NW motorsports: Icons to be honored in open-wheel race
Two icons of racing’s past in Spokane will have their efforts honored this Saturday night at the inaugural Rent-Rite Bud Gorder-Roger Richards Memorial, taking place at Spokane Raceway Park.
It’s a racing program that would undoubtedly make both men proud. Saturday’s racing is an open-wheel feast of Winged Sprints, Northwest Modfieds and Early Stocks, the latter of which is reminiscent of the days when Gorder drove the Fairgrounds Speedway oval and Richards served as a flagman.
The race was the idea of Inland Northwest Sprint Car Association president Ron Turner, who has vivid memories of each man.
Turner’s first race in a rear-engine race car came at the Fairgrounds in 1971 at the Mid-Season Championships. Gorder won the race and Turner finished second. In an ironic twist, Turner bought the car he drives today from Gorder.
As for Richards, who passed away just three years ago, Turner said both times he put his race car on its “lid,” in the late 1960s, Richards was there to drag him out.
Gorder was a huge force in local racing. He served as president of the Greater Inland Empire Stock Car Racing Association, the independent driver organization that once governed area racing. Gorder was also the president of the old Canadian American Modified Racing Association. Under Gorder’s watch, CAMRA raced from Denver to Prince George, British Columbia. CAMRA sent 15 drivers to Indy, including Tom Sneva.
In the mid-1960s Gorder was the prime mover to build a race track at the Fairgrounds, helping convince the County Commissioners to allow the track.
“He started the ball rolling with the County,” said car builder Jim Tipke, whose dad, Larry, saw the project through to its finish and successfully promoted races there.
Gorder was also very willing to help his fellow racers. And no time was that ever more apparent than one day at the Fairgrounds when B-Class driver Andy Flores hit the wall and his car erupted in flames.
“Bud saved his life,” recalled racing patriarch Edsol Sneva. “He went right in and got him out.”
Justin Popple cooled off Kevin Burck last Saturday by winning his first INSCA race of the season. This week race sponsor Rent-Rite will award the Winged Sprint winner $1,000, so there is some added incentive to be the first to take the checkered flag.
The visiting N.W. Modifieds will renew the points race that has heated up with just three races to go. Tim Sawyer (757 points) leads Rick Gimeno (749). Each driver has a win on SRP’s half-mile this season.
Also on Saturday on the drag strip is a special appearance by the Northwest Pro Street Racing Association, plus bracket drags with gates opening at 4 p.m. Friday night street racing is also back this week.
Foreign stocks, ICARs at Stateline
The last time they visited Stateline Speedway, the Foreign Stock Racing Association showed up with some two dozen race cars and put on a whale of a show.
The Foreign Stocks return Saturday at Stateline Speedway and join the ICAR Limited Late Models and local Hobby Cars in a 6 p.m. show.
In that last appearance, John Grosvenor took the lead halfway through the 75-lap main event to capture the 2007 Northwest Pro 4 Nationals Championship.
Karting doubleheader
Whether your preference is dirt or pavement, the Spokane Motorsports Complex at Airway Heights has you covered this weekend with kart racing.
Saturday afternoon the Spokane Kart Racing Association takes to their paved road course for their seventh points race of the season. Later that night, on Sunset Speedway’s fifth-mile oval next door, the Speedway Karts present the eighth of 11 points races.
The asphalt racers will be running the next two weeks as they prepare for the Region Seven International Karting Federation (IKF) Gold Cup over the Labor Day Weekend. That event draws hundreds of the best kart racers in the region to compete.
Info: Diane Thompson (509) 924-6755. www.sunsetspeedway.org or www.spokanekarting.org.
Pit stops
Eagle Track at Republic has dirt track racing in three classes Saturday beginning at 3 p.m. It’s the last race on the 2007 schedule for the track. Info: Gary Olson at garyolson@bossig.co, 509-779-4634 or Buck Strauch: 509-775-3508.
Streaks ‘n stats
Spokane racer Dave Hatton continued his winning ways for the Road Runner division by winning the heat race and main events during Wednesday Night Fever at Stateline Speedway. Chris Gilson won the B Main and Bernie Beard took the C main event. Bruce Garber held off grandson Colton Garber in the 30-lap Fever 4 feature.
Joe Kopp scored fifth and sixth place finishes in a weekend doubleheader of AMA Grand National racing last weekend at Castle Rock, Wash.