LATE MODEL CHALLENGE SERIES GEARED FOR SUCCESS

Source: LMCS Public Relations
Date: 03/29/2004

The 2004 LMCS season kicks off April 10 at the newly repaved ¼-mile oval of Stateline Speedway in Post Falls, ID, which has hosted the traveling series for several years. Over 40 drivers are expected at the opening event. The second scheduled race is at Wenatchee Valley Super Oval in East Wenatchee, WA on May 1 and is the series’ first appearance at this beautiful ¼-mile oval in Central Washington. The series then visits another new track on the schedule, South Sound Speedway in Tenino, WA. May 15, which promises to draw a huge field of cars from throughout the Puget Sound region. Memorial Day weekend, May 29-30, the drivers make the haul to western Montana, for a first-time appearance at Mission Valley Speedway, a 3/8-mile tri-oval near Pablo. On June 5th, the LMCS returns to Tri-City Raceway, where last season’s championship was decided on the half-mile tri-oval in W. Richland WA to headline the facilities’ only Super Stock event of 2004. Port Angeles Speedway, on Washington’s Olympic peninsula, hosts a race on June 19. After that, it’s back to Stateline Speedway on June 26 to compete with the track’s newly formed Late Model association: INSSA - Inland NW Super Stock Assn. which has adopted the LMCS rules & regulations, effectively strengthening the two organizations. The series then visits the historic half-mile oval of Yakima Speedway for the first time in several seasons on July 10 headlining an evening of touring clubs. After a few weeks break, the series returns a third time to Stateline Speedway on August 7 to headline the Saturday night program as part of the track’s 3-day IDAHO 200 event. South Sound Speedway then hosts the second of two LMCS races on August 14. Two weeks later, on August 28th the drivers and teams head south to the fast half-mile oval of Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, OR. The following weekend, the series travels east making its first visit to Chaparral Speedway in Eagle, ID, just outside Boise. This event will post the LMCS teams against the Intermountain Late Model Series teams in the first-ever ‘Southern Idaho 100’. The final race on the Late Model Challenge Series 2004 schedule is on the fabled 5/8-mile track of Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA. This track is not only new to the series, but also the largest ever visited by the series. This will be the season championship race and promises to be fast and exciting, drawing many LM drivers who wish to conquer the Northwest’s original ‘Super Speedway’.

The Late Model Challenge Series has been created for intermediate and advanced Super Stock drivers & teams, providing aspiring drivers the opportunity to hone their skills and advance to higher levels of auto racing. The program fills the gap between a local track’s Super Stock program and the larger-scale touring programs such as NASCAR’s Northwest Tour Series. LMCS teams are able to use existing motors, chassis and equipment, without replacement as required by other touring programs. These events are open to each track’s local Late Model race teams and also ‘veteran’ drivers who wish to compete against our drivers. The series primary goal has been to provide race teams with an affordable opportunity to show their skills at racetracks throughout the Northwest region. The payout scale, contingency & cash bonus awards, tow money sponsorship(s), and spec tires significantly offset the costs associated with a touring series. The program has acquired quality officials and established rules & regulations for professionalism, affordability, and parity of competition; all designed to provide an exciting, competitive racing program for the drivers, race teams, sponsors, track owners and spectators alike.

Most races are scheduled as 100-lap feature events, with the exception of the championship race at Evergreen Speedway, which is a 75-lap race. The series has crowned four different champions during its first four seasons: 2000 - Ron Wolf, of Auburn, WA; 2001 – Mike Sauls of Tacoma, WA; 2002 – Ron Oline, Tacoma WA; and 2003 – Jason Hedrick of Spanaway, WA. Prior rookie-of-the-year drivers include Loren Sutphin, Jason Hedrick, Josh Braudway, and Jay Sauls.

The series has become one of the most respected and popular Late Model series among Late Model teams, filled with budding young Super Stock drivers and experienced veterans alike; drawing a variety of talent from all over the Northwest. The series frequently has NW Tour drivers compete in the program; including visits by Wilbur Bruce, Troy Conrad, Ron Eaton, Ken Longley, Darrell Midgley, Robert Sprague, and Tom Sweatman. Additional ‘tour’ drivers who are expected to run selected events in the 2004 season include Joe Bennedetti, Shane Biles, Ken Kaltschmidt, Kelly Mann, Kevin Richards, and Steve Thompson. While the majority of the drivers are based in the Seattle-Tacoma area, other regular competitors make the haul from Eastern Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Canada. Additional series regulars include: Jimmy Johnson, Jim Wilcox, Jerry Mullins, Rick Hager, Tommy Rasmussen, Jim Losch, Dave Cline, Mike Walters, Billy Coats, Kevin Carver, A.J. Fuggit, Mitch Franklin, James Spiering, Richard Worley and many local drivers at each track. Much of the driver’s interest and series growth has occurred as a result of keeping the overall expense of running within the series reasonable while providing a professional, competitive racing program. The main focus has always been to keep the series economical for the drivers to participate so that teams have the opportunity to travel to premier venues without having to pull too much money out of their pockets. The series features a purse of over $7,500 per event, including a minimum $1,000 winner’s check. Bonus awards and contingency programs add to the overall purse available on each race event. A team’s overall cost per race has been controlled through a spec tire program, minimal entry fees, and a payout scale that is favorable through all finish positions. The series offers several hundred dollars in savings to each team per event when compared to many of the other Late Model programs in the region. These savings help to offset the additional costs normally associated with a touring series, in addition to tow money sponsored on several of the events. The series rules have been created to allow a variety of Late Model chassis and engine combinations, similar to many of the Late Model programs in the region. Although the series initial title sponsor (DynoMax-Performance Corner) pulled out of the program at the end of 2002 after three seasons, the series has continued to thrive and expand despite limited funding. The series is actively seeking a new primary title sponsor looking for regional exposure as a marketing partner that would significantly benefit the program by establishing a points fund, improved media/press exposure, and create marketing hype. The series continues to have many regular contributing sponsors committed to the program, attracted by the series affordable marketing opportunities like race night event sponsorships or one of many of the series’ award programs. 2004 contingency & contributing sponsorships have been secured through Five Star Race Car Bodies, Franks Radios, Goodyear Racing Tires, Northwest Racing Enterprises, Pro-Pack Racing Supplies, Tanner Racing Products, and TRICK Racing Fuel. Several other local businesses have become involved with sponsorship on the series, including AMS Tire, Big John’s Trophies, Competitive Edge Racing School, Emery Worldwide Movers, Image Auto Body, Northwestracer.com, Rob Angus ‘Network’, and R & D Trailer Sales.

(Note: At time of this press release, The LMCS officials and the management at Pacific Raceways are finalizing plans for a open-comp format road course event tentatively scheduled for mid-August.)

For more information, visit the series website at: www.LateModelChallenge.com or contact Jerry Losch, series director at (253)312-1080.

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