PORTLAND, Oregon — The 44th Annual Yakima Speedway Apple Cup comes at just the right time and certainly the right race track for 2009 ASA Northwest Late Model Tour Rookie of the Year, Joey Tanner.
Returning to Yakima Speedway and the site of Tanner’s biggest super late model victory may be the cure to the ills his Engage Energy Drinks Racing Team have faced in two 2010 starts. A top qualifying effort at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale was stymied by a late race incident that brought an early end to a strong run.
The 2009 Yakima Fall Classic winner unloaded his Jody’s Nothing But Fun Chevrolet at Evergreen Speedway for the NWLMT season opener on March 27 with high hopes. By the middle portions of the 125-lap main event Tanner was pit side the victim of an ill-handling car. Now with crew chief BJ Tidrick preparing the TQT Impala for its first start of the season at Yakima Speedway, Tanner is hopeful of a complete race and another chance at victory on Tidrick’s home track.
“BJ found some problems with the balance of the car (after Irwindale) and was able to adjust here and there to make it competitive enough to win the
(ASA) race but unfortunately luck wasn’t on our side. The Goodyear tires threw everyone for a loop and for us especially it was a difficult weekend in Monroe.
“We think we found a good starting point for our car heading into the Apple Cup weekend that will be good but we’ll have to wait and see if it all works out like we’ve planned.”
Winning the Fall Classic behind the wheel of a Ford Fusion owned by the Tidrick’s gives way to the new and unproven Joey Tanner Racing Chevrolet.
The Portland native is not concerned with transitioning from one car to another at Yakima, he noted.
“A lot can transfer over from the Ford to our new Chevrolet. I know we will be running the same shocks and springs package as we did last fall.
BJ has become very knowledgeable on set-up at Yakima over the years so I think we will be able to be strong in the new car.”
Everything Tanner is doing comes with the addition of a full class schedule at Mt. Hood Community College. Balancing racing and studies is a challenge at times, he noted.
“With school, racing and searching for bigger things in the racing world it’s been tough to keep a balance in life,” Tanner explained. “When you wake up in the morning and think, breath, walk and talk racing it’s hard to just go to college and give it 100 percent focus but I’m happy to say that I have maintained myself pretty well (in school) because I know an education is very important to what I’m trying to do.”
Tanner will be busy trying to keep that balance of school and racing with a busy month of April ahead, he added.
“I’m actually looking forward to a little break from asphalt racing after the Apple Cup but I will be making one or two appearances in my #111 dirt late model during our break from pavement racing and I’m really looking forward to that.”
Race day opportunities are still available for the remainder of the 2010 season, which includes races on the ASA Northwest Late Model Tour, the Yakima Speedway Apple Cup and Fall Classic, the Montana 200 and Idaho 200 and a run in the Toyota International Tundra 125.
To learn more about Joey Tanner or to become involved as a business supporter jump onto the driver’s website at www.joeytanner.com
