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Outlaw drivers to take on the NSCS at Elma
Andrew Kunas, NSCS Publicist
ELMA, Wash. – Considering the number of the races they run and the grueling travel required to race with the World of Outlaws, the drivers understandably take advantage of a day off every once in a while. Sunday, August 26 is scheduled to be one of those days off between races, following the two-day event at Skagit Speedway and preceding Monday's event at Grays Harbor Raceway.
A few drivers, however, have decided they want to race four straight days and will be jumping into 360 sprint cars to race in Sunday's Northwest Sprint Challenge Series event at Grays Harbor, all in Northwest-based cars. Like its predecessor series, the Northern Sprint Tour, before it, the NSCS is continuing the tradition of holding a race at the Elma facility the day before a major touring 410 sprint cars series competes at the same track.
Running what is virtually a "true outlaw" schedule, former WoO star Shane Stewart will return to the Northwest after winning three of five races last month en route to the Northwest Speed Week title with the NSCS. In addition to the three victories, Stewart also picked up a second place finish at Willamette Speedway.
Stewart, who currently resides in Indianapolis but calls Bixby, Okla. home, will again drive for Mike and Janie Doyle in their No. 1 car, which he drove to the win in last month's Skagit 360 Nationals. A week after their triumph with the NSCS at Skagit, Stewart drove the Doyle No. 1 to the win in the Knoxville 360 Nationals in Iowa. Stewart undoubtedly will be one of the drivers to beat on Sunday.
Mount Vernon, Wash.'s Jason Solwold, a former champion with the NST, will also compete in Sunday's event in a car that will be a very welcome sight. Solwold will be piloting the Van Dam No. 33v car that fans in the Northwest have not seen since popular driver Henry Van Dam suffered severe back and neck injuries in a crash at the May 25 NSCS event at Willamette. Van Dam won last year's NST event at Elma the day before the National Sprint Tour show.
Solwold, who is ninth in WoO points with one victory and 13 top-five finishes, won the pre-WoO NST event at Grays Harbor in 2002. Solwold also won the NST championship in 1998.
Seth Bergman, who currently sits sixth in NSCS points, will field a second car that will be piloted by Aliquippa, Penn.'s Tim Shaffer, who won the pre-WoO NST event at Grays Harbor driving for Paul Silva in 2003. Shaffer sits tenth in the WoO standings with 14 top-five finishes.
Jason Sides of Bartlett, Tenn. took part in last year's event driving for Mike and Janie Doyle. He'll take part again this year, scheduled to drive the No. 24 machine owned by Donald Krenz. Sides, who won one NST event at Willamette last year, is 13th in the WoO point standings with one win and seven top-five finishes.
Medford's Roger Crockett, who used to drive for Mike and Janie Doyle, currently leads the NSCS point standings with five victories and holds a 51-point advantage over Puyallup, Wash.'s Mitch Olson. Crockett has won both NSCS events held at Grays Harbor Raceway this season, winning the inaugural event on April 28 and then winning from the back of the field on June 30.
Like the other NSCS events at Grays Harbor Raceway, Sunday's event will be open to ASCS motors only. Open motors with the restrictors will not be allowed.
Sunday will be an eventful day in Elma as the Elma Outlaw Days are being held. Pit gates open at 2:00 p.m. while the Elma Outlaw Days Parade starts at 3:00 p.m. The celebrity go-kart race is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. at the quarter midget track at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds, where Grays Harbor Raceway is also located. Racing with the NSCS is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
More information on the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series and its drivers can be found online at www.racenscs.com.
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NSCS: The Northwest Sprint Challenge Series
www.racenscs.com
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