The region's best super late model teams head to Montana Raceway Park for its Bill Clark Can-Am Memorial Showdown featuring the ARCA West Mac's Series and drivers from the United States including Gary Lewis, David Garber, Erick Hargraves, Shelby Thompson and many more.

For Immediate Release: Montana Raceway Park

 

KALISPELL, Mont. (August 11, 2009)-With the invitational “Best of the West” paying $5,000 to win on Friday, August 14 and then the ARCA West Mac’s Series paying $5,000 to win the following night this year’s Montana Raceway Park Bill Clark Can-Am Memorial Weekend promises to be a big draw for fans and race teams.

 

Both nights of racing action will be broadcast with live audio and video at no charge on Montana Raceway Park’s website www.montanaracewaypark.com

 

Friday’s race features three-time Coors Light Montana 200 champion and current ASA Northwest Late Model Tour points leader, Gary Lewis, along with 2008 ARCA West champion Wes Rhodes and his teammate 2008 ARCA West Rookie of the Year Jared Vorse, 2007 ARCA West Rookie of the Year Erick Hargraves, 2006 ARCA West Rookie of the Year Shelby Thompson, two-time Inland Northwest Super Stock Association champion David Garber and 2001 Montana 200 champion Ron Dexter.

 

Also expected to defend their home turf on Friday are 2009 Montana 200 runner-up Mark Owens, current Montana Raceway Park late model points leader, Bodie Morton, Alex Lessor, who has two main event wins in 2009 at MRP, Canada’s Clint Habart, who runs weekly in Kalispell, MRP rookie of the year contender, Forrest Bauer, young gun Wrango West, Troy Schweigert and other local stars aiming for their opportunity to take home the prestigious “Best of the West” championship.

 

Many of the drivers entered Friday night will return the following day to challenge Canada’s late model stars including Dean Craig, Brian Levant, ARCA Re/Max Series driver Ryan Fisher, Roy Wigley and Illinois’s Brian Johnson Jr. who is racing a SuperSeal Chevrolet on the series this season. Saturday’s race is 150 laps of solid racing in the Mac’s Series final appearance of 2009 in the United States.

 

Johnson Jr. leads the ARCA West Mac’s Series points standings in the chase for the 2009 championship.

 

Mac’s Series competitors will run their rules package with overall weight at 2,880 lbs. and must use a 650 carburetor while Montana Raceway Park late models and those teams that have not run the Mac’s Series in 2009 must weigh 2,950 lbs. and has an open carburetor rule available to them.

 

Hoosier is the official tire of Montana Raceway Park and the ARCA West Mac’s Series with plenty of availability at the quarter-mile facility.

 

The Best of the West race carries a purse of $16,000 while Mac’s Series competitors and members of ARCA West will be racing for over $15,000 in prize and contingency money on Aug. 15. Both nights feature a 24-car starting field with a transfer race available to those that do not qualify into either race through time trials.

 

Entries to the Best of the West may be obtained from Montana Raceway Park’s website at www.montanaracewaypark.com or by calling (406) 257-7223. Pit pad assignments and ordering of tires may also be done through the racetrack.

 

For more information regarding the Kalispell Toyota International Tundra Challenge presented by SuperSeal Construction Products for the ARCA West Mac’s Series, please call the ARCA West offices at (209) 649-0439.

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