Superstock Series Stops At Stateline

The Interstate Superstock Series will try again at Stateline Speedway on Saturday night.

Last time the late models visited the Spokane area, they got all the way to the main event before rain washed out the night’s program.

The series ran last Saturday night at Tri City Raceway, where Mike Sauls won for a second time in as many visits to the half-mile oval. He holds a 52-point lead in the standings over Spokane’s Todd Whitham. Whitham finished third in the main event last week, and was second in the season opener at TCR in April.

For a change, the I-State points race has a decidedly local flavor to it with Whitham in second place, Spokane’s Duncan Behar in third and L.T. Jones of Coeur d’Alene in fourth.

The late models will run a 75-lap feature race, teaming with Street Stocks and Fever Four Hobby Cars. Time trials are at 6 p.m. with racing at 7:30.

Friday night features Sportsman, Hobby Cars and Compact Streets. Time trials are at 6 p.m. with racing at 7:30.

North of the border

Up until a couple of weeks ago, Spokane’s John Preston had a leisurely Memorial Day Weekend planned. Then he had to go and spoil all the relaxation by winning the Super Comp title during the Mission, British Columbia, stop on the NHRA Division Six schedule.

Now Preston will trade in the leisure time for three days of testing, tuning and racing in this weekend’s divisional race at Ashcroft, B.C.

“I didn’t plan on running Ashcroft, and now I have to hit the remaining four races,” said Preston, who skipped the opening race in Boise and never dreamed he’d have his ‘94 T-Bird in the hunt for a divisional championship.

Hanauer wins

Chip Hanauer proved his three years away from unlimited hydroplane racing hadn’t dulled his abilities by winning the opening race of the UHRA season last Sunday at Lake Havasu, Ariz.

Hanauer, at the wheel of Miss PICO, duped the Miss Budweiser’s Dave Villwock at the start, got the lane advantage and cruised to career victory No. 59, moving within three wins of tying the all-time mark of 62 held by the late Bill Muncey.

“Dave (Villwock) is so good and the Budweiser is so good, we just pushed every lap,” said Hanauer. “I was on the radio with Ken Dryden, my crew chief. He said `don’t let up, don’t let up,’ that’s what I kept hearing in my helmet.”’

Rookie driver Greg Hopp, in the U-15 Miss Commercial Sealant, battled with Villwock for two laps before fading to third.

Spokane’s Apex Laser Unlimited Light suffered sponson damage in the final heat and finished fourth.

Playfair motorcycle schedule set

The 1999 flat-track motorcycle racing shedule at the Playfair HalfMile kicks off June 19 with the first of three pro-am races.

Other races in the series are July 3-4 and July 31. Other dates at the Spokane horse track include a Vintage National race Aug. 27-28. The Second Annual Joe Kopp Challenge, an AMA Hot Shoe and Grand National race, conclude the schedule Sept. 23-25.

For further information contact Bert Marsh at (509) 489-5023.

Pit stops

A revised schedule has Outlaw go-kart racing resuming on Friday night at the Spokane Motorsports Complex’s West Plains Speedway…. Republic’s Eagle Track will have dirt-track stock car racing on Saturday with Superstocks and Modifieds on the half-mile… . Motocross under the lights is on the schedule at the Spokane Motorsports Complex on Saturday with racing at 7… . Spokane Raceway Park has stock car and drag racing this Saturday with gates opening at 3 and racing at 7:30… . Area go-karters will be in action at the Region IKF Six Gold Cup at Horn Rapids ORV Park in the Tri Cities this weekend… . Joe Kopp will try to get untracked as the AMA Grand National Dirt Track Series visits the famed Springfield, Ill., Mile this Sunday. Kopp overcame brake problems in last week’s race at Harrington, Del. and finished 11th. He’s still 10th in grand national points… . The American Outboard Federation Short Course National hydroplane race, originally scheduled for Priest River over the July 4 weekend, will move down river about seven miles and be staged on the Pend Oreille River between Northport and Oldtown, Idaho. Proceeds from the race will benefit the effort to complete a city park in Oldtown.

Streaks, stats

Scott Perry continues his hot streak in Stateline Speedway’s Fever Four Hobby class. Keith O’Dell ended the four-race winning streak of Rob Vest in the Stateline’s Street Stock class. Randy Lasswell will put his two-race win streak on the line in Grand American Sportsman on Friday night at Stateline.

This sidebar appeared with the story: SCHEDULE This week Friday Stock Cars Stateline Speedway: Sportsman, Hobby Cars, Compact Streets, time trials 6:30 p.m., racing 8.

Saturday Drag Racing Spokane Raceway Park: Bracket Drag Racing, gates open 3 p.m., racing 7.

Motorcycles Spokane Motorsports Complex: Supercross Night Series, gates open 4 p.m., racing 7.

Stock Cars Republic’s Eagle Track: Superstocks, Modifieds, time trials noon, racing 1 p.m. Spokane Raceway Park: Fever 4’s, Hobby Stocks, Hobby Compacts, Compact Trucks; gates open 3 p.m., racing 7. Stateline Speedway: Interstate Superstocks, Street Stocks, Fever 4 Hobby Cars; time trials 6 p.m., racing 7:30.

Wednesday Motorcycles Spokane Motorsports Complex: Supercross Night Series; gates open 4 p.m., racing 7.

Stock Cars Stateline Speedway: Wednesday Night Fever; Fever 4 Hobbies, Bump-To-Pass, time trials 6 p.m., racing 7:30.