Local Racing Season Opens Sunday

The end to “cabin fever” comes this Sunday when Spokane Raceway Park and Stateline Speedway begin their respective 1997 racing seasons that run into early fall.

At SRP, it’s the first of more than 25 weekends of points races on both the drag strip and half-mile oval, while Stateline will host its traditional non-points shakedown event, the Racers’ Jamboree.

At Airway Heights, traditional drag racing events such as the Lilac Funny Car Championships (May 17), Fox Hunt (July 12) and AHRA World Finals (Aug. 8-10) highlight the schedule. The Spokane Pro Gas Association opens a five-race schedule on May 10, SRP’s night-racing opener.

The oval track will host a revival of the Northwest Late Model Racing Association, which hasn’t operated for two seasons. The NWLM opener is April 27 in Spokane and the 11-race schedule ends here with a two-day race Sept. 20-21.

Sports car racing is back on the new SRP road course over the Memorial Day weekend, and the Washington Motorcycle Racing Association will run a three-day race June 6-8.

Stateline’s schedule has 60 days and nights of racing in 1997. The Post Falls track brings back all of its regular programs, along with one of its most popular events, Wednesday Night Fever, on May 14.

One of the top touring events will be the Interstate Superstock Series, which runs six races at Stateline, including the championship on Sept. 20.

The open-wheel Northwest Modified Series also opens and closes its schedule at the track on May 17 and Sept. 13, respectively. More open-wheel racing will be featured at Stateline this season as the Columbia River Open Wheels (CROW) end a one-year hiatus running five sprint car events on the quarter-mile.

Two of the more popular classes are the Northwest Super Fours, which run twice (June 21 and Aug. 9) and Northwest MiniSupers, which debut May 10.

Tour opener a rough one

Pete Harding won last Saturday’s NASCAR Northwest Tour opener at Monroe, Wash.

Spokane’s racers were all involved in accidents.

Kevin Richards was the highest finisher at 34th. Kirk Rogers was 36th and Rick Schultz 39th in the 40-car field.

Next up is an April 19 race at Portland.

Northport Work Day Sunday

Shovels and brooms, not wrenches and socket sets, will be the tools needed on Sunday at Northport International Raceway for the track’s first clean-up day.

Another work day is scheduled for the following Sunday, but this one will have a drivers’ practice session, too.

The regular-season opener at NIR is April 20.

Northport and Republic’s Eagle Trac have put together some common rules and will run a four-race “challenge series” this season, starting May 11 at Northport.

For information on Northport activities call Ed Stambaugh at (509) 442-3020.

ORV park offers something new

The Spokane Kart Racing Association returns to the Spokane ORV Park with its big event, the Gold Cup, during the weekend of June 13-15. Sand drag racing, motocross and flat track motorcycle racing are all on the schedule.

Pit stops

After a year of inactivity, Tuscor Speedway near Trout Creek, Mont., will try again this year. The track opens May 10. … NHRA’s Division Six season drag racing series final race has been moved from Eagle Motoplex in Ashcroft, British Columbia, to the warmer climes of Renegade Raceway in Yakima and will take place Sept. 12-14. … Tri City Raceway’s traditional big Labor Day weekend race will feature both the NASCAR Northwest Tour and the return of the American Indy Car series.