BOISE, IDAHO (July 12, 2011) The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series presented by Century Boatland visited Rocky Mountain Raceways this past weekend for round six of the championship series and it was local racing icon Jeff Hillock of Cedar City, UT claiming his second win of the season in front of a capacity crowd. Hillock edged former two-time series champion Zan Sharp in the 125-lap ITT sponsored event.
Jeff Hillock (Cedar Hills, UT), driver of the JH Hillock Electric Chevrolet, maintains a slim lead the point standings with the win but defending series Champion Steve Jones is closing the gap with only three races left in the championship. "It was a fun event," Hillock said. "The crew has been put to the test the last couple of races and they earned this one. "Back in the day I used to "own" RMR and winning races again; I really want it back."
Hillock started out the evening qualifying in the seventh position but championship rival Jones scored his third Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Award of the season and finished third in the race to score the most points for the event. "This series rewards qualifying well and getting those passing points make all the difference in the world," Jones offered. Lynn Hardy, Sharp, Bruce Quale, and Thane Alderman rounded out the top five qualifiers scoring bonus points.
The heat races were won by Quale and Alderman also adding to their point totals for the evening. Several newcomers joined the series for their first race including former SRL Southwest Tour champion Dave Byrd, Ron Norman, and Scott Rueschenberg from Arizona.
Based on the invert, Bryan Wordelman, last year's ASA champion, started on the front row and led the first nine circuits before Hillock took over at the point. Hillock would lead the next 44-laps until Hardy reeled him and and made the pass for the lead.
Hardy's time at the front was short lived as Hillock wrestled the top spot back from Hardy the very next lap. Even though Hillock would lead the rest of the way, Jones, Sharp, Hardy, and Wordelman would all challenge for the top spot.
Over the final 40-laps the top five were covered by a blanket thrilling the fans with two and three-wide racing. All without ever laying a fender on anyone.
"It was a heck of a show and a whole lot of fun," Hillock said. "This is what racing is all about. These guys are some of the best and the fans certainly got their monies worth. I am thrilled to get the victory and can't wait to get up to Stateline for the Idaho 200."
Zan Sharp (Wellsville, UT) had another stellar evening in his Sharp Transportation Chevrolet finishing second. After winning the opening round of the season, he has not finished outside the top ten. In his RMCS career he has started 58 races claiming seven wins, 29 top five, 39 top ten performances along with eight Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time awards.
For Steve Jones it was a good night but one that he may have let slip away driving the NC Enterprises Chevrolet. "We are still learning a few things about this new car and even though we are fast, we need a little more late in the race," Jones explained. "After a couple of bad races for us, we are right back in the thick of the points battle and winning that second championship keeps us focused." Jones has started 30 RMCS races scoring three wins, 14 top five and 20 top ten finishes along with 5 Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Awards.
Lynn Hardy (West Valley, UT) scored his second top five finish of the season coming home in the fourth position. His Qivana/Metaboliq Chevrolet has been fast all season and was a threat to win Saturday night. Hardy has started 38 RMCS races with two wins (both at RMR) 11 top five and 19 top ten performances along with eight career Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Awards.
Rounding out the top ten finishers were Wordelman, Norman, Byrd, Eric Rhead, John Wong, and Devin LaHorgue.
LaHorgue leads the A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning Rookie of the the Year standings driving his I-5 Tire Factory of Red Bluff Chevrolet scoring his second top ten finish of the season.
Hillock clings to a five point advantage over Jones in the standings with Sharp 31-points back in third place. Hardy sits fourth in the standings with Bruce Quale rounding out the top five. The next event on the schedule is the NAPA Auto Parts Idaho "200" at Stateline Stadium Speedway in Post Falls, Idaho. The event is scheduled for August 6-7 with qualifying and heat races on Saturday night and the Idaho "200" Sunday afternoon. Racers from all over the Northwest are expected to compete. Log on to www.rmcsracing.com or www.raceidaho.com for complete details.
The RMCS utilizes a racing format not found in ANY other regional touring series around the country. The RMCS inverts the full starting field putting the fast qualifiers at the back to start the race. 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. Century Boatland in Twin Falls is a major sponsor to the series providing significant support to the series all season.
The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series presented by Century Boatland 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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