DAYTONA BEACH, Florida This is a glance at the current top ten drivers in the championship standings in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series. At season’s end the top ten drivers in each of the four series (Midwest, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest) in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division will be invited to compete in the third annual NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.
No. 1 – Brandon Riehl, Boring, Ore. (No. 69 Aero Turbine/Darrell’s Economy Muffler Chevrolet), Team: Hanson Racing. Points: 350. Previous ranking: 1. Just call him butter because he’s on a roll. In two Northwest Series events this season all Riehl has to show for it are a victory, a second-place finish and Bud Pole Award. After his first 25 starts in the series covering the last two seasons, Riehl had managed just four top-five finishes, but has two to start the 2005 campaign. He finished seventh last season in the championship point standings.
No. 2 – Jeff Jefferson, Naches, Wash. (No. 42 LeMay Museum/Morgan Transport Chevrolet), Team: Morgan Racing. Points: 316 (-34). Previous ranking: 2. Lurking just behind Riehl is the two-time and defending Northwest Series champion. The Jefferson camp has to feel better about the start of this season as opposed to last. The 2004 campaign began with a pair of finishes in the back of the pack and well out of the top 10 in points. The next event on the calendar for the Northwest Series is a July 2 date in Wenatchee, a race that Jefferson dominated from start to end a year ago.
No. 3 – Pete Harding, Surrey, B.C. Canada (No. 39 L.P. Body Shop/Yale Forklift Chevrolet), Team: Harding Racing. Points: 315 (-35). Previous ranking: 3. Harding can talk of retirement all he wants, but until people see the trademark hard racing and top-10 finishes go away, then no one will listen. The veteran Canadian driver will have a difficult time convincing himself after a pair of finishes in the top 10 to start the season. In his Northwest Series career, Harding has 106 top-10 finishes in 193 career starts.
No. 4 – John Bender, Snohomish, Wash. (No. 18 Oso Lumber/James Hardie Products Chevrolet), Team: Kearney Racing. Points: 310 (-40). Previous ranking: 11. The moral of the story may be not to let Bender start on the pole. Two of his three Northwest Series victories have of the wire-to-wire variety including on June 12 at Magic Valley Speedway. In that race, the No. 18 Chevy was hardly challenged. Up seven spots, Bender was the big mover this week in the top 10 by virtue of the win in Idaho.
No. 5 – Wilbur Bruce, Tacoma, Wash. (No. 8 Quality Rentals/Six Robblees Chevrolet), Team: Neil Weiner Racing. Points: 302 (-48). Previous ranking: 4. Bruce is running his first full season in the Northwest Series since 1999. Since that ’99 season, Bruce has made 19 starts in the series with just one top-five and three top-10 finishes. In two races this year, he has logged a pair of top-10 efforts. The 1998 Rookie-of-the-Year could well be the wild card in the championship equation in 2005. Bruce’s lone win in the Northwest Series came on August 22, 1998 at Wenatchee Valley’s Super Oval.
No. 6 – Joe Benedetti, Auburn, Wash. (No. 2 Bret Chevrolet/RaceCals Chevrolet), Team: Benedetti Racing. Points: 289 (-61). Previous ranking: 10. Word out of the Benedetti camp is that they are in favor of scheduling every Northwest Series event at Magic Valley Speedway. He now has finished in the top five in four consecutive and five of the last six races at the Idaho track. Benedetti has finished in the top 10 in points in each of the last six Northwest Series seasons.
No. 7 – Garrett Evans, East Wenatchee, Wash. (No. 64 Leonard Evans Hyundai/Signature Financing Chevrolet), Team: Evans Racing. Points: 288 (-62). Previous ranking: 6. The four-time series champion continues to rack
