Swift Tools ET Series #4 at Pacific Raceways

18 May 2019 Kent, WA – It may say race number four, but it is really, number two as mother nature took away the first two. Many of the racers are still fresh off the first race that filled the grounds as normal for the Swift Tool E.T. Series.

The weather was a touch chilly but fine for racing and way better than the rain that plagued the previous nights event. One mishap delay for an oil clean up stopped action for a short time but the quick work by the drag crew got things back on track quickly and still finish before curfew.

The slow down though it was a good one caused the run order to be altered as Gordon Rust was in the finals in Sportsman and Pro and is afforded cool down time which for him became a great thing as he claimed both classes and the trophy’s to go with the wins.

Jim Were claimed the M.C. class over William Nitta and Dave Wakefield picked up another win in Super Pro.

Images are now posted – click here to go to the photo album.

2018 ET Finals Was Epic!

02 Sept 2018 Boise, ID – As the rotation goes around between the four host tracks for the Northwest E.T. Finals all headed to Firebird Raceway this year. Close to 500 entries packed onto the grounds, divided up into 14 team pits.

With the Managers Cup, the Race of Champions and the Team championship up for grabs with the winners of the Race of Champions going to Pomona as the Division 6 players for a 7-Division battle for number one in their class.

The weekend got tarted on Thursday with a test and tune for all that needed to adjust to the conditions that is Firebird Raceway. On to Friday and the Gambler race for all those that wish to enter and the runs were also your qualifying hit as those not in get a hit also. The more that enter the bigger the payout and any help with costs to a racer can be helped greatly with a win.

Those that pocketed the cash:

Kurt Gross in Super Pro
Brian McGinnis in Pro
Shannon O’Leary in Sportsman
Riley Toth in Bike/Sled
Kyle Wagenaar in Jr. Lightning
Logan Scrivner in Jr. Thunder
Cooper Chun in Jr. Street.

On to Saturday and it was the Track Managers Challenge and the Race of Champions. A race within a race as all members of the team’s race with the winner added to the team total and as the track champions do battle for the Race of Champions portion also adding to the team total.

With two classes requiring seven rounds to get a winner that’s a lot of racing. Round after round and into darkness it took to go thru the eight classes of racers. The four classes of winners in the ROC that will represent Division Six in Pomona are Pat Osmundson in Super Pro, Matt Lielman in Pro, Devin Fround in Sportsman and Scott Grondahl in Sled/Bike.

The four ROC winners not yet included in the trip to Pomona are Damien Chinn in High School, Kyle Wagenaar in Jr. Lightning, Lindsey Miller in Jr. Thunder and Calli Deming in Jr. Street.

In the Track Managers Challenge of the fourteen tracks that entered the E.T. Finals the big winner this year was Woodburn Dragstrip with 49 points to claim bragging rights for another year and those eight class racers that are now on a huge “high” for what they just accomplished.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday as they say is here with the “Team” Championship up for grabs. With a round win number that will take a long time to better Woodburn Dragstrip “Team Pacific” and it’s 55 racers were ready to attempt a re-peat. Food and liquids provided by “Pirates Loot” over the weekend kept all going into Sunday with a last breakfast before racing. Team photo finished, the members scattered to the pit area to get ready to do battle. Early on the round wins were tough to come by and no record this year and the place in the standings fell.

This fact was also true for a number of tracks, as a many time winner for this series came up with a big win and that team is Portland Int’l Raceway with 86 points.

The class winners in this race

Brad Pattan in Super Pro
Steve Kelly in Pro
Gary Howe Jr. in Sportsman
Mark Canty in Bike/Sled
Kyle Wagenaar in Jr. Lightning
Ryan Bese in Jr. Thunder
Cooper Chun in Jr. Street.

On a special note for a three-day weekend of racing with three separate races to win a racer can only dream of winning all three. Well a young man named Kyle Wagenaar had his dreams come true by “sweeping” the three races, a rare feat indeed done by anyone but to do it in the Jr. Lightning class says a lot about this, young racers future.

Images from the entire weekend, broken out in Albums by day, are now available – click here to go to the photo albums.

Till next time “Congratulations” to all the winners and “Good Luck” to those going to Pomona.

Swift Tools ET Series #12 at Pacific Raceways

11 Aug  2018 Kent, WA – Race number twelve of the Swift Tools ET Series brought some conditions together that were planned and some were not. With a big race going on in Boise and Mother Nature threats resulted in the lowest car count for a Swift Tool race.

Overnight rain started the drag crew on the removing gallons of water from the track with the new scrubber and watering the parched grass in the process as the rainfall has been sparse for the last three months.

Racers lined up and going thru qualifying Mother Nature struck again – soaking everything though later she turned around and helped dry everything with a cloudless sky. It was a welcome sight the racing got going thru eliminations into the night.

Images are now online – click here to go to the photo album.

On top of all racers in their class are:

Super Pro – Alston Hentges
Pro – Kenny O’Keefe
Sportsman – Jake Biscay
Motorcycle – Jim Were
High School – Chase Gordner

Super Saturday #3, Swift Tools #11, Jr Dragsters #10, High School #5 & WCSA at Pacific Raceways

28 July 2018 Kent, WA – Race number eleven of the Swift Tools ET Series rounds off the chance for racers to qualify for the E.T. finals and in the end track champions. The field was just one racer shy of 250 that took the tree in the first round in all classes combined with just a handful here to test for the upcoming national event.

Add to this for the Swift Tool E.T. series it is an “All Access Challenge” which earns you a “Wally”. The trophy on its own is a hard one to earn and all racers covet earning one.

Having said that a huge shout out to Cole Dickhoff who for the second year in a row picked up two in the same week in two countries and tracks. A lot of racers go their entire racing career and never get one and to get four in two years speaks volumes on this young mans talent and I hear he is also quite good on a go-kart.

Event Images are now online – click here to go to the photo album.

The winners for today’s race are:

Super Pro – Norm Braedt
Pro – Brian McGinnis
Sportsman – Art Kirby
Motorcycle – Stacy Hesch
Jr. Lightning – Ian Theofelis
Jr. Thunder – Cole Dickhoff
Jr. Storm – Dawsin Ridge
Stock – Alan Falcone
Super Comp – Derek McMasters
Super Gas – Lane Cavar
Super Street – Martin Rachel
Top Comp – Kevin Rennick
Turbo Thunder – Dennis Hogan

Olympic Ironworks Motorcycle #5 at Pacific Raceways

11 July 2018 Kent, WA – Hard to believe that only two more dates left to the 2018 Wednesday PRDC at Pacific Raceways. The season is flying by as this mid-week event keeps growing and bringing new riders to the program.

A fine looking white Harley chopper, new to the track with that ride went three rounds lining up against the pure drag bikes pushing some to break out trying to catch this high 12 second chopper.

The Chopper Fell in round three to Mark Sires who took home the hardware after taking out Steve Rosengreen in the finals.

The next Olympic Ironworks PRDC race is July 22.

Images are now available – click here to go to the photo album.

Swift Tools ET Series #9 & HS #5 at Pacific Raceways

08 July 2018 Kent, WA – Sunday brought about the normal Swift Tools ET Series race and the completion of the Saturday race. Clear and sunny skies greeted all unlike the previous two day brought happy faces to all.

Again, the plan “B” comes into play as to how to finish both before the 5:00pm curfew, oh did I mention the NW Nostalgia Tour and their race to run.

With no adverse weather to worry about the tower laid out a plan and the drag strip crew carried it out running today’s race and the finishing the other, beating the curfew, but not by much.

Images are now available – click here to go to the photo album.

WINNERS
Jr. Storm – Dawsin Ridge
Jr. Thunder – Alexis Krier
Jr. Lightning – Ian Theofelis
High School – Lelan Good
Motorcycle – Tom Misfeldt
Sportsman – Adam Ysquicedo
Pro – Robert Steffen
Super Pro – Doug Whitmore

SATURDAY RACE WINNERS
Super Pro – Kevin Rennick
Pro – Al Chinn
Sportsman Casey Reed

UNFC Funny Car Invitational Finals at Pacific Raceways

07 July 2018 Kent, WA –  It was a packed line up on the schedule today with the rain-out qualifying scrubbing the first round, with at least three rows of haulers toting those funny cars somewhat harking back to the 64 funny car days of the past.

Northwest legends Bill Doner and Bucky Austin lead the way and their past connections with the funny car shows in mind they put together a program that those who witnessed those days and the “nitro” junkies of today totally enjoyed.

In between the funny cars the Swift Tool Series class racers enjoying a great sunny day of racing picking up points towards the E.T. Finals to be held Labor Day weekend in Boise. Round after round they went until the little bugger “Murphy” showed up and as we all know his monkey wrench has many sizes.

Working against the curfew, the scramble was on to get as many rounds in for the Swift racers and the UNFC finals completed.

When the time clock ran out these classes finished, Dawsin Ridge in Jr. Storm, Dustin Ridge in Jr. Thunder, Jordan “JoJo” Dooley in Jr. Lightning, Trenton smith in Jr. Street and the big winner and unbeaten this season in UNFC Bobby Cottrell left second but finished first over Jason Rupert.

The unfinished Swift racers will finish their race the next day.

Over 500 images, including great shots from the top end are now available – click here to go to the photo album.

Swift Tools ET Series #7 & High School #4 at Pacific Raceways

16 June 2018 Kent, WA – To this race we have to thank “Mother Nature” as she has affected or cancelled many of the previous race dates. The weather this time brought nearly 170 racers to the track had no one complaining. E.T. racing at it’s best with sunshine and lots of cars down the track.

This event was also another “Bud Under the Lights” night with food and adult beverages on the patio. With track prep in the “house of hook” condition the racing really would have a hard time being better when all is put together. The next “Bud Under the Lights” is set for June 23rd come on out and take in the action.

Images are now online – click here to go to the photo album.

WINNERS

Bill Heard in Super Pro
Brian McGinnis in Pro
Mark Biscay in Sportsman
William Nitta in Motorcycle
Cassidy Langley in High School.

40th Annual NW Division ET Finals at Woodburn

04 Sept 2017 Woodburn, OR – As the rotation goes for the tracks that host the E.T. Finals Woodburn Dragstrip has that deed in 2017. From fourteen tracks in the NW Division came their teams – formed from the champions and top placers from their E.T. series for the season.

With 543 entries for the team championship and a couple of people with them there had to be near a couple thousand packing the grounds at Woodburn. That many people in one spot can create a ton of “heat” but was nothing to what “mother nature” put everyone into. Temps hovered around the triple digit mark but the high 90’s had all seeking shade and liquids and bags of ice being grabbed up as soon as they arrived.

Keeping the liquids chilled weather in your drink or the cooler but many more being used to cool machines and many forms of the swamp cooler trying to chill your camp could be seen along with one Super Pro dragster driver with a cooling unit hanging off the cage. No telling what the weather will be like next year in Boise – Firebird has hosted some pretty hot weather events themselves, but I’m pretty sure that they do not want any record temps.

This year’s finals could be a prep for that event as the degrees are logged into the racer’s books for future use.

The NW Division champions now set their goals on Pomona and racing on the “big” stage. “GOOD LUCK” to all and to Pacific Raceways and their smashing the round wins record with 102 “WIN’S” here this weekend. Congratulations and great job of choosing the “TEAM”.

Images From all FOUR days are organized in FOUR albums, by day – Click here to go to the event folder, where you can then visit all FOUR event albums.

2017 Swift Tools ET Series Finals at Pacific Raceways

26 Aug 2017 Kent, WA – Champions are made by playing the game and the game is the outcome but all that prep that no one see’s or really hears about is what really makes the champion. For those involved will look at this race #13 as their number that became a “lucky” one and not the normal that is applied to the number.

This the last race of the 2017 Swift Tool E.T. Series will see those champs crowned and from them will emerge a “King of The Track”.

Tons of great images for this final race – click here to go to the images. Thanks always for your support and purchases!!

RACE #13 CLASS WINNERS

Super Pro – Dustin Ward
Pro – Brian McGinnis
Sportsman – Kenny O’Keefe
Motorcycle – Chris Benda
Jr. Lightning – Josh Schmanke
Jr. Thunder – Ryan Warnke
Stock – Angela Bushmaker
Super Comp – Dale Green
Super Street – Dustin Ward
Top Comp – Ed Hauter
Pro Street – Yvonne Lucas
Outlaw 10.5 – Al Mangold
Outlaw 8.5 – Sherry Rohr
Open Comp – Paige Castagno

ROC – Dale Green is “King of The Track”