Richards Dominates NAPA Auto Parts Idaho 200

BOISE, IDAHO (August 10, 2011) The CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series presented by Century Boatland saw first time RMCS winner Kevin Richards take his second NAPA Auto Parts Idaho "200" title this past weekend at Stateline Speedway in Post Falls, Idaho. The event featured some of the top racing talent from the intermountain west region in the 12th running of the marquee event.

Starting positions for the Idaho "200" were determined though qualifying which set the top two spots in the race. The rest of the field would have to race their way in via two 25-lap qualifying races and one 25-lap B-main.

Ryan Wells out of Hingham, MT paced the field in qualifying with a quick lap of 13.515 second lap around the fast quater-mile oval and collected the Sharp Powder Coating Fast Time Award bonus. Local racing icon Dave Garber clocked in second quick with both drivers locking into the Idaho 200 srting 16th and 15th respectively and the invert. Braeden Havens, Jeff Hillock, and Lynn Hardy rounded out the top five in qualifying.

After qualifying, two 25-lap qualifying races were held to determine the rest of the top 16. Wells dominated his qualifying race but since he was locked in already, the next seven drivers would fill even starting positions 14-2. In the second qualifying race, Jeff Hillock edged Dave Garber for the top spot and would line up 13th for the 200-lap feature.

Sharp, who is seeking his third series title, had to overcome some adversity as he lost a motor in his primary car before qualifying and was forced to qualify in a back up car that had not seen the track. Sharp was disappointed in his qualifying effort and how the car ran in his qualifying race, but the crew would work on it over night in preparation for the race.

Sharp started on the pole for the Idaho 200 and paced the 26-car field, but it was evident the crew found the speed that was missing in qualifying as he led the first 56 circuits. Sharp gave way to Richards on lap 57, after moving to the front from his 11th starting position. Richards would lead the next 30-laps before Dave Garber asserted himself at the front of the field.

Quick qualifier Wells had the fastest car early in the race moving up inside the top top ten but fell out after 40 laps with suspension issues.

Garber would lead the field to the halfway break. As the action resumed in the second half, Garber looked to have the car to beat as he was chasing his first Idaho "200" triumph as being denied on eleven previous occasions. Garber would pull out to a two-to three car length lead at times but a caution on lap 115 bunched up the field for a double file restart.

As Garber and the rest of the field took the green on the restart, Lynn Hardy who was running third at the time, got into the back of Garber and the leader spun. The RMCS has a no fault rule, meaning if a driver is involved in bringing out the caution you go to the back. Both Garber and Hardy fell to the back of the field with Hardy drawing the ire of the partisan Garber crowd.

Richards inherited the lead and would never look back over the final 84-laps but the action behind him was nothing short of spectacular. Hardy served his penalty but that did little to detour the veteran competitor as he marched through the field not once, but twice over the final 80-laps to move into the second position in the final rundown.

Sharp maintained the third spot with Bruce Quale, Eric Rhead, Devin LaHorgue, and Dave Garber putting on great side-by-side racing show for the fans over the closing 50-laps.

Quale crossed the finish line in the fourth position after running as high as second on two occasions while Rhead delivered his best performance of the season and rebounded with a heavily damaged car to finish in fifth position. Rhead ran as high as third place much of the second half of the race.

Devin Lahorgue out of Redding, CA continues to impress and finished sixth for his third top top ten of the season extending his A-1 Heating and Air Conditioning Rookie-of-the-Year point lead. Dave Garber rebounded to finish seventh after making several stops late in the race to adjust his suspension. Travis Allen making his first series start finished eighth after making his way into the race from the B-main. Jim Wulfenstein and Ross Cooper rounded out the top ten finishers in the 12th NAPA Auto Parts Idaho "200"

Richards, who was not planning on running the race until two days before was surprised and excited by the outcome. "We always have a good car for Stateline but we only decided to race at the urging of Zan (Sharp) and a few other friends," Richards offered. "I am really glad we did. This is a cool race and the RMCS puts on a heck of a show. Our car was as about perfect as you can get and I am thrilled to win the Idaho "200" for the second time."

The RMCS pays out the event purse based on total point accumulation and Richards benefited there as well pocketing over $5,600 for the victory. "It all worked out this weekend," Richards continued. "To get the win and the money, well, there nothing better than that."

RMCS Point leaders Jeff Hillock and Steve Jones both exited the event early handing the point lead over to Sharp. Sharp holds a 35-point advantage over Hillock who drops to second in the standings. Hardy moves up to third 25-points behind Hillock with Jones dropping to fourth place followed by Quale rounding out the top five.

Sharp was all smile after the race. "We could not have asked for better weekend given the challenges we faced," Sharp said. "We wanted to run good but a top three finish in a back up car along with taking over the point lead, wow. I hate it for Steve (Jones) and Jeff (Hillock) as those guys have been the class of the field all season. This points deal in the RMCS is tough and a bad race can really make a lot of difference."

The next race for the CarbonX Rocky Mountain Challenge Series is Saturday, August 20 at Rocky Mountain Raceways. Jones (1) and Hillock (2) have each picked up victories at RMR this season. For the latest news and information regarding the RMCS log onto www.rmcsracing.com.



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 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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