Five Pacific Northwest Drivers On First Round Fast Shaft All Star Invitational Ballot
By Ben Deatherage
Five drivers representing the Pacific Northwest find themselves on the ballot for the annual Fast Shafts All Star Invitational. This event is scheduled for Friday, September 8th, at Iowa's Boone Speedway during the prestigious Super Nationals presented by Casey's. It is the only race in the country where you the fan decide the starting lineup.
Three drivers from each of the five regions for IMCA Modifieds will be voted into the starting grid in electronic balloting that runs from July 24th through the 27th. More starters will be elected at large between July 31st through August 3rd. To be eligible a driver must have won an IMCA sanctioned Modified race that paid $1000.00 to win, or more, between July 20th, 2016 through July 20th, 2017.
To vote go to the IMCA Racing Facebook page and click on the 2017 Fast Shafts All Star Invitational Ballot #1 or click www.facebook.com/RaceIMCA/app/126231547426086/?app_data=%7B%22from%22%3A%22admin_wall%22%7D . You can vote once a day and pick up to ten drivers on each ballot.
John Campos- Two-time Madras Speedway track champion is having a banner season in 2017. He would achieve one of his largest victories of his entire career when he bested the field at Cottage Grove Speedway on June 26th to win his first career Wild West Modified Shootout feature. Campos also has local victories at Sunset Speedway Park, on May 28th, and Willamette Speedway, on July 8th. John is currently the leader in points for the Oregon State championship.
Mark Carrell- Two-time Cottage Grove Speedway Late Model champion and former winner of the Madras' Bill Mills Memorial and Sunset Speedway Parks' Topless 100 is looking to get in. The Redmond driver is eligible due to his major triumph last year at Cottage Grove during the Mark Howard Memorial Modified Nationals on July 23rd. The former Northwest Modified Cup winner, Carrell, may be a part-time racer but is always a threat whenever he rolls into the pits.
Nick Trenchard- Nick Trenchard is the current point leader at Yreka, California's Siskiyou Motor Speedway. Racing for car owners Rich and Nikki Biehn, the Klamath Falls chauffeur has managed to win three times at SMS including sweeping the John Arnberg Memorial, during Memorial Day Weekend, and scoring a huge win in the first round of the 2017 Wild West Modified Shootout. Nick also has a local win at Southern Oregon Speedway on June 3rd. Trenchard is a former track champion at Siskiyou Motor Speedway, the two-time defending winner of Elma, Washington's Shipwreck Beads Northwest Modified Nationals, twice victorious during the Rod Restad Memorial in Yreka, the Roger Haudenschild and Lon Skinner Memorials at Southern Oregon Speedway.
Jesse Williamson- The four-time, and 2017 champion, of the Wild West Modified Shootout is having an incredible season. Williamson would win two nights of action during the Shootout, including the trip to Sunset Speedway Park and the final night at Willamette Speedway, to secure the crown. The Eugene driver also has accumulated three wins at Cottage Grove Speedway including the 2017 edition on July 22nd. Also on his impressive resume includes winning the Shipwreck Beads Northwest Modified Nationals in Elma, Washington, Southern Oregon Speedway's Lon Skinner Memorial, the Bill Mills Memorial at Madras, and a former winner of the Topless 100 at Sunset Speedway Park.
Collen Winebarger- The Corbett driver has had a remarkable campaign thus far. "Superman" is the two-time defending Oregon State IMCA Modified champion. Winebarger would win both nights of the opening weekend of the Washington Modified Tour, at Central Washington State Fair Raceway in Yakima, and also an additional win in the Evergreen State at Elma's Grays Harbor Raceway on June 10th. The two-time Northwest Modified Cup champ picked up an exciting late race pass to win on Independence Day for the Firecracker 50 at Sunset Speedway Park. The two-time Willamette Speedway Modified title winner managed to repeat his 2016 victory at Madras Speedway during the Bill Mills Memorial. Collen has one local win at Willamette Speedway in IMCA Modifieds, on May 6th, but has managed to post three Late Model triumphs over the course of 2017.