BOISE, Idaho — The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series will close out the 2009 racing season this Saturday night at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho. The event will be the third tour stop at the tricky 1/3-mile paved oval and the 23rd series event staged at the facility. John Dillon of Boise has a 42-point advantage over rival Jeff Jefferson of Naches, WA heading into the final event of the season and is looking to put the wraps on his first series championship.
"The team has been awesome all year and I have learned a lot about these cars and being fast. I know we have a great shot at the win"— Jonathon Gomez
Dillon has had a stellar season in 2009, winning twice and adding six top five finishes along the way. He has completed all but one lap in competition this season and knows what he must do on Saturday night. “Finish ahead of Jeff,” Dillon said. “Sounds easy but Jeff is a great racer and he is not going to give an inch. It has been a blast racing with him this season and I know the fans will see a great show.”
For his part, Jefferson knows it is an uphill battle Saturday night. “We gave too many points away this year,” Jefferson said. “I love the format of the series as it forces you to be good in all aspect of the race, not just your finish. I really want to win but no matter how it works out it has been a lot of fun and I can’t thank Tom Hill enough for letting me drive his car.”
After winning his second race of the year and first at his home track of Meridian (ID) Speedway, Craig Bell of Kuna, Idaho sits third in the championship standings within mathematical reach of the title, but it would be a stretch. “The one part of our game that has been lacking is qualifying,” Bell said. John and Jeff are excellent at it and that has been the big difference this season.” Bell is correct as all three have the same number of top five and top ten finishes but both Dillon and Jefferson have qualified in the top five all year. The major difference has been Dillon winning six heat races so far this season.
John Newhouse of Twin Falls is a former series champion and sits fourth in the standings after a disastrous outing at Meridian Speedway two weeks ago. Newhouse finished last after a lap five crash destroyed most of his car but will look to close out the season at a track where he has two wins and nine top five finishes. “This has been a tough year for us,” Newhouse said. This is likely my last full-time year in the series as my kinds are getting to the point where I need to support their racing efforts and put mine on the back burner. I would love to win on Saturday and finish the year on a high note.”
Rounding out the top five in the standings is Jonathon Gomez, also of Twin Falls. Gomez has been among the fastest drivers all year and is searching for his first series victory. Magic Valley is a place Gomez knows all too well winning a couple of track championships in the last couple of years before moving on to compete in several regional tours. “If there is one track I want to win at it is Magic Valley,” Gomez said. “The team has been awesome all year and I have learned a lot about these cars and being fast. I know we have a great shot at the win.”
The rest of the top ten have had up and down seasons and all look to finish strong. Two-time series champion Zan Sharp of Wellsville, Utah has one win this season but bad luck has hampered his efforts most of the year. Sharp is sixth in the standings and has one win at MVS back in 2005. Youngster Dylan Caldwell has been splitting time the past couple of weeks between starting on his Nampa High School football team and racing. Caldwell has two top five and six top ten finishes this season. His best finish at MVS is a fourth place effort last season.
Thane Alderman, Steve Jones, and Dave Minegar have all missed a race(s) this season after disappointing finishes and mechanical woes dropped them out of title contention. Jones is a multi-time track champion at MVS while Alderman has been a hard-charging competitor in the series after championships at the Bullring in Las Vegas. Minegar is a two-time series champion but has been out of action after a crash back in July destroyed his race car.
With a lot on the line Saturday night, the RMCS will make their 23rd visit to Magic Valley Speedway Saturday night at a track where everyone wants to win but where only a handful have managed to win more than once. Bobby Latham has the most wins with four followed by Dave Minegar with three. John Newhouse, Tom Hill, Bryan Warf, and James Eaton all have two wins apiece with seven other drivers with one win. Dave Minegar holds the track qualifying record with a quick lap of 14.284 seconds.
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
