Scott Ellsworth ASANWT PR -
Ellensburg, WA (April 23, 2008): The officials of the ASA Aero Exhaust Northwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment just announced that the race scheduled for April 26 at Yakima Speedway has been canceled. The night time temperatures are forecasted to be in the low 30’s with the wind chill factor into the 20’s.
“We do not want the drivers and fans to have to endure the wind along with the cold,” said ASANWT Administrator/Yakima Speedway Manager Ron Bennett. “This race was added last minute and there were some of the series regulars that had prior commitments. There was going to be a lower car count than we would have liked. Since this race was not on the Yakima Speedway’s printed schedule in conjunction with the weather and car count I felt it was prudent to cancel the event. I am canceling early in the week in order to let teams make other arrangements for the weekend. This was a very tough decision because like the drivers I want to get that first race in. By making this decision it will give those drivers that had previous commitments for this Saturday the opportunity to make all the races and be in the point’s battle for the 2008 championship.”
The ASANWT goes back to its original schedule with the next race scheduled at Stateline Stadium/Speedway in Post Falls, ID on Saturday May 10, followed by the Memorial Day weekend stop at Yakima Speedway on Saturday May 24. The traveling series then heads to Pacific Raceway’s road course on Saturday June 7th. Meridian Speedway in Meridian, ID will host the tour for a two day show on Friday and Saturday July 4th & 5th. The ASANWT will move back to the west side of Washington State as part of the Washington 500 day at Evergreen Speedway. Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, OR is the next stop as a featured event of Southern Oregon’s popular Douglas County Fair. On Labor Day weekend the series returns to Yakima. The season championship race will be on Evergreen Speedway’s monster .667-mile oval on Saturday September 20th.
For more information contact Ron Bennett (ASANWT Administrator) at 509-728-3768
Photo By M.E. Wright Photos- Action from Saturday in Turn 2 crash #40 Kelly Valentine & #05 Zach Moran get together but made repairs for the main event on Sunday at the 2008 Apple Cup in Yakima
Tidrick Gets Emotional Apple Cup Victory at Yakima Speedway April 13th
Yakima Speedway PR:
Yakima, WA (April 14, 2008): ASA racer BJ Tidrick of Yakima, Washington won the 42nd Annual Columbia Asphalt Apple Cup ASA 150 at Yakima Speedway on Sunday April 23. With tears in his eyes he emerged from the car in victory circle and was almost speechless, which is not the norm for BJ. This victory had a much different meaning than any other previous win or championship. With his gravely ill mother in the hospital he said “It has been a tough week and weekend. With five to go my spotter Chance said that I had a good lead and to keep digging. On the last two I was crying so hard I could hardly see.” That is all he could say as the tears started to flow again.
Tidrick grabbed the lead on lap 100 of the 150. During a scheduled half time break and it was discovered the car had a problem and was fixed. They made the right adjustments. The car was diffidently the best car in the second half.
Second place finisher Pete Harding of Surrey, B.C. said after the race, “We changed right side tires during the break and it (car) did not work as well. BJ had the best car today.” The same was said by third place finisher Travis Bennett of Ellensburg, WA. Bennett made it to the podium after starting 24th said, “If I could not have won I wanted BJ to win. My prayers are with him during this tough time. I can’t imagine what he is going through.”
The day had three additional main events for the supporting classes competing in the two day event. The day started with a 30-lap main for the ASA Hobby Sportsman. Selah’s Mel Patnode won ahead of Bryon Moser from Yakima. In the second main of the afternoon the local ASA Super Stock division was featured. At the end of their 35-lap main there was a father, son finish. Mike Pepper of Yakima beat his son Brian to the checkers.
The Northwest Modifieds raced for 50-laps in the afternoon’s third main event. Shane Mitchell of Orondo, Washington made it a clean sweep for the weekend. Mitchell followed up Saturday’s fastest qualifying lap, trophy dash win and a heat race win with a strong win of the main on Sunday. Mitchell was no match for second place finisher Blaine Sneva, Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho.
Next up at Yakima Speedway on Saturday April 26: The Burrows Tractor 125 for the ASA Aero Exhaust Northwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment plus local division racing.
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Brea Lopez Motorsports Ready To Roll For 2008 Racing Season
By Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media
(March 8th 2008) Vader, WA - Nineteen year old Midget driving star Brea Lopez and her Brea Lopez Motorsports Team can hardly wait for the 2008 racing campaign to begin. The Washington State based team has completely re-worked their 2006 Beast Chassied/Esslinger powered Midget for the new season that will see Miss Lopez making the trip to California for the second scheduled Bay Cities Midget Racing Assocation (BCRA) race on March 29th at the Shasta Raceway Park. The long established California Midget club will kick off the start of their new season on March 15th at the Madera Speedway. Lopez has enjoyed great success racing with the BCRA in her limited appearances during the 2007 season, winning at the Redwood Acres Raceway for her lone win of 2007 and finishing third in an early season appearance at the Shasta track. Competing against the best of the best the BCRA has to offer with the likes of champion Justin Grant, Floyd Alvis, Ralph Cortez and John Sarale, Lopez will be hoping for the same kind of success in 2008 with her return to California.
The 2007 racing season was a very successful one for the spirited Lopez. The team had been dealt some bad luck late in the 2006 racing season when enroute to Florida for the PRI Show, their entire rig was stolen from the Hotel in Kansas City where the team was spending the night. The team was forced to return home and later were notified the rig had been located in a storage center outside the city. While the rig was intact with the race car, all of the tools and spare parts were stolen and the rig suffered extensive damage. Some much needed assistance from the racing community was given to the team to begin the restoration project of the missing tools and inventory. Determined to overcome the untimely set-back, the team was quick to respond with an excellent start in 2007. After her great 3rd place run at Shasta, the team prepared for a run at the 2007 Washington Midget Racing Association (WMRA) title.
Throughout the 2007 season the team, headed up by legendary racer and Miss Lopez's grandfather, Dan Press, enjoyed many great performances on their way to a solid third place in the Association's final point standings. The Lopez team was running as high as second place in the point standings throughout the summer months. A poor outing in the season finale saw Lopez lose second place in the final standings to Ken Ferris by a mere two points as Ferris won the final event of the season and a forty point swing in the points would prove to be the margin Ferris would need to climb to the runnerup status. With a very competitive field doing battle in each outing, the season proved to be challenging yet rewarding for all of the teams running under the WMRA banner.
While still seeking additional opportunities in racing, Brea Lopez and her team will return to the Washington Midget Racing Association ranks to do as much racing as their limited budget will allow. Lopez, who is hoping to land a Late Model ride in the future, will continue to race the Midgets until something solid comes along. Plans are in the formative stages to have Lopez do some testing in a Late Model racer as well as hone her pavement skills at the Finish Line Racing School in Florida. The WMRA schedule will kick-off on April 12th at the lightning-quick South Sound Speedway located in Rochester, Washington, and Lopez expects to be in the field on opening day. Along with her grandparents, crewman Joe Hayes completes the makeup of the Lopez team.
For more information regarding the latest in updated news and information for the talented racer Brea Lopez, log on to her website at: http://www.brealopez.com
New Team to Contest SMRA Championship in 2008
by Gerald Laurie
The Supermodified Racing Association has a brand new two car team for 2008. James Belfiore, who has built and owned Supermodifieds on both coasts for many years, is planning to run cars for both the SMRA Title and for the International Super Modified Association Crown.
Belfiore has put together a new fabrication facility (Belfab) in Las Vegas, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Complex. He currently has three brand new chassis under construction. He also owns another Belfiore chassis that has remained in New England with his established team to contest the ISMA Series with his son Justin Belfiore in the cockpit. The first two new cars will be driven exclusively in SMRA races by Justin Belfiore and SMRA veteran Jim Birges.
The new cars are a bit different than most existing chasses in the SMRA. Both cars feature torsion bar rear suspension for easier adjustability of spring rates and control of roll centers. The front suspension will use coil over springs, similar to most of the competition. Front wing set up is similar to nose wings on Formula One cars with the wing suspended below and a bit forward of the nose piece.
The Birges piloted machine will be powered by a Ken Coventry built 410 cubic inch aluminum small block Chevrolet with a race ready target weight of 1900 pounds. Birges and crew will maintain the car in Jim’s Fresno, California, race shop. Birges and Belfiore plan to run the entire SMRA Schedule and compete for the 2008 championship.
The first scheduled race for the team will be the SMRA Season Opener at Madera Speedway in Central California on April 5, 2008. This event will be preceded by tests at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and scheduled practices in March at Madera Speedway.
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