ARCA WEST LMCS PREPARES TO ‘DUEL’ AT STATELINE’S ID200

Source: AW LMCS Media
Date: 07/31/2007

GRAHAM, Washington – Gary Lewis of Bothell WA currently holds top position in the ARCA West Q-Racing Late Model Challenge Series 2007 points championship and is busy preparing his car for this weekend’s scheduled race at Stateline Speedway in Post Falls, ID. He will be joined by many of the region’s top Late Model Super Stock drivers for a 100-lap special event, dubbed the ‘Duel for the 200’. This race will be one of three big Late Model events scheduled this weekend at Northern Idaho’s premier high-banked, paved 1/4-mile oval during Stateline’s eighth-annual Idaho 200 weekend, August 3rd–5th.

The Idaho 200 three-day event offers a unique format, with Friday and Saturday serving as both point races and as qualifier events for Sunday’s 200-lap feature event. On Friday, Stateline’s local late model program - Inland Northwest Super Stock Association (INSSA) will be competing and on Saturday the ARCA West Late Model Challenge Series (AW LMCS) will be featured. These 100-lap ‘qualifier’ races, pits the best of both series against the top local and regional Late Model and Super Stock drivers in 100-lap qualifier/duels, with the top six finishers of each event earning a guaranteed starting position in Sunday’s main event – the IDAHO 200 sponsored by NAPA Auto Parts. The remaining starting positions will be filled by teams advancing through a last chance race Sunday morning.

Full fields of late model super stock teams are expected at each of the three scheduled races this weekend, which will easily draw over 35 of the region’s top teams from throughout Washington, Idaho, Montana and BC Canada. On Saturday, drivers will be competing for the twenty-four main event positions available in the ‘Duel for the 200’. This is the seventh of ten point races on the AW LMCS touring schedule, and the series only visit this season to Stateline Speedway. The series has a valued six year history with Stateline Speedway as one of the original venues schedule in the early years of the touring series. This is the forth season that the AW LMCS has directly participated in the 3-day ID200 format. Prior ‘Duel for the 200’ AW LMCS winner’s include Jim Johnson (2004) of Orting WA and Mike Zamora (2005 & 2006) of Kennewick WA. Zamora used his win in 2005 to help propel him to the series’ championship that season.

Gary Lewis currently leads the AW LMCS points battle with only a small margin (65 points, just 13 finish positions in scoring) between Jeff Jefferson of Yakima WA. The next five drivers are in a very tight points battle also, with only 37 points (8 finish positions) separating third thru seventh. Erick Hargraves of Yakima WA sits in third and is the series current top Port City Racecars ‘Rookie Challenger’, followed by Garrett Evans – E. Wenatchee, Jim Warn (rookie challenger) of Aurora OR, Wes Rhodes of Yelm WA, and Brent Harris of E. Wenatchee WA. Rounding out the top ten is Ryan Fischer of Surrey BC, Joe McNeal (rookie contender) of Sumner WA, and Todd Walters of E. Wenatchee. Shelby Thompson of Spokane WA, a local favorite at Stateline, sits in eleventh after sitting out a race earlier in the season.

Hargraves, Warn, Rhodes, Harris, Thompson have all had strong runs this season in the AW LMCS and are looking to get their first win of the season. Add Zamora’s first appearance of 2007, and Johnson’s return, along with many additional drivers from throughout the Northwest and there will definitely be a ‘Duel’ Saturday night at Stateline Speedway to grab the victory honors from earlier event winners Lewis, Evans, and Jefferson.

Stateline Speedway’s AW LMCS ‘Duel for the 200’ race schedule: Hot laps start at 2pm with qualifying for all classes to begin at 6pm. Racing at 7:30pm. Front Gate opens at 6:00pm. Ticket prices: $15.00 adult, $13.00 student(12-15)/senior/military, $7.00 juniors(6-11). Additional classes running Saturday: NW Pro4 Trucks and Outlaw Compacts. Friday qualifying begins at 6pm with racing at 7:30pm. On Sunday, qualifying begins at 1pm with racing at 2:30.

Please visit www.LateModelChallenge.com for the latest series news and racing information. Contact Stateline Speedway at 208.773.5019

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