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A Mid-Week Day at Pacific Raceways

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31 May 2017 Kent, WA – In a little over a twelve hour time period, multi-use venue Pacific Raceways hosted ProFormance Racing School in the morning to early afternoon. Then there was a transition to the dragstrip and run until curfew.

The driving school starts at 7:00 AM with classroom instructions given by owner Don Kitch. The students take in diagrams and discussion that once on the track you put to practice. Four stages set up, two on the west end of the track and two on the east end. Each exercise from the beginning leads to the next, incorporating what you just learned from the previous stage.

Then back to the classroom to talk about what you just went thru, and then out to your car or truck for one on one coaching with one of the many instructors that work with ProFormance Racing School. Going thru 20min. sessions with an instructor as co-pilot guiding you around the track on the proper line which equates to the “safest” and “fastest” way to run the track. Give ProFormance a call to find your date for school.

As the driving school finishes their day the dragstrip crew is hard at work prepping the surface for racing into the evening. This afternoon/evening brings the motorcycles and diesel-powered rigs for points racing. With a test & tune at the same time you never know who or what may be taking advantage.

Street cars, race cars and license up-grades all fall into the T&T lanes assigned to them, walk the lanes and see the wide range of people using them. For those racing the series in Diesel Hudson Myers picked up the trophy and William Nitta denied Deanna Pelletier her first win in the PRDC series.

Images are now available for the whole day at Pacific Raceways – Click here to enjoy a unique mix of images from both the road course and the dragstrip!

7th Annual Dee Adams Memorial Fire & Thunder at Renegade Raceway

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28 May 2017 Yakima WA – Kicking off the 2017 Memorial Day weekend was The 7th Annual Dee Adams Memorial Fire & Thunder at Renegade Raceway. Mother Nature’s blessed all to the “fire” of the sun and not the “thunder” from the skies.

This is primarily a night time race track as the desert heat is not at all fun to play in, not the beach here to cool off in. With lights on a property that has no curfew running late into the cool of the night has its perks.

Watching and listening to jet funny cars in the dark of night throwing flame and sound will capture your senses. Many more race dates are set to catch night racing in the desert, check the Renegade Facebook or Web page for info and race results.

Sunday did bring about a pair of winners in what could be called the “Dalrymple Double” as Josh and Michael collected the trophies in Super Street and Super Comp respectfully. Can they do it again June 10th at Pacific Raceways, come on out and cheer them on.

For two days of images, with lots of great and unique shots click here to go to the photo gallery. As always, thank you very much for your support and purchases!

44th Annual Baster Auto Season Opener at Woodburn Dragstrip

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21 May 2017 Woodburn, OR –  Blame Mother Nature, or the fact it is your class racing for the first time this season and any other reason you can lay it on, Thank Them or It. In the past 43 season opener’s Mother Nature has had her hand in the weekend outcome. Thank those weather folks that gave you the heads up on the weekends forecast. That information alone brings the spectators to enjoy the racing weather but combined with all factors also brought 325 entries (a record number) to Woodburn for the season opener.

Packed into the pits more classes than both your hands could count. As a dragstrip owner, these numbers are to dream about but on the other hand you have a time frame to run all the entries. Those behind the scenes people, you know, those up in the tower stepped up and came ever so close to finishing Saturday (a couple of semi’s and finals) but when put together over the two days came in ahead of time leaving enough daylight on Sunday for all to clean up and load up for the trip home.

Always have a good time when going to this event and give a big thanks to Jay and his crew that always make me feel welcome and look forward to #45 next year.

Two days of images are crammed into two albums of images – click here to go to both albums.

Busy Race Day at Pacific Raceways – Debut of the “Cars of the 253”

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19 May Kent, WA – Four classes of racers here tonight, three of them for the first time this 2017 season. Car Club always brings a mix of makes and models that make up their club. It’s always good to see new members running their rides down the track.

Jr. Street saw two new drivers to the class square off in the finals, good job to both. The Jr. Dragsters now on their fourth race of the season gathering points toward a trip to the E.T. Finals for placing in the top four or even a track championship.

New to Pacific Raceways this season is a class called “The Cars of the 253”. This class brings some pretty high powered race cars for 1/8 mi. racing on what’s called “instant green” start. That green light will catch you napping with “NO” amber to pre-warn you of the upcoming start, now your reactions really come to play when first to the line takes the prize. The next race for them is June 16th, come out and check these racer’s in action.

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

Memorable Evening of Racing and Licensing at Pacific Raceways

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17 May 2017 Kent, WA – Mid-week racing again hit the track for the bikes and diesel rigs along with a test and tune for those who wanted to test their rides. Early testing had a dragster running in Super Pro, a car that runs in Super Gas and a fine looking red Pontiac that runs in Comp. All with a different agenda seeking answers to their questions on the improvements they had made. It was fun to photograph!

Running into the night the bikes and their riders paired off in rounds till only two remain. This group that comes out for the mid-week fun is just what it is. They all like each other and help one another when needed; what a great group of riders. Out lasting the field, Chris Benda beat William Nitta for the trophy.

In the Diesel class Ray Bartroff took out Kevin Jellum for his first win and the trophy.

Also taking advantage of the test and tune a pair of drivers out to get licensed for some E.T. class racing. Out in a clean looking dragster was Alston Hentges, son of long time northwest racer Mark Hentges. A;stpm made his passes to run in Super Pro in what may end up in the future as “like father, like son” as Mark has a dragster of his own that is much faster than the mid 8’s Alston laid down to earn his license.

In what has to be the feel good about the track came when driving down her grandfather’s BLVD Camerin Lyle completed the number of runs required to earn a license to drive in the Jr. Street class of E.T. racing. Sporting one of Mark’s memory shirts, she donned a helmet and belted herself in and off she went. Her father Rob along for the ride as required by the class to the 1/8 mi. mark hitting near 70 mph on the pass and of course mother Kim watching from behind taking it all in. Gaining her license now she can legally run down the track with a competitor in the other lane. Helping with this part drag strip manager Ed Garfield drove his ride in the other lane pointing out a few things that she will encounter when racing. For Camerin it will take some time to erase the smile she was sporting at the end of the night and we know her grandfather has a big smile while watching from above.

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

Swift Tools ET Series #3 & All High School Drag Racing

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06 May 2017 Kent, WA – When planning race dates some have more importance to finish then others. This is the case with the High School Drags. The winner gets a race date with Antron Brown on the Saturday of the Northwest Nationals. When Mother Nature washed out the “dragstrip” portion it was re-set for the next day during the Swift Tool event.

There was already a full plate of classes for the day so it would take some doing to run all the high school entries along with the E.T. racers. This fact was tested again by Mother Nature as she soaked everything overnight forcing a later start than normal as chilly wind slowed down the drying process.

Once started the Pacific Raceways drag crew run thru the classes like clockwork finishing the last race one minute before curfew.

Images of all the drag racing action for both the Swift Tools ET Series and the All High School Drags are now available – Click here to go to the photo album

The long list of “winners” are as follows:

Burnout contest: Abbie Hagen
Tug-O-War: Kelli Temeyosa
Super Pro: Wally Cronin
Pro: Brian McGinnis
Sportsman: Veronica Hodgson
Motorcycle: Jim Were
Jr. Storm: Raylee Higgins
Jr. Thunder: Ryan Warnke
Jr. Lightning: Selena Lenihan
High School: Lane Cavar
HS Alumni: John Dickinson Jr.
Pro Street: Ken Sihota
Outlaw 8.5: Sherry Rohr
Outlaw 10.5: Ron Pease
Open Comp: John Eldridge

All High School Drags Burnout & Tug-O-War at Pacific Raceways

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05 May 2017 Kent, WA – The annual All High School Drags, Burnout and Tug-O-War got underday with the Burnout and Tug-O-War action on Friday.  The dreaded “R”ain moved the drag racing over to Saturday, but the very popular Burnout and Tug-O-War were held on Friday.

Winner of the Burnout Contest was Abbie Hagen, Kelli Temeyosa won the Tug-O-War.

Click here for the photos of the Burnout Contest & Tug-O-War.

Click here for the photos of the High School Drag Racing held on Saturday.

PRDC & Diesel Drags at Pacific Raceways

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03 May 2017 Kent, WA – Things started off the mid-week racing as last year with PRDC & Diesel drags. Also, to greet everyone was 70 degrees of temp, for the first time in 175 days. Could not ask for better weather for drag racing.

Adding to the mix a test and tune for all others, this part of the night brings all sorts of cars to test themselves weather street driven or pure race car. Better bring your “A” game if you would like to test the “grip” of the track as it “will” test your parts to the max, a testament to the drag crew and what they do.

Picking up the trophy in Diesel was Ray Bartroff and outlasting the field in PRDC was John Plaster.

Images are now online – as always thank you very much for your support and purchases. Click here to go to the photo gallery.

See you May 17th for the next mid-week race.

2017 SOVREN Spring Sprints at Pacific Raceways

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30 April 2017 Kent, WA – The first of three visits to Pacific Raceways for 2017, SOVREN started off with their Spring Sprints event at Pacific Raceways.

It Began Friday with a practice day for all and a Novice instruction session. Saturday brought qualifying in the morning and race number one for all classes. There was just a couple short of 90 entries for the weekend of racing with nearly 30 in group 2. With twenty minute sessions for each group everyone gets two races in before the 5:00pm cutoff.

Sunday brought racing all day. Running thru the pits and starting area counted over 35 makes and models of “vintage” race cars that could be seen and heard reliving the heyday of these fine race cars.

Images are broken down into four albums, by day, and sessions. Click here to go to the main event page for all the albums.

They will be back the end of June so make some plans to come out and enjoy some fine racing.

Swift Tools ET Series #2 at Pacific Raceways

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15 Apr 2017 Kent, WA – Try as we may, beating “mother nature” is no easy task. The forces of nature will say at times “beat this issue”. Such was the case for the Swift Tool and High School races today. Hours spent drying the track surface by the Pacific Raceways drag crew became like wiping your brow on a hot day, wiped dry and not long later, more moisture. With the sun going in and out of the clouds it became a battle of wills.

Either all sun or all clouds would dry the track in a few hours. With winter hour’s still in effect it became apparent that time would not allow the race to be completed so it was “rained out” and the last few hours turned into a “test-n-tune for those that wanted to wait until the track dried for a couple “hits”.

As all of this drying and waiting the Hagen twins Abbie and Angie with parents Steve and Kim put on an 18th birthday party for their “girls”. The “tax-day twins” as the track announcer calls them were in “dual” mode as they also take part in the high school portion of the Swift Tool Series. Although the “series” race was rained out they did get to make a TnT pass showing their family and friends what their “sport” is all about.

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