Idaho 200 should be quality-driven
It may be hard to match the quantity of cars that jammed the pits at last year’s Idaho 200. But from a quality standpoint, the 2005 NAPA Auto Parts-sponsored edition may be the measuring stick on which future races are judged.
From an event that struggled to fill a field in it’s first year, last year’s big race at Stateline Speedway had nearly 60 late-models competing for 22 starting spots on Sunday.
Making their first appearance at the event are two of NASCAR’s Northwest Series Elite Division stars, Jeff Jefferson of Naches, Wash., the series’ current points leader, and four-time series champion Garret Evans of Wenatchee.
The field will also include defending champion Rick Schultz of Spokane, who led last year’s race from green to checkered flag. Darren Rupinski of Hayden, Idaho, was the 2003 winner.
Home-track advantage – and four straight Inland Northwest Super Stock Association series wins – will be a plus for Newman Lake’s Kevin Richards who is one of a number of favorites.
Marc Groskreutz is entered despite having not driven much in the last few years.
He was hardly rusty after a top-10 finish in the Montana 200 two weeks ago. Dan Garber, the 2004 INSSA points champ, is another driver who could be a factor.
Late Model Challenge Series drivers expected to contend with local favorites are B.J. Tidrick (Montana 200 winner), Jim Johnson and second-generation driver Jay Sauls.
Tearing a page – albeit a small one – from Nextel Cup competitor Tony Stewart, Gonzaga University student Tony Berry will do double duty this weekend. Stewart used to drive in the Indy 500 and the 600-lap race in Charlotte on Memorial Day.
Berry will make his stock car debut in the INSSA race on Friday night and then travel to Ephrata for a sprint car race Saturday. If all goes well and Berry lines up enough sponsors, he will try to get into the Idaho 200 through a last-chance race.
On Friday, the INSSA series will run their 100-lap Rockstar Energy Drink Duel qualifier. The top six finishers will locked into Sunday’s race.
A similar 100-laps qualifier will take place Saturday for Late Model Challenge cars. Racing begins at 7 p.m.
Sunday’s schedule includes additional heat races and the 200-lap feature race. The top 12 finishers from Friday and Saturday’s events will have a guaranteed starting spot in the field. Eight other starting positions will be based on heat races. Two spots will be determined by the promoter to make of the 22-car field for the 200-lap main.
43rd World Finals this weekend
One of the longest-running drag racing events in the nation takes place this weekend when Spokane Raceway Park hosts the 43rd annual edition of the AHRA World Finals.
The event gets under way on Friday with gates opening at 3 p.m. Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday at 9 a.m.
Ageless Chris “The Greek” Karamesines – he’s somewhere in his late 70s and still capable of 5-second runs in the quarter-mile – will be joined by Lee Kohlman in Top Fuel.
Bruce Andrew (Jet Car) and Virgil Sellers (Wheelstander) are a couple of the exhibition entries that SRP has indicated will be running. Sellers may have a new Chevy station wagon body on his wheelstander after being involved in a June accident at the track.
Two in a row for Joe
Joe Kopp entered uncharted territory last Saturday night by winning back-to-back races for the first time in his AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship series career.
The Mica, Wash., rider took the lead with six laps remaining, winning his second race in as many weeks at Hagerstown, Md. The win was Kopp’s ninth career victory and allowed him to move within 23 points of series leader Chris Carr.
This week the series moves on to Farley, Iowa, and Kopp has had his sights on this place on the schedule for sometime.
“I have been looking forward to this race all year,” Kopp said. “This was where I crashed. I still have a numb elbow from that day.”
Zimmer gets test drive
Spokane go-kart racer, Andrew Zimmer continues to turn heads and get attention on race tracks across the region.
The 14-year-old driver was invited to test drive a Formula Renault 1600 by the Odyssey Motorsports Team of Seattle, whose driver is moving up to the Formula Renault 2000.
The Formula Renault cars look like open-wheel Indy Cars, but a little smaller and they run the Renault 1.6- and 2.0-liter fuel-injected engines.
It was Zimmer’s first time in a Formula race car and he was only 3 seconds off the pace of one of the teams’ testers on a 21/2-mile track.
If invited on the team next year, Zimmer would be racing a nine-event series that goes to Phoenix, California and Portland.
Pit stops
Dirt track racing is back on Saturday at Republic. Time trials get under way at 3 p.m. Info: Buck Strauch at (509) 775-3508 or cjstrauch@hotmail.com
•Extreme Motorsports presents Supercross Series Race No. 5 on Saturday at the Motorsports Complex at Airway Heights. Info: 218-2014 or www.extmotorsports.com.
•Flat Track motorcycle racing is scheduled for Saturday at Sunset Speedway at the motorsports complex. Info: Pmyers7474@aol.com or 999-5448.
•Another edition of the Oldtime Racer’s Reunion and Picnic is scheduled for Aug. 20 at Nine Mile Resort. This event brings out many former racers and lots of stories from the good old days. Info: Sally Gorder: (509) 467-4615.
Streaks and stats
Spokane’s Frankie Volz Jr. won both ends of the 7-Up Modified Smackdown held Friday and Saturday night at Chaparral Speedway near Boise. In that same race Blaine Sneva of Coeur d’Alene set a track qualifying record with a 15.788-second lap. Volz now has four victories in five series races. The Mods are in Kalispell this Saturday… Jake Wardsworth ended the eight-race main event win streak of Stateline Speedway Road Runner driver Rich Hatton last Wednesday. And on Saturday, Rob Ballard ended the three-race Hobby Stock win streak of Craig Felix.