01 July 2016 Auburn, WA – Word has come that The Sports Page, which has hosted many drag racing related events at their location in Auburn has been sold, and the new owners will be changing the name and format. Look for information soon of a reopening of the Sports Page in a new location at a later date.
The Sports Page has hosted the March Practice Tree Nationals, our thanks for many great events, and fingers crossed they reopen in a new location soon.
29 June 2016 Kent, WA – Two venues and teaching all day long. Starting with ProFormance Racing School and a classroom full of students ready to take in what the instructors are saying. The classroom and hands on teaching that you get from the school will increase your awareness driving on the streets. It really should be a must for all new drivers to go thru a program like this as you will have a better understanding of what you need to do when something happens. Check into Don’s program and become a better driver, see the ProFormance web site for info.
On to the straight line driving of the teaching and learning day. The mid-week series of bikes and diesels gets underway with a pack full of bikes. These racers have to be the most dedicated to their series as any. Each race they promptest of racers to the lanes sometimes as the announcers are calling for them. Great group of people to be around no matter win or lose.
To the teaching part of the evening came a sandwich sponsored dragster with a new driver. This lady driver for the first time is going after an NHRA license. Being guided and schooled by her father in-law she made four runs, all safe and in order. Looks like it won’t be long before a family becomes a three car team when you add the Jr. Dragster the son drives. Good luck to you all and safe racing.
For the unfinished MC race held a short time back Jim Funderburg pulled out the win over Gary Tokos. For the nights series Kevin Jellum claimed another win in the Diesel class over Jim Calhoun and Chris Benda outlasted the field to pick up the PRDC trophy stopping Mark Sires.
26 June 2016 Kent, WA – Back-to-Back E.T. races at Pacific Raceways are fun in many ways – bringing well in excess of 200 entries for the weekend. Along with the Swift Tools E.T. series the West Coast Streetcar Association and Canada West Doorslammers brought their high powered machines for their series at Pacific Raceways.
The great weather for racing had everyone ready to go at the scheduled time. Knowing how many runs no matter the class is shown in the “run order” that everyone has access to see. Knowing the times that you run also helps plan their doings when not running. You still have to eat and do any servicing to your race car. Unlike some tracks Pacific Raceways no matter the user on the dragstrip or road course they run until a curfew. Packed lanes and running to that hour ended the #7 race unfinished.
Finish up Sunday was the logical answer. The run order already set for Sunday according to the time allotted has dragstrip manager Ed Garfield in a time juggling mode. Knowing that towards the end of Sunday races the “cool down” times brings moments of no racing he explained at the drivers meeting the new schedule. It was executed to perfection by the dragstrip crew getting all races completed before time ran out with a big “great job” to the crew from Ed.
SWIFT TOOLS ET SERIES #7 WINNERS
Super Pro – Tory Lea
Sportsman – Kenny OKeefe
PRDC – Stacy Hesch
SWIFT TOOLS ET SERIES #8 WINNERS
Super Pro – Mark Johnson
Pro – Dennis McGinnis
Sportsman – Kenny OKeefe
PRDC – Joe Lind
Doorslammer – Kirk Lanz
Open Comp – Jay Krier
PNSCA – Mike Weiss
22 June 2016 Kent, WA – Signing up for a class at ProFormance Racing School brings more years of experience than you think. All involved from Don Kitch on down take that knowledge to classroom and on track exercises.
Explained in detail with diagrams on how and why you need to follow the line around the track and what can and will happen if you don’t. On the track cones are laid out for the four exercises that you are put thru get you in touch with what you are driving. This feel in combination with what you see ahead of you teaches what to do when it comes about on the streets. The precious seconds that you gain knowing what to do when confronted really can save your life.
The rotation of instructors is so fluid that interchangeability goes without missing a beat. Adding to this rotation of instructors is Sarah Lally Brown who has joined the team. A racer herself in the PRO-3 class she brings a wealth of experience to pass along to the students. She has a passion for racing and loves what she is doing and teaching to others what she knows really brings that out.
To find a date that will work for you go to the ProFormance web site for more information.
Images from the entire day are now available – click here to go to the photo album.
12 June 2016 Kent, WA – An action packed weekend of racing brought well in access of 200 entries spread among thirteen classes on Saturday and seven on Sunday.
Fighting off mother nature on Saturday as the track prepped and ready and cars called to the lanes, came the DOWNPOUR. Just enough to soak everything and everyone scampering for cover. When the rain finished the Pacific drag crew brought the track back to condition as if the rain never happened. Plenty of thanks from all for this well oiled crew earning the track the nickname “the house of hook”.
This crew takes pride in track prep that will pull your shoes off if you are not careful. Noticing this grip first hand Jonathan Hillstrand of the “Deadliest Catch” TV Show out to earn his license to race and giving the Jr. Dragster winner’s a big congrats and trophies. It was quite a thrill for them as their faces showed big smiles.
Over 900 images are available for the double header in two albums:
Day One – Super Saturday Album – Click here.
Day Two – ET#6 & Outlaw 10.5 Sunday Album – Click here.
The field set in the 8.5 and 10.5 Outlaw race on Sunday and the winner’s for Saturday’s races are:
Top Comp: Mark Cavar over his son Lane
Super Gas: Glenn Paine Jr.
Super Comp: Dale Green
Super Street: Dustin Martin
Jr. Storm: Raylee Higgins
Jr. Lightning: Sam Hawes
Jr. Thunder: Cole Dickhoff
BC Shifters: John Depoucq
Stock: Brad Burton
Super Pro: Todd Riley
Pro: Chris Johnston
Sportsman: Larry DeCamp
Motorcycle: Chris Benda
No issues with mother nature for Sunday as the sun ran in and out of the clouds though the number of cars ran the race right to the 5:00pm curfew. Great weekend of racing and a job well done by the Pacific drag crew. Sunday’s winners are:
Super Pro: Darral Petitt
Pro: Brad Burton
Sportsman: Kenny O’Keefe
Motorcycle: Andre Westmoreland
BC Shifters: Jamie Roth
Outlaw 8.5: Tom Marshall
Outlaw 10.5: Eric Petersen
10 June 2016 Kent, WA – It was another classroom full of students taking advantage of what going thru the ProFormance Racing School can give you. Anytime you can improve your driving beyond what you think you know is better than not going to the school. The seemingly simple tasks the instructors put you thru translate into an understanding of your auto’s behavior under conditions that you will at some time experience on the streets.
Knowing what to do and how to react will more often than not keep you from potential harm. When you are looking for the best bang for your buck you cannot beat the school.
For your date with the school go to the ProFormance web site for more information.
05 June 2016 Kent, WA – The imports are here and pretty much the future as the power that they are getting out of four cylinders is quite impressive.
What stands out are the speeds and ET’s that are obtained by the four cylinders. Cole Marmon in his ’00 Civic laid down an 8.553 at 184.27 mph on one of his runs. You cannot deny those numbers that many a V8 or even the V6 powered rides would love to get.
Work with what you got and today’s cars, most anyway do not come with a V-8 and with today’s tech knowledge and laptops you pretty much can change on the fly. Motor heads back in the day had the V-8 and look at the horsepower per cylinder they have obtained.
Today’s motor with the unlimited combinations that the laptop can produce to run the motor for any given application for the four cylinders should not be overlooked. Having said that the very same tech applied to the V-8 has many a buzz on those results.
Images are now available – click here to go to the photo album.
The trophy winners for this year’s Import Faceoff are:
Outlaw – Tim Robards
FWD – Cole Marmon
Forced Induction Pro – Kyle Wilkinson
All Motor Pro – Jorge Zambrano
Forced Induction Sport – TJ Lewton
All Motor Sport – Kristen Campbell
Bracket – Jay Saysanom
02 June 2016 Kent, WA – Quite the different heading for a motorsports venue but those two professions are but just two of the many that it takes to perform a heart operation. In particular children’s heart operations as the men and women that work with the Children’s Heart Center are a very big part of “The Heart of Racing” team.
A major part of that team is Don Kitch owner and operator of ProFormance Racing School located on the grounds of Pacific Raceways. On a suggestion from the team owner to Don to set up a day when those professional men and women could come to the school and experience to a degree what the racing for charity is all about.
Of the people that go thru the school this group has to have a leg up on the others. Understanding and knowing the precision it takes to perform on the operating table can be translated to the precision it takes to circle Pacific Raceways 2.25 mile track. Yes, there is a lot of precision involved in being a race driver as seen on TV when the precise mark is not hit things mostly do not end well.
For the men and women here today who all did some pretty good lapping times and no doubt may come up while in the operating room getting ready to do some very precise work on very precious heart.
Lots of great pictures are now available – click here to go to the photo album.
01 June 2016 Kent, WA – The ProFormance class size from date to date can vary. The adjustment that ProFormance Racing School makes is simple, splitting the group or running them thru the four tasks as a whole. Today’s group fell into the later.
Going thru the tasks one at a time to me keeps your focus on that task. Keeping your focus when driving is the important factor in being a safe driver. Distracted, for whatever the reason in most cases do not end well and in today’s world of smart phones the distraction is great. This point is made very clear by the instructors as they explain the point of the current task.
We have driven for decades without them and did just fine. Common sense is all it is, use it when behind the wheel. Going thru the school these things are pointed out in a number of ways both in the classroom and on the track.
Many a good driver has gone thru the school only to realize that they learned a lot and their driving habits were not so good. When a pure race car driver feels that he can learn more of his craft by going thru the school it tells you something.
Go to the ProFormance web site and find a date that works for you and become a better driver.
Images from all of the sessions today are now available. Click here to go to the photo album.
29 May 2016 Yakima, WA – The trip to Renegade Raceway is one that I looked forward to when the dates were announced. I had not been there since the mid ‘80s and was wondering what it was like now. Sure you can go to the web and see from above the layout of the track as you can for most all tracks, but going back and feeling the atmosphere can’t be beat.
Covering the Pacific Northwest Super Comp Association (PNSCA) at the different tracks brings you into the happenings and festivities for that weekend. This has Funny Cars and Jets along with some fine nostalgia machines.
This yearly event at Renegade honors the roots of the dragstrip and the people that brought it about. Running a lot of the weekend under the lights brings out the flames that really show at night and when the Jets run you can’t beat it.
Looking for a date that I might return to take in more of the hospitality that Derek and Sara showed me and the drag crew that allowed me to take care of the tasks at hand.
The PNSCA winners are Ty Anderson in the Saturday race and Trevor Harkema claimed the Sunday race.
The next PNSCA race is June 11th, 2016 at Pacific Raceways, see you then.