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NSCS to visit Medford twice in 2007
Andrew Kunas, NSCS Publicist
WHITE CITY, Ore. – Change has been in the air for the Northwest winged 360 sprint car scene over the last several months, and it hasn't been restricted to just the rule changes and the transformation of the Northern Sprint Tour into the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series.
Southern Oregon Speedway near White City is under new management as Rick Rapp has taken over for John Skinner at the 11-year-old facility, which is located just northeast of Medford.
Despite the changes, things will be just as they were with the old NST scheduling-wise. Southern Oregon Speedway is scheduled to be visited by the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series twice in 2007, with both dates being the same as they were the last several years with the NSCS's predecessor series.
The wide and fast 1/3-mile, semi-banked clay oval will host the middle race of the NSCS's three-race Memorial Weekend swing through the Beaver State on Saturday, May 26. Southern Oregon Speedway and NSCS drivers will all be hoping for dry weather as that event has been rained out each of the last two years. Last year, rainfall wiped out the entire weekend for the NST.
On Memorial Saturday in 2004 Sacramento, California hot shoe Willie Croft picked up his only career NST victory. A year earlier, Washington's Barry Martinez picked up his first NST victory at Southern Oregon Speedway.
For the first time in Northwest Speed Week's history, Southern Oregon Speedway will not be the site of the first race of the week, as Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Washington had its big two-day show moved to the week before. However, it will still be the first Oregon race of Speed Week, as the NSCS invades on Monday, July 23.
With the Medford area often toasting in temperatures near the century mark at that time of year, the Monday race of Speed Week is usually the warmest of the year and the action heats up on the track also. Last year, popular driver and eventual NST champion Danny Horner Cottage Grove, Ore. scored his first career NST feature victory, much to the delight of his home state crowd.
That same Speed Week race in 2006 was also the coming out party for Snohomish, Wash.'s Seth Bergman, who announced his presence to the west coast sprint car scene with a strong third place finish. Bergman eventually captured his first career victory in September and won Rookie of the Year honors.
Recent winners of Speed Week races at Southern Oregon Speedway were four-time NST champion Roger Crockett in 2003 and California legend Brent Kaeding in 2004 and again in 2005.
Adult general admission ticket prices for both NSCS events at Southern Oregon Speedway are $15. More information on the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series can be found online at www.racenscs.com and information on Southern Oregon Speedway can be seen at www.sospeedway.com.
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2007 NSCS races at Southern Oregon Speedway
Saturday, May 26 (Memorial Saturday)
Monday, July 23 (Speed Week)
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NSCS: The Northwest Sprint Challenge Series
www.racenscs.com
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