NW Motorsports: Columnist takes checkered flag
Did you ever get yourself into a situation in which you just couldn’t quite say no? Have your bluff called?
I did a little more than 21 years ago when I placed a call to Jeff Jordan, then The Spokesman-Review’s sports editor.
I had complained that the S-R needed to do a better job covering our local motorsports activities.
The paper had a long history of reporting on racing in the 1950s, ‘60s and ‘70s with events at places like Mead Speedway, Albi Stadium, the Fairgrounds and the Deer Park drag strip along with the Miss Spokane unlimited hydroplane.
Bob Johnson and Chuck Stewart were two of the early guys I read regularly to get my news. But when Johnson died and Stewart went on to other assignments, local motorsports coverage, other than big events like the old World Finals at Spokane Raceway Park, seemed to fall through the cracks.
So a little to my surprise, “Jordy” called me back to address my concern. Then he suggested I take on that job for the newspaper. Being a person who would rather try to solve a problem than just complain about it, I agreed.
This edition of the Motorsports notebook – somewhere about No. 525, I figure – will be my last column. My byline moves to an area weekly newspaper and in this biz that constitutes a conflict of interest.
What began as wanting to simply be a “hobby journalist” back in March 1987 – an effort to help pay for my expensive whitewater rafting habit – has ultimately transformed, I guess, into unearthing a buried career ambition of writing sports for a real job.
When I came onboard I watched the quick birth and death of the Spokane Grand Prix. I leave as Spokane Raceway Park battles for survival. My hope is that SRP doesn’t suffer the same fate as Spokane’s street race, a well-intended event that was plagued by both poor weather and bad marketing.
My real hope for the next few years – OK, call it a pipedream – is that conjoined twins, NASCAR and International Speedway Corporation, will come to their senses. That they’ll toss out the notion they must build their racetrack in the region’s gridlock capital. That they need 20 bazillion hotel rooms to go with it. That they choose not to battle rain and endless court challenges in their effort to establish a Northwest market for Nextel Cup racing.
Instead, here’s hoping they opt for the “if you build it …” That they cut a check – which they can – and buy SRP, which is already zoned with plenty of room for expansion.
OK, back to reality.
As this column heads for the last lap – and maybe a checkered flag – let’s hope I’ve fostered the advancement of the sport of motorsports and helped give credit to the thousands of people who make it work.
Finally, I want to thank The S-R for letting me finish covering this season’s events, and my new bosses for seeing that fulfilling a commitment is important too.
Kopp claims Tucson win
Joe Kopp told his fans in a recent e-mail that he wanted to deliver them a victory before the season finished.
The Mica, Wash., driver made good on that desire last Saturday night at USA Race Park in Tucson, Ariz., with a victory in an AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Twins race.
Kopp battled Ken Coolbeth right to the end before taking a win by the slimmest of margins.
“I think Kenny and I both knew that we had just put on one of the closest races in a long time, that lasted a full 21 laps, and it was intense,” Kopp said.
Kopp sits in sixth place in points with one race, Saturday in Las Vegas.
Fall Classic resumes Sunday
Rain washed out the featured Late Model race at the 20th annual Fall classic at Yakima Speedway last Sunday, so it has been rescheduled for this Sunday starting at 1 p.m. The winner takes home $10,000.
In addition to the Late Model race, the 75-lap Hobby main will also be run Sunday.
Gary Lewis won the limited late model race last Saturday night, continuing his string of big victories.
Pit stops
Spokane Raceway Park hosts autocross events Saturday and Sunday as Autosports Northwest stages its annual season finale called Octocross. Info: www.autosportsnorthwest.org. or SRP, 244-3663.
Streaks ‘n’ stats
Mike Fought won last Saturday’s Mission Foods Inland Northwest Winged Sprint season finale at Stateline Speedway. Tony Berry’s fourth place, coupled with Justin Popple’s sixth place in the 35-lap main, handed the inaugural series championship to Berry. … Darrell Pasher took the win over a 40-car field in Top Comp Eliminator last Saturday at Spokane Raceway Park in the season finale for the track. Pasher defeated Tom Clark. In a 32-car Super Street field, Josh Oglesbee was the winner over Jack Crane. … Vern Dorsey (107 points) fended off defending champ Yvonne Lifsey (105) and John Hollingsworth (104) to win the Bump-to-Pass championship at Stateline Speedway. John Vallone (1,049) topped the father-son team of Colton and Dan Garber (908) in Fever-4 Hobby. The Hatton-Yager team (1,215) edged Russell Syverson (1,186) in Road Runners. Randy Lasswell (437) won another Street Stock title in a close battle with Nathan Fleury (428). Ned Pennington (679) finished well ahead of Billy Swift (599) for the Hobby Stock championship, with Jeff Smyth (489) and John Jackson (451) battling for the Late Model 4s title.