DAYTONA BEACH, Florida -- It won't take magic for Brandon Riehl to post his first victory in a NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series event, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't like a little on June 12. That is the night that the Northwest Series roars into Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho for the season's fourth event.
Riehl, 27, out of Boring, Ore., has been about as consistent a driver in 2004 as there has been on the Northwest circuit. He has notched a top-10 finish in each of the three series events this season, and it is no secret in the racing world that consistency is the key to points racing. Current points leader Garrett Evans, second-ranked Travis Bennett and Riehl are the only drivers in the Northwest Series to finish in the top-10 in all three races this year.
"We've never been much of a goal-setting team, but we do, like everyone else, want to finish the best we can and collect as many points as possible each time out," said Riehl. "We did, this year, say that we wanted to collect as many top fives as we could."
Last year was Riehl's first in a NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division car and it was, to use his word, "horrible".
"There are some very good drivers in this series, and I don't know why, but that caught us a little off guard. We were just all over the place," he stated. This season, however, there are no such surprises, just more comfort. That comfort comes from a much better financial position. "Last season was just tough from a money standpoint, but this year is much, much better. We have a great sponsor in Aero Turbine and I have a great car owner in Darrel Hanson," Riehl said.
New for the No. 69 Aero Turbine/Darrel's Economy Muffler Chevrolet team in 2004 is a new hauler and on June 26 the team plans on unveiling a new car at Evergreen Speedway for the Evergreen 125. "I've been working on it every night," he added. Also new is a better-prepared driver. Riehl revealed that he did not used to keep notes when he was a Late Model competitor, but he does now. "It's been a big help. That is just one of the little things that you have to do to compete at this level," he said.
"I am looking forward to the race at Magic Valley. I really like that track," said Riehl of the 1/3-mile bullring. "Those little tracks that lead to some good beating and banging are a lot of fun." His sentiments on the track are fairly common among the series drivers as Magic Valley Speedway hosts just its eighth Northwest Series event. "It has two racing grooves. It stays really sticky. It's just a fun track to race at," said Riehl.
Now that Riehl has found a comfort level financially and has proven that he can run with consistency in this series, he wants to get that first victory under his belt and continue to move forward from there. On his chances of staying in the top-10 in points or even moving up in the standings Riehl said, "There is a lot of racing left in the season and there are still plenty of things I can mess up, but we are in a good position right now and we just want to build on that."
The magic wand will wave over someone at Magic Valley Speedway and Brandon Riehl believes it could be him. That's all it takes with magic, just a little belief.
- What:
- Pepsi 125 (Race No. 4 of 12 in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series).
- Where:
- Magic Valley Speedway, Twin Falls, Idaho.
- When:
- 9:00 p.m. MDT (approx.), Saturday, June 12, 2004
- Track layout:
- 1/3-mile oval
- Race length:
- 125 laps/41.67 miles.
- Posted awards:
- $45,292.
- 2003 winner:
- Gary Lewis.
- 2003 polesitter:
- Jeff Bailey.
- Top 10 in points:
- 1. Garrett Evans 480, 2. Travis Bennett 462, 3. Jason Jefferson 457, 4. Brandon Riehl 449, 5. John Bender 446, 6. Wes Rhodes 440, 7. Steven Howard 424, 8. Pete Harding 418, 9. Shane Biles 414. 10. Jeff Jefferson 380.
- Pre-race schedule (all times local):
- 10:00 a.m. Registration opens, 2:30-5:00 p.m. Practice, 6:30 p.m. Time Trials Race.
- Track contact:
- Steve York, (208) 734-3700.
