Series Crowns A New Winner Every Week

Parity, which has arrived in much of pro sports, has also found its way into local late-model stock car racing.

The Interstate Super Stock Racing Series, which visits Stateline Speedway on Saturday night, has produced six different winners in as many races this season. So, you might look for another new face in the winner’s circle.

Time trials begin at 6 p.m. with the Northwest Mini-Trucks and Streetstocks joining the program.

The latest Super Stock winner was Howard Ford, who took the checkered flag at Stateline two weeks ago. Points leader Jay Ulmer of Ephrata, Wash., has one win. So does defending series champ Mike Sauls of Puyallup, Wash., who is third in points.

Despite not having won a race this season, Spokane’s Rick Kellogg has ridden some consistency into second place in the standings.

Stateline announced that the Sept. 6 Interstate Superstock race scheduled for Ephrata has been moved to Stateline.

Friday night, Stateline serves up a program of Hobby Cars, Sportsman and Compact Streets at 6:30 p.m.

Tour runs longest race

Two Spokane racers will be offered an excellent opportunity to move up in NASCAR Northwest Tour points standings when the series runs its longest race, the Western 200, Sunday at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe.

After a third-place finish in last Friday’s race in Portland, Greg Biffle, driver for Ron Hall Racing of Spokane, is sixth in points and trails former Spokane driver Jeff Bird by 37 points.

Rick Schultz, 10th at Portland, sits in the ninth spot, 20 points back of rookie James VanCleve.

Modifieds add races

Jeff Zimmerman has had a couple more hurdles placed in the way of his defense of the Northwest Modified Series title.

The open wheel series has announced a revision that adds two races to its schedule.

A first-ever race on the half-mile at Yakima Speedway is set for Aug. 30 and the series returns to newly renovated Mission Valley Speedway in Ronan, Mont., on Sept. 6.

This Saturday night, Zimmerman, winner of four of six races, takes a 58-point lead over Colville’s Greg Ochs on the road to Raceway Park in Kalispell, Mont.

Northport begins busy week

Dirt-track racers at Northport International Raceway begin a busy week of activities on Sunday with the running of their “Almost Indy 150.”

Time trials begin at 1 p.m. with racing at 2.

The track will stage its first annual Can-Am Demolition Derby Aug. 30 and conclude the regular season the next day with the season championship race.

Entries are still being accepted for the demo derby that will pay the winner $1,000. For info, call (509) 684-1702.

Pit stops

With his win last Thursday, Rod Nelson has climbed within four points of Pro Outlaw Kart Racing Association points leader Bruce Pruitt. The P.O.K.R. karts race tonight at 6 p.m. at the ORV Park in Airway Heights… . Spokane Raceway Park has another race in the Mountain Dew High School drag racing series scheduled for Friday at 5 p.m. Saturday night, SRP will hold another race in the Northwest Superstock series. No points rundown has been released by series officials. Bracket drags are also on the schedule Saturday at 4:30… . Dirt-track racing resumes Saturday at Republic’s Eagle Trac with time trials at 12:30… . Joe Kopp was 11th in last Saturday’s AMA Grand National flat track motorcycle race at Indianapolis. Kopp is eighth in points and races at Hagerstown, Md., on Saturday night… . The Nashville Network’s Race Day motorsports magazine program reported Sunday that Jack Roush Racing has purchased a portion of Mark Rypien Motorsports Winston Cup racing team. Spokane’s Chad Little drives that team’s John Deere-sponsored Pontiac. Rypien Motorsports has not released any details on the sale.

Hot streaks

Allen Swain won his sixth straight race in the Northwest Mini-Supers last Saturday at Stateline Speedway… . John McCroskey appears to be back in command of the Fever Four ranks at Spokane Raceway Park after winning his second race in three weeks and ninth in 13 races this season… . John Force’s funny car win at Brainerd, Minn., last Sunday was his first since he won back-to-back races in February.

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