"It doesn’t get any better than this," Yakima Speedway announcer, Ron Bennett said at the start of the Raybestos Brakes NW Series’ 125-lap season-ending championship race.
Garrett Evans echoed that phrase when he piloted his racer into the Winner’s Circle at the end of the race. Racing like the veteran he is, Evans ran a very intelligent race, biding his time and saving his tires. With only 15 laps left, he slipped under Gary Lewis for the lead on lap 113 and never looked back, despite a green-white-checkered flag finish after a caution had been thrown on lap 122. It is Evans’ fourth NW Series title in a career that spans more than fifteen years and includes almost every NW Series record. Lewis finished second with John Zaretzke, Ron Eaton and John Dillon rounding out the top five.
The drama had been building for the last several weeks because the championship was still up for grabs between the top three drivers, Ken Kaltschmidt, Garrett Evans and Gary Lewis. Only nine points separated them, and Lewis had won the last four Series races and had garnered nine pole awards in the process. Evans, on the other hand, had not won a series race since August 19, 1999. Kaltschmidt, a second year driver, had one win (Monroe, June 3, 2000) and nine top-five finishes during the current season.
Qualifying first (18.633) and starting in fourth place as a result of the invert, Lewis was behind both Kaltschmidt and Evans for the start of the race. Joe Benedetti sat on the pole, with Chris Hart on the outside of the front grid.
At the drop of the green flag, and for more than 40 laps the frontrunners led a shoestring formation for the 28-car field around the half-mile asphalt oval and held their respective positions. On lap 45 the complexion of the race changed dramatically, however, when Benedetti’s car slowed, almost coming to a stop between turns one and two, enabling Hart to take the lead, with Kaltschmidt and Lewis close behind and Evans in fifth place. Benedetti had blown an engine during warm-ups and was racing with a brand-new engine.
At the halfway mark the lead pack pulled to a three-car lead, and Lewis had moved into second place, slipping past a slowing Kaltschmidt. Lewis, definitely with his sights on the Series title, then went under Hart on lap 74 for the lead, it was a position he would hold until lap 112, when he had to surrender to a hard-charging Evans.
Hart, who qualified well, appeared to be running a steady race, but was unable to pull away from the pack while he was leading. Kaltschmidt brought out one of seven caution flags when he went into a solos spin at lap 47, and was unable to regroup, finally leaving the race at lap 47.
For Lewis, his second place finish brought him a second place finish in the NW Series (one-point behind Evans), and the end to an incredible win streak.
In the season-ending Limited Sportsman 50-lap main event, all B.J. Tidrick had to do was show up for the race to win the championship. While he didn’t win the race, by finishing second behind former Limited Sportsman champion Shawn Mathews, he cemented his first place finish in the standings.
Randy Hitchcock, on the pole as a result of an invert, held his position for only 10 laps before Mathews took the lead coming out of turn two on lap ten. It was a position he would hold for the remainder of the race. Tidrick, the top qualifier (21.516), began the race in sixth place, but quickly moved into contention by moving into fourth place by lap nine, and into second place by lap 21. From that point on, it was Mathews, Tidrick and Hitchcock, in that order, all the way to the checkered flag. Norb Barthel and James Heinle rounded out the top five. Kriss Clark, who finished the season in second place, originally finished fifth in the race, but was put to the rear of the pack in the final results due to a technical infraction.
Next week, it will be the Yakima Speedway season-ending 13th Annual Fall Classic. Call 248-0647 or visit www.yakimaspeedway.com for additional information.
Results: NW Series: 1. Garrett Evans (Ardenvoir), 2. Gary Lewis (Bothell), 3. John Zaretzke (Yakima), 4. Ron Eaton (Tacoma), 5. John Dillon (Boise, ID), 6. Wes Rhodes (Olympia), 7. Joe Constance (Everett), 8. Ray Wallace (Olympia), 9. Chris Hart (Yakima), 10. Jason Jefferson (Naches), 11. Mel Shenyer (Ellensburg), 12. Ken Kaltschmidt (Marion, MT), 13. Kevin Hamlin (Bothell), 14. Steve Hodge (North Plains, OR), 15. Jeff Flynn (Pocatello, ID), 16. Gaylon Stewart (Everett), 17. Pete Harding (Surrey, BC), 18. Chris Rothfus (Snohomish), 19. Shane Biles (Woodinville), 20. John Bender (Arlington), 21. Wilbur Bruce (Tacoma), 22. Joe Benedetti (Auburn), 23. Bruce Vollstedt (Portland, OR), 24. Matt Kelley (Kirkland), 25. Bryan Weiner (Tacoma), 26. Kyle Pope (Winchester, OR). A Trophy Dash: Benedetti B Trophy Dash: Bender
Limited Sportsman: 1. Shawn Mathews (Selah), 2. B.J. Tidrick (Yakima), 3. Randy Hitchcock (Yakima), 4. Norb Barthel (Yakima), 5. James Heinle (Yakima), 6. Don Martin (Yakima), 7. Jack Mondor (Wapato), 8. John Rose (Yakima), 9. Nathan Hudson (Yakima), 10. Kriss Clark (Yakima).
Trophy Dash A: Barthel, Mathews, Clark, Martin
Trophy Dash B: Hitchcock, Rose, Mondor, Hudson, Heinle
