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Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 12:41:19 pm
 The World of Outlaws will hit the Northwest starting this weekend. Two nights of sprint-car racing will take place Friday and Saturday at Skagit Speedway in Alger. Here are some pre-event notes: The World of Outlaws first visited Skagit Speedway in their inaugural season of 1978 and continued to visit the track off and on over the years, with the high-banked three-tenths mile now serving as a staple when the series visits the always scenic Pacific Northwest. The series hits the Northwest for a four-race-in-five-nights stretch. The winner Saturday at Skagit Speedway picks up a check of $25,000. DRIVER NOTES • Chad Hillier, the lone full-time World of Outlaws driver that hails from the state of Washington, is the only driver in the history of Skagit Speedway to win a sprint car title in all three sprint car divisions at the track. In his career, he has 26 wins at the track and nearly 100 Top-10 finishes.
Categories: Skagit Speedway, World of Outlaws
Sunday, August 24th, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 08:15:02 pm
This was filed by the Canadian national press from the Sharpie 500 where Enumclaw's Kasey Kahne was involved in a crash and did not finish the race: Championship contenders Jeff Burton and Kasey Kahne, who hails from Enumclaw, had rough races Saturday night, neither making it to the midway point of the Sharpie 500. Burton, who started the night fifth in points, was running fifth on lap 196 when his car was hit from behind and he couldn't avoid slamming into the spinning car of Sterling Marlin in front of him. Burton climbed from his car and he never made it back onto the track. It seemed the drivers behind Burton hadn't seen the accident unfolding before them. "Typical Bristol wreck," Burton said. "But if you look in front of you, you tend not to hit stuff. I was trying to be smart and cautious, but it didn't do me any good."
Categories: NASCAR, Kasey Kahne
Friday, August 22nd, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 11:26:35 am
 Enumclaw's Kasey Kahne will try and rebound from a 40th-place finish at last week's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stop at Michigan Speedway. Here are some notes on Kahne, and some of his comments this week about Bristol and the Sharpie 500: NOTES
Categories: NASCAR, Kasey Kahne
Monday, August 18th, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 10:46:27 am
Yakima's Chad Hinkle was the cool cat on a hot 3/8-mile oval Saturday, and came away with a victory in the Quality Car Care Limited Late Model 50-lap finale at South Sound Speedway. Hinkle, driving a Chevy Monte Carlo, held off ex-NASCAR veteran Dirk Stephens, of Olympia, over the final laps to post the victory in Tenino. Hinkle took the lead in the sixth lap from Devin Eierman, and would not relinquish it. Stephens made the biggest jump in the race, going from 13th to runner-up. It was Hinkle's first late-model win driving a Crate-built engine. "I finally won a race driving a fiberglass body car," Hinkle said. "What a crew I have. They have given me a top five car all year long. This win is for them." Rounding out the top five was Tacoma's Ron Wolf in third, Aberdeen's Tom Sweatman in fourth and Arlyn Long in fifth. RESULTS Dash: Ron Wolf, Tom Sweatman, Jon Hubbert, Arlyn Long Main: Chad Hinkle, Dirk Stephens, Wolf, Sweatman, Long, Wayne Dillon, Chris Hallberg, Darren Pierson, Tyler Allen, Bryan Payne, Hamilton, Hubbert, Jack Allen, Devin Eierman.
Categories: Miscellaneous, South Sound Speedway
Sunday, August 17th, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 04:48:29 pm
 Enumclaw's Kasey Kahne and the No. 9 Budweiser team took to the pits early at the NASCAR 3M Performance 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Engine problems landed Kahne in the pits early. He went out and ran 30 more laps before ending his day, finishing 40th. Carl Edwards won the race. Here were some of Kahne's comments afterward: Q: Did the engine let go? Q: How upsetting is this considering where you are in the points? Q: Are you concerned about the drop in the points? Q: Engine problems have been uncharacteristic. Did you have any warning?
Categories: NASCAR, Kasey Kahne
Posted by Todd Milles @ 04:34:16 pm
It was hot, and action was hotly-contested as the NHRA's fifth annual Summer Championships (a Northwest Division points race) wrapped up at Yellowstone Dragstrip in Action, Mont. Winners include: For more information on latest points, click here.
Categories: Miscellaneous, NHRA
Wednesday, August 13th, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 02:34:38 pm
Enumclaw's Kasey Kahne was the focus of a recent question-and-answer session about teenage driving. Washington is ranked as the 24th-deadliest state in fatalities during the summer and back-to-school month of September: Q: Did you ever receive a ticket for speeding as a teenager? What did you learn from it and how did it change your driving habits? A: "Not long after I received my license I got a speeding ticket leaving the track after a race. I had just won the race and was really excited, and was going too fast, and the police officer got me. I have since learned that once the race is over, the race is over. Yes, I’m used to going fast on the track, but I know how to turn that urge off once the race is over. It’s not just my life at risk, it’s others on the road as well." Q: Tell us the story of getting your first car. What kind was it? A: "It was my dad’s old farm truck. He owns a logging company in Washington state, so it was a hand-me-down from the family business. Even though it was old, I thought it was the greatest thing because I finally had my own wheels. My brother and I went everywhere in that truck."
Categories: General, Kasey Kahne
Monday, August 11th, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 10:34:55 am
 North Dakota's Donny Schatz is heading closer to home as the man to beat in the 2008 World of Outlaws season. Schatz made it three in a row at the association's Super Bowl of sprint-car racing – the 48th Knoxville Nationals – on Saturday night, sweeping the three-day event, including the main event that earned his a $150,000 winner's payout. The tour heads to Skagit Speedway on Aug. 29-30, and to Grays Harbor Raceway on Sept. 1. Schatz, the two-time defending series champion and current points leader, won the Knoxville championship by passing Jason Meyers with five laps to go. Meyers, second in points, led the first 25 laps. Craig Dollansky, third in the series standings, rounded out the podium finishes. "There’s no question the … World of Outlaws guys are the premier drivers in the sport," said Schatz, who received congratulations via cell phone from his car owner Tony Stewart after his win. "Jason set a great pace, but when you get to the last five laps of this race it’s a whole different race because you do not want to make a mistake. He didn’t make a mistake, but I just think we had a bit of an upper hand from winning it before. The Outlaws race so much and race so hard they definitely push everybody to the next level." Schatz joins the legendary Steve Kinser as the only racers to win the Knoxville Nationals three times in a row.
Categories: World of Outlaws
Posted by Todd Milles @ 10:15:10 am
From Enumclaw native Kasey Kahne's camp after his 14th-place finish Sunday at the Centurion Boats at the Glen: Sometimes the car cooperates. On Sunday, Kahne's Budweiser-sponsor Dodge wasn't. A loose-handling car plagued Kahne throughout the running of the Centurion Boats at the Glen at Watkins Glen, dropping him a few spots from his seventh-place starting position. "It was a little bit loose all day. That’s the best I could do today," Kahne said. "The hardest part is having people diving in under you. If you battle hard with them, you take a chance on losing a lot of points. I had that in the back of my mind all day. The pit calls were great for fuel mileage. Things worked out for us. We kept it on the track and we got a top-15 finish."
Categories: NASCAR, Kasey Kahne
Friday, August 8th, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 07:24:01 pm
 Enumclaw's Kasey Kahne has failed to produce top-10 finishes on only three tracks currently on the NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule. Two of them are road courses. Kahne has been on a good streak lately – he's finished 15th or higher in his past four races, including three seventh-place finishes. Rain wiped out practice at Watkins Glen International for the Centurion Boats at the Glen. Based on his car owner's point standings, Kahne will start seventh on Sunday.
Categories: NASCAR, Kasey Kahne
Thursday, August 7th, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 09:15:56 am
This came to me late Wednesday from ABRA president Sam Cole, regarding the championship heat of the 58th Chevrolet Cup at Seafair: "To hydro fans in Seattle and across the country, along with the media covering Seafair, I want to apologize for leaving many of you confused about the Final Heat in Sunday's Chevrolet Cup at Seafair. We erred in how we failed to get timely information to the fans and the media. This left many of our hydroplane fans that left the race site, turned off your television sets and radios or signed off the internet, wondering who won the race. We thought we had it covered. After all, for two days we raced on Lake Washington, worked with KIRO-TV, KPTK-AM and many other media outlets, and had no issues letting people know if a penalty had been called. For some reason, this did not happen during the final heat and I pledge to find out what went wrong and make sure it never happens again. We had ABRA officials with KIRO-TV in the truck and on the tower. Yet, for whatever reasons, even they didn't receive information to pass along.
Categories: Miscellaneous, ABRA hydroplanes
Tuesday, August 5th, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 06:27:53 pm
Legendary drivers from the Northwest, on land and sea, are now getting their due. The Northwest Motor Sports Hall of Fame, created last year, will induct 32 men and women as part of its first class of standout racers. They are: 1, Bucky Austin An induction ceremony will take place in early November, in conjunction with Motor Sports 2008, at the Tacoma Dome. For more information, contact Walt Kaplin (253-858-8739 or wkaplin@comcast.net) or Doug Danstrom (253-377-1465 or dougd@waltswrench.com). Sunday, August 3rd, 2008
Posted by Todd Milles @ 06:38:16 pm
 Auburn's Dave Villwock was crowned unlimited hydroplane champion of the 58th Chevrolet Cup at Seafair on Sunday afternoon. The public might think differently. All that matters – at least, officially – is what the American Power Boat Racing Association (ABRA) deems the running order. By that, Villwock won his ninth Seafair title, and first since 2004. Villwock also tied Bill Muncey, the man he's chasing for all-time wins, for the most victories in Seafair history. The pits were abuzz with two camps cheering – and claiming – victory. Only one got to go home with the trophy, and that is Villwock, who also earned the Ballard-based Ellstrom family its second Seafair championship.  "There's no bigger event in Seattle than Seafair, so my tribute is to the crew to be able to win here," Villwock said. "They did everything I've asked them to do." Theoret, the veteran from Quebec, Canada, utilized the same strategy that netted him surprise back-to-back Seafair victories in 2005 and 2006 – trying to hit the start perfect from the inside lane. That was Villwock's plan, too. The two boats cut in and out of the infield in the five minutes prior to the start, trying to gain that position.
Posted by Todd Milles @ 03:23:44 pm
Issaquah's Kip Brown had one goal coming into the 58th Seafair: Get into the Chevrolet Cup finals on points accumulated from heat racing. He didn't do that. But he's still in the finals, and pretty ecstatic about it. In just his second unlimited hydroplane race, Brown was ready for the provisional heat Sunday, and took the water in the U-17 Our Gang Racing hull for hot laps. And he waited for somebody to join him. Nobody did, so ABRA officials told Brown to run one lap by himself, and he would grab the final spot into the finals. Two other boats, Ken Muscatel's U-25 (coupler) and Brian Perkins' U-50 (engine), weren't scheduled to try and earn the "trailer" spot for the Chevrolet Cup. But Jimmy Shane in the U-7 Formulaboats.com was expected to run. Shane got his boat in the water, but something went wrong with the starter. "I was really disappointed Jimmy didn't come out," Brown said. "He's a good friend of mine." Winner: Kip Brown, U-17, no time.
Categories: Miscellaneous, ABRA hydroplanes
Posted by Todd Milles @ 02:17:13 pm
The six boats for the 58th Chevrolet Cup at Seafair are set, with spot remaining from the provisional heat, which will come later this afternoon. The main field will consist of the U-1 Miss Elam (Dave Villwock), U-5 Formulaboats.com (Jeff Bernard), U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto (Steve David), U-13 Graham Trucking (J. Michael Kelly), U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing (Jean Theoret) and U-100 Mirageboats.com (Greg Hopp). Four boats (and maybe only three, if Ken Muscatel is unable to fix a broken coupler on his U-25 boat) will vie for the remaining spot. They are the U-7 Formulaboats.com (Jimmy Shane), U-17 Our Gang Racing (Kip Brown), U-50 Miss Albert Lee (Brian Perkins) and U-25 Miss Procraft Windows (Muscatel). Here is the accumulated amount of points from heat racing:
Categories: Miscellaneous, ABRA hydroplanes
Posted by Todd Milles @ 01:01:28 pm
Kent's Jeff Bernard had the coveted inside lane in the U-5 Formulaboats.com. Steve David, the reigning Chevrolet Cup champion from Lighthouse Point, Fla., pulled off the best start from the third lane in the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto. And the sandwiched Dave Villwock? All he did was display the best horsepower in the U-1 Miss Elam Plus, and pulled away from the lead pack at the end of the first lap, and swept all three heats he raced. "The Ellstrom boat is set up pretty good right now," Villwock said. "So we'll keep working on it, and hopefully we have enough for the finals." With a minute to go before the start, Villwock and David were right next to each other. That is when Bernard cut across the race course to grab the inside lane. "I wanted it, but if the guy (Bernard) wanted to take the inside, he would have to pay the price," Villwock said. "He was up there too early, and couldn't get good boat speed." That is where Villwock had the advantage. He rolled right by Bernard at the end of the first lap, and dominated the heat. Winner: Dave Villwock, U-1, 140.450 mph.
Categories: Miscellaneous, ABRA hydroplanes
Posted by Todd Milles @ 12:55:15 pm
Certainly, grabbing lane one can be a huge advantage. Having a premier race boat, and being an ex-Seafair champion cannot hurt, either. Canada's Jean Theoret and Puyallup's J. Michael Kelly made it an all-yellow boat showdown. And when it came to the start, Thereot jumped on it in the U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing, and pulled away from Kelly's U-13 Graham Truck early en route to his second heat race win of the weekend. Kent's Brian Perkins was not so lucky. Heading into the first turn of lap No. 2, Perkins' U-50 Miss Albert Lee let out a loud pop, and went dead. He did not finish the race. Four of the six boats in the heat went out to race. David Bryant, who flipped in the opening heat Sunday, announced his U-10 was too damaged to run the rest of the event, and Seattle's Ken Muscatel also did not come out in the U-25 (broken coupler). Winner: Jean Theoret, U-37, 142.097 mph.
Categories: Miscellaneous, ABRA hydroplanes
Posted by Todd Milles @ 11:57:10 am
In the first running of the 2A heat, Kent's Jeff Bernard hit the start ideally, opening up a big lead before the crash of David Bryant in the U-10 halted action, forcing a restart. Second time around, Bernard, in the U-5, was nearly 11/2 seconds early at the start, and was issued a one-lap penalty. That opened the door for defending Seafair champion Steve David, in the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto, who waited it out in lane No. 2, watched Bernard jump the gun and held his ground the rest of the way for an easy three-lap win. Like Dave Villwock did earlier in the day, David is now 2-for-2 in heat races. Both veteran drivers won their heat races late Saturday afternoon. The starting-line miscue cost Bernard 231 points. He will need a good showing in the third round of heat racing later Sunday to secure a spot in the Chevrolet Cup finale. "The ABRA's rules keep changing every week. They are not consistent with it," said Bernard, who was also issued a one-minute penalty for not staying on plane before the start of the race. "The whole starting procedure changed. I don't see how that start, or the starts we've been having, is any better than last year." Kent's Brian Perkins (U-50) initially placed second to David, but was later penalized for clipping a light buoy cutting the course. That left Seattle's Greg Hopp (U-100), the defending champion at Seafair in the Unlimited Lights, to take the runner-up spot in the 2A heat. Ken Muscatel did not come out racing in the U-25 Miss Procraft Windows because of a broken coupler. Winner: Steve David, U-6, 135.636 mph. UPDATE: The 3A heats have been pushed back a few minutes. Here is the new schedule and heat draw: 3A (12:30 p.m.): U-10, U-25, U-7, U-37, U-13 and U-50.
Categories: Miscellaneous, ABRA hydroplanes
Posted by Todd Milles @ 11:27:51 am
Auburn's Dave Villwock smiled when the subject of the start came up for Heat 2B on Sunday at Seafair. In the U-1 Miss Elam Plus, Villwock was cruising along in the inside lane when Jean Thereot, the Chevrolet Cup champion in 2005 and 2006 in the U-37 Miss Beacon Plumbing, came up in lane No. 2. Villwock did what any snarly, veteran driver would do. He slowly pushed Thereot outside right after the start of the race, then easily cruised to a three-lap victory. Thereot was second, and Puyallup's J. Michael Kelly, in the U-13, finished third. "I haven't messed with (Thereot) for years," said Villwock, who said coming into the race he was going to race as hard as he possibly could, and displayed that early Sunday. "I haven't messed with anybody for years." Maple Valley's Kip Brown (U-17) jumped the start, and was penalized one lap. Winner: Dave Villwock, U-1, 139.047 mph.
Categories: Miscellaneous, ABRA hydroplanes
Posted by Todd Milles @ 11:03:19 am
David Bryant, driving one of the fastest qualifiers in the U-10 Hoss Mortgage Investors, got in a side-by-side duel with defending Seafair champion Steve David, in the U-6 Oh Boy! Oberto, and flipped on the second lap of the 2A heat racing Sunday morning. Bryant, of Mesa, Ariz., was on the outside of David as the two boats entered the second turn. The front of Bryant's hull got up, and lifted. He lost control of it, and the boat did a 270-degree flip, and landed upside down. The second-year ABRA unlimited driver was able to escape through the hatch of the cockpit, and climb on top of the upside-down boat, but he was seen banging his fist on it as the mid-section of the hull was split. Parts of the boat were floating a ways away from where Bryant was stranded. Bryant had never been in an accident or blowover as an unlimited or inboard racer. Kent's Jeff Bernard was leading the boat by five boat lengths when the heat was stopped. It will be rerun after the 2B heat, which is scheduled to go shortly after 11 a.m. UPDATE: Heat 2A will be rerun at 11:25 a.m., and the third round of heat racing will go on as originally scheduled – 3A (12:15 p.m.) and 3B (12:35 p.m.).
Categories: Miscellaneous, ABRA hydroplanes
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