LEWIS IS TOO STRONG IN NASCAR NORTHWEST SERIES

Source: NASCAR
Date: 07/23/2006

YAKIMA, Washintong Not a single NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series competitor had anything for Gary Lewis in the Bud Clary Toyota 125 on Saturday night at Yakima (Wash.) Speedway. He thoroughly dominated the event having close to a two second lead at one point on the 1/2-mile oval.

The large lead eventually dwindled after Lewis caught the tail end of the field and found himself in very heavy traffic. If the race had been held on a super speedway, there is no telling what sort of lead the Bothell, Wash. driver could have built.

Lewis turned in an average, for him, performance in time trials by posting the seventh-fastest lap, but his car was race ready. He benefited from a 10-car invert and started the race in the third position and wasted no time from there. He was able to beat Travis Bennett, who started on the outside pole, to turn one to move into position to take the race lead from pole sitter Jeff Barkshire. During the race’s third lap, Lewis was able to take the lead from Barkshire, whose Centennial Batteries/SPE Racing Engines Dodge was not turning all that well, on the backstretch heading for turns three and four.

After that, Lewis was pretty much done with door-to-door racing for position in his Nutter Racing Engines/Victory Circle Chassis Chevrolet. His only concern was lapped traffic and how to work his way through it.

“The car was very strong tonight, but I was a little worried about the lapped cars,” stated the race winner. “A few guys this year have had some problems in the lead with lapped cars. We got through it pretty well. I did make a little bit of contact with a down car toward the end of the race and it tightened up a bit, but once we got going it was fine.”

The win was Lewis’ third of the season and the 31st of his stellar Northwest Series career. He has won multiple races in a season nine times in his series career, now in its 14th year. It is also the third time he has won more than two times in a single season.

“The numbers stack up pretty nice, but when you race to win, then they’ll do that,” said Lewis. “We’re out here to win races and win the championship, period.”

Bennett spent the predominance of the race staring at the back of Lewis’ car after that early exchange of the lead wondering if there was any way around the leader. As fate would have it, there was not. Lewis ended up beating the No. 33 Bowman’s Electro Painting/Rich-Pak Chevrolet to the finish line by .462 seconds.

“This was a brand new car that we raced tonight and it did pretty well,” said Bennett, who hails from Ellensburg, Wash. “[Lewis] was so strong tonight and wasn’t going to be denied. I wish we could have had more for him, but I’m pleased with the performance of our team.”

“It was a good points night for us. We lost minimal ground and we’re still in the championship hunt.”

Third-place finisher Brandon Riehl looked as though he was going to drive his Aero Exhaust/Darrell’s Economy Muffler Chevy straight to the front early in the event. He started ninth on the grid and worked his way to third before lap 20. However, like Lewis and Bennett, it was a position that he would hold for the remainder of the night.

“The car was really loose. It wasn’t too bad at the beginning, but that was basically all I had for tonight,” said the Boring, Ore.-based Riehl. “I think we had a third-place car. [Bennett] was a little better than me and [Lewis] was a little better than him, so I think it was a pretty fair finish for everyone tonight.”

Barkshire dropped to fourth after that early flurry of action at the front of the field to start the race. And just like the others in front of him, that is where he was able to stay. It proved to be a solid rebound race for the Auburn, Wash. team. They finished 22nd on July 15 at Evergreen Speedway. That improvement earned the Featherlite “Most Improved Driver” Award.

Garrett Evans, too, experienced a much improved finish over a week ago. He finished fifth for his first top-five effort of the season. The East Wenatchee, Wash. driver sent a message during qualifying that the four-time series champion would have to be dealt with. He drove his Leonard Evans Hyundai/Signature Finance Chevrolet to the Bud Pole Award. He posted a lap of 19.196 seconds (93.770 mph) to collect his second Bud Pole of the season becoming the first driver to earn two this season in the Northwest Series and extended his all-time career series mark to 65.

Pete Harding, Shane Mitchell, Brent Harris, Wilbur Bruce and B.J. Tidrick rounded out the top 10.

Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year contender Jason Fraser, of Snohomish, Wash., picked up the POWERade “Power Move of the Race” Award by improving his position the most over the course of the race. He started 22nd in the 27-car field and worked his way forward to finish 13th in the Rich’s Car Corner/BRI Chevrolet.

Ralph Lewis, Gary’s father and crew chief, picked up his third Luntati “Crew Chief of the Race” Award this season by leading the No. 73 team to victory lane.

Mitchell, by virtue of his Sunoco rookie class-best finish of seventh, took over the lead in the Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year standings. He now has a four-point edge on Harris, who sits in second at this time.

Unofficially, in the championship point standings, Lewis stretched out his lead on the entire field. He now holds a 47-point lead on Bennett in second place and a 129-point edge on Riehl. Oddly enough, the top four finishers in the race are the current top four in the point standings in order.

While Lewis kept a decent working margin over his nearest competitors, the balance of the drivers remain very close to one another. Just 55 points separate Jay Sauls in seventh and Troy Tramell in 14th. By the same token, Pete Harding, who is ranked 20th, is only 95 points out of 10th place.

Points are becoming just as big a focal point as winning the race while teams jockey for position to earn one of those exclusive 10 invitations to the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown.

The Northwest Series is right back on the track next week at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash. for the third of what will be four consecutive weeks of competition. This next race will be part of the Evergreen 500 consisting of the 150-lap Northwest Series event, a 100-lap Speedway Chevrolet Super Stock event as part of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series and the NAPA 250 presented by Triple A for the NASCAR Grand National Division AutoZone West Series. All told, there will be 500 laps of racing on the speedy .646-mile oval. It will be the largest assembly of NASCAR race teams ever at Evergreen Speedway.

NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series Unofficial Standings as of July 22, 2006

TOP 15 IN POINTS

1. Gary Lewis – 1007

2. Travis Bennett – 960

3. Brandon Riehl – 878

4. Jeff Barkshire – 827

5. Shane Mitchell* - 815

6. Wilbur Bruce – 807

7. Jay Sauls* – 775

8. Garrett Evans - 767

9. Mike Longton* – 756

10. B.J. Tidrick* - 745

11. John Bender - 742

12. Brent Harris – 738

13. Steven Howard – 734

14. Troy Tramell* – 722

15. Zan Sharp – 706

BUD POLE WINNERS Garrett Evans - 2

Jason Fraser* - 1

Gary Lewis – 1

Shane Mitchell* - 1

Troy Tramell* - 1

POWERade “Power Move of the Race” Travis Bennett – 1

Jason Fraser - 1

Matt Hall - 1

Steven Howard - 1

Jason Jefferson - 1

Zan Sharp* - 1

FEATHERLITE “Most Improved Driver” Jeff Barkshire - 1

John Bender - 1

Shane Harding - 1

Shane Mitchell* - 1

Brandon Riehl – 1

Troy Tramell*- 1

* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender

SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

1. Shane Mitchell – 42

2. Brent Harris – 38

3. Jay Sauls - 35

4. Mike Longton – 34

5. Jason Fraser – 32

6. B.J. Tidrick – 31

7. Shane Harding - 29

8. Troy Tramell – 27

9t. Darren Rupinski – 26

9t. Zan Sharp – 26

11. Bryan Warf - 6

12. Joey Decker - 5

UNOFFICIAL Results for BUD CLARY TOYOTA 125

NASCAR AUTOZONE ELITE DIVISION, NORTHWEST SERIES

Yakima, WA July 22, 2006

Final leaders of Saturday's $52,933.00 NASCAR AUTOZONE ELITE DIVISION, NORTHWEST SERIES

stock car race with driver's hometown, make and model of car, laps completed, winner's

average speed, reason out (if any) and prize money.

1. Gary Lewis, Bothell Wash., Chevrolet, 125, 65.369 mph, $2,700

2. Travis Bennett, Ellensburg Wash., Chevrolet, 125, $2,000

3. Brandon Riehl, Boring Ore., Chevrolet, 125, $1,700

4. Jeff Barkshire, Auburn Wash., Dodge, 125, $1,800

5. Garrett Evans, E. Wenatchee Wash., Chevrolet, 125, $1,725

6. Pete Harding, Surrey B.C. Canada, Chevrolet, 125, $1,050

7. Shane Mitchell, Orondo Wash., Chevrolet, 125, $1,175

8. Brent Harris, Wenatchee Wash., Pontiac, 125, $1,100

9. Wilbur Bruce, Lakewood Wash., Chevrolet, 125, $1,050

10. B. J. Tidrick, Yakima Wash., Chevrolet, 125, $1,000

11. John Dillon, Eagle Idaho, Chevrolet, 125, $775

12. Matt Hall, Spokane Wash., Chevrolet, 124, $725

13. Jason Fraser, Snohomish Wash., Chevrolet, 124, $1,450

14. Troy Tramell, Yakima Wash., Chevrolet, 124, $875

15. Jim McVey, Port Orchard Wash., Chevrolet, 124, $625

16. Zan Sharp, Wellsville Utah, Chevrolet, 124, $800

17. John Bender, Snohomish Wash., Chevrolet, 123, $775

18. Darren Rupinski, Rathdrum Idaho, Chevrolet, 122, $550

19. Darren Trimble, Snohomish Wash., Chevrolet, 121, $525

20. Chris Ratterree, Meridian Idaho, Chevrolet, 120, $500

21. Michael Merry, Spokane Wash., Chevrolet, 119, $500

22. Ted Mickelson, Greer S.C., Chevrolet, 112, Suspension, $500

23. Jay Sauls, Puyallup Wash., Chevrolet, 111, $700

24. Shane Harding, Langley B.C. Canada, Chevrolet, 106, Accident, $500

25. Erick Hargraves, Yakima Wash., Pontiac, 96, Accident, $500

26. Mike Longton, Moxee Wash., Chevrolet, 95, Accident, $700

27. Steven Howard, Roy Wash., Chevrolet, 6, Accident, $700

NASCAR Race Number 6

Unofficial Race Results For The BUD CLARY TOYOTA 125 - 07/22/2006

Yakima Speedway - Yakima, WA - 0.5-mile paved oval

Total Race Length 99 K - 125L - 62 M Purse: $52,933

Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Total Award Status

1 3 73 Gary Lewis Nutter Racing Engines/Victory Circle Chassis 125 180 $2,700 Running

2 2 33 Travis Bennett Bowman's Electro Painting/Rich-Pak Chevrolet 125 170 2,000 Running

3 9 69 Brandon Riehl AERO Exhaust/Darrels Economy Muffler 125 165 1,700 Running

4 1 46 Jeff Barkshire Centennial Batteries/SPE Racing Engines 125 160 1,800 Running

5 10 64 Garrett Evans Leo. Evans Hyundai/Signature Financing 125 155 1,725 Running

6 6 39 Pete Harding L.P. Body Shop / Yale Forklift Chevrolet 125 150 1,050 Running

7 8 99 Shane Mitchell * Mitchell Trucking & Paving/Coca-Cola Chevrolet 125 146 1,175 Running

8 13 0 Brent Harris * R&S Construction Pontiac 125 142 1,100 Running

9 7 8 Wilbur Bruce Quality Rentals/Rent 'N Roll Chevrolet 125 138 1,050 Running

10 4 72 B. J. Tidrick * Winner's Choice/CBT Hobbies Chevrolet 125 134 1,000 Running

11 11 25 John Dillon Frontier Equipment Co./ESI Building Chevrolet 125 130 775 Running

12 16 28 Matt Hall Affordable Graphics NW/King Soft Water 124 127 725 Running

13 22 31 Jason Fraser * Rich's Car Corner/BRI Chevrolet 124 124 1,450 Running

14 15 5 Troy Tramell * Magic Metals/Yakima Implement Chevrolet 124 121 875 Running

15 21 11 Jim McVey McVey Sales/Snap-On Tools Chevrolet 124 118 625 Running

16 24 84 Zan Sharp * Sharp Transportation Chevrolet 124 115 800 Running

17 23 18 John Bender OSO Lumber/Natural Concepts Landscaping 123 112 775 Running

18 12 63 Darren Rupinski * CCI/Kendall Motorsports Chevrolet 122 109 550 Running

19 26 81 Darren Trimble Oso Lumber/Trex Decking Chevrolet 121 106 525 Running

20 27 12 Chris Ratterree * ESI/Body Building.com Chevrolet 120 103 500 Running

21 25 29 Michael Merry Affordable Graphics NW/OXARC Welding 119 100 500 Running

22 17 9 Ted Mickelson AERO Exhaust/Darrels Economy Muffler 112 97 500 Suspension

23 18 20 Jay Sauls * Tri-State Restaurant Supply/Canyon Auto Paint 111 94 700 Running

24 5 93 Shane Harding * Ed's Transmission/Harding Forklift Chevrolet 106 91 500 Accident

25 19 51 Erick Hargraves P.J.'s Tires Pontiac 96 88 500 Accident

26 14 37 Mike Longton * Key Financial/Owens Enterprises Chevrolet 95 85 700 Accident

27 20 38 Steven Howard Great Northwest Homes Chevrolet 6 82 700 Accident

Time of Race: 0 hrs., 57 mins, 22 secs

Average Speed: 65.369 mph

Margin of Victory: .462 Seconds

BUD POLE AWARD: Garrett Evans, 64 Leo. Evans Hyundai/Signature Financing Chevrolet

FEATHERLITE "MOST IMPROVED DRIVER" AWARD: Jeff Barkshire, 46 Centennial Batteries/SPE Racing Engines Dodge

POWERADE "POWER MOVE OF THE RACE" AWARD: Jason Fraser *, 31 Rich's Car Corner/BRI Chevrolet

LUNATI “CREW CHIEF OF THE RACE” AWARD: Ralph Lewis, 73 Nutter Racing Engines/Victory Circle Chassis Chevrolet

Caution Flags: Laps 7-15; 75-77; 85-88; 91-94; 97-101. 5 for 25 laps.

Lap Leaders: Jeff Barkshire 1-3, Gary Lewis 4-125.

Total Laps Led: Gary Lewis 122, Jeff Barkshire 3. 1 changes involving 2 drivers.

* Denotes Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contender

See Also .:

• Gary Lewis Driver Card
• Yakima Speedway Track Page

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