|
Nick Tomlinson to hit the NWWT trail
by Andrew Kunas
NEWBERG, Ore. - When the NorthWest Wingless Tour opens its inaugural season next month at Cottage Grove Speedway’s Grove Classic, there will be a nice mix of drivers, old and young, taking to the track.
One of those younger drivers will be Nick Tomlinson, a 14-year-old who might be 150 pounds soaking wet. Tomlinson has been racing since he was a small child in quarter midgets and he recently graduated to sprint cars, having raced with and without wings on both the dirt and pavement, trying to get as much seat time as he can.
As young as Nick is, the Tomlinson Family’s options, in regards to where they could race, were thin up through last year. Now that he is a little older, he’ll get to race more at other tracks. In 2009, Tomlinson will be racing in the 360 sprint car division in the NorthWest Wingless Tour, driving the Mafia West No. 16 Herz-powered Eagle, sponsored by Mafia Motorsports, TNT Diversified, Western Boxed Meats and Herz Precision Parts.
While some drivers could talk all day in public if they wanted, Tomlinson is one of those who aren’t the most outspoken people in the world. One story floating around is that when the young Tomlinson won a dash race on the pavement at Douglas County Speedway, he literally ran and hid behind his car on the front stretch when someone approached him with a microphone during the trophy presentation.
When the NWWT had cars on display at the Portland Roadster Show earlier in March, Tomlinson was visibly shy when talking with people, but at one point mustered up enough courage to get his picture taken with Miss Oregon. Other NWWT drivers and officials have now made Tomlinson their fun pet project for this season. Their mission: open the kid up by season’s end.
In the meantime, there is racing to done. For Tomlinson, he will be a newcomer to Cottage Grove Speedway, where NWWT will run most of its races this season. In fact, of the three tracks on the NWWT schedule, the only track Tomlinson has raced previously is Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore.
Tomlinson previously raced at Skagit Speedway in Alger, Wash. with the wings on the car last year and it‘s the biggest and fastest dirt track he has been on so far. On Saturday, September 5th, he will get to see another Washington track for the first time as the NWWT will make its only scheduled appearance at Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma. A big, wide 3/8-mile oval known for speed and room to race, it could be Tomlinson’s biggest challenge.
Tomlinson knows his inexperience will make things tough for him as the season goes on, but he still hopes to do well.
“I want to win a race,” Tomlinson said, “but I know it will be pretty hard racing with the older veterans.”
The NorthWest Wingless Tour opens its season April 25th with the Grove Classic at Cottage Grove. A total of ten races at three different tracks in Oregon and Washington are on the schedule. A standard purse has been established and qualifying will be held at all events.
- - -
2009 NorthWest Wingless Tour schedule
April 25th - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR (Grove Classic) May 23rd - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR June 5 - Willamette Speedway - Lebanon, OR (Strawberry Cup) June 6 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR June 27 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR July 18 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR August 8 - TBA August 15 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR September 5 - Grays Harbor Raceway - Elma, WA (Big E Weekend) September 12 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR October 3 - Willamette Speedway - Lebanon, OR (Lebanon Fall Classic)
|
