Mitch Olson takes 5^th at Skagit, the Outlaws are next

Tacoma, Washington racer Mitch Olson took to Skagit Speedway this past Saturday night to get in a show with his 410 sprint car in preparation for the annual visit to the Pacific Northwest by the world famous World of Outlaws Sprint Series. Overall it was a strong night that ended with a fifth place finish in the main event.

Driving the Mike Olson No. 98m Shark-powered Rocket sponsored by SC Fuels, Olson Bros. Excavating, Pro-Vac, PRS Group and PMS Truck Bodies and Powder Coating, Mitch began his Saturday night by being fifth quickest in hot laps, running a lap of 12.044 seconds. When qualifying came around, track speed had gone up and Mitch qualified with a time of 11.537 seconds, good for sixth fastest.

In the 410 sprint car division’s second heat race, Olson jumped out to the lead on the start and never looked back, leading all eight laps to win the event by nearly three full seconds over track points leader Jesse Whitney. Mitch put up the fastest lap in the race as well.

Mitch ran in fourth place early on in the 25-lap main event. He inherited third place on Lap 11 when leader Colton Heath fell out of the race with a hurt motor. He would run third most of the race until finishing in fifth place at the end. It was on Lap 5 where Mitch turned in a lap of 11.935 seconds, which was bested by only three other drivers the entire event.

Mitch and the No. 98m team now tentatively plan to run four straight nights this Labor Day weekend. Olson expects to race in this Friday’s and Saturday’s World of Outlaws Sprint Series events at Skagit Speedway, which is paying $20,000 to win on Saturday night. On Monday they’ll race at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Washington.

On Sunday night, Olson will throw the 360ci motor back in the car and will race in the ASCS Northwest Region event at Grays Harbor Raceway. A hard crash on August 14^th at Cottage Grove Speedway forced Olson to sit out the next night’s event at Coos Bay Speedway, dropping Mitch from fourth place down to sixth place in the ASCS Northwest Region point standings. Mitch will look to climb back up the standings this Sunday.

Mitch Olson has established himself as one of the top sprint car racers in the Pacific Northwest, having main event victories at Skagit Speedway and Grays Harbor Raceway and several more Top 5 and Top 10 finishes elsewhere on the west coast to his credit. More information on Mitch Olson and his race team can be found online at http://www.mitcholsonracing.com.

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Mitch Olson’s 2009 sponsors

SC Fuels
Olson Bros. Excavating
Pro-Vac
PRS Group
Conoco Phillips
PMI Truck Bodies & Powder Coating

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Mitch Olson online
http://www.mitcholsonracing.com