What a difference a month can make, especially if it was the kind of month John Zaretzke had at Evergreen Speedway.
Mechanical problems ended Zaretzke’s night early for the second time in three races at Evergreen Speedway, and Kelly Mann held on to win the 100-lap super stock main last Saturday.
Mann passed Darin Stordahl on lap 32 and then held off Shane Harding, Lex Johnson and Rob Touchette the rest of the way.
Johnson finished second after passing Harding on turn one of the final lap. Touchette followed Johnson’s line around Harding and came in third. Harding, who moved up to No. 2 in the points standings, was fourth. Stordahl rounded out the top five.
Zaretzke’s blown engine relegated him a 14th-place finish – his second in the past month – and cut his points lead over Harding to 42.
Before the June 30 race, Zaretzke had won six of the nine super-stock mains run at the Monroe track and held a commanding 68-point lead in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series super stocks division.
Brake problems put him in 14th place on June 30, but Zaretzke bounced back with a second-place finish in the July 7 race. No race was scheduled on July 14 and the July 21 event was rained out.
A couple more off-nights by Zaretzke in the remaining month and a half of the season may be all that is needed for Harding or No. 3 Naima Lang, who is 48 points out, to seriously contend for the track and state championships.
As the only NASCAR Whelen All American series track in Washington, the track champion automatically earns the state crown.
Johnson records fast time: Johnson had the fastest time during the hot-lap session on Saturday, but started near the back of the field after a 10-car invert. He battled his way to the front, passing Harding on the final lap to finish second.
“This is the best its been,” Said Frank Coleman after the hot lap session. Frank and his wife Lena Coleman own Johnson’s car. “We’ve had some bad luck, people running into us. Lex always fights back.”
Johnson won races on April 28 and June 23, but also has two last-places finishes this season. Frank Coleman attributed the up-and-down season to running a new car this year.
“It’s a big-spring car, different from everyone else,” Coleman said. “Its taken some time to dial it in.”
Stewart wins 360 Nationals: National Sprint Car Challenge Series driver Shane Stewart started on the front row of the main event and led all 40 laps to win the 360 Nationals at Skagit Speedway last Saturday.
Stewart became just the third driver to win both the 360 Nationals and the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at the Alger track, joining Steve Kent and Bobby Burrow.
Stewart also won the NSCS Northwest Speedweek championship. The two-day 360 Nationals concluded the annual nine-day, seven-race event that began at Gray’s Harbor Raceway and ended at Skagit for the first time. Stewart entered Saturday’s race as the Speedweek points leader.
Brock Lemley finished second in Saturday’s feature, Mitch Olson was third, Steve Kilcup finished fourth and former Dirt Cup champion Jonathon Allard rounded out the top five.
The 360 Nationals began Friday night with Olson leading all 30 laps of the preliminary night feature.
Points from Friday’s events determined the fields for Saturday’s races. Randy Pierce led all 15 laps of the D main and Greg Sandquist led all 15 laps of the C main. The B main winner was Jason Bloodgood.
Points leaders
NASCAR Whelen All American Series at Evergreen Speedway: Super stocks – 1. John Zaretzke 294; 2. Shane Harding 252; 3. Naima Lang 246; 4. Roger Habich 242; 5. Darin Stordahl 236. Bombers – 1. Jill Lang 546; 2. Darrel Lutovsky 543; 3. Lane Sundholm 539; 4. Jim Foti 538; 5. Craig Rowalt 528. Mini-stocks – 1. Chuck Richard 397; 2. Joe Hobbs 373; 3. Kris Harriss 356; 4. Mark Weedin 334; 5. Bob Edwards 317.
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