EAGLE, Idaho -- The Rocky Mountain Challenge Series will make its second visit to Chaparral Speedway in the 2004 season this Saturday night. After an accident involved ten cars at the series last race in Utah, the drivers are hoping for a tamer night with lots of passing and safe tight racing. NASCAR West series regular Brett Thompson will be making his first trip to the 3/8 mile high banked oval of the 2004 season and several locals will be joining the fray for the first time, including Dave Brodigan, brothers Tim and Terry Lawrence, and Joe Maffeo out of LaGrande, Oregon as the series now has drivers hailing from six different western states represented and 48 Late Models total reaching the midpoint of the inaugural RMCS season.
Zan Sharp of Logan, Utah is the current points leader after capturing his first win of the season at the Memorial Day race at Rocky Mountain Raceways in Utah. Sharp has finished every lap so far this season in the RMCS and continues to be among the leaders in qualifying each evening. Kuna’s Dennis Wurtz Jr. continues to apply the pressure to Sharp as he stands only 75 points behind the early season leader and he knows that it only takes one good race night to close the distance between the two hard chargers.
Craig Bell continues his march to the front of the season points moving into the third position after his fifth place finish at RMR. John Nesmith of Meridian, Idaho suffered misfortune through mechanical gremlins in his last event and scored zero points in dropping from third to fourth in the standings. Fifth place belongs to Dave Minegar who was one of the casualties of the last race’s big wreck but didn’t fall out of the top five in the season long run at the championship. The A-1 Rookie of the Year battle between Hailey, Idaho’s Clint Eames and Eagle’s own Tom Hill will be rejoined with only three points separating the two hard chargers in the season long dogfight for the top finishing rookie driver.
Eighteen-year old Bryan Warf returns to the scene of his first career victory less than a month ago as he held off a furious charge by Sharp on the last lap of the thrilling 75-lap main event. Minegar set fast time over a field of 24 cars the last visit to the speedway and hopes to repeat the task over an even larger expected field this weekend.
Over thirty cars are expected to attempt to make the starting field of 22 as the RMCS will offer a non-qualifiers race for those racers that didn’t make the feature based upon their best qualifying time. The RMCS employs a full inverted start with the fast qualifier starting at the rear of the field in the 20th position as this causes fan friendly racing for each and every position around the entire racetrack as drivers attempted to improve on their starting spots and earn valuable points towards the season ending $20,000 points fund.
The series will feature three races at Chaparral Speedway this season. Four races at Rocky Mountain Raceways in West Valley City, Utah and three visits to Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho round out their ten-race schedule.
- Hoosier Racing Tire is the official tire of the Rocky Mountain Challenge Series in 2004.
- Rocky Mountain Challenge Series contingency sponsors include: ESI Construction, Maverik Country Stores, NAPA Auto Parts, Energy Release, Powertrain Technology, Dillon Racing Products, Five Star Racing Bodies, Pro Shock, Simpson Race Products, Nesmith Racing Engines.
- 2004 Rookie of the Year Award – A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning
- Quick Time Nightly Award - Hobbytown U.S.A.
- What:
- “Roho Muffler 75” Race 5 of 10 for the Rocky Mountain Challenge Series
- Where:
- Chaparral Speedway (Eagle, Idaho)
- When:
- Qualifying 6:30 p.m. MST, Racing at 7:05 pm Saturday, June 19th.
- Track layout:
- 3/8-Mile Banked Paved Oval
- Race length:
- 75 laps
- Format:
- Fast 20 qualifiers locked into main event with 2 “last chance” qualifiers from a consolation main event added to the rear of the starting field.
- RMCS Track Record:
- Dave Minegar 15.730 85.823 mph.
- 2004 Chaparral RMCS prior Winner:
- Brian Warf; May 22, 2004
- Posted awards:
- $6,200
- 2004 Point Standings:
- Zan Sharp 364; Dennis Wurtz II 289; Craig Bell 216; John Nesmith 182; Dave Minegar 168
- Websites:
- www.rockymountainchallengeseries.com
www.chaparralspeedway.com
