Washington 500 brings ‘big day of racing’ to Evergreen

Published 12:02 am Saturday, August 4, 2007

Local drivers and fans at Evergreen Speedway will get a long look at the next step up the NASCAR ladder this weekend – a ladder that begins at the Monroe racetrack and ends with the Nextel Cup series.

The West Series of NASCAR’s Grand National Division returns to Evergreen Speedway today for the Washington 500, three separate races on the five-eighths mile oval.

Gates open at 1:30 p.m., with qualifying at 2 p.m. and the first event, a 50-lap race featuring the Whelen All-American Series bombers, scheduled for 5 p.m. The top-tier super stocks go for 150 laps and then the West Series caps the evening with a 300-lap race that will give fans the chance to see pit strategy come into play.

“This has got to be the biggest day of racing in the state of Washington this year,” said John Zaretzke, Evergreen’s super stock division points leader. “We only see the West Series cars once a year and the bombers will be running on the five-eighths oval for points for the first time. It’s going to be great for fans.”

Geoff Bodine, who won the Daytona 500 in 1986, returns to Evergreen Speedway to compete in the super stock event. Bodine won the Washington 500 at the Monroe track in 1991. His NASCAR Cup career includes 570 starts, 18 wins, 100 top fives and 18 poles.

On the other end of the longevity scale, fans will see West Series drivers – some as young as 17 – who have taken a big step toward racing in NASCAR’s top tier, the national series made up of the Craftsman Trucks, Busch and Nextel Cup circuits.

Many of today’s top drivers began their NASCAR career in the Grand National Division, including Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Ron Hornaday Jr, David Gilliland and Brendan Gaughan.

A driver’s first step on NASCAR’s advancement ladder is competing in the Whelen All-American Series at his or her local track. At Evergreen, that means the top-tier super stocks, second-tier bombers or third-tier mini-stocks.

The Grand National Division, which consists of two touring series operating under identical rules – the West Series and the Busch East Series – is the next step on a driver’s path to the top.

The regional series provide drivers a chance to gain experience while competing at a variety of tracks, including road courses. Cars are similar to those used in the Busch and Nextel Cup series, with horsepower being the main difference.

The minimum age for Grand National drivers is 16, a two-year decrease from last year. Eighteen is still the minimum age for drivers in the truck, Busch and Nextel Cup series.

Several Nextel Cup race teams, including Richard Childress Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing, use the touring series as part of their driver development programs, either fielding cars in races themselves or by contracting with regional teams.

Although the touring series are the second step on the path to the top, because of the costs involved it may be the toughest for a local team or driver to take.

“It takes a lot of money (to move up). Traveling, equipment, full-time employees in the shop,” said 17-year-old Alex Haase, a rookie West Series driver from Las Vegas scheduled to race at Evergreen. “It’s a big step from local short-track racing.”

Haase, who graduated from high school a year early to concentrate on racing, does not have a contract but does have a Nextel Cup connection: driver Kyle Busch is a family friend and has helped fund Haase’s Grand National season.

Rick Wall is also a rookie driver in the West Series. Wall, 27, is co-owner of Rick Wall Racing in Whittier, Calif., and doesn’t have a development contract – or a top-tier mentor to help defray costs.

Wall estimated his annual cost this season at $350,000 – quite a leap from the $20,000 he spent in 2006 running in a late-model truck series at his local track in Irwindale, Calif.

“The more money you have the better your equipment, the more you can practice and test,” Wall said. “Racing is about the game of getting money. The guy who gets the most has a better chance to win.”

Top-quality race equipment – motors, shocks, car bodies – is costly but necessary to be competitive in the touring series. To offset some of the sticker shock, NASCAR introduced the “spec” motor and composite bodies.

The “spec” motor comes race-ready for around $25,000 or in a ready-to-assemble kit for a few thousand less – a considerable savings over the $50,000 or more teams previously spent on racing motors.

Composite car bodies cost roughly the same as sheet metal, but are much less labor-intensive to maintain between races. Dents from bumping are inevitable on the short tracks many West Series races are run on.

To at least one local driver, the emphasis on money makes moving up the ladder a less attractive prospect.

“It used to be you had to have talent to be a race car driver,” said Zaretzke. “Now your daddy has to have money or you have to look like an underwear model. It’s all about the almighty dollar.”