Crazy-good.
That’s the only way to describe the season Gary Lewis is having.
One of the most dominant stock car drivers in the region over the past three years, the Snohomish, Wash., resident is undefeated in 2008, winning all six races he has started.
Lewis puts the streak on the line again on Saturday, Aug. 9 as he heads to South Sound Speedway in Rochester, Wash., for the running of the Miller 200, his fourth race in as many weeks.
“It’s been crazy — spectacular,” Lewis said of his run of consecutive victories. “We’re just working hard … lots of hard work by the team, everybody on the team.”
Hard work and a skilled, veteran driver have equated to wins wherever Lewis has competed: Half-mile or five-eighths mile tracks, tri-oval, oval or road course — the 38-year-old has won on them all.
Saturday marks his first return to South Sound Speedway since 2002, when he bested two-time NASCAR Elite Division Northwest Series champion Kevin Hamlin in the Pepsi 125.
After battling Hamlin for more than 30 laps, Lewis pulled ahead near the end of the race for the victory. He said he considered the battle with Hamlin to be one of his fondest racing memories.
“We had a great race there running side-by-side against Kevin Hamlin for the win,” Lewis said. “Many people still talk about that being one of the best races they have ever seen in the Northwest.”
While none of this year’s victories have come easily, Lewis has been challenged by mechanical problems before several races. But — another mark of his crazy-good season — problems in practice have not carried over to the race.
“Crazy stuff has been happening (in practice) but we’ve been able to put (the car) back together and go at it,” Lewis said. “We’ve had lots of good luck … you need your racing luck, too.”
Some might say this so-far perfect season is the culmination of a late-model racing career that began at 16 with the first of two division titles at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Wash.
Success at his local track has been duplicated on the regional touring circuits.
Lewis won the ARCA West Late Model Challenge Series championship in 2007, and the year before that he won his second NASCAR Elite Division Northwest Series title.
“The last few years I’ve really learned a lot more about our setups and gotten a lot better feel for the car,” Lewis explained. “That’s helped make us that tiny bit faster to win.”
Lewis achieved one of goals this season by repeating his 2007 victories in the Montana 200 and Idaho 200 races.
He became the first driver to ever record back-to-back wins in the Montana 200 on July 19 at Montana Raceway Park in Kalispell, then added a second-straight Idaho 200 victory on Aug. 3 at Stateline Speedway in Post Falls.
Testing himself by running in the biggest, most challenging races in the region — regardless of series or sponsor — is another goal.
“The big-money races draw the biggest field of cars,” Lewis said. “All the top drivers want to win that money.”
He won a pair of races sponsored by the American Speed Association Northwest Tour, successor to the NASCAR Elite series, including the inaugural BlueWater Wireless Road Course Challenge on June 7 at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Wash.
Another two wins came in Late Model Challenge Series races, with his first victory of the year coming in the Big Sky 150 on May 25 at Mission Valley Speedway in Ronan, Mont.
Can his winning streak continue?
“Realistically, it would seem to be almost impossible,” Lewis said, laughing. “Of course I didn’t think we’d win six in a row either. Obviously we’re going to every race to win.”
This year he’s crazy-good enough to do it.
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