Here’s the latest and greatest update that I’ve been able to pull together on the situation regarding the damaged track at Evergreen Speedway:
— First of all, work began on the track surface on Monday, and Ed Castillo, crew chief for Mini-Stock driver Scott LaCross, said there is a section already torn up from about the exit of turn 4 on the three-eighths mile to near the start-finish line.
Snohomish County spokesman Christopher Schwarzen confirmed by email on Monday that the repair of the track surface is the responsibility of Johnson Productions, the contractor in charge of motorsports operations at the speedway. Schwarzen said that to his knowledge the repair is expected to be complete Wednesday.
This timeline has not been confirmed by Johnson Productions. An email from Danni Johnson on Tuesday requested more time to finalize details before providing a response to requests for information.
— In response to the question of whether county-authorized firefighting training could have damaged the track surface, Schwarzen wrote: “The county does not believe that the fire training is the cause of the cracks as this already was beginning to occur. Still, we’re looking at that aspect for consideration in the future.”
Schwarzen added that a long-term plan for resurfacing the track may be included in the next operations contract, which is currently due to be awarded after the 2010 racing season.
— Marv Monty, director of sales at the Speedway, reported by email on Monday that fans in the stands Saturday night were advised to go to the speedway office to receive half-price tickets for the next late-model race on July 11. No word on whether this was a one-time use-or-lose offer, or if ticket stubs will be honored at the gate.
— It would appear the late-model race will not be rescheduled, as it has been relayed to me in various forms that Natalie Sather was declared the winner of the race. Per Evergreen Speedway’s Web site, points have been awarded based on what position drivers were in at the time the race was called.
A Tuesday email from Jason Christley, NASCAR manager of communications for developmental series, said the points awarded for Saturday’s shortened race will only count toward the speedway championship, not toward the NASCAR state and national titles.
A follow-up question on whether this race would count for Sather’s NASCAR Drive for Diversity contract — she is required to run 18 races in the Whelen All-American Series — has not been answered as of this writing.
— John Zaretzke of JZ Motorsports reported that all late-model teams at the speedway on Saturday will receive three new tires from the speedway.
That’s it for now. I’ll provide updates as information comes in. The bottom line is it appears the track will be repaired in the near-term and the late-model teams and fans have been given appropriate consideration by the speedway management team.
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