PACIFIC NORTHWEST TRIP: The Gameplan

Gallatin Speedway in Belgrade, Montana.  (track photo)
 

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I'll be flying out to Portland, Oregon this Friday to present at a college admissions conference.  The timing of the trip means, unfortunately, I'll have to miss Sunday's Johnny Appleseed Classic at Eldora (Shane Andrews and Kyle Luetters will be covering our announcing duties).  However, the timing of the trip also means I'll be able to see some racing at new tracks in a part of the country I've never been to before.

With my flight arriving in Portland late Friday night, there won't be an opportunity to catch any Friday racing action.  Doesn't matter, as there's literally no tracks within nine hours of Portland racing on Friday night.  Hard to believe, I know.

Saturday, I'll look to head a little south of the city to Lebanon, Oregon's Willamette Speedway for night #1 of their Clair Cup.  Last year's event drew a whopping 48 Late Models, so I'm hoping for a solid car count and a good show in my maiden voyage to the 3/10-mile oval.  The current weather forecast is calling for a rain-free Saturday with a high of 64 and a brisk low of 46.

Sunday will find me heading north to Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Washington.  The ASCS Sprints' Northwest division will be in action at the 3/8-mile track with IMCA Modifieds and Street Stocks also on the card.  The weather outlook for Sunday in Elma is almost identical to that of Lebanon, OR the day before with a high of 64 and a cool low of 47.  As you see, longjohns will be a necessity for this trip.

If all goes as planned, the following weekend should find me venturing into Montana for a visit to Gallatin Speedway, as they bring Late Models in for one of their few stops to the 3/10-mile facility.  I never put much stock into the weather forecast more than a few days out, but the early models are showing a high of 72 with a low of 43 and a chance of thunderstorms.  Should that show get rained out, my only other option is to head north to Great Falls, Montana's Electric City Speedway.

My final destination is slated to be Atomic Motor Raceway in Blackfoot, Idaho.  The 1/3-mile oval will open their regular season on June 1st with IMCA Modifieds as the headlining division.  Taken with a grain of salt, the initial weather outlook shows sunny skies with a high of 83 and a low of 53...which would be, by far, the warmest temps of the trip.

As I mentioned previously, this is all tentative at best.  Of my last three summer trips that involved racing, NONE of them went as planned.  So, I'm not holding my breathe.  However, if every DOES go as planned, I'll have seen racing at 169 tracks in 37 different states.

And, of course, I'll keep everyone here posted with updates, pics, stories, and more.