Snevas gathered at Indy 500 race

Race winner Dan Wheldon and rookie female racer Danica Patrick stole all the headlines and undoubtedly had some fine celebrations following this year’s Indianapolis 500.

But behind the scenes and out of the limelight at last Sunday’s race a familiar family name from Indy’s past was having a fun time.

For the first time, the entire stable of Sneva sons gathered at The Brickyard for a little family reunion. The group included Spokane’s most famous racing son, Tom Sneva – winner of the 1983 race – along with brothers Jerry, Jan and Blaine.

“It was really fun,” said Blaine, the youngest of the clan who lives in Coeur d’Alene and had never been to the 500 before until this year. “If I had known how much fun it was, I would have gone back sooner.”

When it came to going to Indy like his brothers had done before him, Blaine Sneva, 48, said that in the 1970s and ‘80s, when that was happening, the brothers were racing.

“The old CAMRA cars ran 25 times a year,” he said.

For a time, Blaine felt that being behind the wheel was more important as he held onto the same Indy aspirations as Tom and Jerry. However, when the size of a driver’s wallet replaced skills learned on the track Blaine refocused his ambitions.

The Sneva boys hail from all over the country, so getting together as they did last weekend was a special time. Tom, 57, a former school teacher and principal, lives in Phoenix where he operates golf courses and a sports complex. Brother Jerry, 56, resides in Indianapolis where he’s in the car business. Jan, 52, also calls Phoenix home.

Blaine Sneva went back to play and enjoy time with family, but was recruited on Friday to do some work as well. He served as a turn-three spotter for Al Unser III, who was driving in the Infinity Pro Series. The cars are almost identical to the Indy cars except they give up miles per hour.

“The Indy cars run 220 and they (the Infinity) ran 190,” Blaine said.

On Saturday he could have returned to spotter duty, but opted to take in the festivities with family, including daughter Lindsay.

By Sunday, the reunion was pretty much over as Tom was working. The rest of the family did get together to watch the race.

Old Timers

Extreme Motorsports motocross track hosted an Old Timers National race that brought racers from seven states and British Columbia to Spokane for the weekend. Ranging in age from 30 to 84 years young, 180 entries competed in the event.

Spokane area racers faired well against this very competitive field. In 40-plus Master A, Andy James was runner-up while Ray Staford was fourth; John Cicchetti was fourth in 40-plus Expert. The 40-plus amateur saw Mel Vernoy finish fourth, while in 40-plus novice David Howard was third.

This weekend is the first MX Grand Prix as racers ride for a grueling 45 minutes straight without a break in up to 15 different classes. Normal motos are punishing enough at 15 minutes.

Pit stops

Northport International Raceway swings back into action Sunday with racing in three classes – Modifieds, Street Stocks and Fever Fours, beginning at 1 p.m. … Spokane Raceway Park will stage its 13th Annual All-Star Chevy Show and drags on Saturday on the oval at 3 p.m. … Stateline Speedway will host the third race for the Inland Northwest Superstocks this Saturday with time trials set for 6 p.m. Mike Behar won the series’ first race, while Kevin Richards won its second two weeks ago in Wenatchee. Early Stocks and Hobby Cars share the program. … The NHRA Division Six Series will seek to find better weather this weekend at Boise where Firebird Raceway hosts their 35th edition of the IGNITOR. This race switched from an April date to this weekend in an effort to get better weather.

Streaks & stats

Tony Berry’s dual duty last weekend in sprint cars and midgets produced mixed results. In the sprints, Berry saw his modest two-race win streak halted, finishing third to Kevin Burck of Ephrata, Wash. Problems with brakes in the midgets forced him to exit the main event early. … Joe Kopp finished sixth last Saturday in the TT race and fifth Sunday on the Springfield (Ill.) Mile, but despite not making it to the podium the Mica, Wash., rider moved into third place in AMA Ford Flat Track Championship points. Kopp races next at Tri City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., on June 11. … Brandon Riehl won the Okanogan Seattle Transport 125 as part of the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division Northwest Series run at Yakima Speedway last Saturday. It was his first victory in the series after 25 starts. Spokane’s Matt Hall started 24th and finished 19th.