By Mike Weber
Former champions Troy Schreiner, Gary
Meyer and Joe Cherington appear to be contenders again
as they each won in River City Speedway's season opener
Saturday. Portland's Jacki Graham, runnerup in 2003
to Paula Timmons, has hopes of winning the title and
she started well by winning the women's division main
in her Chevrolet Nova. Schreiner, of Longview, the
defending sportsman champ, won the A main. Stephen
Kaptur of St. Helens, took third and Tricia Brittain
of St. Helens, won the B main. Cherington, the 2002
champ, from Vancouver, won the mini stock main event.
After a seventh place 2003 division
finish, Gary Morris of Boring, has his sights set on
first this year and he led the Reser's Fine Foods modified
A main event from start-to-finish with his Pub 212/Ray's
Automotive sponsored open-wheel style racer. Morris
started on the pole position of the 16-car field and
maintained a slight advantage throughout the 40-lap
race over frontrunners Dan Fox of Warren and Hillsboro's
Scott Puncochar in a three-car battle. Following a
lap 38 caution flag, it ended with flagman Russ Voight
waving consecutive green, white and checkered flags
as Morris won by two car lengths over Fox. Puncochar,
who was fastest in qualifying (15.63 seconds) on the
rough quarter-mile clay oval track, took third, followed
by Dan Smith of Scappoose and Portland's Ray Elwess.
Shawn Dorie of Scappoose, won the B main.
"I started last year the same
way, but I didn't get my second win until the last
race, so maybe things will go better now and if I can
win more often, then hopefully I'll have a chance for
the division title," said Morris. "Fox and
I really had a good, clean race and we've competed
together for many years, so we both have a good, mutual
respect for each other."
Meyer, the 2002 street stock champion,
took the lead in the main after passing Scott Puncochar
on lap six. Puncochar, the 2003 champ, exited the track
on lap 15, when his Louis Construction Chevrolet Camaro
overheated. Meyer, of Vernonia, led the remainder of
the 35-lap race in his Meyer's Auto Body Plymouth Roadrunner
and won by one car-length over Clark Tenney of Scappoose,
in the 21st Century Towing Malibu. Portland's Rob Duncan
was third, followed Gresham drivers Skip Pillow and
John Nusom. Pillow's performance was incredible as
he won the B main, which enabled him to qualify for
a last place starting position in the 16-car A feature
and he maneuvered up impressively to fourth.
Tenney's accomplishment was notable
since he's one of of just a few - out of nearly 100
participating drivers, who enters two stock car racing
classes. Tenney also competed in the sportsman series
and he recorded an eighth place main event finish in
the Dave's Automotive Monte Carlo. Dave McDaniel of
Scappoose, who is the Columbia County Racing Association
president, will compete as a co-driver with Tenney
and they'll participate on an alternating basis throughout
the 14-race schedule.
"We really had a good day and
since it was my first ever sportsman race, I was glad
to get a top-10 finish," said Tenney, 39, who
has competed five years in the street stock class. "Very
few people compete in two classes and it's a lot of
work. We have a good pit crew with Bert Jones and his
son, Jesse Jones and that's important because they
work hard to get the cars ready, so all I have to do
is climb into the car and drive. Dave was pretty busy
since he's the new president, but he'll try the double
driving duty in the next race May 8."
"I love racing with Meyer, he's
such a great driver and it's almost like a moral victory
finishing second to him and I sure had fun," said
Tenney. "We're going to try to win the street
stock title and we have a car that's capable of finishing
up front, so maybe with a little luck we'll have a
good chance."
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