BOISE, Idaho — John Dillon of Eagle, Idaho scored his fifth career CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series triumph this past Saturday night at Rocky Mountain Raceways outside SLC, Utah. Dillon started in the ninth position but quickly made his way to the front of the field and waged a spirited battle with former series champion John Newhouse over the final 50-laps crossing the finish line .011 seconds ahead of Newhouse. Rookie competitor Jonathon Gomez finished third with Craig Bell and Jeff Jefferson rounding out the top five finishers in the NAPA Auto Parts sponsored 125-lap event.
Jeff Jefferson of Naches, Wash scored his second career Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Award with a quick lap of 15.4404 seconds around the 3/8-mile paved oval. Gomez, Newhouse, Zan Sharp, and Eric Rhead rounded out the top five in qualifying. Sharp and Bryan Wordelman won the 12-lap heat races in which Dillon was denied his first heat race win of the season after going six for six this year. Title contenders Jefferson finished his heat fourth and Newhouse finished third.
Second year competitor and local standout Mitch Dickinson lead the field to green from the pole position with Wordelman alongside. Dickinson led the first lap giving way to Kristin Bumbera from Texas on lap two. Bumbera was making her first series start in a team car to Jonathon Gomez and was the first female to start an RMCS race. She finished 10th.
Craig Bell of Kuna, Idaho wrestled the lead from Bumbera on lap three and held the point for 15 circuits before championship point leader Dillon took the top spot on lap 19. Dillon and bell would wage a spirited battle throughout the first half of the race going door-to-door for six laps. Newhouse entered the fray on lap 26 and took second from Bell.
Newhouse dogged Dillon over the next 99-laps but each time he poked his nose underneath Dillon the door was slammed shut. By lap 100, the duo continued their torrid pace with Jefferson, Gomez, and Bell fighting it out in the top five.
A late race caution set up a five lap dash to the finish but the caution waved again on lap 122 setting up a green, white, and checkered finish. On the final lap Dillon held off Newhouse but Bell made contact with Gomez collecting Jefferson and Dylan Caldwell in turn four. Since Bell, Gomez, Jefferson, and Caldwell were the only other cars on the lead lap they were scored where they were running on the previous green flag lap with the official finish as Dillon, Newhouse, Gomez, Bell, and Jefferson rounding out the top five. Caldwell was credited with sixth, followed by Wordelman, Roger Wilson, Thane Alderman, and Kristin Bumbera rounding out the top ten finishes in round seven of the championship series.
Dillon increased his point lead with the victory. “We had a really good car and I was happy to hold off Newhouse at the end,” Dillon said. “John (Newhouse) had a better car getting into the corner but we were better off and that was the difference. My crew did an awesome job setting the car up and we are pretty thrilled how things went in this race. If we can duplicate it over the next two then we will have a lot to smile about.”
Finishing second for his fifth top five of the season was 2007 series champion John Newhouse. “We had a shot at the win and in this series that means a lot,” Newhouse said. We were faster at the end but being faster doesn’t always win you races. John (Dillon) was really good throughout the race and my hats off to him and his team. We still have an outside shot at the title but we need to finish ahead of them and hope they have a bit of bad luck.”
Scoring his fourth top five finish of the season was rookie Jonathon Gomez of Twin Falls, Idaho. “We were really good and to come back and finish third is pretty satisfying,” Gomez said. “We are so close and I know a win is just around the corner.”
Although most would be happy with finishing fifth, Jeff Jefferson knows that it is going to take more than top fives to win the championship. “We lost some points tonight,” Jefferson said. “John (Dillon) drove a great race and he is certainly in the cat bird seat heading to Meridian. We have two more chances and I hope that means two more wins.”
Dillon increased his point lead to 39 points heading into the 100-lap race this weekend at Meridian Speedway. Jefferson maintains the second position with Newhouse closing on Jefferson in third. Bell sits in the fourth position with Gomez rounding out the top five in the standings.
The next event for the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is the NAPA Auto Parts “100” at Meridian (ID) Speedway on Saturday, August 29. The event will be the second series visit this season at the famed 1/4-mile paved oval. Jeff Jefferson scored the victory at Meridian back on July 4th.
The RMCS utilizes a racing format not found in ANY other regional touring series around the country. The top 20 qualifiers are inverted for every race putting fast time in the 20th starting position. This format ensures race fans see what they paid for and that is passing. Each driver is awarded three points per position gained in the event. Points are also awarded for qualifying and heat race finishes. Through the history of the series, the winning driver has averaged a 15th place starting position. To ensure competition, the RMCS pays it purse based on total point accumulation for the event and provides several special performance awards for the event.
The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is a regional touring series that allows all competitors to race and gain experience on different types of racetracks. 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!” For all the latest news and information regarding the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series log on to our website at www.rmcsracing.com.
