Dave Minegar hopes his dreams come true this Saturday night at Magic Valley Speedway. NAPA Auto Parts hosts the NAPA 150 for the Grand Finale of an 11 race schedule for the NAPA Rocky Mountain Challenge Series. Minegar carries in a 205 point advantage over John Newhouse of Twin Falls. With only 219 points up for grabs, it looks good for Minegar. “I want to do what we’ve done all year, qualify well and race well” states Minegar. “I feel like I’ve had to points race since midseason and I would like to go out and race for the win and have the championship tied up.” Minegar has finished every available lap this season.
“I still got a shot” claims Newhouse. “If he screws up qualifying and the engine won’t fire at the start of the main and I pass everybody on the track twice he’s gonna lose.” laughs Newhouse. If Minegar qualifies in the points and takes the green flag at the start of the race he will be the 06 champion.
The battle for third through fifth is highly contested. Nampa’s Chris Ratterree has rebounded from a streak of poor luck and climbed to third with a slim 7 point advantage over Twin Falls resident Bruce Quale. Bruce has found the second half of his season to be riddled with disappointment. Four races back he was right in the thick of the championship war. The benefit for Quale is hometrack advantage. Both Ratterree and Quale have got to move forward in the points or they will feel the pressure of the guy who sits in fifth. Eagle resident Tom Hill is in the hunt with only a deficit of 49 markers behind Ratterree. Expect to see a shakeup with these three competitors before the checkered flag falls.
This race also marks the return of two time champion Zan Sharp and his loyal sidekick, Jimmy Eaton. From the Salt Lake Valley we will also see the likes of Lynn Hardy, Joe Miller and Chris Cook. Some faces we have seen off and on this season are making the trip to Magic Valley. Meridian Speedway’s heavy hitter Craig Bell will be in the house along with Bryan Warf and young Nick Gibson..
The Walker Stockcar Service Rookie of the Year winner, 16 year old Tyler Monroe, will also be looking for a good night. He would like to pick up another win before the season draws to an end.
The top drivers from across the Intermountain West representing four states are expected at this event to battle for one of 24-starting positions in the feature event. Qualifying will be at a premium at MVS as the RMCS uses a format not found in other touring series. The fastest twenty qualifiers are locked into the main event but will be inverted to start the race, putting the twentieth fast qualifier on the pole. The RMCS awards passing points for position’s gained from the driver’s original starting position. This format produces side-by-side racing action that fans and promoter’s desire. The four drivers that transfer from the non-qualifiers race will line up at the rear of the field for the 150-lap main event.
NAPA Auto Parts will host its 4th annual four-person Golf Scramble this Friday at 9:00 a.m. at the Jackpot Golf Course. This event has been a favorite of drivers, teams, sponsors and fans and is sure to be a huge success for the fourth straight year. The top drivers from NAPA Auto Parts Rocky Mountain Challenge Series will be in attendance.
Hoosier Racing Tire is the official tire of the NAPA Auto Parts Rocky Mountain Challenge Series in 2005. RMCS contingency sponsors include: NAPA Auto Parts, ESI Construction, Maverik Country Stores, Walker Stockcar Service, Dillon Racing Products, Five Star Racecar Bodies, Sharp Powder coating, Port City Racing, Integra Springs, Frank’s Radio’s.
The NAPA Auto Parts Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is a regional touring series that allows competitors to gain experience on different types of asphalt oval tracks up to 3/8-mile in length. It is a high-quality, professional racing series that offers maximum opportunity at an affordable price serving the Intermountain West. The motto of the series is to “Race Hard and Have Fun!” The season finale September 16th at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho will feature a 150-lap contest.
NAPA was founded in 1928 to meet America's growing need for a world-class auto parts distribution system. By providing excellent customer service for more than 75 years, NAPA has become the industry leader.
NAPA's strength is unrivaled, with 6,000 NAPA AUTO PARTS stores, 58 Distribution Centers, over 12,000 affiliated NAPA AutoCare repair facilities; over 300,000 parts and accessories in inventory every day, and more ASE-Certified Parts Professionals than anyone in the industry.
In addition to being America's first choice for automotive parts and accessories, NAPA is also a leading supplier of specialty parts and equipment for the collision repair, heavy-duty truck, and industrial markets. And NAPA tools and equipment set the industry standard for quality and value. NAPA serves automotive consumers through the UAP division in Canada, Auto Todo in Mexico and with other locations throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.
Race Facts
What: Season Finale for the NAPA Auto Parts Rocky Mountain Challenge Series
Where: Magic Valley Speedway (Twin Falls, Idaho)
When: Qualifying 6:15 p.m. PST, Racing action begins at 7 pm Saturday, September 16.
Track layout: 1/3-Mile Banked Paved Oval
Race length: 150 laps
Format: Fastest 20 qualifiers inverted into main event with four (4) drivers transferring from the 25-lap non-qualifiers race.
2006 Race Winners at MVS: Tom Hill, John Newhouse, Bobby Latham III
RMCS Track record at MVS: David Minegar, July 1, 2006, 14.284 seconds/83.926 mph
Track contact: Steve York, 208/734 3700
Websites:
www.rockymountainchallengeseries.com
www.magicvalleyspeedway.com
Current Points
Pos. Driver Hometown Points
1 9 Dave Minegar Boise, ID 1,781 2 26 John Newhouse Twin Falls, ID 1,576 3 18 Chris Ratterree Nampa, ID 1,383 4 92 Bruce Quale Twin Falls, ID 1,376 5 12 Tom Hill Eagle, ID 1,334 6 20 Chad Cannon Nampa, ID 1,157 7 32 Bryan Warf Meridian, ID 1,118 8 85 James Eaton West Jordan, UT 988 9 16 Tyler Monroe Star, ID 986 10 25 John Dillon Eagle, ID 721 11 09 Thane Alderman Las Vegas, NV 634 12 84 Zan Sharp Wellsville, UT 612 13 27 Craig Bell Kuna, ID 569 14 31 Nick Gibson Nampa, ID 522 15 4 Lynn Hardy Salt Lake City, UT 518
NAPA Rocky Mountain Challenge Series History
Includes races from 2006
RMCS Track Records
Date
Driver
Hometown
Car #
Time
MPH
Track
07/01/06
Dave Minegar
Boise, ID
9
14.284
83.926
Magic Valley Speedway
05/29/06
Lynn Hardy
Salt Lake City, UT
4
14.944
90.337
Rocky Mountain Raceways
06/24/06
Dave Minegar
Boise, ID
9
13.520
66.568
Meridian Speedway
06/18/05
James Eaton
West Jordan, UT
85
15.563
86.744
Idaho Motor Speedway MX
RMCS Career Wins
Position
Driver
Hometown
Car #
Wins
1
James Eaton
West Jordan, UT
85
5
2
Zan Sharp
Wellsville,UT
84
4
T3
Bryan Warf
Meridian, ID
32
3
T3
Craig Bell
Kuna, ID
27
3
T5
John Nesmith
Meridian, ID
11
2
T5
Dave Minegar
Boise, ID
9
2
T5
Lynn Hardy
Salt Lake City, UT
4
2
T5
Tom Hill
Eagle, ID
12
2
RMCS Career Poles
Position
Driver
Hometown
Car #
Poles
1
Dave Minegar
Boise, ID
9
9
2
Zan Sharp
Wellsville,UT
84
8
3
Lynn Hardy
Salt Lake City, UT
4
5
T4
John Dillon
Eagle, ID
25
3
T4
Nick Parker
Kearns, UT
30
3
RMCS Career Lap Leaders
Position
Driver
Hometown
Car #
Laps Led
1
James Eaton
West Jordan, UT
85
390
2
Bryan Warf
Meridian, ID
32
223
3
Zan Sharp
Wellsville,UT
84
211
4
Craig Bell
Kuna, ID
27
195
5
John Newhouse
Twin Falls, ID
26
147
RMCS Laps Completed
Position
Driver
Hometown
Car #
Laps Completed
1
Dave Minegar
Boise, ID
9
2784
2
James Eaton
West Jordan, UT
85
2396
3
Tom Hill
Eagle, ID
12
2359
4
Bryan Warf
Meridian, ID
32
2353
5
Zan Sharp
Wellsville,UT
84
2287
RMCS Career Top 5 Finishes
Position
Driver
Hometown
Car #
Top 5's
1
Zan Sharp
Wellsville,UT
84
20
2
Craig Bell
Kuna, ID
27
17
3
Bryan Warf
Meridian, ID
32
16
4
Dave Minegar
Boise, ID
9
14
5
John Nesmith
Meridian, ID
11
10
RMCS Career Top 10 Finishes
Position
Driver
Hometown
Car #
Top 10's
1
Dave Minegar
Boise, ID
9
25
2
Bryan Warf
Meridian, ID
32
23
3
Craig Bell
Kuna, ID
27
22
T4
James Eaton
Salt Lake City, UT
85
20
T4
Zan Sharp
Wellsville,UT
84
20
RMCS Career Winnings
Position
Driver
Hometown
Car #
Winnings
1
Zan Sharp
Wellsville,UT
84
$ 25,108
2
Dave Minegar
Boise, ID
9
$ 22,765
3
Bryan Warf
Meridian, ID
32
$ 20,903
4
Craig Bell
Kuna, ID
27
$ 18,936
5
James Eaton
West Jordan, UT
85
$ 18,308
