Titles, fan appreciation at Evergreen Speedway this Saturday

Fans of local auto racing, Evergreen Speedway has quite a deal for you this weekend.

Saturday, Sept. 27 is Fan Appreciation Night at the Monroe, Wash., speedway, with special reduced ticket prices (12 and older, $10; 11 and under $2) and $2 deals on programs, a meal and other items.

There will be racing in every division, with Speedway officials put to the ultimate test as the action shifts between three different tracks.

After their Big Track Championship rained out last weekend, the Super Stocks will race 75 laps on the big five-eighths mile oval to determine the 2008 track champion.

As part of the originally scheduled Short Track Championship, the Bomber and Mini-Stock divisions will take to the three-eighths mile oval and the Stinger Eight and Super Figure Eight divisions will race on the figure-eight track to determine which driver wins those titles.

Super Stocks

My preview of the Super Stock track championship — with points leader and 2008 NASCAR state champion Naima Lang and defending champion John Zaretzke battling for the title — still stands ((READ IT HERE), but there may be an additional twist or two.

Two-time track champion Shane Harding was planning on running both the Super Stock and ASA Northwest Tour races that rained out last weekend, and he told me Tuesday that he may return again this weekend.

The ASA Northwest Tour race will not be made up, which means Jason Fraser — who has already won a Super Stock feature on the big track this year — may decide to race on Saturday. Although he did it once, Fraser had said he would not run back-to-back Tour and Super Stock events.

Adding those two talented drivers to the already deep Super Stock field would make the race to the title even more exciting and challenging for Lang and Zaretzke.

Bombers

For pure excitement, it was hard to top any Bomber division race this season. Heading into the championship night, just three points separate defending champion Lane Sundholm and No. 2 Jim Foti.

How they finish in the heat races and feature will determine the champion. Sundholm has said he would rather win races than titles, but he may need to do one to get the other. Foti, who led the points most of the year, has quietly and consistently driven near the front.

Every position in the top six could shuffle as a result of Saturday’s feature.

Most likely out of contention is No. 3 Frank Cowgill, who is another 45 points behind Foti. But No. 4 Darrel Lutovsky is just 12 points behind Cowgill, No. 5 Jill Lang sits 17 points behind him, and No. 6 Joe Kneeland is 23 points behind third.

Mini-Stocks

To paraphrase a fable, for want of a wheel a championship may have been lost. Defending champion Chuck Richard lost a wheel — and the points lead — during the last Mini-Stock feature race on Sept. 6.

That was the opening former champion Mark Weedin needed to move back to the top of the points, a position he held for most of the season.

Weedin leads Richard by 13 points, with No. 3 Andrew Schukar 75 points behind. Last season’s rookie of the year Kris Harriss trails Schukar by just 13 points, and No. 5Dale Creager is 36 points behind Schukar.

If Weedin has mechanical problems, or if he gets into a wreck, Richard could steal the lead back and repeat as champion. Those are big “ifs” but that’s why they run the races, right?

Super Figure Eight

With a 71-point lead, defending champion John “The Cowboy” Carlson just needs to start Saturday’s Super Figure Eight feature to repeat.

Should No. 2 Nick Gunderson have an off-night, there is a chance No. 3 Ricky Deitz could cut the 21-point gap between them and move up. No. 4 Troy Simianer is another 67 points behind Gunderson and No. 5 Doug Delfel is 107 points behind No. 2.

Stinger Eights

Another defending champion should repeat, although Mike Middleton will have to start the Stinger Eight feature and race to a fairly decent finish to be sure.

Middleton leads No. 2 Josh Young by 64 points. In May, Middleton earned 72 points for winning the division’s second race of the year back, so Young has a mathematical chance depending on how many cars show up and where Middleton finishes in heats and the feature.

Another race within the race to watch will be the battle for No. 3 in the standings. Both Ben Chandler and Seth Funden have 626 total points — 95 behind Middleton. No. 5 Michael Durbin is another 37 points behind Funden and Chandler.

To sum it up, if you can only make it for one night of racing at Evergreen Speedway this season, Satuday is the night. Lots of variety in cars and circuits, championships to be decided, and not hard on the wallet with the deals promoters Lex and Danni Johnson are putting on.

One last nugget: I’m told Evergreen Speedway’s season finale, the Oct. 4 Demolition Derby and Fireworks show, will be filmed for later broadcast as part of a national television show.

Also on tap for that night will be a school bus figure eight race, boat races, a roll over contest and the Hornets.

The details on the television show are pretty hush-hush right now, but keep checking the speedways Web site www.evergreenspeedway.com.