Troup racers home in one piece

When the finish line is nearly 2,000 miles away, the first goal is to finish. And they did.

Dale Riggs and Jake Shuttlesworth of Troup and Wayne Riggs of Irving finished the La Carrera Panamericana 40th overall. With 83 cars to compete against and the fact that most first-time racers never finish at all, the guys were very pleased with the outcome.

"I'm extremely proud of finishing and proud of where we finished overall," Dale Riggs said. "And we finished with a minimum of problems."

The cars are divided into three groups. Team Siempre

Joven was in the medium speed group. Riggs said the car ran great. "It was all the car we could drive."

Riggs praised the coordination of the event, the racers and the townspeople. As they came into the towns for the night, people would be lining the streets for blocks welcoming the racers.

"This is a part of Mexico that most Americans never see. The countryside is just beautiful. The people were wonderful and the food was great."

With just a few adjustments to the car, they plan to return next year.