BOISE, Idaho — The finale for the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is tonight at Magic Valley Speedway located outside Twin Falls, Idaho. The series concludes the seventh season of competition and the championship battle has come down to two drivers with their racing roots firmly planted at the third-mile racing facility.
"Thank you for your interest and continued support of the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series. We hope you enjoy our regular news releases and can make it out to the track this season. See you at the races!"— Mike Minegar
Steve Jones hails from Meridian, Idaho, a two hour drive West from Twin Falls, but for the past twenty years Jones has called MVS home winning multiple track championships and nearly 100 races along the way. His rival, John Newhouse is from Twin Falls. A successful car dealer, Newhouse has won in all types of racing vehicles from go-karts to Trucks, Modifieds, and Late Models.
Both drivers are proven champions and both drivers have set a new standard of excellence in the RMCS this season. With nearly identical performance records this year, Jones holds an advantage for victories with two, but Newhouse has been the model of consistency by completing all but 12-laps in competition. Jones leads Newhouse by a scant twenty points heading into the final event.
Since the RMCS awards points based on total event performance, it will take a nearly perfect night of racing in order to capture that title. That and a little luck, good and bad. "You can't ask for a better finish to the season," Newhouse said. "However it turns out it has been a fantastic year for us. I really want the title but if it doesn't go our way it will be neat to see Steve win his first championship in the RMCS."
Newhouse is a former series champion having won the title back in 2007 and initially he did not plan on running the entire schedule. With solid finishes at the early part of the season, he found himself at or near the top of the standings after four races so the team opted to make a run.
Jones on the other hand had title aspirations from the start. "It has taken us about three years to learn how to race the longer events and secure the equipment it takes to be competitive," Jones offered. "It has all come together this season and if we can do what we have done all season then we should come out on top."
While Jones and Newhouse battle it out for the title, there will be plenty of action behind them as several drivers are vying for positions in the top five. Bruce Quale of Twin Falls scored his first career series win this season and currently holds down the third spot in the standings by two points over Utah's Lynn Hardy.
Quale has scored three top five and seven top ten finishes to go along with his victory while Hardy has posted four top five and six top ten performances this season.
Brett Thompson of Jerome will not be in action tonight and will drop out of the top five. Thompson lost his RRTI Dodge in a crash last month ending his streak of top five finishes.
A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning Rookie-of-the-Year leader Eric Rhead can move into the top five with a solid performance at MVS. Rhead has scored two victories this season, both coming at RMR.
Thane Alderman of Las Vegas, NV is currently seventh in the standings and is the most recent winner on the tour claiming the victory at Meridian (ID) Speedway earlier this month for his third career triumph.
Returning to action at MVS will be four-time series winner Bobby Latham III, of Twin Falls. Latham will pilot the #24 Jeff Pohlman Chevrolet. It will be Latham's first race in nearly two years. Also joining the field will be Jonathon Gomez, also of Twin Falls. Gomez has been chasing titles in both NASCAR and the SRL this season. Gomez currently leads the SRL Southwest Tour standings on the strength of two wins and five consecutive top five performances. He is sixth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series standings heading into the final two events.
A stout field of cars will be on hand to close out the 2010 campaign pitting series veterans and local track favorites in a 100-lap AMS sponsored event. Racing will get underway at 6pm MT with qualifying and racing action to follow. A full slate of local action is also planned.
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 onto www.rmcsracing.com. Follow all the racing action from throughout the West by logging onto www.racingwest.com.
