BOISE, Idaho — The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series returns to Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho Saturday night for round four of the 10-race 2010 series. The series known for its 20-car invert will stage the 25th series event at the one-third mile paved oval that has seen 14 different series winners.
When the series opened up the season at MVS back in April it was Bruce Quale who claimed his first career series victory at a track where he has become a legend. But it has been another MVS legend who has taken the RMCS by storm this season. Steve Jones of Boise has won countless races and several championships at MVS but has never found success in the region's premier stock car series. That is until this season.
Jones finished fourth at MVS back in April but since then has won two straight races and leads the point standings by 96-points over 2007 series champion John Newhouse. "It has been a great year so far there is no doubt about it," Jones said. "I am thrilled that we have been able to win and be fast at each race. We have really done a lot of homework and have spent the past couple of years upgrading our equipment and putting ourselves in a position where it is all coming together."
Bobby Latham III of Twin Falls leads all drivers with four victories at MVS with two-time series champion Dave Minegarscoring three wins. Tom Hill, Bryan Warf, James Eaton, John Newhouse, and John Dillon each have two wins a piece at MVS with seven other drivers claiming one victory. Look for multi-time winners Minegar , Newhouse, and Dillon to renew rivalries this weekend as 2009 series champion Dillon is expected to make his first start of the season Saturday night.
Track record holder Jonathon Gomez of Twin Falls will only race selected RMCS races this season as he is competing in both the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the SRL Southwest Tour full-time. "I love running the RMCS but we have a commitment to run in the SRL this year so unfortunately I will only be making a few starts later in the year," Gomez said.
Craig Bell has the most top five finishes at MVS with eleven followed by two-time champion Zan Sharp with ten. BothJohn Newhouse and Tom Hill have nine top five finishes followed by Minegar with eight.
A-1 Heating & Air Conditioning sponsors the Rookie-of-the-Year program which will pay $100 to the top finishing rookie in each event. After three races, Eric Rhead leads Kenny Vanderham and Lonnie Lowder for top rookie honors.
Sharp Powder Coating sponsors the fast time award worth $100 for driver who sets fast time in each RMCS event plus $100 to a random driver in the field. Through three races there have been three different fast time award winners. The ESI Lap Leader Bonus Award worth $5 per lap has Eric Rhead out front followed by Steve Jones and Bruce Quale.
Century Boatland located in Twin Falls is a new sponsor this season to the RMCS providing a significant contribution to this season ending point's fund. Longacre Racing Products, Joes Racing Products, and Circle Wheels all have product deals in place awarded to random finishers in each event this season.
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 each 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 atwww.rmcsracing.com or follow all the racing action from around the west at www.racingwest.com.
