BRENT HARRIS WINS CHALLENGE CUP AT EVERGREEN SPEEDWAY

Source: Evergreen Speedway Public Relations
Date: 09/21/2003

Nine drivers started in the Street Stock Last Chance race. Only two would earn the chance to compete in the Street Stock Challenge Cup feature. James Addy of Spanaway had the pole. Rentons Steven Sawyer grabbed a quick lead but the yellow was out almost immediately as Bryan Grant broke an axle sending a tire spinning across the track. Sawyer re-established his lead with Jason Baker chasing. It soon became apparent, however, that Addy was in trouble. His was wobbling and he lost a tire in the same location as Grant. The yellow condition was finally lifted in lap 4. Charlie Davis of Everett began to move. By lap 7 he was in the second position and chasing Sawyer. Davis grabbed the lead by lap 10 and went on to take the checkered flag. Davis and Sawyer both earned the move up to the A Main.

The final Street Stock feature started with twenty-two cars on an eight car invert. Brad Borten of Graham pushed ahead for an early lead. Fast qualifier Naima Lang, eight cars back, began relentlessly picking up slots. Jason Fraser of Snohomish stayed on the bumper of second position driver Dave Lund. The leader, Borten, began lapping the stragglers in lap 16 as did Fraser who had now passed Lund and was working on taking the lead himself. Lang achieved the third spot by passing Lund in lap 27. Fraser finally got by Borten to become the leader in lap 30 and kept it going strong. Lang followed Borten with an almost casual air, easily negotiating slower traffic. He did not become predatory until the final laps but Borten refused to give up his second slot. Lang might have passed him at the line but Steve Fords car got in the way, slowing him down. Jason Fraser easily won. Borten was second, Lang in the third and Darrin Stordahl of Marysville was in fourth and Frank Cowgill rounded out the top five.

The Late Model Challenge Cup race had Roger Habich on the pole. Fifteen cars got the green flag for this 150 lap feature. Habich kept his front position. John Zaretzke dazzled crowds with his early aggressive advance. He had moved up from the middle of the field into the fourth slot. Matt Murphy slid into the third position, right behind Kelly Mann. Fred Hall shook hands with the wall outside of turn one and left the race in lap 10. Zaretzke challenged Murphy for third and the two drivers went several laps side by side. Eight time track champion Tom Moriarity followed them, waiting for an opportunity to get by. Murphy fell back in lap 32 allowing both Zaretzke and Moriarity to pass. Brent Harris of Wenatchee decided to move into the top five passing Murphy as well as Moriarity, Zaretzke and Mann by lap 50. There was a brief controlled intermission in the race to allow for tire changes. The final hundred laps started with Harris challenging Habich for the lead. Harris pushed out front by lap 55. Moriarity, meanwhile, began showing why he was the Evergreen track champion. He made his move, passing Habich. Not to be outdone, Zaretzke decided to let Habich look at his rear bumper too. Harris, Moriarity and Zaretzke began to put some turns between themselves and the rear of the field. Moriarity went to the pits in lap 79 losing a lap thinking he had a flat right front tire only to find out he lost a power steering belt. Leader Brent Harris was lapping slower cars. Habich got the wall on turn two and had to take a brief visit to the pits. Zaretzke held a strong second until lap 109 when Mann and Travis Bennett crept by. Mann went to the pits with mechanical problems in lap 125. Bennett moved up into the second slot and Tom Moriarity made an amazing recovery by achieving the third slot after being a lap down. By lap 130 Moriarity passed Bennett. Zaretzke and Murphy were going side by side for fourth. Zaretzke pushed by Murphy and then eased up into the third position during the final laps. Brent Harris of Wenatchee took the checkered flag by himself. Moriarity got an official second with Zaretzke third, Murphy fourth and Bennett in fifth.

Brent Harris, Tom Moriarity, John Zaretzke, Matt Murphy, Travis Bennett, Kelly Mann, Tom Matthew, Roger Habich, Ron Fritzley, John Bender, Darrin Hall, Shane Biles, Lex Johnson, Doug Davidson, Fred Hall

Last Chance: Charles Davis, Steven Sawyer, Jason Baker, Jerry Robbins, Buck Bourne, Eric Ball, Jim Addy, Bryan Grant,

Main Event: Jason Fraser, Brad Borten, Naima Lang, Darrin Stordhal, Frank Cowgill, Jim Risher, Steve McElroy, Allen Clarke, Kyle Cooley, John Burtsche, Steven Ford, Clark Casey, Steven Sawyer, Robert Mears, Chuck Dill, Jason Baker, Dave Lund, Charles Davis, Steve Ptacek, Victor Fort, Mike Taylor, Bryan Bykerk

See Also .:

• Evergreen Speedway Track Page

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