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.
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