For Gary Lewis, racing has always been an important part of his life. Like several drivers from the Northwest, Lewis began his career at Evergreen. He successfully won the Late Model title before moving up to the NASCAR Northwest Tour Cars.
A five year investment in racing the Tour paid off in 1998, when Lewis won multiple races and the grand prize, the NASCAR Northwest Series Championship title.
Champion or not, sportsmanlike behavior is important to Lewis and the team. He knows he has to set a good example, both on and off and the track, to keep sponsors and fans happy. There is no shortage of fans when Lewis races, including the support from his two biggest fans, sons Zach and Kyle. Like the children of most Tour drivers, they may not always get a chance to be at the track, but they are always pulling for their dad to win!
For a chance to meet Lewis, his raceteam and all the other great guys and gals from the Northwest Tour, come on out to Tri-Cities Raceway Saturday. They will be firing their engines for the Hall Chevrolet 125. It should prove to be a very exiciting event!
Lewis will be trying to maintain his lead in the standings, while fellow competitor Ken Kaltshmidt will be trying to take a bite out of that 13 point lead. It is going to be fun!
RacingWest: What is your opinion of this track?
Gary Lewis: Tri-Cities is a very fast and fun track- it is definitely one of my favorites. I like the challenge... it isn't a easy track to drive... it takes a lot of practice to learn the line and is physically demanding as well. There is very little straightaway and a lot of continuous turning.
RW: How are you managing the tire situation with the so called "Tire Wars"?
GL: The Goodyear vs. Hoosier 'tire war' has definitely presented some challenges for this team. We will continue to remain loyal to Goodyear, which is the chosen tire for all of the premier racing divisions, right on up to Winston Cup. I am confident Goodyear is working hard on new compounds to gives us a more competitive tire. I don't want these races or this Championship to come down to an issue of who had better tires.
RW: If money were of no concern, what race equipment would you buy?
GL: A shock dyno would be a very beneficial piece of equipment to have at this point. We made the switch to Bilstein shocks this year, and have been very impressed with what they have done for our set up. We have been striving this year to take things to a higher level technically. It would be great to be able to dyno the shocks (measure the compression and rebound) to see exactly what effect every change we make has on the shock.
RW: What is your favorite song on the radio today?
GL: The entire Matrix movie soundtrack is some of my favorite music out there right now. When I listen to the radio I actually listen to a lot of talk radio programs.
RW: We know about your racing, but how about a little about your life away from the track?
GL: I spend as much time as possible with my 2 best buddies- my sons Zach and Kyle. We love to fish, trail ride, play baseball and race remote control cars. I just bought a 400EX ATV and we plan on camping and gettin' in the mud this summer! I've worked at Longacre Racing for almost 6 years now... I manage dealer/distributor accounts for wholesale race products.
