Crowded pit row at Stateline
Some of the best racing Saturday night at Stateline Speedway might just be for spots in the pits now that the NAPA Late Models have been added to the program this week.
When an earlier race at Ronan, Mont. – the series’ only road trip – was cancelled, Stateline Speedway decided to find a spot on the schedule. Now Saturday’s show, beginning with time trials at 6 p.m., not only has super stocks, but original headliners, the Northwest Pro Trucks and Northwest Late Model 4s, as well jammed into the pits.
“Jammed pits is right,” noted driver and Northwest Pro Trucks spokesman Rob Tipps of Spokane Valley. There should be 20 or so Late models, 15 Late Model 4s, another 10 Lightning Trucks plus 18 to 20 Pro Trucks.
Tipps said the popular NW Pro4 Truck Tour will make its first and only appearance Saturday at Stateline. An earlier event rained out.
“Our series has exploded with interest since venturing into our ‘Tour Races’ averaging 18 trucks per event,” Tipps said. Over 23 trucks have competed this year with the NW Pro4 Truck Tour. Tipps sits fourth in points with Steve Morris of Newman Lake also in the top 10.
In the NWLM 4s, a pair of Lewiston drivers, Kameron McKeehan (1,548 points) and defending champ Chris Yochum (1,466), lead the points with John Jackson (1,448) making it a three-way race.
After Saturday, two more races remain on the 2004 NWLM 4 schedule which moves on to Hermiston, Ore., next week and concludes Sept. 18 at Stateline.
In the NAPA Series, Dan Garber (642 points), John Gamble (620), Kevin Richards (593),Vance Reynolds (572) and Dave Garber (560) are the series points leaders.
Kopp closes in title chase
Joe Kopp climbed just a little closer to the lead in the AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship Series with a third place finish Saturday in Peoria, Ill.
Kopp will try to continue his mid-season hot streak and cut the gap further between himself and points leader Chris Carr when the series visits State Fair Speedway in Sedalia, Mo.
For Carr and Kopp, a win this weekend could determine the tone of the series going into the final five rounds of 2004. Carr, the defending series champ from Fleetwood, Pa., is leading the championship by 23 points and has a series leading four wins coming into this race. Kopp has two victories this season.
Pit stops
Republic’s Eagle Track is one step closer to completing its season, running three classes of stock cars Saturday beginning at noon. Info: 509-775-3680 or 509-634-4007. … The Sportsman Superstocks return to Spokane Raceway Park’s oval Saturday, while bracket drags and imports are on the drag strip. Gates open at 3 p.m. with racing at 7. Sunday, the Annual Dave Rogers Memorial Race takes place. Gates open at 10 a.m. That event honors the memory of the former radio personality and huge drag racing fan. … The Spokane Kart Racing Association will run the sixth of 10 points races Sunday at the Spokane Motorsports complex in Airway Heights. Practice begins at 8 a.m. Info: Diane Thompson (509) 924-6755 (days) or (509) 928-0915 (eves.). … The 5th Annual Gary Miller Memorial race last Saturday at Stateline Speedway, “was quite a success,” reported Ed Hudson. Of course, Hudson’s nephew, Steve Hudson won the main with an impressive outside pass on Greg Ochs with about 15 laps to go. It was Hudson’s second win of the season and third in his short year and a half career. The event also raised some $7,000 for the Shriner’s Hospital in Spokane.
Streaks & stats
Jessica Juel drove to the fourth round in Top Comp at the Lucas Oil NHRA Division Six race at Intermountain Motor Sports Park near Billings Mont., last weekend. Juel was the driver who went the deepest into eliminations. Tom Manfred of Liberty Lake qualified number one in the Dave Smith Super Shootout and was runner-up in that race. Manfred ended up second in “Shootout” points and will travel to Medford, Ore., in October to compete for the series championship.