana mud racing and after many years of cheering him on, Sherry got the bug. Couldn't let my husband have all the fun.

You make sure your safety equipment is first class, then turn her loose and let her get out there and do her thing. Let her competitive spirit shine.

It's her competitive spirit that's made her a role model and fan favorite. It's unusual that a mom would come out here and mutter race like this. I get a kick out of the little kids that come up to me and, and say, hey, Miss play in for teach. May I have your autograph or somebody will just come, say, hey, I want to shake your hand and say I appreciate you. And I enjoy watching you say,

I mean, that makes it great for me. I mean, it's just like Danica Patrick, you know, it's,

it's just something you don't see every day. However, not everyone's a fan of Sherry's the men that I race against. They just really embraced me in this sport. Sometimes it's their ways that uh they don't like it when I beat them. So they, they might have their feathers ruffled a little bit, but

that's just part of it

after ruffling a lot of feathers in the stock class. Sherry and her co driver son moved up this season to super stock.

It's a lot to handle. It's taken me most of the year to learn how to handle this because it's a new class, a new truck, a new group of racers. It just takes time, it takes experience. And this year I took it as a learning curve year for me to learn this vehicle sitting third in points. Her learning year has the competition on edge.

They try to rattle her

so she can't perform like she's capable of doing. I just tell her to not let the other guys intimidate her because that's all they want. They want to scare her and get her off her edge. Because if you go truck for truck, this truck will be any truck outfit. Her truck is a 79 ranger packed with the kind of power that makes even tough guys sweat.

What's under the hood is a 454

cubic inch Chevy engine that's been bored and stroke. The headers are uplift headers out of the top of the hood with work. But in the

water,

we also run this engine on alcohol, not, not race gas but alcohol. She's generating a little over 600 horsepower

with a little over 500 pound foot car torque is what's important in mud race. That's what pulls away the vehicle in the sticky mud. What Skyjacker did they designed this suspension on this truck specifically

for her to try to compensate for her not having the strength in her arms that a man would

and we've accomplished that and she handles it pretty well.

It takes more than a powerful truck to win a mud race. She's extremely competitive. She's a very quick learner. She had great reflexes to drive one of these mud trucks. That's what you need to have

at Motorsports City's quarter. Mile horseshoe track. Sherry's day was over when she ended up head first on the levee.

I was just blacked out and had no idea where I was just trying to drive line.

I did win. But by any time I get in that truck, I get behind that wheel and, and, and press that gas. It is a lot of fun going up against these guys just bumping and griding. It can't get any better than that.

Sharing your inspiration to all women out there, including me who love going fast and getting dirty.

We're not done yet from mud pits to the wide open desert racing legend, Rod Hall. When we come back.

Welcome back to off road action so far we've taken you trail riding in New Mexico

mud racing in the bayou and now to Henderson, Nevada

where the mile markers are cacti,

there are off road legends, then there is Rod Hall. My wife's very statement about me was early on.

If I didn't have talent to drive a truck,

I wouldn't have any talent at all with almost 200 victories, which includes being the only driver to win the Baja 1000 in a four wheel drive truck. Rod Hall is in a class of his own. He's a legend out here. He's won just about everything. He's one of the key men in the sport. I kind of sometimes think I was maybe born too late. You know, I might have been a pretty good cowboy too, you know, without the paved roads and all that kind of stuff at an age when most men are retired. This modern day Sand Slinger still races part time and runs Hummer's production team.

I mean, this is where I wanna be and why at my age would I want to be doing something that I don't wanna do? You know, he doesn't go on vacation. He comes to races because racing is his golf game.

That's where he gets his, his enjoyment from following in their father's tracks. His son, Chad and the H one Hummer and Josh and the H two

having my whole family involved with the racing program has been great

growing up the son of an off road icon, desert racing has always been a part of his life.

It's special being the son of Ron Hall. No doubt about that. You know, I never went to a baseball game

with my dad. I never went to a football game with my dad. We went off road. You know, they're great experiences and they're, what now is I think is contributing to, to my love for what I do today.

Like father, like son Josh has taken to the stock production class and has those winning Hall jeans.

This is, I think the most difficult class to be a consistent winner in. But the fact of the matter is, is this is where the drivers are, who are serious about competing against other drivers. So, yeah, I love it. I love the H two. I love the class. I love the competitors. I'm proud of being in the class and this is where I am.

Even at age 44 he still looks up to his boyhood hero.

He is the best driver I have ever ridden with and I've driven with a lot of outstanding drivers. My dad was the best

and he still is.

I mean,

he's right. Hall. It's a family affair.

Eagerly awaiting her turn behind the wheel is Rod's 18 year old granddaughter.

I

love

it.

I want to hopefully some day be driving at

the best in the desert race outside of Las Vegas. Shelby awaited her first goal around inside the cockpit as the co driver.

It's my

first time and it will be

a

lot of

fun.

I

was a

lot more nervous this morning.

Now the time is coming. I'm just trying to not think about it too much so that I'm not too nervous.

Grandpa

couldn't be more proud of another haul. Conquering the desert.

Be really nice. If he's hooked,

it'd be great to see my granddaughter get out there and, uh,

go race the guys and, uh,

keep the name alive. Huh? It'd

be good.

Whatever the future may hold for Shelby. There's no doubt where Rod Hall will be. We're looking good guys. 40 years is a long time to be doing something over and over and over,

but I certainly still enjoy the sport

and I'm gonna be involved with the sport

as long as I can. This is my life.

Well, I love it

now, there's a man whose passions. We share power, speed and a love for the great outdoors.

Well, that's it for off road action this week. Remember? Two wheels or four or six? If it's cut a throttle, we're on it.

I'm MEREDITH

Weiss. Keeping it off road.

Be sure to catch us next week when we'll bring you the amazing acrobatics from the World Trials Championships in Duluth, Minnesota.

And we'll witness the first ever king of the Hammers competition where rock crawling meets desert racing at this one of a kind event.