NW MOTORSPORTS: Turner helps turns things around

By nature, stock cars are designed to generally turn left.

In the case of the area sprint car class, however, there was a need to start turning right. Off the track, that is, so the class could remain alive and viable.

With that challenge in mind, the Inland Northwest Sprint Car Association elected Spokane’s Ron Turner as their new president this past off-season and his leadership, early on at least, appears to be working.

Car counts have increased and there’s a new series sponsor in Mission Foods. Race teams are prepping for Saturday night’s opening event at Stateline Speedway for the first of an 11-race schedule. The I-Car limited late models and NW Pro Trucks will also race on Saturday. Time trials begin at 6 p.m.

“I’ve had a big response,” said Turner, noting he’s had inquires from drivers in Oregon, Seattle and Boise. “Rick Brown from Roseburg, Ore., will be here to race with us on May 12. He is like an 11-time NSRA Champion and has won many big-time races all over the Northwest.”

Defending points champ Kevin Burck of Ephrata, Wash., looks to have a host of challengers.

“Series sponsor Mission Foods has helped tremendously,” said 2006 points runner-up Rod Nelson of Colbert. “Bigger purses will bring in out-of-town drivers. I think it’s going to be a good year.”

“It’s a great deal. There was turmoil in the past,” said Tony Berry, who scored a ride for Mike Bartle’s new team.

“It’s going the right direction,” Berry said of the remodel job that Turner coordinated over the off-season. “They are running it more like a business than a hobby, which is the way it should go.”

The open wheels are also gaining converts from the sheet-metal altar.

“My whole family been in the fendered cars and all the late models,” Bartle said.

Three years ago, Bartle got hooked on open-wheel racing by helping neighbors Clayton and Sherrie Howard with their sprint car.

“We helped them out a couple of times and I just flat out loved it,” he said.

Stateline Speedway will host eight races with Spokane Raceway the site of another two.

SRP will be cooking

Spokane Raceway Park raised the curtain on its season last Saturday with a pit full of drag cars, approaching 200 according to one official. A healthy collection of Northwest Modifieds, the I-Car limited late models and Compacts put on a nice show on the oval.

One thing missing was concessions. The food and beverage outlets on both the drag and stock car sides were closed, stuck in an unresolved legal dispute between the former operator, Orville Moe, and new management.

Rick Rice, the director of the oval track operations, said that while the park’s concession stands will probably not operate for another couple of weeks, arrangements are being made this week to have an outside vendor provide food and beverage services.

SRP’s drag strip is the only track in operation this week and features more bracket and trophy racing. Gates open at 5 p.m.

Sneva doesn’t race

There was something else missing last Saturday at SRP, where the NW Modified got their season started after having a rainout in their April 21 event at Stateline.

A look down pit row showed there was no blazing pink race car belonging to defending champion Blaine Sneva.

Seems Sneva was given a list of things to rectify, according to association president Frankie Volz Jr.

Volz said Sneva, the group’s vice president, was “told to comply with the rules and they didn’t,” so they were ordered to pack up the car and leave. Volz said the Sneva team was “doing their typical building around the rulebook instead of to the rulebook.”

Sneva sees things differently.

“They don’t like the way it looks and that don’t mean it’s not legal,” Sneva said.

Sneva said the group has singled him out but has overlooked rule violations with other cars.

“There’s a new rule that the fuel cell has to be 8 inches away from the rear bumper,” he said. “There’s about seven cars that aren’t that way.”

The ongoing standoff does not look to be resolved anytime soon.

Pit stops

Republic kicks off its season at 1 p.m. Saturday with the first of eight races.

Streaks ‘n’ stats

Yvonne Lifsey of Athol, Idaho, captured victory No. 3 Wednesday night at Stateline Speedway winning the Bump to Pass feature in Wednesday Night Fever. … Opening-night winners at Spokane Raceway Park included Jessica Juel in Top Comp, who just happened to beat her dad, Don Juel, in an earlier round. Ward Anderson of St. Maries won Super Street. Frankie Volz. Jr. took the NW Modified feature, while Andy Brown was the I-Car victor and Tom Plybon scored the Compact win. … Defending NASCAR Northwest Series champion Gary Lewis tested new waters last Saturday night and passed with flying colors by winning the Apple Blossom 125 ARCA West Late Model Challenge Series race at Wenatchee. Former champ Jeff Jefferson was second. Darren Rupinski of Hayden was ninth. Kevin Richards retired with engine problems and Shelby Thompson went out in an early-race wreck.