BOISE, IDAHO (June 10, 2011) The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series returns to Magic Valley Speedway in Twin Falls, Idaho Saturday night for round four of the championship series. The series known for its 20-car invert will stage the 28th series event at the one-third mile paved oval that has seen 16 different race winners. Leading the series is Jeff Hillock of Cedar Hills, UT who claimed his first career series win on Memorial Day and is looking to back that up with some more magic in Twin Falls.
Hillock is no stranger to winning races and championships, but this is the first season that he has focused on running the entire RMCS schedule. That commitment has vaulted Hillock to the head of the class as he currently leads the point standings after three races.
After 28 seasons behind the wheel you would think there is not much new a racer can learn. But as times change, so does the technology and the competition. "One would like to think you could just go out and win like you used to," Hillock said. "That is not the way it works in racing. The RMCS is a really tough series and we had to really go back to school and learn some new things and it just took us a while to catch up."
And catch up he did. While Hillock has started a handful of races in the series each season over the years and has been very competitive each time out, he was just missing that little bit that comes from racing week in and week out.
"My crew chief Bob (Massie) and I have been racing together for 15-years so we have kind of been there and done that," Hillock offered. "What is making this season so special is seeing all the fun the young guys on the team are having. This is all new to them and makes it pretty exciting for us."
"I am really looking forward to the race at Magic Valley," Hillock continued. "We have been pretty good there over the years but in this series you have to be a good qualifier and that is where we are still learning and working. I have never been that good at qualifying but I race well. At Magic Valley there is a definite line and the fast guys with experience always know where it is and how to race it."
The tricky one-third mile oval at MVS has proven to be one of the most exciting tracks the series races at each season producing some of the best finishes for the fans. "Most guys like the bottom but I prefer to run the high side," Hillock said. "It just takes patience and trust. You can trust the guys in this series to race you clean and with the new setups we have been working on I feel that we will have the car to beat Saturday night."
Defending series champion Steve Jones out of Boise, Idaho is slowly getting back into championship form having scored two top five performances in the last two races including a win at RMR back in May. Jones has moved up to second place in the standings just 44-points behind Hillock.
In eleven previous series starts at MVS, the best finish for Jones is a second place performance in the season finale last year; despite having won more than fifty (50) times en route to claiming seven track championships.
"I have a lot of laps at Magic Valley but the RMCS has a lot of talent and this year is certainly proving to be tough," Jones continued. "The team is really prepared and I we really want to get that first win at Magic Valley. We have been racing here for so many years and have so many friends and fans that come out to the track."
Bobby Latham III of Twin Falls leads all series drivers with four victories at MVS with two-time series champion Dave Minegar and 2009 champion John Dillon scoring three wins each. Zan Sharp, Tom Hill, Bryan Warf, James Eaton, and John Newhouse each have two wins apiece at MVS with seven other drivers claiming one victory.
Last season, hometown hero Bruce Quale scored his first series win in this event and the multi-time track champion is looking to back that win up with another strong performance Saturday night.
John Newhouse of Twin Falls is only running a partial schedule this season but is a threat to win each time he competes. Newhouse will make his 62nd career start (all-time starts leader) Saturday night. Newhouse also has 49 career top ten finishes in 61 starts along with 33 top five finishes and two wins. Two-time champion Dave Minegar will only compete on a part-time basis this year making his first start later in the season.
Dave Minegar is the track record holder with a quick lap of 14.216 seconds/84.328 mph and has 23 career Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Awards. Steve Jones picked up the Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Award when the series last visited MVS back in April but well off Minegar's record setting pace. Warmer temperatures this time around may change that as Jones' new Lefthander chassis has been fast all season.
Two-time series champion Zan Sharp was out of the seat in the last event due to a recreational vehicle accident last month but plans to be back in action Saturday night. Sharp has started 55 career races collecting seven wins, nine fast times along with 36 top ten and 29 top five performances. Sharp was the winner at MVS back in April and is looking to get his championship season back on track.
Hillock leads the point standings after three events by 44-points over Jones. Lynn Hardy holds down the third position 13-points behind Jones with Zan Sharp and Eric Rhead rounding out the top five. Bruce Quale sits sixth in the standings followed by John Wong, Jim Wulfenstein, Lonnie Lowder, and John Newhouse rounding out the top ten.
Racing action gets underway at 6pm with RMCS qualifying and a whole host of local racing action featuring several local racing divisions.
The RMCS utilizes a racing format not found in ANY other regional touring series around the country. The top 20 qualifiers are inverted for every race putting fast time in the 20th starting position. This format ensures race fans see what they paid for and that is passing. Each driver is awarded three points per position gained in the event. Points are also awarded for qualifying and heat race finishes. Through the history of the series, the winning driver has averaged a 15th place starting position. To ensure competition, the RMCS pays it purse based on total point accumulation for the event and provides several special performance awards at each race.
The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is a regional touring series that allows all competitors to race and gain experience on different types of racetracks. It is a high-quality professional racing series that offers maximum opportunity at an affordable price serving the intermountain West. The motto of the series is to “Race Hard and Have Fun!” For all the latest news and information regarding the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series log on to our website at www.rmcsracing.com .
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