Swain Railroads Competition With Win Streak

If Allen Swain doesn’t work for the railroad as an engineer he might investigate the possibility.

Swain has acted like the lead engine on a speeding freight train in the Inland Empire Mini-Super class, winning every race in the series to date.

He’ll try for win number five at Stateline in 1997 and his seventh overall on Saturday night at 6 p.m. when the I.E. Mini-Supers, Columbia River Open Wheels and Street Stocks race.

If there is a challenge to Swain it might come from Tony Berg, who won the feature race last weekend with the touring Northwest Mini-Supers.

Friday night at Stateline will feature the first day of a two-day Street Stock race along with the Hobby Cars and Compact Streets.

Free day for scouts

All area Boy and Girl Scouts who wear their uniforms and bring two cans of food to donate to the food bank will be admitted free to Saturday night’s fourth Spokane Pro Gas Association race of the season at Spokane Raceway Park.

The event, the 5th Annual Interstate Batteries Scout Night, will be headlined by the heads-up racing of the Spokane Pro Gas Association along with regular SRP bracket drags. Gates open at 4 p.m. with racing at 7:30.

Jeff Mann, with two wins in three SPGA races, leads in points with two races to go. It’s pretty much a two-driver race for the 1997 title as Mann holds a 50-point advantage over defending champion Todd Hoerner. Clay Korb and John Preston trail by 300 points in third and fourth.

SRP’s oval will also be busy Saturday with Hobby Stocks, Mini-Trucks and Fever Fours.

Schultz cracks Northwest Tour Top 10

Rick Schultz of Spokane has climbed back into the top ten in points in the NASCAR Northwest Tour and will try to improve on the position when the series runs the Reser’s Fine Foods 150 at Portland Speedway on Friday night.

Greg Biffle, who lives in Vancouver but drives for Spokane-based Ron Hall Racing, trails Schultz by just four points.

Sand drags and karts at ORV Park

The Northwest Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) runs its second-to-last event of the season Saturday and Sunday at the Spokane ORV Park in Airway Heights.

Double points will be on the line for both the mud bogs and obstacle racing on Saturday, as well the sand drags on Sunday. Tech and registration begins at 9 a.m. each day.

The Spokane Kart Racing Association finishes off the weekend’s ORV Park activities Sunday when they run their eighth points race of the season at noon.

Pit stops

Bruce Pruitt is the new points leader in the Pro Outlaw Kart Racing Association, overtaking season-long leader Rod Nelson in last week’s racing. Pruitt will try to maintain the lead when the P.O.K.R. karts return to the ORV Park oval tonight at 6 p.m. … After claiming his first AMA Grand National victory 10 days ago at Peoria, Ill., Mica’s Joe Kopp failed to qualify at last Wednesday’s race in Rapid City, S.D. Kopp returned to form on Saturday with a third-place finish in East Moline, Ill. … At that Rapid City Grand National race, Andy Tresser, the 750 cc class winner at the Playfair Half-Mile in July and 1996 Peoria TT champ, died last Thursday of injuries suffered in a practice-session crash … Autosports Northwest will hold an autocross at Spokane Raceway Park on Sunday … The Sept. 6 Interstate Superstock Racing Series date at Ephrata’s State Central Speedway has been switched to Stateline Speedway … Northport International Raceway will host a Demolition Derby Aug. 30. It’s part of two days of racing that includes the season championships for the regular stock car classes. The demo derby offers a $2,000 purse with the winner pocketing $1,000. All drivers registering by Aug. 25 will be in a drawing to get back their entry fee. For further info call (509) 684-1702 … Repeat winners were few at the recently completed AHRA World Finals at Spokane Raceway Park. In the pros, Gary Densham won a second consecutive Nitro Funny Car title. Kenny Newitt of Newman Lake was the lone sportsman repeat victor with his E.T. Stock win for K ‘n K Racin.’ It was an all-Spokane final in Alcohol Dragster as Chris Denison defeated Brett Hordemann.

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