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Skagit
Speedway
Alger, Washington:
North on the I-5, just 35 miles short of
the Canadian border and 65 miles north of
Seattle, you will find Skagit Speedway. If you are a sprint car fan,
this is your track. The only thing that touches the clay on this
high-banked oval on any given night is a sprint car.
The Sportsman class is designed to be a
starter class for tomorrows 360 and 410 drivers. These cars have the
same chassis as a 360, only
with a smaller wing, steel wheels and a stock engine. The main
advantage of having a Sportsman class at this track is that you don’t
have a new driver trying to race against more seasoned drivers in
the higher classes. They can get experience in similar cars with
drivers at the same experience level as they are. Needless to say,
most of your highflying accidents are in this class.
The 360s are one of the most diverse in
Washington. There is main contingent of regulars that attend the
weekly racing programs, but you also have drivers from all over
Washington and Canada that like to come and race this class. The
only track in Washington that runs a weekly 410 class can be found
here at Skagit.
The facilities are the biggest I have found
while on my roaming through the Pacific Northwest, and they are
about to get a major face-lift that will make them even bigger and
better. Under the new management of former World of Outlaws driver
Steve Beitler, the speedway will be transforming itself over the
next five years. Already installed is a new lighting system that
rivals any speedway in the United States. Coming soon will be new
VIP luxury boxes, upgraded restrooms, upgraded offices and a new
announcers tower.
And if you come to Skagit Speedway, there
is a fully functional campground right outside the gates of the
track. And from experience, the post race festivities are well worth
it. The fans that stay at the campgrounds are fantastic.
Skagit Speedway hosts a multitude of
special events throughout the year. The Northern Sprint Tour stop is
a two-day event that brings together local and regional 360 sprint
car racers. Skagit is also an annual stop for the Pennzoil World of
Outlaws as they tour the Pacific Northwest. The Pennzoil 360
Nationals is another two-day event that will host over 65 of the
West Coast’s top 360 Sprint car teams. With more that $60,000 up
for grabs the racing will be fast and furious. Drivers from Canada,
Montana, California Oregon and Washington fight it out for the
title. And as always, this is one of the most competitive 360 shows
in the entire Western United States.
The biggest event of the year though has to
be the Jim Raper Memorial Super Dirt Cup. This three-night 410 show
brings in drivers from all over the United States and Canada and
draw over 20,000 fans. Super Dirt Cup has got to be one of the
biggest shows on dirt in the western United States. The Dirt Cup was
Jim Raper's baby. He wanted an open wheel show with a big purse that
would attract drivers from all over the coast. He had a couple of
open competition races in the late 60's, prior to the Dirt Cup
becoming a three track event in 1972, between Skagit, Sky Valley and
Elma. Elma dropped out in 1977 and Sky Valley in 1978, and then Dirt
Cup became one of the nation's top non-sanctioned open wheel events.
Known today as the Jim Raper Memorial Super Dirt Cup, the event
lives on with a purse of over $114,000. You can imagine how proud
Jim Raper would be that even after his death on June 7, 1984, his
dream would live on.
This track is a definite stop for the open
wheel racer and fan. The action is fast and the racing is clean. I
highly recommend this track. You can get more information at www.skagitspeedway.com Check
out my Skagit
Speedway photos here.
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