Champions crowned at Grays Harbor Raceway

ELMA — The 360 Sprint Cars, Shipwreck Beads Modifieds, Cut Rate Auto Parts Street Stocks and Outlaw Tuners were on hand for the 2018 Season Championships at Grays Harbor Raceway on Saturday.

Outlaw Tuners

The evening started off with the Outlaw Tuners and their 15-lap feature event.

Tyler Sundstrom of Aberdeen took the early lead with Tenino’s Chad Norton right behind him. Norton made a move for the lead off of turn four but couldn’t make the pass.

Jeremy Jones of Wishkah sat in the third spot waiting for Sunstrom and Norton to make a mistake.

Norton looked to make another pass for the lead on lap 5 and was successful in turn three. Sundstrom stayed right there as both drivers battled for the lead for multiple laps.

Norton regained the lead and went on to pick up the win over Sundstrom, Jones, Woodland’s Cody Scouller, and Don Briggs Jr. of Woodland.

Jones was named the 2018 Outlaw Tuners champion.

Cut Rate Auto Parts Street Stocks

Jeff Daniel of Ocean Shores took the early lead in the 20-lap Street Stocks feature as Rodger Perry of Belfair and Montesano driver Scott Fritts battled for second.

Fritts looked to take the lead with a pass out of turn four, bringing Aberdeen’s Zack Simpson with him.

Contact between Olympia’s Dave Larson and Perry saw a flat left rear tire on Perry’s car, causing him to slow to a stop in turn three.

Fritts continued to lead as Simpson stayed right on his back bumper. T

he battle for third between Daniel, Spanaway’s Tom Hecker, and Hoquiam driver Matt White was one of the exciting races to watch.

Lap traffic became a factor as Fritts and Simpson split the lap car of Jared Stevens of Shelton. Simpson took the lead momentarily on lap 10, but Fritts stayed right with him and raced side-by-side for a handful of laps before Simpson took the lead on lap 13.

A late-race caution allowed Austin Kerrigan of Aberdeen to move into the second spot, getting by Fritts as Simpson continued to lead. At the end of the 20-lap feature, Simpson picked up the win over Kerrigan, Fritts, Hecker and Parshall. Parshall was named Cut Rate Auto Parts Street Stocks champion for the fifth season in-a-row.

360 Sprint Cars

Shelton’s Jay Cole took the early lead from Raymond driver Devon Borden in the 25-lap feature.

Cole continued to lead as the battle for third was the race to watch between Granite Falls driver Cam Smith and JJ Hickle of Quilcene. Hickle took over third after a handful of laps.

Lap traffic became a factor early in the feature for the leaders as Cole continued to maneuver his way through the field.

Hickle later caught up with Borden for second, bringing Smith with him. Hickle took over the runner-up spot as Borden and Smith battled with a lap car.

Late in the feature, Cole made contact with the lapped car of Malachi Gemmer of Lakewood as Hickle was right on his back bumper. Cole maintained the lead, but the caution flag flew on lap 23 for Gemmer as he slowed in turn four.

The caution set up a green-white-checkered battle between Cole and Hickle. As the leaders went into turn three, Hickle took the lead coming to the white flag as Cole had apparent suspension issues.

A battle for third between Cole, Borden and Elma’s Jason Reed saw Reed look to the outside of both, but avoided an ill-handling car of Cole.

Hickle picked up the win. Smith, Cole, Borden and Reed rounded out the top five.

Cole also picked up the 2018 360 Sprint Car Championship.

Shipwreck Beads Modifieds

The only championship that was settled on the 3/8-banked clay oval on Saturday was in the Shipwreck Beads Modified division.

Entering the weekend, two points were all that separated Shelton’s Scott Miller and Tom Sweatman of Cosmopolis.

Miller took the early lead in the 25-lap feature with Sweatman right on his back bumper. Shelton’s Brenton Schnitzer sat in the third spot and was challenged early from Brian Harding of Oakville.

Miller looked strong early in the feature as lap traffic looked to become a factor before the caution flag flew for debris.

On the restart, Miller looked strong, slightly pulling away from Sweatman.

The battle for the fourth position between Harding and Cosmopolis driver Sam Carlisle saw Harding spin in turn two, but continued on to avoid bringing out the caution flag.

Miller and Sweatman separated themselves from the pack as Carlisle moved into third around Schnitzer, bringing Rainier, Oregon driver Sean Fox, and Craig Moore of Seabeck.

Sweatman continued to chase Miller and looked to the low side midway through the race, but couldn’t make the pass. Miller protected every inch of the raceway to try and stay out front.

On multiple occasions, Sweatman looked to the low side to try make a bid for the lead but didn’t have enough until a late-race caution gave Sweatman one last chance.

Sweatman looked to the low side again out of turn four coming to the white flag, making a little contact and took the lead to pick up the win and 2018 Shipwreck Beads Modifieds title.

Miller, Austin Kerrigan, Carlisle, and Moore rounded out the top five.

This coming weekend marks the final weekend of events at Grays Harbor Raceway this season as Monster Slam 18 will be in action featuring monster trucks and freestyle motocross.

There will be a meet-and-greet pit party and a monster truck ride truck. Rockstar, Identity Theft and more monster trucks will be in action with sky wheelies, high jumps, car crushing, and more. Admission is $10 per person.

The pit party is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. with the show starting at 7 p.m.

Sunday will be an afternoon show, as the pit party starts at 1 p.m. with the show beginning at 2 p.m.

For more information, visit graysharborraceway.com.