Sneva prepares for variety of challenges

Blaine Sneva begins defense of his Northwest Modifieds championship Saturday night at Stateline Speedway with a variety of challenges in front of him.

First there’s the field of would-be challengers that grows each year as the series continues to grow its car count. Last year, nearly 30 cars were ready and able to answer the call at any given race.

Then comes the yearly “rock throwing,” as Sneva calls the challenges that some drivers bring up over changes and innovations that his race team, managed by his dad, Edsol, brings to the track each race.

Finally, there’s the issue of finding the happy balance between going fast to win – potentially breaking parts along the way – and taking it easy and not trying the win the race in the first few laps.

The competition has indeed become tougher. In 2006, 22 or more Modifieds started at each series event with the championship race at Wenatchee drawing 27.

This is in stark contrast to when the series was reborn 22 years ago from its roots in the old Fairgrounds Speedway Early Stocks and Sprint Coupes that raced at Spokane Raceway Park in the early ‘80s. Gary Miller was lucky to scrape together enough cars, even scrounging up dirt cars from Colville to produce a field.

This year’s schedule includes 12 points races, five each at Stateline and Spokane Raceway, plus a pair of Montana dates in Kalispell and Ronan. A 13th race, the return of the Modified Smack Down, is scheduled for the half-mile at Roseburg, Ore.

Sneva’s goal is to defend the championship he won in a close race against Colville’s Mark Weaver. He’s facing competition before he hits the track. He shakes his head at the reaction an Internet photo of the car drew from some drivers. The snapshot showed a Plexiglas housing that was built over the air cleaner.

“They’re (series officials) already sending me letters and they haven’t (really) seen it,” said Sneva. “See the car and then throw rocks.”

Admittedly, the Snevas always seem to present a challenge to the rule book, wherever they race. Sneva admits they do a good job of doing what it takes “to make things interesting,” on their interpretation of the rules.

Rule challenges aside, Sneva knows that more consistency is his key to repeating as the champ.

“The biggest thing for us is to finish races,” he said. “If we do that, we have a good chance to win (the title).”

To that end, 78-year-old Edsol Sneva, the team manager, has taken a new, more meticulous approach when it comes to the car.

“Dad’s different this year,” Blaine said. “When we’ve been out this year, he wants to know tire temperatures. He’s writing things down and thinking about it more.”

Sneva won the first three races of 2006 and went through a span of breaking parts and not finishing races. He ended up with a 985-968 points margin over Weaver.

Saturday’s program at Stateline will feature the season’s only appearance of the Golden Wheels and West Coast Vintage Racers, who will put on exhibition races with their historic race cars from the 1930s through the 1970s.

“Its like watching an automotive museum come to life,” said Stateline spokesperson Seth Sands.

Stateline’s Streetstocks complete the program that begins with time trials at 6 p.m.

Northport opens

The Inland Northwest’s oldest racetrack, Northport International Raceway, returns with a new-look schedule and a new class of race car.

Racing dates back to the 1950s at the track located just across the Columbia River from the turn-of-the-century mining center.

Thirteen race dates – most on Sundays – dot the calendar, starting Sunday and concluding on Oct. 14.

“All races are scheduled for Sundays with no back-to-back weekends,” reported track spokesperson Brenda Robbins. “We also are taking the month of August off this year.”

Northport introduces the beginner “Hornet” Class this year.

Info: www.northportinternationalraceway.com or Don “Butch” Hegel, 509-258-7007.

Pit stops

Spokane Raceway Park has test-and-tune sessions for the stock car track and drag strip Saturday at noon. This will be the second week for the oval racers and the first time out for the quarter-mile drivers. The track will have its first weekend off next week before launching into the regular season on May 5. … The Spokane Kart Racing Association begins its points season Sunday at the Spokane Motorsports Complex in Airway Heights. It runs its second race next week before taking time off to send racers to regional Gold Cup competition in Portland. Info: Bob or Diane Thompson (509) 924-6755 or Spokanekarting.org.

Streaks ‘n’ stats

The only racing that has successfully outrun Mother Nature is Stateline’s Wednesday Night Fever program. Those two races have produced a different winner in each class. Tom Harris and Derek Colarusso have won in Road Runners; Tom Plybon and Colton Garber in Fever 4s; and Darryl Carillio and defending champ Yvonne Lifsey in Bump-To-Pass. … Travis Bennett won the 41st annual Apple Cup Super Late Model race last Sunday on his hometown track at Yakima Speedway.