Northport Liberty Race dishes dirt

If you drive into Northport International Raceway on Saturday or Sunday and it appears you’ve turned into Michael J. Fox driving Doc Brown’s time-traveling car from “Back to the Future,” don’t be concerned.

A view of the picturesque bowl that contains the dirt racetrack will reveal a collection of open-wheel modifieds, a scene that could easily have come from 1953, when the track first opened.

Celebrating 50 years of operation this season, Northport stages its biggest event of the season, the annual Liberty Race that has been an Independence Day holiday fixture for the most of the last decade.

The Liberty Race is two days of stock car racing featuring Modifieds, Street Stocks and Fever 4 Compacts, along with some 4x4 mud-bogging thrown in, just in case there isn’t enough dirt flying on the race track.

Saturday features time trials, trophy dashes and qualifying heats, beginning at 1 p.m. Sunday’s schedule begins at 9 a.m., when gates open and the mud bogs begin. Fifty-lap feature races for the stock cars follow at 1 p.m.

Many things set Northport apart from the average race track. Perhaps most notable is that the back straight climbs a slight hill going into turn three, and the track slants downhill through turn four toward the start-finish line.

Add the rule that requires mandatory mud-flaps and the fact that many spectators choose to drive their vehicles into the track, park them on the hill, pull out their lawn chairs and cooler, and do their best imitation of football tailgating.

“It’s a unique setting, nestled in the bowl with the mountains,” said Mark Meldrum of Northport, who serves as the president of the non-profit organization that operates the track. “It’s a nice change of pace.”

Racers come from all over northeast Washington and Canada to compete on the three-eighths-mile track. Rules at neighboring Eagle Track in Republic are close enough to allow their drivers to race at Northport.

“We’re kind of a sister track with Republic,” Meldrum said. “The rules are basically the same.”

The track was built in 1951 but didn’t hold races until 1953. The land was willed to the city by Ann Lowry, a Northport resident who wanted a racetrack built on the site, just across the Columbia River bridge. The track was originally called Panorama Speedway.

Some families have roots in racing dating back that far. Canadian Randy Steep still races open-wheel cars, as his dad Pete once did.

Tony Berkely of Kettle Falls and hometown driver Pat Bradeen lead the race in Street Stocks. Skip Clark of Addy, Colville’s John Miller Jr. and Toby Everson of Keller top the Modifieds. The father-son team of Pat and Lucas Cole is dominating the compacts.

Meldrum once raced in the Bomber class at Monroe Speedway, but he gave the dirt a try when he moved to Northport.

A back injury has Meldrum sidelined, but Bradeen has taken over the driving and is doing quite well.

Hydros come to Ione

This weekend marks the second running of the Ione Firecracker Regatta at the town’s riverside park.

Six classes of hydroplanes and Nostalgic Inboards will compete for double points. More than a dozen inboard flat-bottom Nostalgic boats are expected to compete, as well as the famous Miss Miami 266 inboard vintage hydroplane.

“The Park supplies plenty of shade and great spectator viewing,” said spokesman Boyd Schnell. “Ione is a favorite course for the racers with some traveling as far as Portland (to compete).”

Call goes out for troops

Herberholz Racing, Dishman Dodge and KHQ television’s Success by Six have teamed up to sell phone cards for troops overseas.

“We are excited to be able to put together a campaign that encourages everyone to help our troops from this area call home,” said spokesperson Sheri Herberholz.

All cards will be distributed to personnel at Fairchild Air Force Base and sent overseas. Cards are scheduled for delivery on Tuesday.

Donations of are being accepted at Dishman Dodge and all Wells Fargo banks. Dishman Dodge and The Herberholz Racing Team have phone cards available for purchase.

Info: Sheri Herberholz (509-217-1937) or Louise Hansen (KHQ, 509-448-4606).

Pit stops

Spokane Raceway Park hosts the 23rd annual Fox Hunt and Jet Car drags Saturday. Gates open at 2 p.m. with racing at 7.

•The Stateline Outboard Racing Association will run its third race of the season at Oldtown, Idaho, a short Course West event.

•Stateline Speedway hosts its annual Independence Day Demolition Derby Saturday. Time trials begin at 5:30 p.m.. Buying advance tickets is recommended as this event is normally a sellout. Info: 208-773-5019.

Streaks and stats

Mica’s Joe Kopp nervously awaits results of a postrace fuel test following his apparent victory last Saturday at the AMA Progressive Insurance Flat Track Championship race in Lima, Ohio. Inspectors found Kopp and Kevin Atherton’s fuel to be beyond the legal limits. At this time both riders have been disqualified, pending further tests. The fuel samples were sent to a lab Monday.

•Fans who returned to Stateline Speedway Sunday to watch the continuation of Saturday’s Late Model Challenge race may have thought they watched Kevin Richards drive to victory. After reviewing scoring and race video, however, Richards was found to have gained a position under the yellow flag, a rule violation, and was scored one lap down to finish 11th. The revised top-three saw Dave Garber of Spokane win the race, followed by James Spiering of Redmond, Wash., and Garber’s father Bruce of Mead.

•Dave Villwock, driving Miss Budweiser, won what was termed an “outlaw” unlimited hydroplane race at Evansville, Ind., last Sunday. The hometown, Allison turbo-powered Master Tire was second with driver Mitch Evans of Chelan, Wash. Five unlimiteds attended the event that dropped its sanction with Hydro-Prop. The first official Hydro-Prop event is this weekend at Madison, Ind.

•Greg Ochs won his second Northwest Modified Series race in three tries last Saturday at Spokane Raceway Park.