Looking for that special part for your race car??
There will be a racer swap meet on Saturday October 18th from 8am - 3 pm at
Union Avenue Garage in Grants Pass
(108 Union Ave).
Come check it out and bring your spending money!!
If you have questions or are interested in selling some of your own parts, contact Vern at 541-476-6271.
Congratulations to our winners at the National Dragster Challenge on September 20th, particularly Jeff Jahns who has waited 60 years for his first Wally!!
The winners:
Super Pro - Paul Nero; Pro - Jeff Jahns; Sportsman - Mike Maroney; Motorcycle - Jerry Stinson.
Click Here for photos
With the last Cascade Block Friday Night Drags event of the season taking place on 9/19/08, it was time to crown our series champions.
Congratulations to the following Cascade Block Friday Night Drag Series Champions for 2008:
Hot Rod: Jeff Schulz
Street DOT: Chuck Herndon
Sport Compact: Jim Blazer
Motorcycle: Jerry Stinson
High School: Nathan Scherrer
To see NHRA's coverage of the LODRS Northwest Challenge event on 9/26-27 Click Here
A special thanks to all team members for representing Champion Raceway in Boise!! Your support and enthusiasm are greatly appreciated.
Champion came in 10th place for team points, which was a pretty good showing given the smaller size of the team this year.
Congratulations to Lyle Hood for reaching runner-up in Super Pro, Ken Stevens for making runner-up in the Sportsman Race of Champions, and Aaron Frei for making the semi finals in Jr. Dragster.
Thanks to John and Cindy Walker, we have pictures from the ET Finals in Boise posted in the Photo Gallery. Click here to view.
By: Jim Taylor
On August 23rd & 24th Champion celebrated it's 5th Annual NW Reunion event. As happened last year, the AA/Supercharged Champion was to be decided at this race. It was a great weekend of racing and partying.
On Saturday night, Champion Raceway hosted a free BBQ for all the racers and their crew, that Ted Hilton cooked to perfection. After the BBQ we were entertained by the great local band "Hot Gossip", and what a show it was!
On Sunday it was back to racing with all the finals and the AA/Supercharged Championship on the line. There were three teams in contention for the Championship -- Howard Anderson, Gary Reinero, and Mitch Chamberlin. Mitch was the defending champion from 2007. In order for Howard Anderson to win, he would have to go round for round with Gary Reinero and then win it in the final. For Mitch to win, Gary and Howard would have to lose in the first round and Mitch would have to win. Well, when the smoke cleared, it was a tie between Gary and Howard, which set up a run off with Howard on the winning end. Congratulations to Howard, the 2008 AA/Supercharged Champion. There was additional excitement for the teams, as Scott White had not gone past 1st round all year. That changed at Champion, as Scott laid down the most consecutive 200 MPH passes ever seen. Pass after pass all the way to the final, for a great earned win. It appears Scott White is setting the tone for 2008!
There was exciting racing in all the other classes as well. NE2 was won by the Risso Brothers from the "Juggers Racing Team" as they outran Mat Clum in the final. NE 1 was won by Mike Lema over Dee Morris. In Bracket 2 the winner was Phil Greer taking the win over Ray Robb. The Inliner/Flathead class was very well contested with the win going to Glen Terry over CJ Stoakes. His plaque was presented by our own Ted Hilton.
We also had a large field of Jr. Dragsters competing over the weekend. What a turnout of great cars and kids. The trophies were very special as they were hand made by Mike Arnerich and Doug Downs. These kids were having a great time and put on some great racing. Curtis Moffett beat Aaron Frei in the older kids category and Katie Downs beat Joshua Clevenger in the younger class.
Click here for photos of winners.
Click on the link below to see the roster for the ET Finals Team.
Also, for all of you attending Boise, please note that NHRA wanted us to remind everyone that in order to participate at the Summit ET Finals in Pomona (for anyone lucky enough to win at Boise) you must be 18 years of age prior to the date of that event (11/13/08). This doesn't apply to Jr. Dragster drivers as they compete only at the division level, and the 18 year old requirement applies to National events only.
For Immediate Release
8/12/08
The National Hot Rod Diesel Association (NHRDA) is proud to announce that the 5th Annual Northwest National Diesel Drag Race Shootout has a new home in Medford Oregon. We have made a five year deal with Champion Raceway to build this event into the premier event on the West Coast. This event is open to all competitors including Semi Trucks , Pickup trucks and any cars running on diesel. This 2 day event will be a double points race and also the Division 1 Championship. So mark it on your calendar and bring the whole family out for a action packed weekend at Champion Raceway in Medford Oregon on September 6th and 7th .
Randy
Cole – President
Ph 360-658-4353
Fax 360-659-4935
Cell 425-327-4125
Join the fastest growing race organization in the World
With the conclusion of our final ET Championship Series event for the season, and the tallying of the points, we are pleased to announce our 2008 Champions:
Super Pro - Jeff Schulz Pro - Chuck Herndon
Sportsman - Ken Stevens Motorcycle - Craig Rych
Jr. Dragster - Aaron Frei
Following our last ET Championship Series event on 8/10/08, we held our King of the Track event which pits the top two racer in each class against each other for KOT bragging rights, a NHRA Wally and a $100 certificate from Aerospace Components.
The contenders this year were: Super Pro - Jeff Schulz & Jon Ruff; Pro - Chuck Herndon & Ken Stevens; Sportsman - Ken Stevens & Steve Watkins; Motorcycle - Craig Rych.
Congratulations to Jeff Schulz who took the
honors this year by earning the first round bye, then beating Craig Rych
in the semis and Jon Ruff in the final.
We are working on getting the website back up to date -- so check back often over the next several days.
As of today (8/10/08) all results have been
updated, including this last weekend. Points will be posted
tomorrow. Info on the ET Finals team, and the Motorcycle Madness and NW
Reunion events will follow shortly, along with any other needed updates.
(8/10/08)
We've listed some additional information below in response to questions we've been getting from some of the racers regarding the upcoming Gasser Nationals.
Bracket Shootout -- we've opened up the Bracket Shootout to any year car. Bracket I is for cars with electronics, Bracket II for non-electronics. All nostalgia classes are still limited to pre '72.
Test & Tune -- Test and Tune lanes will be open during the event for those who want to do some testing. Entry fee for test & tune is $25 per day.
Golf Carts -- anyone wanting to rent a golf cart during the event can contact Absolute Golf Cars at 541-956-9701 and make arrangements directly with them. They will take care of delivery and pick-up.
Fuel - We have the following fuel available at the track: Torco 110, 112, 114, 118 and methanol.
For 2008 Keller Motor Supply is sponsoring our 2008 Perfect Light Club. Any racer who gets a perfect reaction time during either time trials/qualifying or eliminations in our ET Championship Series qualifies. They'll receive the following sticker, and we'll have a list of all the winners posted on the website.
Congratulations to our first two winners: Patrick Guido & Denny Gilliland.
Well, the season is finally underway!! Our opening night on April 18th brought out 90 cars, even with the threat of bad weather. It was very cold, however, and we were all wishing winter would finally let go and give us our warmer spring weather. The cold track made for some tricky racing, but everyone was still able to get in lots of runs.
Friday the 25th, brought our first Cascade Block Friday Night Series Race. Weather was still a bit iffy, but we had an average turn-out of cars, with many of our regulars coming out, and many new faces. This first race will count towards the points totals, as long as racers sign up for points no later than the May 9th race.
Saturday the 26th was a 'play day' and chassis certification. NHRA's chassis inspector was busy all day inspecting one chassis after another. It's great to see so many new race cars in process, and we hope they'll all be out for our races. We didn't have a lot of cars testing, but those that did had lots of opportunities to run and get their set-ups and tuning done, and several made licensing runs. We also had a few AA/Supercharged cars out for some early season testing. It was a fun, laid back day for all who made it out, and we thank you for your support.
We will again be running points series for both our Cascade Block Friday Night Drags, and our ET Championship Series races. Top points earners will be crowned season champions in each series, and get free admittance to all the races in their series for the following year. In addition, the Summit ET Finals team eligibility is set based on season points in the ET Championship Series.
If you want to run for points you need to sign up by the second race in the series. Ask for the points signup form at the front gate, fill it out and return it to the front gate with your fee ($10 per series). If you have questions, please contact the track manager.
We will have another work party on
Saturday 4/12/08. If you are available we'll be focusing on
getting the track ready, and finishing up clean up for our opening day
on the 18th!! As before, we'll start at 9:00 am.
Thanks again to everyone that's made it out to the other work parties,
your help is greatly appreciated.
More Thank Yous
A very special thank you to Butch and Deb Merusi, and Sargeant Todd Price and the National Guard Team!! Over the winter Butch and Deb planted and nurtured Popular seedlings with the purpose of planting them on the west knoll. They, with the help of Todd and his Guardsmen have now planted 50 of them along the top of the knoll. When they grow up (which they do quickly) they will provide lovely shade for our spectators, and greatly enhance the ambiance of the track. Thank you so much!!!
Also, thank you to Don Harper,
Bob Kolkemo and Brian Kolkemo for getting the scoreboards uncovered and ready
for our first race!!
I am very pleased to announce that Sue Richardson has agreed to take on the role of Track Manager this year. As most of you know, she has been a big force in the background these last few years, helping me with administrative tasks, the website, points, organization, promotion and whatever else that came up.
Now we'll be able to take advantage of her management and organizational skills on a daily basis, which should enhance the success of all our events. I can then focus on the overall promotion of the track, ongoing improvements, the track surface, etc.
2008 is looking to be our best year yet, and
I hope you are all as excited as we are to see the season start.
Please join me in welcoming Sue to her new role.
Our printed schedules are now done, and we've begun distributing them. We are trying to get them out into as many businesses as possible this year, so we can use your help.
If you know of a business that will display our schedules, either let us know so we can get some to them, or better yet, come out to the track saturday and you can pick some up.
We will be automatically distributing schedules to every Bi-Mart,
Baxter Automotive, and Les Schwab store in Oregon.
In addition, Western Beverage will be distributing for us to many of
the local bars.
It would also be very beneficial to get them out to the outlying communities if any of you have contacts there (like Cave Junction, Williams, Klammath Falls, Shady Cove, Coos Bay, etc)
We want to extend a special thank you to the following people who have given a lot of time and effort over the last several weeks toward getting the track ready to open. Through the efforts of these folks the bathroom will finally be complete, weed spraying is done, clean up is done, schedules were boxed up to be sent out, etc. We couldn't have done it without you!!
Dan Mason, Vern Padgett, Tom Brooks, Kenny
McDonald, Dave Sundet, Ed Biddle, Julian Gonsalves, Dan Tilton, John &
Cindy Walker, Forrest Angwin & Forrest Angwin, Jr., Steve Costelow, Brad
Rundell, Brad Sanders, Don Harper
We'll be holding work parties on the following dates to get ready for the '08 racing season!
March 29th, April 5th. Starting at 9 AM each day. (There will be no work party on March 22nd as originally posted)
Anyone who is available is welcome to come out and give us a hand. In addition to doing clean-up type tasks, we'll be working on the track surface, completing the bathrooms, etc.
The start times for Saturday ET Series races
have been changed.
(3/17/08)
The schedule has been updated with a new event on August 16th -- this will be a motorcycle only event, and we're excited to add it to the line up. More details to follow. (2/28/08)
Champion Raceway is now hiring for the 2008 Racing Season. Positions are open in the following areas:
Track Personnel (starting line, track prep, etc); Time Slip Booth, Tech Inspectors, Computer Operator/Tower, Front Gate/Ticket Booth, Concession Sales, Fuel Sales.
Wage starts at $8.00 per hour.
If you are interested please email manager@championraceway.com with your address and phone number and we'll send you an employment application.
For the 2008 season, we're pleased to announce that we've teamed up with Colvin Oil and Torco Fuels to sell fuel at the track.
We'll have available on-site a range of Torco fuels, including unleaded fuel for Friday night racers, and a range of leaded fuels from 110 - 118 octane.
For those of you who haven't seen this yet, today NHRA announced that the deal with HD Partners to buy the professional side of NHRA failed to get the required votes to close the transaction. Click on the link in the right corner under "Links/Resources" for the whole story.
The 2008 schedule is now posted. Click on the "2008 Schedule" button to the left to view. Please remember that the schedule is subject to change, so you should check for changes before making any plans.
For details on times, admission fees, etc., click on the "details" buttons in the schedule.
The 2008 Summit ET Finals will be held this year at Firebird Raceway in Boise, Idaho. The dates for the event are August 29, 30, 31.
There have also been a few changes in the rules/requirements for Division 6 participants.
They are:
1) The sportsman class elapsed time break will be from 12.80 to 19.99. The class break at the national level (and in other divisions) will remain at 12.00 to 19.99.
2) Each track must run a minimum of 6 ET races to be eligible to send a team to the finals.
3) A racer must attend a minimum of 3 ET races at a given track to be eligible for that track's team. To be in the Race of Champions a racer must compete at 50% of the track's ET races.
The 2008 NHRA rulebook is out. We encourage all of you who plan on racing
to review the rulebook carefully to be sure you are aware of any rule changes
affecting your class. Remember you need to follow all the general
regulations as well as your individual class requirements.
For example, beginning 1/1/08 a full face helmet is mandatory in all cars running 9.99 or quicker. This applies whether it is an open or full-bodied car. (See general regulations 10:7, and ET Handicapped Racing, Section 5A, Driver:10)
It is the racer's responsibility to know and comply with the rules/regulations pertaining to their specific class of racing.
For the 2008 season Champion Raceway will be more stringent on enforcing the tech requirements, in an attempt to minimize down time and to ensure we have a safe environment for all participants.
As in previous years, Jackson Automotive in Portland will be holding an NHRA chassis certification in January. The date is January 26, 2008, from 9 am - 3 pm. If you are going to attend you need to call and confirm. Their phone number is 503-682-2165.
© copyright 2006 - 2010 Champion Raceway