Vintage Vehicles Ready For Spokane Spectators

Northwest motorsports

Time traveling continues at Stateline Speedway.

Last week it was the Golden Wheels, a collection of vintage open-wheel race cars that dated to the 1930s.

The Vintage Modifieds make their first Spokane appearance Saturday. The class is composed of cars from the 1930s and 1940s.

If the fans are familiar with the Canadian Modifieds that visit each year, they’ll see similarities in the Vintage Modifieds.

The touring Outlaw Compacts, which race on the coast at Port Angeles, South Sound, Monroe and Spanaway, also are on Saturday’s program. The Northwest Mini-Supers and Inland Empire Mini-Sprints are on the program, which begins at 6 p.m.

Friday night the Hobby Cars, Sportsman and Compact Streets race at 6:30.

Three winners at Raceway

Three races have produced three different winners in the Northwest Late Model Superstock series that runs for a second consecutive week at Spokane Raceway Park on Saturday night.

Hobby Stocks, Mini-Trucks and Fever Fours are also on the schedule, beginning with time trials at 5:30.

Last Saturday, Kalispell’s Bob Schweigert claimed the $1,500 first prize in the 100-lap feature race on the half-mile. Tim Elliott and Randy Kazek won earlier events.

While last weekend’s race was a rerun of the rain-delayed May 31 event, this Saturday’s race is the final SRP appearance in Spokane until Aug. 23. The next three races will be run at the newly remodeled Mission Valley Raceway near Polson, Mont.

The SRP drag strip will be home for the eighth All-Star Chevy Saturday night with special bracket racing and a car show. Gates open at 4:30 with eliminations at 7:30. All regular bracket classes will run as well.

Hoerner at Pontiac Excitement Nationals

With a borrowed car, Spokane’s Todd Hoerner will be the Super Gas representative from NHRA Division Six in the TRW Challenge at this weekend’s Pontiac Excitement Nationals in Columbus, Ohio. The logistics of transporting his own car back to Ohio proved to be impossible, so Hoerner struck a deal to drive the former Bruce Allen Pro Stock, now owned by Donnie Ballard.

The TRW Challenge decides a national champion in each of the NHRA sportsman brackets. The seven TRW division champs, plus the defending TRW national champ, will meet in Saturday eliminations to decide the title.

Karts at Airway Heights

Kart racers from across the Pacific Northwest will meet Friday thought Sunday at the Spokane County ORV Park in Airway Heights for the International Karting Federation’s Gold Cup. The event is sponsored by the Spokane Kart Racing Association and will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Admission is $3 per person per day, which allows spectators to watch karts reach speeds of around 80 mph.

Stoddard recuperating

George Stoddard, the back-stretch flagman for the Northwest Modified Series, suffered a broken leg after being hit by a car involved in an accident last Saturday at Stateline Speedway.

Stoddard, who underwent 4 hours of surgery to repair a broken hip, is scheduled to be released from Kootenai Medical Center in Coeur d’Alene today and will recuperate at his home near Rose Lake, Idaho.

The accident occurred when cars driven by Gary Miller and Doyle Braton tangled on the back straightaway. Miller first hit the wall and then a cement safety barrier Stoddard was standing behind. Stoddard was apparently struck by both the barrier and the car. “I was hit before I knew it,” Stoddard said.

Pit stops

The POKR karts kick off the week’s racing schedule tonight at 6 at the ORV Park in Airway Heights. … Republic’s Eagle Trac runs a rare Sunday afternoon dirt-track race. Normally the track operates on Saturdays, but this weekend’s racing is a culmination of the town’s Prospector’s Day celebration. … The Interstate Superstocks will run just their second race of the season Saturday at Ephrata’s State Central Speedway. Yakima’s Chris Hart has the only I-State series victory to date. Two races at Stateline have been postponed because of rain.

Jeff Zimmerman made it two straight wins in the Northwest Modified Series last Saturday night. Next action for the open wheelers is June 21 at Tri Cities for a makeup of a May 3 rainout. … Martin Rosler ended a string of 119 NASCAR Northwest Tour races without a win last Saturday in Tri Cities. Top finishers from Spokane included Greg Biffle - driving for Ron Hall Racing - in fourth and Rick Schultz 10th. Next stop for the NWT is Portland International Raceway’s road course on June 21.

Monte Zema of Colville won a second straight modified main event at Northport International Raceway. … Brian Tibesar of Coeur d’Alene was the victor in Super Comp at last Saturday’s NHRA Division Six drag race at Seattle International Raceway. …

xxxx