Stateline serves up big feast

Two weeks ago Spokanites stuffed themselves with food at Pig Out in the Park.

This Saturday at Stateline Seedway, race fans can gorge themselves with a full plate of racing, plus some leftover dessert at no extra charge.

Thanks to a rainout last Saturday, an already-full schedule has even more to offer. The program, like last week, has a special start time of 4:30 p.m. for time trials.

That will be followed by an appearance of the Winged Sprints; the season championship for the Northwest Late Model 4s; Hobby and Street Stocks; and a bonus when NAPA Late Model championships – postponed last week – were added to the program.

Some 22 cars are set for Saturday’s finale that has Dan Garber (776 points) holding a 17-point lead over John Gamble and a 33-point margin over Kevin Richards. All have a shot at the initial series title.

In the NWLM 4s, former champ, 18-year-old Cameron McKeehan of Lewiston, holds the lead in points with one real challenger, rookie John Jackson, in his mirror. McKeehan holds a 60-point lead. Defending champ Chris Yochum, also from Lewiston, broke in hot lapping during the last race, falling out of contention.

The two local classes, Hobby Stocks and Street Stocks, conclude their season this weekend as well. In those points races Hobby leader Robert Ballard has used 11 main-event wins to push him into an insurmountable 176-point lead over Monty Collison. Aaron Nevers leads Dan Bacon by 105 points in Streets and appears to have the title put away.

Kopp seeks solid finish

Joe Kopp holds out hope that he can catch Chris Carr for the 2004 AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship that resumes Sunday at Columbus, Ohio.

Carr leads Kopp, the 2000 series champ, by 40 points going into round 15 of the 17-race schedule.

Kopp had closed to within 19 points of the series lead before the recent Springfield, Ill., doubleheader weekend in which he slipped back with a pair of sub-par 10th- and seventh-place finishes.

While Kopp’s chances of earning a second AMA Grand National Championship are slipping away, the Mica, Wash., native isn’t quite ready to concede.

“A lot of things can happen in three races,” said Kopp, who finished third in Columbus last year.

Carr, a 20-year racing veteran from Fleetwood, Penn., comes into the Scioto Downs event not only leading the AMA Grand National Series standings, but is the defending winner on the half-mile Scioto Downs harness racing circuit.

Pit stops

The fifth of seven flat track motorcycle races takes place Saturday at Sunset Speedway at the Spokane Motorsports Complex. Info: Randy Whitney (276-8694) or Peggy Myers (999-5448). … Also at the Complex, the Spokane Kart Racing Association stages rounds seven and eight of 10 points races this weekend. Practice begins at 8 a.m. with time trials at 11:30. Info: Diane Thompson 924-6755 (days), 928-0915 (eves.) or Greg Ressa 325-2646. … Northport International Raceway concludes its 2004 season with the championship race Sunday. Time trials begin at 1 p.m. Info: Mark Meldrum (509) 732-1168. … Spokane Raceway Park’s oval will host the last of its 10-race Northwest Late Model Superstock Series races Saturday. Bracket racers compete on the drag strip as well. Gates open at 3 p.m. with racing at 7. Sunday at SRP, the High School Drag Series concludes with a double points event and a reunion featuring participants from the old Deer Park Drag Strip. Gates open at 10 a.m. with racing at 1:30 for Sunday’s program.

Streaks and stats

Rich Hatton held a 166-point lead over Steve Mathers in Road Runner points going into the Wednesday Night Fever program at Stateline. Tim Stoddard has won four out of his last five Road Runner races to pull into third in points. Also at Stateline, Keith Williams has won three of his last four mains in Bump-to-Pass, while Ned Pennington (Hobby Stocks) and Scott Beeching (Fever 4s) each have two wins in a row. … Spokane’s Jaelen Pace won the 30-lap main event for the Senior Honda quarter midget division held last Sunday at Renegade Raceway near Yakima. Pace, the division’s points leader, recorded his sixth main-event victory in eight starts this season. Pace will compete this weekend in the Quarter Midgets of America Region 9 touring series.