An unseasonably cold and wet Spring gave way to glorious sunshine and Saturday afternoon temperatures in the 70’s as Skagit Speedway competitors got to test the new track configuration at Play Day 2008.
Fifty plus racing teams got track time on Saturday at the 3/10th mile high-banked clay oval in Alger, WA. From rookies to seasoned veterans, and new teams with new cars drivers tested the reconfigured track. Skagit Speedway owner Steve Beitler and crew have widened the front and back stretches to 55 feet. And the new corner width is 65 feet with a different banking pattern being tried which both flattens out the bottom side of the track and banks the top groove a bit more.
Seeing first time action, in a Sprint Car on the Skagit clay in the 410 Outlaw Sprints were were Derek Holmwood and Cam Smith moving from Deming Speedway’s Mini Sprint program. In 360 Sprint Cars were 13 year old Nick Tomlinson from Newberg, Oregon; 14 year old Mack Brown, British Columbia natives Luke Didiuk, Lisa Dyer and Mike Parker. First time Sportsman Sprint drivers included Ryan Nootenboom, Kyle Oman, Bill Rude, Devin Barnes, and Cale Brook. Twelve rookies in Sprint Cars on Play Day.
Cars that will run in Skagit Speedway’s 410 Outlaw Sprint wars that were at Play Day include former champion Barry Martinez, defending 360 class champion Steve Kilcup running a 410 exclusively in ’08, Jason Bloodgood moving up from 360’s, Steve Parker, Kevin Smith the ’08 Sportsman Champion, Eric Fisher the Sportsman runner-up in 2008, Toni Lutar, Nick Engberg, Alec Covert, Josh DeWitt and Bob Stevens moving up from the 360 ranks. For Smith, Bloodgood, Fisher, Engberg and Stevens this will be a first-time full year venture into 410 Outlaw Sprint racing. Two cars that had Jason Solwold’s name on the driver panels but did not see action were there as well, a white Marc Huson owned Shark Racing #73 and a black #8 that rolled out of the trailer and right back in the trailer. The former World of Outlaw regular and multi-time Skagit Champion is expected to see track time at Skagit on off-weekends when he isn’t driving for Canadian car-owner Richard Samaure.
In the Budweiser 360 Sprint division at Play Day were wily veteran Rod Perkins the senior driver at Skagit Speedway in continuous years of competition; Mike Melwicks a former Skagit champion going from part-time in the Sportsman Sprint to full time in a 360 Sprint; Mike Sather, Danielle Huson, Blake Cook, Daniel Cernich, Jared Peterson and coming back from a long, long layoff is Jay Follman.
Driving Cook Road Shell Sportsman Sprints at Play Day include Kelleigh Johnson, Marc Schutte, Wes Tyra, Devin Madonia, Paul Burdick, Todd Rork, Kelsey Carpenter, Jarrid Zimmerman and the aforementioned rookies.
A few of the Wilson Auto Brokers Outlaw Hornets were on hand for Play Day. Matt Powers, Freddy Vela, Wendy Johnson, Pascal Warner, Tom Warner, Karl Dahl, Clayton Sibley, Ken Higby, Jon Edwards, and rookies Ronda Eszlinger and Dean Ruddle tested their new rides and some had their transponders in for the first time as well.
One Modified ventured to Skagit Speedway for Play Day. Former Skagit County resident Duane D’Amico brought his modified from Yakima over to test the clay for the upcoming Modified race to be held in conjunction with Dirt Cup Tune-up on June 14th.
Fast time was 12.607 for the day set by Colton Heath in the Leo Voight prepared, Roger Oudman 7o 410 Outlaw Sprinter.
Skagit Speedway opens the 2008 Foothills Toyota Tundra Racing Series Saturday April 19th at 7:00 p.m. More information is available on their website www.SkagitSpeedway.com
