Pro Gas Racers Come Home After Delays Caused By Weather
It’s comes six weeks late, but the Spokane Pro Gas Association finally gets to make its debut on Saturday night at Spokane Raceway Park.
Had the weather cooperated, Saturday’s race would have been the third in the five-race series for the 9.90 second elapsed-time cars.
Rescheduling the races has been a difficult chore, complicated by the fact that many SPGA racers also compete in the NHRA Division Six Super Gas class which has also had two events delayed by weather.
“It’s good to be (racing at) home,” said Rod Hoerner. “It’s taken us six tries to complete four (NHRA) races so far.”
Saturday’s racing, which begins with time trials at 5 p.m. and includes SRP’s regular bracket racers, may be the first Spokane appearance for the class, but Pro Gas racers have been busy on the road.
Defending SPGA champ Todd Hoerner has one victory in NHRA’s Super Gas class but trails his father, Rod, in the point standings.
The revised Pro Gas schedule has races July 5 and 19, Aug. 16 and 30, all at SRP.
Sportsman tour
Perhaps it’s a good thing that the Stock Car Auto Racer’s Sportsman Tour race a great deal in Western Washington. That way they’ll be used to the rain if it comes again Saturday when they run at Stateline Speedway.
Last Saturday, the fickle weather bypassed SRP, allowing the racing to go on as scheduled, but 25 miles east rain saddled Stateline with its eighth cancellation in 24 dates.
The SCAR cars team up with the Columbia River Open Wheels, Northwest Mini-Supers and Bump-to-Pass for the show that begins with time trials at 6 p.m.
Friday is the midseason championships for Sportsman, Hobby Cars and Compact Streets. Time trials are at 6:30.
Northport, Republic Civil War
Race three of a four-race challenge series between drivers at Northport International Raceway and Republic’s Eagle Trac takes place Saturday at Republic. Time trials begin at 1 p.m. with racing at 2.
The two tracks cooperated by writing similar rules and scheduling race dates opposite one another. This has allowed drivers to run at each other’s track on the off-weeks.
The series concludes Aug. 3 at Northport.
Groskreutz strong in NWT debut
Marc Groskreutz finished seventh in Saturday’s NASCAR Northwest Tour race on the road course at Portland International Raceway, leading all Spokane racers in the 56-lap event.
Groskreutz, making his NWT debut, was one of 14 drivers on the lead lap in a race won by Californian Tom Hubert. Greg Biffle, driving the Ron Hall Racing Chevy, was ninth. Rick Schultz blew an engine, completed 29 laps and finished 29th.
The tour takes the next three weeks off before resuming at Wenatchee on July 19.
Pit stops
Pro Outlaw Kart Racing kicks off the racing weekend tonight at 6 at the ORV Park in Airway Heights. … SRP has stock car racing Saturday night and presents the inaugural Mini-Truck Summer Cup Classic. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. … The Stateline Outboard Racing Association kicks off its schedule with a two-day regatta at Lake Haven Resort on Spirit Lake.
The Interstate Superstocks run their third race Saturday night in the Tri-Cities. Coeur d’Alene’s L.T. Jones, currently fifth in points, is the leading local driver in the series. … Joe Kopp has mended sufficiently from a crash at Hagerstown, Md., over the Memorial Day weekend and posted another top-10 finish in an AMA Grand National flat track motorcycle race at Sedalia, Mo. Kopp was seventh last Saturday night and moved into 12th in GN points..
Spokane riders swept the top three spots in the 750cc classification at last weekend’s Playfair Half-Mile Pro-Am flat track motorcycle race. Ron Yamamoto was first, Lon Kopp was second and Steve Liberty third. Stevie Smith of Spokane was second in the 600 Experts. … Racing returns to Playfair July 25-26 with an AMA “Hot Shoe” Pro event. … Local short track motorcycle racing is scheduled for Sunday at the Spokane ORV Park. … Motocross racing is scheduled on Sunday for both the new Yakima Meadows Motoplex at the Central Washington State Fairgrounds as well as the Fossil Bowl in Clarkia, Idaho.
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