Fate Puts Herrin In The Driver’s Seat

Gary Herrin was expecting a promotion, but he didn’t think it would come so quickly.

Herrin will trade in his wrenches for a fire suit and helmet Saturday night at Evergreen Speedway, where he takes over driving the NASCAR Super Truck of Spokane’s Enerjetix Motorsports.

The race, televised live on TNN, gets under way at 7. Qualifying starts at 4:30 on the five-eighths-mile oval.

Herrin, a local circle-track racer for the past 14 years, and up to now, crew chief for the No. 99 truck, replaces IndyCar driver Pancho Carter, who has a scheduling conflict. Herrin was to have debuted May 27 at I-70 Speedway near Kansas City.

“This is a little sooner than we had planned,” Herrin said of his move into the driver’s seat. “This has been my dream for years, and I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do it.”

The 34-year-old Herrin, who has been in charge of getting and keeping the Chevy S-10 race-ready, admits to doing a little daydreaming about how it would be to actually drive. In the end, “it’s still just another race car,” he said.

But it’s hardly just another race for a rookie driver.

The 150-lap event, the second and last Northwest stop this year for the first-year series, will most likely attract a packed house. That will be due, primarily, to the appearance of Winston Cupper’s Geoff Bodine and Ken Schrader.

Live TV will give the nation its first look at the West Coast’s biggest oval track. It will also be Herrin’s first time on the track.

Having raced virtually at every Northwest track except Monroe, Herrin consulted local NASCAR Northwest Tour driver Rick Schultz.

“He was real helpful,” Herrin said. “He told me where the passing lanes were and where the bumps are.”

Tibesar Wins

Hopefully, Coeur d’Alene’s Brian Tibesar didn’t have any trouble at the border last weekend, explaining how he acquired a bronze statue in Canada.

Tibesar finished atop a stellar field in Super Comp Sunday, defeating former divisional and world champion Mike Ferderer at a NHRA Division Six regional race at Mission, British Columbia.

For the win, Tibesar took home a trophy known to drag racers as an “Oscar.” It’s actually a statue of a driver with helmet in hand, standing beside a racing slick.

Tibesar said his dragster’s victory came by just four-thousandths of a second over Ferderer. “It was extremely close, maybe three to four inches at the finish line.”Let’s see. At this rate Tibesar will be after his first Top Fuel title in about six more years.

Pit Stops

Tom Dry puts his three-race win streak on the line in the Fever Four stock car class at Spokane Raceway Park on Saturday night. Time trials begin at 5:30 with racing at 7:30. Saturday night also has bracket drag racing, beginning with time trials at 4:30… . Stateline Speedway will bring back the Washington Midget Racing Association to the Spokane/Coeur d’Alene area for the first time in 14 years for a Saturday-night appearance. Rick Moss is the early driver to beat in the series, having won the first three races of the year. Also on the schedule are Hobby Cars and Stateline Streetstocks… . The season’s second motocross race will take place Sunday at the Spokane County ORV Park. Sign-up begins at 7 a.m.

Newman Lake’s Billy Swift takes the points lead into the second race of the Northwest Late Model Superstocks Saturday night at Raceway Park at Kalispell, Mont… . . Hydroplanes from 16 classes are preparing for the Interstate Battery Lilac Spring Championships May 20-21 at Willow Bay Resort on Long Lake. Boats will range from the speedy Grand National inboards (formerly the 7-Litre) to the Pro Outboards where drivers operate the boat in a prone position.

Republic’s Eagle Trac kicks off its ninerace season Saturday with time trials at 1 p.m… . On Sunday, neighboring Northport International Raceway will run the Colville Aviation/Colville Roofing “Race of Champions.” Time trials are at 1 p.m. . . . Montana’s Tuscor Speedway will host the first of three Powder Puff races Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m. Tuscor Speedway is in the Mountain time zone, so allow for the one-hour difference if you plan to attend.

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