RMCS TEAMS PREPARED FOR NORTH IDAHO CLASSIC

Source: RMCS Media Relations
Date: 07/30/2008

BOISE, Idaho -- The Idaho "200" has become one of the marquee events in the Northwest in recent years and the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is thrilled to be a part of this classic summer event. The RMCS portion dubbed, the NAPA Auto Care Center Duel for the Idaho 200, has generated a lot of excitement among the drivers throughout the season.

Bobby Latham III of Twin Falls, Idaho is fresh off a dominating performance at RMR two weeks ago to claim his first win of the season and joins a strong contingent of RMCS regulars including defending series champion John Newhouse also of Twin Falls. Current point leader and 2006 series champion Dave Minegar of Boise has five straight Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Awards this season and 19 for his career.

Also making the trip north is former NASCAR Tour champion John Dillon from Eagle Idaho who is currently third in the series standings with two top 5 and four top ten finishes this season. Series standout Craig Bell from Kuna, Idaho and Tom Hill from Eagle join the mix. Several A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning rookies will make the journey as well led by Dan Koyle from Twin Falls. Other rookies include Steve Jones, Travis Monett, Dylan Caldwell, TJ Woodall, and Mitch Dickinson.

Making the long tow north out of Las Vegas, Nevada is Thane Alderman who is currently fourth in the point standings on the strength of four straight top five finishes this season. Also out of Nevada is former two-time Bullring champion and racing veteran Jim Wulfenstein. Rounding out the pre-entered roster are Quint Whitman, Wade Frey, and Rick Taylor. Shane Thompson out of Wyoming and Joe Miller from Utah are also expected.

Mike Minegar, president of the RMCS, is glad the event is finally here. "I am real happy that a number of our guys are going to venture north for the event," Minegar said. "There has been a lot of hard work put in by a lot of folks to make this race happen. I know our format and style of racing will be different for fans and competitors up there but I do know they will enjoy the show. We are excited to be part of the event."

Dave Minegar leads the current point standings on the strength of two victories and holds a 154-point advantage over John Newhouse. John Dillon, Thane Alderman, and Craig Bell round out the top five in the standings after six races. Bobby Latham III leads the second five followed by Tom Hill and rookies Dan Koyle, Steve Jones, and Mitch Dickinson.

The top six drivers who accumulate the most points during the RMCS race on Saturday will automatically earn a starting spot in the Idaho 200 scheduled for Sunday. The rest of the RMCS teams will have race their way in along with drivers from the local INSSA series and other late model standouts from around the Northwest.

The RMCS utilizes a racing format not found in ANY other regional touring series around the country. The top 20 qualifiers are inverted for every race putting fast time in the 20th starting position. This format ensures race fans see what they paid for and that is a lot of passing. Each driver is awarded three points per position gained in the event. Points are also awarded for qualifying and heat race finishes along with finishing position points for the race. Through the history of the series, the winning driver has averaged a 15th place starting position.

To ensure competition, the RMCS pays it purse based on total point accumulation for the event and provides several special performance awards for each event including: The ESI Hotshoe Award paying $400 to the driver who sets fast time and goes on to win the race. The CarbonX Lap Leader Bonus paying $5 for every green flag lap led. Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Award pays $100 for setting fast time. The Thompson Motorsports Halfway Challenge pays $100 to the driver leading at halfway of each event; and the Thompson Motorsports Performance Improvement Award pays the driver $200 who improves the most positions over the previous event. The top finishing rookie in each event will receive $100 from A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning.

The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is proud to recognize its corporate marketing partners: CarbonX, Hoosier Racing Tire, ESI, A-1 Heating & Air Conditioning, Sharp Powder Coating, Thompson Motorsports, Five Star Racing Bodies, Frank's Racing Radios, Performance Solutions, Kidd's Performance and Dyno, Joe's Racing Products, and PPG Paint.

The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is a regional touring series that allows all competitors to race and gain experience on different types of racetracks. It is a high-quality professional racing series that offers maximum opportunity at an affordable price serving the intermountain West.

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