BRANDON RIEHL MAKES MAGIC IN NASCAR NW SERIES RACE AT MAGIC VALLEY SPEEDWAY

Source: NASCAR
Date: 08/06/2006

TWIN FALLS, Idaho --Not often in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series does a driver win a race with a car that is not glued to the bottom of the racetrack, but Brandon Riehl rode the second groove to victory, Saturday night, in the Platt Electric 200 at Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Riehl, out of Boring, Ore., went where his Aero Exhaust/Darrell’s Economy Muffler Chevrolet wanted to go, which was the upper racing groove on the 1/3-mile track. By leaving the bottom of the track open, he was inviting anyone who could catch him to drop to the inside and make the pass fairly easily, but no one could keep pace with the victor.

“After about lap 75 or so, I couldn’t make it go on the bottom, but once I decided to run the second groove exclusively the car was really strong,” said Riehl. “Tracks this short a lot of times don’t have much of a second groove, but they put that pop syrup down here and it worked tonight for me.”

Magic Valley Speedway officials in an effort to create another racing groove and, therefore more exciting racing coat the second groove with soft drink syrup at the beginning of the day. “It’s not really the syrup that makes the car stick up there, but it creates a good foundation for the rubber to stick to it during practice and all that,” Riehl states. “I wish more tracks would do it. It gives the drivers more options and makes for better racing.”

Known for gambling behind the wheel of a racecar, Riehl was initially a little worried about the leaving the door wide open underneath him, but he soon figured out that it really didn’t matter. “When I first figured out that I had to race up there to go anywhere at all, I was thinking that I wouldn’t be all that hard to pass, but I was the one that had the easy time passing people because most everybody else was hugging the bottom,” said the race winner. “Then, when I got out in front it took off. They were telling me on the radio that no one was closing in, so I stopped worrying about it and ran my race.”

The early portions of the race had a retro feel to it with Pete Harding and Garrett Evans, two of the senior drivers on the circuit who between them have five titles and nearly 40 years of Northwest Series experience, exchanging the lead a few times. Evans started the race in the third position and went to work as soon as the green flag waved to start the race. He worked his way to the inside of Troy Tramell, who started on the pole, and took the lead on lap three. Evans, then, opened up a working margin of six or seven car lengths, but Harding used a good handling racecar to power past Evans on lap 31. The two traded the lead one more time before Riehl sunk his teeth into the upper groove. Riehl overtook Harding on lap 122 and led the rest of the way in the 200-lap event eventually beating Harding to the finish line by nearly a second.

Harding, who won the series’ previous event at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash., admitted that his L.P. Body Shop/Yale Fork Lift Chevy was not nearly as strong in the second half of the race as it was in the beginning. “Early on, my car was turning so well that I was able to make up decent ground at every turn, but later in the race it got really loose and I was not able to get through the turns like I had,” said the driver out of Surrey, B.C. Canada.

Championship point standings leader Gary Lewis demonstrated from the early practices in the day and right on through qualifying that anyone wanting to win this race was going to have to deal with him at some point. His No. 73 Nutter Racing Engines/Victory Circle Chassis Chevrolet was fastest in the second practice session of the day, and, more importantly, in time trials.

He won his second Bud Pole of the season by making his way around the track in 14.146 seconds for an average speed of 83.981 mph. His other Bud Pole came in the season opening event at Meridian (Idaho) Speedway. It was his 29th career Bud Pole which ranks him third on the all-time Northwest Series list.

Track position is invaluable in short track racing and Lewis surrendered plenty in the draw for the invert. Series rules mandate a random draw for a six, eight or 10-car post-qualifying invert. Lewis, racing out of Bothell, Wash., drew the 10 giving his fast car the stiff challenge of working through traffic to get to the front.

Lewis did make up valuable ground in the first half of the race by working his way into the top five near the halfway point of the event, but then a tight condition set in making advancement all that much more difficult. “The second half of the race I was shoving the nose of the car through the corners. It became a bit of handful, but given our situation third place is more than fine,” he said.

Fourth and fifth places were occupied by a pair of local Idaho participants, who are not Northwest Series regulars. Nick Lynch of Burley, Idaho competes in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series and kept his Mr. Gas/Budweiser Chevy in the top five virtually all night long. Bobby Latham, III is a Twin Falls resident and a regular at Magic Valley Speedway in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series. He started 13th on the grid and showed exceptional patience and composure for a younger driver amidst some of the most veteran drivers the Northwest Series has to offer. He drove his Latham Motors/Mickey’s Graphics Dodge to his first career Northwest Series top-five finish.

B.J. Tidrick, Mike Longton, Jason Fraser, Jay Sauls and Steven Howard rounded out the top 10.

Northwest Series Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year contender Fraser out of Snohomish, Wash. also displayed the maturity and guile of a seasoned competitor. He began the race in the 18th position and drove the Rich’s Car Corner/BRI Chevrolet to an eighth-place finish. That was good enough to earn the POWERade “Power Move of the Race” Award given to the driver who improves his position the most over the course of the event.

Fraser’s fellow Sunoco rookie program competitor B.J. Tidrick of Yakima, Wash. ended the race in sixth equaling his season and career-best finish. This one, though, came on the heels of a 21st-place effort a week ago at Evergreen Speedway. That improvement of 15 spots garnered Tidrick, driver of the Winner’s Choice/CBT Hobbies and Slotcars Chevrolet the Featherlite “Most Improved Driver of the Race” Award.

The Sunoco Rookie-of-the-Year standings remain very close. Shane Mitchell, out of Orondo, Wash. and driver of the Mitchell Trucking and Paving/Coca-Cola Chevy, came into the event with the lead. Despite finishing fifth among the eight rookie-of-the-year candidates in the race, he remains atop the standings, but Sauls is just five points away.

Lewis on the strength of three wins, six top fives and seven top 10s this year has a firm grasp on the top spot in the championship point standings. He holds a 94-point lead on Riehl who overtook the second position from Travis Bennett. Bennett spent the entire day chasing gremlins in his car finished 21st and dropped to third in the standings. The top four drivers in the standings each have reasonable gaps between them, but there is no lack of battles from there on back.

The competition is tight for a top-10 finish in points with which an invitation to the prestigious NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway in October comes. From Sauls and Mitchell who reside in the fifth and sixth positions with 1073 points to Matt Hall in 16th place is a distance of only 78 points. At the same time, Hall is just 51 points out of 10th place. A blanket could be thrown over the five drivers holding places eight through 12, the tightest competition of all. Howard (1010 points), Harding (1000), Longton (999), Wilbur Bruce (995) and Tidrick (995) are all crammed into those few spots virtually on top of each other.

The Northwest Series is down to just two races in the season and its 22-year history. The next race is surely to be one of the highlights of the year. Yakima (Wash.) Speedway will host a big two-day Labor Day weekend show, September 2-3. This 200-lap event will bring tire wear to the forefront on the 1/2-mile oval. Saturday, September 2, will encompass qualifying races for the Northwest Series and a main event for the Late Model Challenge Series. The main event will come Sunday evening, Sept. 3, when the Northwest Series takes the track for the Aero Exhaust 200.

NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series Unofficial Standings as of August 5, 2006

TOP 15 IN POINTS

1. Gary Lewis – 1322

2. Brandon Riehl – 1228

3. Travis Bennett – 1169

4. Jeff Barkshire – 1104

5. Jay Sauls* – 1073

6. Shane Mitchell* - 1073

7. Garrett Evans - 1049

8. Steven Howard – 1010

9. Pete Harding - 1000

10. Mike Longton* – 999

11. Wilbur Bruce – 995

12. B.J. Tidrick* - 995

13. Troy Tramell* – 967

14. Jason Fraser* – 962

15. Brent Harris* – 962

BUD POLE WINNERS Gary Lewis – 2

Garrett Evans - 2

Jason Fraser* - 1

Shane Mitchell* - 1

Brandon Riehl - 1

Troy Tramell* - 1

POWERade “Power Move of the Race” Jason Fraser -2

Travis Bennett – 1

Matt Hall - 1

Pete Harding - 1

Steven Howard - 1

Jason Jefferson - 1

Zan Sharp* - 1

FEATHERLITE “Most Improved Driver” Jeff Barkshire - 1

John Bender - 1

Shane Harding - 1

Shane Mitchell* - 1

Brandon Riehl – 1

Jay Sauls* - 1

B.J. Tidrick* - 1

Troy Tramell*- 1

* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender

SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR STANDINGS

1. Shane Mitchell – 57

2. Jay Sauls - 52

3t. Jason Fraser – 47

3t. Brent Harris – 47

5. Mike Longton – 45

6. B.J. Tidrick – 44

7. Troy Tramell – 38

8. Zan Sharp – 37

9. Shane Harding - 33

10. Darren Rupinski – 27

11t. Joey Decker, Jr. - 6

11t. Bryan Warf - 6

UNOFFICIAL Results for Platt Electic 200

NASCAR AUTOZONE ELITE DIVISION, NORTHWEST SERIES

Twin Falls, ID August 5, 2006

Final leaders of Saturday's $54,013.00 NASCAR AUTOZONE ELITE DIVISION, NORTHWEST SERIES stock car race with driver's hometown, make and model of car, laps completed, winner's average speed, reason out (if any) and prize money.

1. Brandon Riehl, Boring Ore., Chevrolet, 200, 57.670 mph, $2,700

2. Pete Harding, Surrey B.C. Canada, Chevrolet, 200, $2,200

3. Gary Lewis, Bothell Wash., Chevrolet, 200, $2,350

4. Nick Lynch, Burley Idaho, Chevrolet, 200, $1,500

5. Bobby Latham, Twin Falls Idaho, Dodge, 200, $1,400

6. B. J. Tidrick, Yakima Wash., Chevrolet, 200, $1,700

7. Mike Longton, Moxee Wash., Chevrolet, 200, $1,200

8. Jason Fraser, Snohomish Wash., Chevrolet, 200, $1,850

9. Jay Sauls, Puyallup Wash., Chevrolet, 200, $1,075

10. Steven Howard, Roy Wash., Chevrolet, 200, $1,025

11. Matt Hall, Spokane Wash., Chevrolet, 200, $1,000

12. Garrett Evans, E. Wenatchee Wash., Chevrolet, 200, $900

13. Shane Mitchell, Orondo Wash., Chevrolet, 200, $850

14. Troy Tramell, Yakima Wash., Chevrolet, 199, $800

15. John Bender, Snohomish Wash., Chevrolet, 193, $775

16. Darren Trimble, Snohomish Wash., Chevrolet, 192, $550

17. Jeff Barkshire, Auburn Wash., Dodge, 190, $725

18. John Dillon, Eagle Idaho, Chevrolet, 187, Accident, $700

19. Wilbur Bruce, Lakewood Wash., Chevrolet, 180, $700

20. Brent Harris, Wenatchee Wash., Pontiac, 169, Penalty, $700

21. Travis Bennett, Ellensburg Wash., Chevrolet, 169, $700

22. Eddy McKean, Jerome Idaho, Pontiac, 116, Electrical, $500

23. Zan Sharp, Wellsville Utah, Chevrolet, 99, Rear End, $700

24. John Newhouse, Twin Falls Idaho, Chevrolet, 43, Overheating, $500

25. Jim McVey, Port Orchard Wash., Chevrolet, 37, Camshaft, $700

26. David Minegar, Meridian Idaho, Chevrolet, 10, Accident, $500

NASCAR Race Number 8

Unofficial Race Results For The Platt Electic 200 - 08/05/2006

Magic Valley Speedway - Twin Falls, ID - 0.33-mile paved oval

Total Race Length 106 K - 200L - 66 M Purse: $54,013

Fin Str Car Driver Team Laps Points B/Points Total Award Status

1 9 69 Brandon Riehl AERO Exhaust/Darrels Economy Muffler 200 180 $2,700 Running

2 4 39 Pete Harding L.P. Body Shop / Yale Forklift Chevrolet 200 170 2,200 Running

3 10 73 Gary Lewis Nutter Racing Engines/Victory Circle Chassis 200 165 2,350 Running

4 7 29 Nick Lynch Mr. Gas/Budweiser Chevrolet 200 160 1,500 Running

5 13 3 Bobby Latham Latham Motors/Mickey's Graphics Dodge 200 155 1,400 Running

6 6 72 B. J. Tidrick * Winner's Choice/CBT Hobbies Chevrolet 200 150 1,700 Running

7 11 37 Mike Longton * Key Financial/Owens Enterprises Chevrolet 200 146 1,200 Running

8 18 31 Jason Fraser * Rich's Car Corner/BRI Chevrolet 200 142 1,850 Running

9 17 20 Jay Sauls * Tri-State Restaurant Supply/Canyon Auto Paint 200 138 1,075 Running

10 19 38 Steven Howard Great Northwest Homes/B&R Plumbing 200 134 1,025 Running

11 16 28 Matt Hall Affordable Graphics NW/King Soft Water 200 130 1,000 Running

12 3 64 Garrett Evans Leo. Evans Hyundai/Signature Financing 200 127 900 Running

13 20 99 Shane Mitchell * Mitchell Trucking & Paving/Coca-Cola Chevrolet 200 124 850 Running

14 1 5 Troy Tramell * Magic Metals/Yakima Implement Chevrolet 199 121 800 Running

15 23 18 John Bender OSO Lumber/Natural Concepts Landscaping 193 118 775 Running

16 25 81 Darren Trimble Oso Lumber/Trex Decking Chevrolet 192 115 550 Running

17 8 46 Jeff Barkshire Centennial Batteries/SPE Racing Engines 190 112 725 Running

18 2 25 John Dillon Frontier Equipment Co./ESI Building Chevrolet 187 109 700 Accident

19 14 8 Wilbur Bruce Quality Rentals/Rent 'N Roll Chevrolet 180 106 700 Running

20 22 0 Brent Harris * R&S Construction Pontiac 169 103 700 Penalty

21 5 33 Travis Bennett Bowman's Electro Painting/Rich-Pak Chevrolet 169 100 700 Running

22 21 19 Eddy McKean Wide World of Maps/Magic Valley Pipe & Steel 116 97 500 Electrical

23 12 84 Zan Sharp * Sharp Transportation Chevrolet 99 94 700 Rear End

24 15 26 John Newhouse Sunwest Builders/McKean Motorsports 43 91 500 Overheating

25 24 11 Jim McVey McVey Sales/Snap-On Tools Chevrolet 37 88 700 Camshaft

26 26 12 David Minegar ESI/Body Building.com Chevrolet 10 85 500 Accident

Time of Race: 1 hrs., 8 mins, 40 secs

Average Speed: 57.670 mph

Margin of Victory :.993 Seconds

BUD POLE AWARD: Gary Lewis, 73 Nutter Racing Engines/Victory Circle Chassis Chevrolet

FEATHERLITE "MOST IMPROVED DRIVER" AWARD: B. J. Tidrick *, 72 Winner's Choice/CBT Hobbies Chevrolet

POWERADE "POWER MOVE OF THE RACE" AWARD: Jason Fraser *, 31 Rich's Car Corner/BRI Chevrolet

LUNATI “CREW CHIEF OF THE RACE” AWARD: Steve Dykman, 69 AERO Exhaust/Darrell’s Economy Muffler

Caution Flags: Laps 3-7; 11-19; 43-47; 51-57; 103-110; 155-157; 164-166. 7 for 40 laps.

Lap Leaders: Troy Tramell * 1-2, Garrett Evans 3-30, Pete Harding 31-49, Garrett Evans 50-67, Pete Harding 68-121, Brandon Riehl 122-200.

Total Laps Led: Brandon Riehl 79, Pete Harding 73, Garrett Evans 46, Troy Tramell * 2. 5 changes involving 4 drivers.

* Denotes Sunoco Rookie of the Year Contender

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