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Northwest Wingless Tour prepares for 2009 debut |
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PORTLAND, Ore. - The new Northwest Wingless Tour is getting ready for its first full season of action on the dirt tracks of the Pacific Northwest. The NWWT, which was formed during the summer of 2008, features wingless 360 sprint cars and open midgets and currently has ten races scheduled at three different tracks in Oregon and Washington. One or two other events may be added to the schedule at a later time. Cottage Grove Speedway, located about 15 minutes south of Eugene, will serve as the unofficial home track of the tour as it is currently scheduled to host seven Northwest Wingless Tour events. The track’s annual Grove Classic event, which dates back to 2002, has featured winged 360 sprint cars every year. In 2009, wingless sprint cars will be a part of that weekend for the first time as the NWWT opens its season at “The Grove” on April 25. Cottage Grove, the �-mile, high-banked clay oval considered by many to be Oregon’s home to sprint car racing, will also host races on May 23rd on Memorial Weekend, June 6th and 27th, July 18th, August 15th and September 12th. Several of the local racers who usually run with the wings on top of the cars will take them off to try their luck with the Northwest Wingless Tour. Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. will twice host the series in 2009. Willamette, a long time home to dirt late model and stock car racing, has hosted winged sprint cars dozens of times in the past, but in September of last year the track held a wingless sprint car event in which many of the teams racing in the Northwest Wingless Tour this year took part in. The event was won by longtime winged racer Roger Crockett. Jeff Bell won the midget main event that night as well. The first show at Willamette this season will be on Friday, June 5th during the track’s annual Strawberry Cup weekend. A race at Cottage Grove, about an hour down Interstate 5, is the next night. That weekend has drawn attention from many California midget teams who have expressed interest in coming up to race in Oregon. The Northwest Wingless Tour is scheduled to close its inaugural season at Willamette Speedway on October 3rd when the track holds its Fall Classic event. On Labor Day weekend, the tour will cross the Columbia River into the state of Washington. On Saturday, September 5th, the sprint cars of the NWWT will visit Grays Harbor Raceway in Elma, Wash. The big 3/8-mile clay oval underwent a major renovation prior to the 2004 season and is widely considered as one of the finest dirt track facilities in the western United States. The Northwest Wingless Tour’s show on Setpember 5th is the first of three nights of racing at Grays Harbor Raceway. The ASCS Northwest Region (the Northwest’s touring winged 360 series), NPP Late Models from Alberta, and the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series will also race in Elma that weekend. While the Outlaws will be at another track on the 5th, there could still be several ASCS and local drivers who may likely take the wings off also to try their hand at “traditional” sprint car racing as well. The NWWT also has a pending event on August 8th and hopes to announce a race on that date soon. The Northwest Wingless Tour will have its own format and qualifying will be held at every event. A standard purse has also been established and could increase with additional sponsorship. A new Internet website for the series is also in the works. Are you on MySpace? The Northwest Wingless Tour is on MySpace also and you can visit them at http://www.myspace.com/nwwt. - - - 2009 Northwest Wingless Tour schedule April 25 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR (Grove Classic) May 23 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR June 5 - Willamette Speedway - Lebanon, OR (Strawberry Cup) June 6 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR June 27 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR July 18 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR August 8 - TBA August 15 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR September 5 - Grays Harbor Raceway - Elma, WA (“Big E Weekend”) Sprint cars only September 12 - Cottage Grove Speedway - Cottage Grove, OR October 3 - Willamette Speedway - Lebanon, OR (Fall Classic) |
