Tim Westwick, the 2018 Thunder Mountain Speedway street stock champion, is hoping to put a little extra incentive up for grabs to spice up the competition at this weekend’s season opener.
For this Saturday, June 1, Westwick has issued what he’s calling a “champions challenge.”
“At the banquet back in November I said I’d take my entire championship winnings, and if we could have 10 street stocks out on opening day I said I’d give half my prize money to fast time and half to the main event.”
It’s all in good fun, of course, and for the love of the sport in order to try to get a few more cars out on the track.
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Westwick said when the green flag drops on the TMS season opener this Saturday, fans can expect a great evening of racing in all three local classes: bone stock minis, pro minis and the Williams Lake Forestry Supplies/NAPA Street Stocks.
“There’s a lot of positive momentum and vibes leading into the season,” he said, pointing to a great group of young racers who have taken to the driver’s seat in recent years.
“They’re all bringing some really good energy to the table, and that’s where it all starts is getting that next generation involved.”
In the bone stock mini class the father, son duo of Jesse Fisher and Damien Fisher, along with sophomore racer Zach Salmon, the Grant family from 100 Mile House, Tristan Waslen of Riske Creek, plus the return of Chrissie Gertzen to the racing scene.
“[Former Williams Lake racer] Kendall Thomas said you can judge the health of a club by its entry-level class and the bone stocks are by far our biggest class,” Westwick said. “It’s pretty exciting.”
In the pro mini division veterans Marius Dunford and George Giesbrecht will back in the driver’s seat, along with Jaye Salmon, who recently return to the track after his son, Zach, got involved in the sport.
“Jaye raced years ago and ran a street stock, and now he’s back again and pretty hooked, I think,” Westwick explained.
And in the street stock division, despite his challenge, Westwick said there may be a fewer number of cars for TMS’s opener due to the Wescar Late Model Touring Series hosting its stop in Prince George.
“We lose Corey Price, Garnet Grimard and Arnie Kunka,” Westwick said, but said there’s lots to look forward to in the class this season.
“We’ve got some newer street racers coming up, like Garnett Schiller — he’s coming back for his sophomore season, and Tyler Yuill, he’ll be back, plus myself.”
Asked what he loves about the sport, Westwick said it’s tough to put into words.
“There’s so much going on out there, even though it just looks like we’re going in circles,” he joked. “The competitiveness is off the charts, and to go out there and to race with competitive guys like Arnie, Donny (Kunka) and those guys, you could go out and race 30 laps and you’d never touch each other.”
On Saturday, June 15, Westwick expects a big turnout for the Wescar Late Model Touring Series when it makes its stop in Williams Lake.
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“The first one kind of gets our feet under our legs and gets everything running smoothly and then we’ve got one of the biggest events of the year coming up on the 15th with all the Wescar people coming to town,” he said.
Donny Kunka has moved up from the TMS street stock division to race in the Wescar series full time and is looking forward to racing back on home soil, while last year’s Tri-City Series champion, Darrell Horwath of Prince George, will also be in attendance.
“Wescar racing has been reignited in recenty years,” Westwick said. “From what I’m hearing we should have close to 18 Wescars on the track for that event, which is great, and all the other entry-level forms of racing are building up. People are getting hooked and moving up and that’s the idea of it.”
In preparation for race day Saturday, Thunder Mountain Speedway is hosting a work bee this Wednesday, May 29 beginning at 5 p.m., with a practice to follow, in order to help get the track in shape for racing and spectators.
The Thunder Mountain Speedway executive, meanwhile, is inviting everyone out to the track for opening night.
“The weather’s looking good and it should be a great night of racing,” Westwick said. “Our executive members and [president] Bob Lowen have been working their butts off all winter, we’ve got a bunch of veterans coming back after the first race, and a lot of new interest in the sport.”
Cost is $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.
Racing gets underway with qualifying laps beginning at 4 p.m. and racing to start at 5 p.m.
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