NW MOTORSPORTS: Hall will join parade as series visits for first time in 20 years

Dave Dudley wrote a classic country song, “Six Days on the Road,” that tells the story of a trucker longing to get home from a long stint driving the nation’s highways.

Dudley has nothing on Spokane’s Matt Hall, who has spent six years on the road racing the Northwest Tour and some 10 years without having regularly competed in his hometown. Or, for that matter, having the luxury of spending a night in his own bed following a race.

That all changes Saturday when the newly named ASA Aero Exhaust Northwest Tour visits Stateline Speedway for the first time in 20 years. Two local divisions, the ICAR late models and Early Stocks, also race. Time trials begin at 6 p.m.

The last time this elite series ran in Spokane was in 1987 when the city hosted its first Grand Prix street race and the tour accompanied the NASCAR Winston West series to the area. Hall was probably just learning to ride a bike.

“You get done with the race and you go home? That doesn’t happen for us,” said the 27-year-old, who first ran the series for a couple of races in 2000 before becoming a regular for following year.

So what does Hall see in the first year since NASCAR ended its sanction and the American Speed Association stepped in to save the series?

“This year with ASA jumping on board, you don’t have the bigger fields, but we do have all the top guys that ran last year,” Hall said. “The competition, I want to say, is 10 times harder.

“Everybody is on the same playing field. They know the set-up. Whoever has the car that’s one-tenth of a second faster is going to win.

“We were just in Yakima and I think from first place to 13th was separated by two-tenths (of a second). You muss it just a little bit and you’re in the back.”

Even though Hall is from Spokane, he, like most every other tour driver, has little knowledge of the high-banked quarter-mile at the Post Falls track. He cut his racing teeth traveling to the Tri-Cities to race in that track’s Sportsman and Late Model programs.

“Actually, I only ran Stateline once,” Hall said.

At that, his time on the track was minimal at best – one lap.

After qualifying third and having the entire field inverted for a late-model race at the track, Hall found himself almost instantly in third place following a first-lap wreck.

“Just five of us in the back made it through,” said Hall, who was in third place when the race ended. “I was sitting there and about 15 minutes later a lightening bolt touches down and it starts raining like cats and dogs. They called the race.”

Hall has a slight advantage as he prepares for Saturday’s race, as he has been able to take his car out for some testing.

Kevin Mohland, Hall’s crew chief and sponsor got the car close as far as set-up.

“I hopped in and 15 or 20 laps is more than most of these people have,” Hall said.

Brandon Riehl is only driver with notable recent experience at Stateline, having run at the Idaho 200. But if Garrett Evans and Ron Eaton make the race, they are veterans from the last time the series raced here.

“No matter what track we go to, anyone can win,” Hall said. “I have a bunch of family and friends coming out there, so I’d love to do it.”

Garber seeks advantage

There are few times when the region’s late-model series compete directly with one another and in the same market.

The exception to the rule comes Saturday when the Inland Northwest Super Stocks run at Spokane Raceway Park, opposite the ASA Northwest Tour that drops in on Stateline Speedway.

The beneficiary of the conflict will likely be INSSA points leader David Garber, who is looking to gain ground on runner-up Kevin Richards. Richards, 15 points back of Garber, will not be at SRP as he is scheduled to compete in the ASA Northwest Tour event at Stateline.

The Limited Late Model Racing Series (LLMRS) and the compacts are also on the schedule. The LLMRS, based on the western side of the state, will be at SRP for the first time. An estimated 14 cars are expected. Qualifying starts at 6 p.m. and racing at 7.

Pit stops

Republic’s Eagle Track resumes racing Sunday with competition in Mods, Streets and Compacts. Racing begins at 1 p.m. Info: garyolson@bossig.com, Gary Olsen, 509-779-4634, or Buck Strauch, 509-775-3508.

“Northwest Modified driver Doyle Braton was a racer to the end and died last Saturday en route to the track and hoping to catch one more race. Braton had been fighting cancer for the last six months.

Streaks ‘n’ stats

Randy Lerch steered clear of numerous crashes to score his first Northwest Modified win last Saturday night at Stateline Speedway. … Joe Kopp of Mica had a flat tire for the first time he can remember last Saturday at Bull’s Gap, Tenn., and sunk from fifth place to 14th in the AMA Grand National race.