More Cars Probable For Srp

Predicted better weather and more time to finish building cars promises to improve the field for Saturday night’s second Northwest Late Model Superstocks race at Spokane Raceway Park.

The late models will be joined by Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Fever Fours and Mini-Trucks with time trials at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 7:30.

“I expect a lot better turnout,” said the series’ Spokane coordinator, Dave Bennett, after watching the opener under blustery conditions and threatening weather.

The first race at SRP drew 13 cars, 10 of which started the main event won by Tim Elliott of Creston, British Columbia.

“We were really hurt by the weather,” Bennett said. “Guys like (Bob) Schweigert and (Corey) Wolf weren’t going to come all the way from Montana and have to turn around and go home.”

At the first race, Bennett said three to four cars were still under construction, including that of Jack Miller of Post Falls. Spokane’s Blaine Senva is still looking for his first competition in a stock car after years of duty in open-wheel classes.

Stateline tries again

Stateline Speedway will wait one more week before it decides to change from racing stock cars to boats.

Just kidding, of course, but for a track that seems to have had more than its share of weather problems, a change might be in the back of the minds of promoters Joe and Walt Doellefeld.

They’ll try again this Saturday with the first appearance locally for both the Northwest Mini-Supers and Columbia River Sprint Cars. Time trials begin at 6 p.m. Compact Streets and Street Stocks are also on the schedule.

Challenge Series Begins

For years their racers and rules were miles apart.

But this Sunday, the drivers from Northport International Raceway and Republic’s Eagle Trac begin a cooperative venture - rare, it seems, among competing tracks - when they stage the first of four challenge races.

Time trials begin at 1 p.m. at Northport, with racing featuring competition in Superstocks, Modifieds and Fever Fours.

While drivers who compete in the series will be equalized somewhat by the rules, they’ll have to contend with markedly different track conditions.

“The (Republic) track gets like asphalt,” said Eagle Trac president Larry Dragnich. “Our track is looser and more typical of a dirt track,” Wells said.

Pit stops

This is the first make-up weekend for some of the region’s postponed events and it will affect Spokane Raceway Park’s Saturday drag racing program. Originally, the Spokane Pro Gas Association was to be on the schedule but many of those racers will be in Mission, British Columbia, for a make-up of last weekend’s rained out NHRA Division Six event… . Friday night, the NASCAR Northwest Tour race originally set for April 19 will be run at Portland Speedway… . The Pro Outlaw Kart Racing (P.O.K.R.) Association will run a doubleheader at the Spokane County ORV Park. The group’s second scheduled points race will take place tonight starting at 6. Saturday, they’ll attempt to run a belated season opener that was to have taken place last Thursday. Saturday’s racing begins at 1 p.m… . After being closed last season, Tuscor Speedway in Trout Creek, Mont., opens its season Saturday with a special Hobby Stock Invitational offering $500 to win. Gates open at 2 p.m. MDT… . Spokane’s Chad Little could not get his back-up car up to speed and did not qualify for last Sunday’s Save Mart Supermarkets 300 at Santa Rosa, Calif. Little was forced to use the team’s secondary car after the primary car was damaged during Friday’s practice session.

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