Hoerner Keeps Big Lead As Pro Gas Winds Down

Pro and Modified Gas racers hope to have a big crowd of special guests on hand to cheer their efforts Saturday night at Spokane Raceway Park.

The Pro and Mod Gas Association will present its third annual Boy Scout Night, with scouts admitted free of charge if they are in uniform and bring two cans of food for the food bank. Gates open at 4 p.m., with racing at 7:30.

Scouts will have a lot to cheer about as they watch the featured class of cars that cover the quarter-mile from wheel-standing starts in just under 10 seconds.

Todd Hoerner has a 300-point lead over James Aresnault in the Pro Gas class, building that lead with two wins in the three previous races. John Lantz also has two wins and a 225-point lead over Mark Resen in the 10.90 Modified Gas class.

This is the next-to-last series race. The Pro and Mod Gas championships will be staged September 14.

SRP also hosts regular bracket drags, plus stock cars, on Saturday night.

Interstate Supers return

The Interstate Superstock Racing Series returns to Stateline Speedway Saturday night for the final time this season.

Mike Sauls of Puyallup has regained the points lead from Ephrata’s Kevin Burck after a runner-up finish in the last race two weeks ago. Burck remains right of Saul’s bumper as the series heads into the final two races of its inaugural season.

Also on the program Saturday at Stateline will be Hobby Stocks and Fever Four Hobby’s. Time trials begin at 6.

Friday’s schedule, which begins with time trials at 6:30 p.m., has Compact Streets, Sportsman and Street Stocks.

Mods to Montana

With another night like he had last Saturday, Blaine Sneva might stick with open-wheel racing for a few more years.

Sneva, who earlier this season hinted he’ll switch to stock cars next year, “because it’s something I’ve never raced yet,” came from the back of the pack to win his first Northwest Modified Series race of the season last Saturday at Stateline Speedway.

With the win, Sneva closed to within 17 points of series leader Greg Ochs, and he can further cut into the gap this Saturday night at Kalispell, Mont.

After Saturday, two more races remain on the 1996 modified schedule, September 7 and 28, both at Stateline.

Northport resumes racing

After nearly a month’s vacation, Northport International Raceway resumes its schedule Sunday with the running of the Whitty’s Mini-Mart Fuel and Sprint 150.

NIR will run its usual program of Modifieds, Superstocks and Volkswagens, but also welcomes back the Northern Light Sprint Cars for Sunday’s program. Time trials begin at 1 p.m. with racing at 2.

With two races to go in the season only one class - the Modifieds - has its points battle in the balance. Canadians Gord Zaitsoff of Castlegar and Randy Steep of Fruitvale are separated by just 31 points.

Second-year Superstock driver and defending champ Don VanSickle appears to be going for a repeat in that class, holding a 78-point lead over Henk Ravenstein. Jim Anderson appears in command in the VWs.

Northport concludes its regular season Sunday, Sept. 1, with a double-points race.

‘Kong Power’ is king for a day

Former racer Earl Wham is still quite active as a motor builder and had an impressive string of success last weekend.

His “Kong Power” motors helped drivers set three fast times, two track records and three feature event wins.

Wham’s motors powered Blaine Sneva to victory in the modifieds at Stateline and then helped the Montana father-and-son combo of Lum and Mark Owens to respective wins in a 125-lap Street Stock event and a 200-lap late-model race.

Pit stops

The Mountain Dew High School Drag Racing Series continues Friday at Spokane Raceway Park with Lakeside of Nine-Mile and the Spokane Skills Center battling it out for the championship. Gates open at 5 p.m. for the final race before the championship on September 15… . Pete Harding won his first NASCAR Northwest Tour race of the season last Saturday night in Portland. Kevin Richards was the highest finishing Spokane driver (eighth), followed by Marc Groskreutz (10th). Monte English, driving for Spokane’s Ron Hall Racing was involved in an accident and finished 24th while Rick Schultz blew an engine on lap 61 and finished 26th… . The Sunset Four Wheel Drive club will stage its third annual Bogging For Dimes fundraiser on Sunday at the Spokane ORV Park in Airway Heights.

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