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NSRA to make inaugural visit to Spokane
Andrew Kunas
SPOKANE, Wash. – It's reportedly been 21 years since open wheel race cars competed at Spokane Raceway Park. The long wait Spokane fans have endured will finally end this Saturday when the ASA Northwest Sprintcar Racing Association makes its inaugural appearance at the facility.
The last open wheel event held at Spokane Raceway Park is believed to have been a USAC super modified event in 1986. This weekend, winged 360 sprint cars will take to the ½-mile asphalt oval.
In last month's event at Washington's South Sound Speedway, Roseburg, Ore.'s Andy Alberding added 14 more points to his lead over Monte Zema Jr. Alberding, looking for his first NSRA championship, now carries a 31-point lead going into this weekend's event. Alberding finished sixth in the previous event while Zema, out of Colville, Wash. finished 11th.
Alberding and Zema have both used consistency to stay at the top of the standings. Both are looking for their first victories of the season.
Sitting 28 points behind Zema is Benton City, Wash.'s Justin Mack, who finished eighth at South Sound. Former NSRA champion Pat Bliss of West Linn, Ore. is fourth, 36 points behind Zema. A fourth place effort at South Sound moved Roseburg's Matt Hein past Craig Deaver for fifth in the standings. Deaver, another former series champion, is still only two points behind Hein, however.
Hein himself, seeing some of the tracks on the NSRA schedule for the first time, will race at Spokane just one night after racing his limited sprint car at Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg. Talk about a tired but dedicated crew - Roseburg and Spokane are about 530 miles apart by road.
Jake Mann of Monroe, Wash. won his first career NSRA main event at South Sound in dominating fashion. He is expected to compete this Saturday also.
Pit gates open at Noon with practice scheduled to start at about 2 p.m. Race fans attending this Saturday's event are encouraged to drink plenty of water and bring sunscreen as the current forecast calls for a very sunny and toasty 89-degree afternoon. The track is located just off of U.S. Hwy. 2 on Hayford Road near Spokane International Airport.
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NSRA: Northwest Sprintcar Racing Association
www.nsraracing.com
Spokane Raceway Park
www.spokaneraceway.net
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