MONROE – Winning cures a lot of what ails you when you’re not.
Ask Shane Harding.
Harding, who won 19 races while capturing the super stock championships the past two years, took his first checkered flag in ten starts on Saturday at Evergreen Speedway.
“It’s real good to be back in victory lane,” Harding said while clutching the winner’s trophy with his wife, Shae Harding, at his side. “I was starting to wonder if it was the car or the driver.”
Harding won nine of 12 races he started at Evergreen in 2006 and 10 of 17 in 2005 – earning the super-stock crown both years – but he has had an up-and-down season this year. Before Saturday, he recorded two second-place finishes but has also come in ninth, 10th, 12th and 13th.
“You get to thinking, ‘Man, is it me?’ I hadn’t even led a lap up until (June 23),” Harding said. “The car was as good as its ever been, good as it was all of last year.”
On Saturday, Harding started on the inside of row three – after two restarts – and quickly moved to the front, passing Chris Preston on lap 11 to take the lead in the top-tier NASCAR Whelen All American Series super stocks race.
The only challenges Harding faced the rest of the way in the 50-lap race came after caution restarts, including Preston’s crash into the barriers in turn two late in the race, but he pulled away each time and won by a comfortable margin.
Roger Habich finished second and Darin Stordahl was third.
“Luckily we got the monkey off our back for this year,” Harding said. “Hopefully we’ll start compiling the wins.”
Harding may have been celebrating a second straight victory if not for a last-lap tangle with points leader John Zaretzke on June 30. Harding and Zaretzke were running one-two on a green-white restart and bumped each other along the backstretch, wrecking on turn three.
” (On June 30) I was the fastest and I got out front and led most of the race,” Harding said. “If it wasn’t for that last lap deal I would have been in victory lane … so to come out to do this (Saturday) was a little bit of vindication.”
Harding’s goal for this season was a third straight super stock title. It is a measure of Harding’s frustration with his results this season that before the race he talked of quitting Evergreen and trying his luck at other tracks.
“I had planned to not come to the races (on July 7), but we’ll see what the crew says,” Harding said. “The morale of the team is pumped up … they’re all excited and ready to race whereas before they were down in the glums.”
Winning cures a lot of what ails everyone associated with a slumping racer, including Shae Harding, who viewed her husband’s first victory of the year pragmatically.
“Now he’ll be happy … it was getting to his ego,” Shae Harding said, before adding with a smile: “And I won’t have to listen to him complain, so it’s all good.”
Two of three divisions have new points leaders: Maybe it was the full moon, but Evergreen Speedway’s Mid-Season Championship races on Saturday did not end well for any of the three Whelen Series points leaders.
Zaretzke dropped out late in the super stock race with brake problems, Jill Lang blew an engine on a caution restart in the bombers main and Mark Weedin had engine trouble and finished well back in the mini-stock main.
Only Zaretzke, who entered the night with a commanding 68-point lead, was still on top of his division at the end of the night. Habich, who had been tied with Naima Lang, took sole possession of the No. 2 spot and Stordahl moved up one place to third.
Darrel Lutovsky, who finished in third place on Saturday, took the lead in the bomber standings with Jim Foti in second and Lang dropping to third.
After finished second on Saturday, Chuck Richard took over the top spot in the mini-stocks division with Weedin falling to second and Joe Hobbs rounding out the top three.
Blackwood, Edwards take checkered flags in other Whelen series races: Travis Blackwood passed Bill Mann on the final lap to win the second-tier NASCAR Whelen All American series bombers main Saturday at Evergreen.
Blackwood, who dropped from first to ninth in the points standing after being disqualified from the June 30 main for actions during that race, climbed back up to sixth with the victory.
Bob Edwards held off Chuck Richards to win the third-tier mini-stocks main by less than a fender. Drew Hawthorn finished third.
Martinez, Lemley and Smith win at Skagit: Former champion Barry Martinez won his second 410 sprint main of the season Saturday at Alger Speedway, getting by Toni Lutar on a caution restart with 10 laps to go in the 25-lap race. Lutar was second and Steve Kilcup third.
In a caution-filled 360 sprint main, Brock Lemley held off Danny Kirkpatrick and Jason Bloodgood to take the checkered flag.
Kevin Smith assumed the lead on lap 16 of the sportsman sprint main when Todd Rork lost his steering, then held off Jarrid Zimmerman and Glen Reinstra for the win.
The outlaw hornets main had three lead changes, but Ben Gunderson was out front when the checkered flag fell. Cory Swatzina finished second and Ken Higby finished third.
Local points leaders
Evergreen Speedway NASCAR Whelen All American Series: Super stocks-1. John Zaretzke, 260; 2. Roger Habich, 216; 3. Darin Stordahl, 212; 4. Naima Lang 208 5. Shane Harding, 204. Bombers-1. Darrel Lutovsky 498; 2. Jim Foti 491; 3. Jill Lang, 490; 4. Lane Sundholm, 482; 5. Craig Rowalt, 475. Mini-stocks-1. Chuck Richard, 288; 2. Mark Weedin, 284; 3. Joe Hobbs, 271; 4. Kris Hariss, 257; 5. Drew Harthorn, 253.
Skagit Speedway: 410 Sprints-1. Brock Lemley, 682; 2. Barry Martinez, 659; 3. Danny Bullock, 593; 4. John Tharp, 568; 5. Josh Edson, 564. 360 Sprints-1. Rod Perkins, 620; 2. Jason Bloodgood, 578; 3. Steve Kilcup, 561; 4. Dan Kirkpatrick, 547; 5. Dan Pierson, 541. Sportsman Sprints-1. Kevin Smith, 641; 2. Eric Fisher, 626; 3. Kelleigh Johnson, 595; 4. Steve James, 546; 5. Glen Reinstra, 535.
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