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EAST WENATCHEE,
Washington -- The KKRV 150 at Wenatchee Valley’s Super Oval and
the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Northwest Series treated
fans to a pair of hotly
contested battles Saturday night. One was for the win in the
race in which Gary Lewis edged Jeff Jefferson in door-to-door
racing and the other was Jefferson nudging out Travis Bennett
for the series points championship by the slimmest of margins,
one point.
Jefferson entered the evening in third place for the Northwest
Series chase for the championship 15 points behind leader
Garrett Evans and he trailed second-ranked Travis Bennett by
nine points. Three drivers that close in points heading into
this final race created more championship scenarios than could
be imagined. Not to be completely forgotten in the mix were
Jason Jefferson and Pete Harding who were both waiting in the
wings with reasonable chances should those top three find
trouble on the racetrack.
Trouble found Garrett Evans on the fourth lap as he got caught
up in an accident that occurred in front of him thereby
eliminating the points leader from the title hunt and his
personal quest for a fifth series championship. It was
undoubtedly a disappointing end to a wonderful season for Evans.
The bad luck he was able to avoid all season long ended up
catching the 20-year veteran in the season’s final two races.
However, this year’s performance by Evans sends a clear message
that the retirement rumors are a bit premature.
After Jeff Jefferson, who hails from Naches, Wash., won his
fifth Bud Pole Award of the season in his #42 Sunfair
Chevrolet/LeMay Car Museum Chevy and the invert was set at six,
meaning that the top six qualifiers order to start the race
would be inverted, his mission to march to the front was
underway. “I wanted to win the pole so I could draw for the
invert and have no one to blame but myself for an unlucky draw,”
he said. “It worked out, though. The six is as good as it gets.”
The pole sitter at that point was Brandon Riehl, but he, too,
was involved in that early incident that collected Evans. Gary
Lewis was in that group of cars that made contact with each
other, as well, but he was able to steer clear of substantial
damage and emerged as the race leader.
That was a lead that he would never surrender, but Jeff
Jefferson mounted some very serious challenges in the final few
laps. Those challenges could well have been very costly in that
they were not necessary with the order in which the cars were
running. Perhaps his crew was looking to put as much distance as
possible between their car and the #33 of Travis Bennett, but
they were telling Jefferson on the radio that he needed to get
around Lewis and win the race to secure the season’s
championship. Either their math skills need some work or, as was
probably the case, they were looking for as much cushion as
possible. “I had the numbers running in my head as they were
telling me that I had to get around (Lewis) to win the
championship,” Jefferson said. “I didn’t think that was right,
but I don’t need to be figuring points in my head out there. I
had to trust my team.” He did just that. Upon crossing the
finish line a scant .34 of a second behind Lewis, Jefferson
drove his car to the pit area in disappointment apparently
looking to skip any post-race ceremonies. He did opt to drive
back out onto the track as he began to trust the math he had
done in his own head. “I knew that if Travis and I were both
running up front that I had to finish two places ahead of him to
make up the nine points with one to spare,” he said. “I just had
to wait and have the NASCAR officials confirm that I was right.”
Bennett did indeed finish two spots behind Jefferson thus losing
the championship by that single point, but don’t let that
detract from what the Auto Meter Rookie of the Year accomplished
in the race, as well as, throughout the year. Once Evans was
removed from the title hunt, the onus shifted to Bennett and his
Bowman’s Electro Painting/Zeb’s Truck Stop/Knudson Lumber
Chevrolet. The problem was that Bennett, out of Ellensburg,
Wash., started the race four places behind Jefferson putting
Bennett and his crew in catch-up mode from the outset of the
event. They were up to the challenge and found themselves
directly behind Jefferson inside of 40 laps. “I knew he
(Bennett) was right behind me so I decided to try and pass (Joe)
Benedetti, who was in front of me,” said Jefferson. “And when I
finally got around Joe I looked in the mirror and saw that
Travis got around him, too.”
Jeff Jefferson was able to work past his younger brother, Jason,
on the 72nd lap of the race, which put a car between the two
championship contenders. “When I got past Jason, I was just
hoping that he would be able to hold Travis behind him,” said
the elder Jefferson.
Bennett felt it was just that, holding. “I feel like that I had
him and could have passed him, but he blocked me pretty good,”
said Bennett. “That’s racing, and I’m not real happy about it
now, but still proud of what this team was able to get done this
season.” And proud he should be. Bennett came into the season
with just two Northwest Series races on his resume. He made easy
work of the rookie of the year race. And perhaps the most
telling statistics in Bennett’s success are that he and his team
finished in the top 10 in every event in 2004 and was the only
car to complete every lap all season long.
Often lost on a night when a non-race winner is crowned season
champion is the actual race winner. Lewis’ effort on this night
should not be overlooked. It was his new racecar’s second event
and its first time on the 1/4-mile oval in East Wenatchee. “The
car did pretty well,” said the Bothell, Wash. resident. “It
started to get loose around lap 125 and I just tried to keep it
on the bottom as best I could.” The Sign Factory
USA/Sandblasters/Nutter Racing Engines Chevy may have wanted to
slide up the track toward end of the race, but the motor wasn’t
going away.
Maybe this race was a little preview of next season with Lewis
in Victory Lane in that car. “I’m getting more and more
comfortable in the car,” he said. “It’s a great car. I really
look forward to getting it on the track soon.”
Yakima, Washington’s Jason Jefferson in his Legends Casino/Mike
Olson Dodge/Simmonson Automotive Dodge logged his sixth top-five
finish of the season by winding up in third and perhaps lending
a helping hand to his older brother’s championship effort. Along
with third place, Jefferson picked up the Featherlite “Most
Improved Driver” Award given to the driver who improves to most
positions from the previous event. On September 4 at TriCity
Raceway, Jefferson made contact with the outside retaining wall
and finished 18th.
Finishing fifth was Joe Benedetti of Auburn, Wash., who wrapped
up the season with five consecutive top-10 finishes in the Bret
Chevrolet/RaceCals Chevrolet. Additionally, it was his fourth
top-five effort of the year.
Rounding out the top 10 were Riehl, Wes Rhodes, Pete Harding,
Tom Sweatman and Matt Hall.
Another notable winner on the evening was Port Orchard,
Washington’s Jim McVey as he earned the POWERade “Power Move of
the Race” Award. This is given to the driver who improves his
position the most over the course of the event. McVey started
the race in the 21st position and worked his way forward for a
finish in 11th in the Snap-On Tools/Fast Signs of Shoreline
Chevrolet. McVey and his team had not been to a Northwest Series
event since June due in part to a damaged motor, but there was
also some strategy involved. He was able to save his rookie
status and should be able to run for the award next season.
Later in the evening following the race and after some of the
jubilation was able to sink into Jeff Jefferson’s mind, he was
able to reflect on his back-to-back Northwest Series
championships. “Don’t get me wrong, the first one last year was
great, but now that I know what all it means to win a
championship in the Elite Division this one means that much
more,” he said. “Aside from the prize money and stuff which is
great, but the really awesome thing is the opportunity to go to
New York for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series awards ceremony and
stand next to the champions of the three national series, as
well as, all the other divisions. That is really something.”
Jefferson did not forget the people that took care of him all
season. “I owe a great deal of this to Chuck Carruthers, my crew
chief along with the entire crew,” said the elated champion.
“They gave me the car to beat at just about every race this
season. They’re a super group of people.”
The 2004 Northwest Series championship race was one for the
ages. The championship was decided by one point and there was
only 65 points difference from first to sixth place.
The next event for the Northwest Series, at least the top ten
teams, is the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown to be held
November 11-13 at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway
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