Over the years we’ve been able to share some of the fun videos from High Desert Video. This is the videographer for the now defunct Southern New Mexico Speedway – a track that has featured some of the best racing in the Southwest.

Back in 2012, the High Desert Video crew captured some action during a Hornet main event at the legendary track. In the Sport Compact class we expect to see just about any four-banger hoisted out of the junkyard and put on the track. In this case we were surprised to see a real Volkswagen Bug, not the modern beetle like the one driven by the school teacher down the street. We’re talking a real Bug from the fatherland.

Because the VW Beetle is such an iconic car of the “peace generation, this was no doubt a crowd favorite at the track. By the looks of this video, the car and driver Tuni Molina, could also perform well on the dirt.

The video picks up with four laps remaining in the feature, and leader David Jay Jr. in the #241 getting into lap traffic with Molina’s VW reeling him in. As David Jay Jr. gets up to the #28 car of Steven Arellano on the back straight, he is held up and Molina closes the distance quickly. 

The cars enter turns three and four, with David Jay Jr. going high and Molina holding the low line. They come out of turn four side-by-side, but Molina has the momentum and David Jay Jr. encounters more lap traffic. Molina gets by the #241 and navigates through the first set of corners.

Jay Jr. catches Molina’s bug coming out of turn two and the cars make contact. From here we’ll let you be the judge. Did Jay Jr. intentionally spin Molina’s Beetle and deserve the black flag, or was it just hard racing?