Keeping Pace: Daniel Moore has high hopes for Summer Showdown
In 2011, Evergreen Speedway set out to host the biggest late-model race on the West Coast. Officials wanted something on par with the Idaho and Montana 200s, where upward of 40 to 50 drivers battle for a starting position. This year the Monroe, Washington, track has put together a purse of over $100,000, with the winning driver netting a cool $20,000 for taking the 200-lap Summer Showdown.
With that kind of money at stake drivers from across the United States and several Canadian provinces have preregistered. The number of entries has approached 60 with one day to go before practice and time trials get underway Friday.
When big money is up for grabs local talent is sure to be found among the entries. The Summer Showdown has many of the best Inland Empire stars entered for their chance to claim the top prize, including David Garber, Braeden Havens, Nicole Behar, Shelby Thompson and Blake Williams.
One Spokane driver who may have an edge is the speedway’s defending late-model champion, Daniel Moore. Since graduating two years ago from Washington State University, the Western Washington native has made this area his home. Moore works for a Spokane Valley aerospace firm but continues to make the commute to Evergreen during the race season so he can compete on the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.
This season Moore is once again atop the late-model standings, having put together a solid effort in defense of his title. The championship is nice, but winning a big race like the Summer Showdown may mean more to the track’s top driver.
“They are both very impressive achievements to have on your resume,” Moore said. “Winning championships is a sign of a team’s ability to be consistent week after week whereas the Summer Showdown provides confirmation that you are on top of your game against people from across the country.”
Logging laps on Evergreen’s .675-mile oval may be one advantage Moore has over his fellow Spokane drivers and others who will be aiming for the $20,000 payday. With that in mind, Moore intends to approach this weekend’s race the same way he did in 2013, in which he scored a third-place finish.
“We took our time working up to the front (of the field),” he said. “If you run to the front too quickly with a crate-engine car, you’re likely overdriving the tires, which wears them out. It’s all about timing and allowing them (big horsepower cars) to come to you.”
Evergreen Speedway’s rules for the Summer Showdown allow for a variety of chassis and engine combinations to compete. While Moore uses the track’s crate-engine package, he knows that competing with the likes of Havens, three-time Idaho 200 champion Gary Lewis and others who bring big power will be a unique opportunity.
“There will be engines that make 400 horsepower up to 700 and there will be three different chassis configurations,” Moore said. “The way they make it fair for all the competitors is by adding weight (to the car) and maybe even restricting the amount of air through the carburetor.
“We run a General Motors crate engine that is sealed from the factory, so we can’t make any alterations to the internal components. Our engine makes 408 horsepower, which means that we are on the lower end of the power range but we don’t have any penalties on the overall weight of the car and we are unrestricted on the carburetor,” he said.
Tire wear will be the big key to a successful weekend, Moore added.
“Our tires will last longer since we have less weight to deal with through the corners along with less horsepower to roast off the rear tires,” he said. “The problem is our advantage only really helps after the other cars wear out their tires, usually by about lap 60-75 (of either 100-lap segment). When each competitor has new tires, the higher horsepower cars can achieve slightly faster straightaway speeds, which produces quicker lap times. We will not be able to qualify very well but with the (positioning) races on Friday we should be able to race our way into the Showdown (which runs Saturday).”