By Andrew Kunas
PORTLAND, Ore. – The IXL Metal Conditioner NorthWest Wingless Tour on Saturday crowned their 2010 season champions, Theo McCarty in the traditional 360 sprint cars and Doug Kammerzell in the NWWT’s midget car division, at its banquet at The Refectory Restaurant & Bar in northeast Portland.
McCarty, who calls Hillsboro, Ore. home, did not win any main events but finished in the Top 10 in all but one of the races the NWWT completed this year, including finishes of second place at Willamette Speedway and third place at Southern Oregon Speedway. His consistency was what won him his first championship under the NorthWest Wingless Tour banner, driving the Ron Brown-owned No. 14.
Kammerzell, from Arlington, Wash. announced that the 2010 season was his last as a driver after about 25 years of racing. Kammerzell was strong all season driving the Carl Peter owned No. 81 entry, picking up a victory at Willamette Speedway on July 30th. To go along with his midget car title, Kammerzell also won a title with the Washington Econo Sprint Car Organization, giving him two championships this season to close out his career.
Kammerzell will also go down in the record books as the NWWT’s last midget car champion, as the midget group will become the new dirt track division for the Washington Midget Racing Association in 2011. Evan Margeson, also from Washington, was the NWWT midget division’s first champion in 2009.
The NWWT also gave awards for most improved driver in both divisions. Kyle Mehner, who finished fifth in the season point standings, earned that honor in the sprint car division. Allison Journey was given the award for her third place finish in the midget car division.
Jeff Bell was announced as the recipient of the NWWT’s Hardship award in the sprint car division, based off his miserable weekend in mid-July at Grays Harbor Raceway in Washington. After winning the June race at Grays Harbor, Bell crashed hard in the NWWT’s Thursday night show the next month. Two nights later, Bell was racing his Ford Focus midget at the same track when he went for a wild set of flips, suffering multiple injuries that ended his season.
Mitch Hoffses, who also had a rough wreck at Grays Harbor Raceway, was given the Hardship award in the midget car division.
Hoffses took second place in the midget car standings, followed by Journey, Peter Bittrolf and Glenn Bittrolf. Hoffses was unable to attend the banquet as he in the eastern part of the country on business.
Mike Romig finished second in the sprint car standings, followed by Tony Offutt, Dylan Olsen and Mehner.
McCarty, who is also the president of the NWWT, stepped up to the podium at the start of the banquet and spoke a little about the 2011 season, which he and the board of directors have been working on. Though the schedule has yet to be finalized and contracts have not been signed, tentative agreements have been made with six different tracks in two states for IXL Metal Conditioner NorthWest Wingless Tour sprint car racing events in 2011. McCarty hopes to have the finalized schedule out by January, but is expecting a strong schedule for the tour’s third season of action next year.
The NWWT also acknowledged its primary sponsors. IXL Metal Conditioner was the tour’s title sponsor for the second straight year and Competition Motorsports and Herz Precision Parts were also strong sponsors, adding additional money to the purse at a number of events this season.
Ron Brown, owner of McCarty’s sprint car and also Competition Motorsports, located in Portland, was also voted by banquet attendees as the NWWT’s “Most Inspirational Person” and was given his award at the banquet as well. Brown, who helped start the NorthWest Wingless Tour prior to the 2009 season, announced that he will be scaling back his involvement in the tour and “let the young people run with it.”
Mother Nature was not kind to the NWWT in 2010, as the season started with two rainouts and ended with two rainouts for the sprint cars. The midgets also lost a pair of events to rain.
More information on the IXL Metal Conditioner NorthWest Wingless Tour can be found online at http://www.nwwinglesstour.com.
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Trophy recipients
SPRINT CARS
Hardship – Jeff Bell
Most Improved – Kyle Mehner
Tenth place – Mark Herz
Ninth place – Tony Thomas
Eighth place – Corey Esteban
Seventh place – Mike Gable
Sixth place – Bill Winsley
Fifth place – Kyle Mehner
Fourth place – Dylan Olsen
Third place – Tony Offutt
Second place – Mike Romig
Champion – Theo McCarty
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MIDGETS
Hardship – Mitch Hoffses
Most Improved – Allison Journey
Tenth place – Steve Veltman
Seventh place (tie) – Pat Bliss
Seventh place (tie) – Lance Hallmark
Seventh place (tie) – Rob Lindsey
Sixth place – Evan Margeson
Fifth place – Glenn Bittrolf
Third place (tie) – Peter Bittrolf
Third place (tie) – Allison Journey
Second place – Mitch Hoffses
Champion – Doug Kammerzell