Our small corner of the world is going to be well represented this weekend at Indiana’s O’Reilly Raceway Park, with two drivers from Snohomish County slated to race in Friday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series AAA Insurance 200 (SPEED, 5 p.m.).
Richard Harriman, a Monroe High School graduate originally from Maltby, will make his NASCAR debut in the No. 48 Chevy Silverado for owner Andy Hillenburg’s Fast Track Racing team. Harriman’s truck will be sponsored by CJ Electrical Services, a Tukwila-based company owned by Evergreen Speedway Street Stock racer Dwayne Humenny, and RH Motorsports, the team he co-owns with his father Howard Harriman.
Harriman will be joining the series’ top rookie, Tayler Malsam of Mill Creek, who drives the No. 81 Toyota Tundra for Randy Moss Motorsports. Malsam is coming off an impressive run at Kentucky, where he stayed in the top five for most of the race, including leading his first laps, before a late blown tire dropped him to finish 13th.
O’Reilly Raceway Park is a mostly flat oval that resembles but is slightly larger than Evergreen Speedway’s five-eighths mile “big track.” Richard Harriman’s experience racing late-models at Evergreen led NASCAR to certify him to race at ORP and Martinsville, and a good run on Friday could add some tracks to his approved list.
“As long as I stay out of trouble, it should open up at least the 1-mile racetracks,” Harriman said by phone on Wednesday.
Although his current plans are limited by finances to just the ORP start, he hopes to open some eyes — and pocketbooks. Harriman’s father and mother, Doris, will make the trip to Indiana to support him. Harriman said he will also have a tribute decal on his truck for his former spotter and good friend, Mark Galloway.
Galloway, who was Evergreen Speedway’s crate motor technician, died in a car accident in January 2008, and the track’s late-model season was dedicated to his memory last year.
Harriman began racing go-karts nearly 15 years ago, earning seven titles before moving up to Street Stocks and late models at Evergreen Speedway, and then earning a sprint-car touring series title. The 21-year-old moved to North Carolina, the heart of NASCAR, in early 2008 to pursue his dream of racing at the sport’s top levels.
Harriman currently works as a mechanic in the shop of Johnny Davis’ JD Motorsports, and also travels to NASCAR Nationwide Series races to serves as the tire manager for the team’s three cars: the 01 driven by Danny O’Quinn, the 0 driven by Mike Wallace and the 04 driven by Kertus Davis.
After the diatribe I posted on Monday, one reader sent me an email that said in part: “So you didn’t like the media trailer — what did you think of the show when you were outside of it?”
During the pre-event media luncheon, when Ashley Force Hood’s crew chief, Dean “Guido” Antonelli heard I had never been to an NHRA event before, he turned to me and said “You’re going to love it,” and he was right. It was loud, the pros were incredibly fast, the cars were great, the people looked to be from every walk of life — but all were friendly and seemed to be having a great time, too. While smelling the ntiro reminded me a lot of gas mask training during boot camp — not a fond memory — the concussion of a nitro car taking off from the line was pretty neat.
I really enjoyed the level of access the fans get, and for no extra money. While I was wandering around — free of the trailer!! — I saw Ron Capps, Tony Pedregon, Morgan Lucas, Jeg Coughlin, John Force, Don “the Snake” Prudhomme, Connie Kalitta and quite a few other drivers, crewmen and owners interacting with fans, signing autographs, zipping around on scooters, working on their cars and just hanging out.
I thought the NHRA and Pacific Raceways did a great job of putting on the Northwest Nationals. I greatly enjoyed getting the chance to be there and see it in person, andI would recommend anyone — whether you like drag racing or not — attend an NHRA event at least once.
Once again, whatever type of racing you’re into, this weekend has something for you.
Locally, there are six races on four tracks this weekend at Evergreen Speedway. The ASA Northwest Late Model Tour and Northwest Legends join the track’s Super Late Model, Super Figure Eight and Street Stock divisions for the Washington 500 on Saturday, and the Western Washington Race Association will race a 100-lap enduro on Sunday.
For my fellow card-holders, Saturday is Military Appreciation Night at both Skagit Speedway, where the 410, 360 and Sportsman Sprints will be joined by the Outlaw Hornets, and South Sound Speedway, which will host the Outlaw Compacts including many Mini-Stock drivers from Evergreen Speedway.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will join the trucks in the Hoosier State. Saturday’s Nationwide Kroger 200 (5 p.m., ESPN2) will also be at ORP while the Cupsters return to Indianapolis, the scene of last year’s tire-shredding debacle. Testing and development a new tire cost Goodyear so much that some have said the track could have been re-paved instead. We’ll see how well the new compound holds up on Sunday in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (11 a.m., ESPN).
After a great run at Pacific Raceway last weekend, the NHRA completes the Western Swing at Infineon Speedway in Sonoma, Calif., with the Fram-Autolite Nationals beginning Friday (qualifying 3:30 p.m., Saturday on ESPN2, final eliminations at 6 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2).
The open-wheelers will once again both be going right and left on Sunday, with IndyCar on the airport course at Edmonton for the Rexall Edmonton Indy (3 p.m., Versus) and the soap opera that is Formula One in Budapest for the Hungarian Grand Prix (tape-delayed at noon, Fox, Ch. 13).
So hard, so many choices. So few words left before the editor starts hacking.
Here we go: Jason Fraser (ASW Northwest Late Model Tour), Ryan Newman (NASCAR Cup), Jason Leffler (NASCAR Nationwide), Ron Hornaday (NASCAR Trucks), Justin Wilson (IndyCar), Sebastian Vettel (Formula One), Antron Brown for the sweep (NHRA Top Fuel), John Force (NHRA Funny Car), Allen Johnson (NHRA Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle).
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