NST: Yakima results

Crockett Wraps Up 4th Northern Sprint Tour Title

No one was leaving the stands at State Fair Raceway in Yakima, WA, during the feature event, as race winner Roger Crockett of Eugene, OR battled Rick Fauver and Shawna Wilskey in a wheel to wheel battle through the last half of the 25 lap event to win his 4th straight Northern Sprint Tour Season Championship on September 24th, finishing at the top of the 45 car field.

Starting 12th in the field, Crocket used the top groove of the three-eights mile oval to move to challenge for the lead on a lap 12 yellow flag restart. Both Wilskey, of Mt. Vernon, WA and Crockett raced past race leader Glenn Borden of Raymond, with Wilskey on the point and Crockett close behind as the exited turn two. On the next lap Everett, WA's Fauver put Borden down another notch, taking third from where he would watch the top two swap the lead several times on their way to the checkered flag.

Crockett finally nailed the spot on lap 21 as Wilskey battled lapped traffic on the backstretch and Crockett slipped by in the high groove. As the leaders passed the finish line Crockett's motor went silent and he was pushed to the winner's circle.

"It's a good thing that it was just a 25 lap race," stated Crockett in the post race interview. "I lost oil pressure on the last lap so I shut it off at the line. I hope we didn't do too much damage. The car was running good and the track was really racy. It slicked off some, which I like, and I was able to get by several cars. Shawna got held up in the traffic and I saw the opening and took it."

Wilskey, a three time NST Champion, was running her first NST race of the season. "I felt a little rusty on the first lap but after that not at all", said Wilskey. "The car ran real good and it was just my fault I screwed up in traffic and Roger got by."

Fauver, also a past NST Champion, commented, "We had a good car. We have second place wrapped up now so we'll go out tomorrow, run a hard race and try for a win."

Borden made an outside move on the initial green to the lead over Central Point, OR's Billy Nutter and pole sitter Ed Evans of Marysville, WA. The next 7 laps saw many position changes between Nutter, Evans, Wilskey, and Fauver for a top five spot and wing to wing racing between Shawn Rice, Jay Smith, Jimmy Trulli and Chad Hillier close behind.

After Wilskey's move to the lead on the lap 12 restart, the pack opened until the leaders caught the backmarkers on lap 18. Crockett and Wilskey exchanged the lead at least four times in the next three laps with the final yellow flying with 2 laps to go when Travis Rutz of Langley, BC lost a motor and spun into the fence in turn three after working his way from the B-main to a top 5 spot.

Although the pack was again tightened up, Crockett had a cushion of 2 lapped cars and although Wilskey made quick work of them, she was unable to reel in the leader.

"I never thought four years ago that I would be standing here with four championships," said Crockett after being asked his feelings on the win and Championship. "There are some awfully tough competitors in the NST. I really have to thank the sponsors and my owners and crew for providing a winning car every week. And, I want to thank all the fans for their support also."

Filling out the top six were Nutter, Hillier and Rice. Nampa, ID's Shawn Smith worked up seven spots to finish in 8th behind J. Smith.

Jay Smith of Sedro Woolley, WA made a hard move for the lead on the opening lap of the 15-lap B-Feature event but it took three laps before he was able to get past both Rutz and Bob Stevens and take the spot at the point. Rutz, and Richmond, BC's Stevens trailed the leader until Hillier moved in on lap 8 to pick off Stevens and then pulled off the pass to 2nd over Rutz two laps later.

>From there to the checkered flag the leaders worked through traffic as Jay Cole of Shelton, WA did the best job of passing for the night, picking off nine positions for a 7th place finish J. Smith, Hillier, Rutz and Stevens made the transfer to the A-feature event with Travis Jacobson and Jimmy Trulli filling the top six.

In the C-main event it was Dawn-L Morrison leading wire to wire for the win and transfer to the B-main. The Millet, AB driver never looked back and had nearly a half-lap lead at the end of the 10-lap race. Mike Grable held off a very determined Brian Kirkpatrick to get the second transfer spot after having lost the spot earlier in the race.

Heat race wins went to Jayme Barnes, Brandon Harkness, Andy Jacobson and Evans.

Evans led green to checkered in the dash after out racing Borden, Jr. through the first two turns.

Having the fast qualifying time of the night was Shawna Wilskey with a 14.872 second lap.

Hosting the Season Finale of the Northern Sprint Tour as part of the Central Washington State Fair for the fourth year, State Fair Raceway will provided fans with another exciting night of racing on Saturday the 25th, the final night of the Northern Sprint Tour 2004 season.

SUMMARY

Fast Time -- Shawna Wilskey -- 14.872.

Heat 1 -- Jayme Barnes, Greg Kinch, Shawna Wilskey, Steve Kilcup, Dawn-L Morrison, Travis Jacobson, Brad Holmes, David Gilmore, Jake, Mann, Jay Smith, Kevin Kirkpatrick.

Heat 2 -- Brandon Harkness, Roger Crockett, Rod Perkins, Billy Nutter, Barry Martinez, Chad Hillier, Chris Adams, Ron Reed, Mike Grable, Bob Stevens, Kelly Barnett.

Heat 3 --Andy Jacobson, Rick Fauver, Shawn Smith, Shawn Rice, Jimmy Trulli, Dale Smith, Nick Evans, Randy Pierce, Dan Dunlap, Brian Kirkpatrick, Bill Balog.

Heat 4 -- Ed Evans, Josh Dewitt, Glenn Borden, Jr., Cory Chamberlin, Jay Cole, Travis Rutz, Alex Hantel, Jeff Bell, Jared Ridge, Nick Engberg, Henry Van Dam(DNS).

Dash --Evans, Borden, Jr., Fauver, Nutter, Wilskey, Rice.

C-Main -- Morrison, Grable, B. Kirkpatrick, Dunlap, Reed, Barnett, Ridge, Mann, Balog(DNS), K. Kirkpatrick(DNS), Van Dam(DNS).

B-Main -- J. Smith, Hillier, Rutz, Stevens, T. Jacobson, Trulli, Cole, Adams, N. Evans, Gilmore, Bell, Martinez, Morrison, Hantel, Holmes, Pierce, D. Smith, Grable, B. Kirkpatrick.

A-Main -- Crockett, Wilskey, Fauver, Nutter, Hillier, Rice, J. Smith, S. Smith, Barnes, B. Harkness, Borden, Jr., A. Jacobson, E. Evans, Stevens, Chamberlin, Perkins, Dewitt, Kilcup, Kinch, Rutz.

-nst-