YAKIMA, Washington -- On Saturday May 26, 2007 it was another of many successful nights of racing for Gary Lewis (Bothell, WA) at Yakima Speedway. The two-time Northwest Tour Champion took the lead on lap one of the Matco Tools 125 presented by TruX Etc. for the ASA Aero Exhaust Northwest Tour premier stock car racers and was not passed all night.
Untested for the first 100-laps of the race, Lewis was challenged hard by Mike Longton (Moxee, WA) in the final 25-laps. With the car getting looser Lewis said in victory circle “I was trying to save the car early but in the end it was a handful.” Longton also trying to save the car for the final laps stated “I was not getting any faster at the end it was the others that were slowing.”
After missing the opening race of the 8-race traveling tour Lewis gained the maximum points as he tries to overcome the early deficit. It is going to be busy summer for the Lewis crew as he vies for championships in two separate traveling series.
The third position was filled by BJ Tidrick (Yakima, WA). Tidrick suffering a mechanical problem in the qualifying session started eleventh getting as high as second by lap 37 and held on until Longton went by on lap 108. Tidrick’s comment after the race, “I used up all my car getting to the front and had nothing at the end.”
Jeff Barkshire (Auburn, WA) finished fourth ahead of Jay Sauls (Puyallup, WA). The race took its toll on much of the field with 5-cars having to exit the race with mechanical woes. Included in this group was Brandon Riehl (Boring, OR) the fast qualifier. The second fastest Travis Bennett (Ellensburg, WA) also suffered mechanical problems.
There is now a tie for the first ever ASA Northwest Tour championship with Jay Sauls and long time tour veteran Ron Eaton (Lakewood, WA) on top of the points battle.
The next stop for the ASA Aero Exhaust Northwest Tour will be in Post Falls, ID at Stateline Speedway on Saturday June 9. The inland northwest’s fastest 1/4-mile oval will host the northwest’s best Tour drivers for the first time in 20-years. A grueling 150-laps is the scheduled distance.
ASA Aero Exhaust Northwest Tour Race #2
Matco Tools 125 Presented by TruX Etc.
Yakima Speedway, Yakima, WA (1/2-mile oval)
Official Finish:
Finish Position / Driver / Hometown / Laps Completed / Reason Out
1- Gary Lewis (Bothell, WA) 125 Running
2- Mike Longton (Moxee, WA) 125 Running
3- BJ Tidrick (Yakima, WA) 125 Running
4- Jeff Barkshire (Auburn, WA) 125 Running
5- Jay Sauls (Puyallup, WA) 125 Running
6- Ron Eaton (Lakewood, WA) 124 Running
7- Jeff Byrd (Hayden, ID) 121 Accident
8- Kelly Tanner (Auburn, WA) 77 Brakes
9 - Brandon Riehl Boring, OR) 75 Rear End
10- Matt Hall (Spokane, WA) 49 Rear End
11- Travis Bennett (Ellensburg, WA) 33 Brake Caliper
12- Jason Frasier (Snohomish, WA) 15 Motor
Lap Leaders: Gary Lewis 1-125
Time of Race: 45min 15sec
Margin of Victory: .05sec
Caution Flags: 3 for a total of 8-laps
Championship Point Standings after Race #2 of 8:
Driver Name Total
Ron Eaton 320
Jay Sauls 320
Jeff Barkshire 310
BJ Tidrick 299
Matt Hall 289
Kelly Tanner 288
Jason Frasier 287
Brandon Riehl 280
Travis Bennett 268
Tom Sweatman 180
Gary Lewis 180
Mike Longton 170
Jeff Byrd 146
