by Mike Weber
Outstanding performances by St. Helens
drivers Gannin Thomas, Brad Beehler and Tricia "Great"
Brittain and Scappoose drivers Dan Smith and Tim Williams
highlighted River City Speedway's third stock car race
Saturday at the Columbia County Fairgrounds. Beehler,
26, captured the mini stock race to post his first ever
A Main win and Thomas won the Baxter Auto Parts Modified
Main to record his first win ever in the series.
A new nickname might be appropriate
for Tricia "Double Duty" Brittain, who had
an impressive effort while competing in two classes.
Brittain was runnerup in the Reser's Fine Foods Sportsman
main and was second to women's division winner Stacey
Fordyce, of Vancouver. Brenda Hurley was third, followed
by Celeste Hardesty, Tria Prettyman and Kathy Griffin.
Wiiliams, the sportsman division leader,
manuevered up from an 11th place starting position to
take third in the main with his Alliance Automotive
Chevrolet Camaro. Vancouver's Don Jenner had a remarkable
last-to-first run in his Perfection Automotive/Tom's
Performance Monte Carlo. Jenner took the checkered flag
a straightaway length in front of Brittain's Competitive
Edge Sign & Design Monte Carlo and Williams, whose
two cars were side-by-side at the finish line.
"I had an excellent night, the
car is running great and I just hope to continue leading
the point standings and hopefully, win the championship,"
said Williams, who posted a third straight top-five
A main finish. "My girlfriend (Griffin) and I are
having lots of fun competing in stock car racing and
that's the most important thing."
Smith took fourth in the main behind
Rainier's Greg Greer and runnerup Ray Elwess of Portland.
Thomas moved past Greer on lap 20 on the inside lane
of the quarter-mile clay oval track and led the remainder
of the 35-lap race with his Generation Transmission
open-wheel style modified racer. Elwess moved up from
16th place to take second.
"I've been racing here since I
was 14-years-old, so this doesn't seem like anything
special, but I suppose it is, since it's my first main
event win in this class," said Thomas, 37, a three-time
sportsman champ (1992, 1998, 1999). "I'm somewhat
surprised that I won in just my second race. There's
tendency to blow things out of proportion especially
since modified's have more horsepower and smaller tires,
but it's not much different that driving other race
cars. I'm grateful to have Adam Neuhalfen (Snap-On tools
distributor) as my sponsor, which helps tremendously."
Vancouver's Bill Hoekstra led 29 circuits
of the mini stock A main in a Datsun until Beehler moved
alongside him on lap 30 in his Rainier Logging Datsun
210. Their two cars were side-by-side for several laps
with Beehler edging ahead from his inside position to
take the lead for good on lap 34. Four-time series champ
and division leader Joe Cherington of Vancouver was
a close second in his Circle H Enterprises Datsun as
the top two cars were bumper-to-bumper at the conclusion
of the 40-lap race.
Warrenton's Mark Guindon was fourth,
followed by Portland's Ben Palmer and Brad's brother,
Adam Beehler, was sixth. Guindon won the trophy dash
and Portland's Scott Beaudoin won the B main. Adam had
an outstanding qualifying run in his Honda as he set
the mini stock new track record of 16.40 seconds.
"Cherington is a great driver
who consistently finishes up front and that's the most
important thing in auto racing, but I just haven't been
able to do that," said Brad Beehler, whose D.F.I.
sponsored five-car race team includes family members
Mark Beehler Sr., Mark Jr., Rick Beehler and Larry Pelletier.
"Winning the A main is the highlight of my two-year
career, I had lots of fun and it sure was a great thrill."
Street stock division leader Curt Nusom
of Gresham, won the A main and heat race in his Camaro.
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