Bird, Groskreutz Hit Winter Series
Most local racers have their cars stowed away for the winter and are planning what they’ll do next year.
Spokane racers Jeff Bird and Marc Groskreutz, however, won’t be waiting until next year to continue racing.
Both local late-model stock car competitors are en route to Tucson, Ariz., for the first race of the nationally televised Winter Heat series which takes place today. ESPN2 will televise the race live beginning at 2 p.m.
Some 70 to 80 stock clip late-model stock cars will be competing for one of the 30 starting spots on Tucson Raceway ParkUs -mile oval.
“This is not going to be an easy show to make,” said Bird’s crew member and engine consultant Earl Wham.
While the competition promises to be stiff, history would say Bird’s chances of making the cut are pretty good. In the last six invitational events he’s run - like Yakima’s Fall Classic and Kalispell’s, Montana 200 - Bird has set fast time. He’s had the quickest car in five of his last six such races.
“Jeff always rises to the occasion. We wouldn’t be making an 1,800-mile drive for exercise,” Wham said.
Bird, a former Northwest Modified Series champion, has raced in the NASCAR Late-Model Sportsman series at Yakima, as well as the Northwest Late-Model Superstocks. He won three races in the latter series this past season.
Spokane’s Marc Groskreutz, who raised eyebrows with some solid finishes this past season on both the NASCAR Northwest and Southwest Tours, will also join Bird in Arizona.
“We’ve been thrashing on the car 24 hours a day,” said Gary Groskreutz, Marc’s dad. “We just got it put together,” he said of the stockclip car.
Groskreutz plans on returning to Spokane this week to pick up his Northwest Tour car and take it to Tucson for future races.
Other Winter Heat races will take place Dec. 17 and Jan. 15.
Stocks to meet
Spokane Raceway Park will hold a stock car rules and organizational meeting Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. at the Bend Restaurant in Spokane. One topic to be discussed will be SRPU’s new truck class.