Busy Webbs take another spin at sprint boat races

Amanda Webb, her husband, Matt, and the entire support team of Webb’s Slough are busy preparing for the venue’s second sprint boat race of the season set for Aug. 23.

After a successful June run with more than 3,000 spectators and 20 boats, next weekend’s event looks to be bigger.

“We’re expecting 23 boats for the event and should see a crowd of at least 3,000 to 5,000,” Amanda Webb said. “That type of crowd size is bigger than what they’ve drawn in Boise or Albany, Oregon, which has a new race site. We have been pretty pleased with the response so far.”

Racing action will keep fans entertained and the layout of the slough allows for seating on six terraces and other portions of the course.

During breaks in the action, Webb said several events have been planned to keep everyone excited throughout the day.

“People won’t want to get up and go for food, that’s for sure,” she said. “Our live entertainment plans are coming together and you’ll definitely want to be here the entire day. It’s a big surprise as to what we have planned, but we know our fans will enjoy the entertainment.”

Adding live entertainment is part of the overall process of constantly improving the facility, Webb said.

“We continue to make the whole venue look better and run smoother. Our preparation is going good, but I would say that it’s not true that it gets easier the more (race events) you do. This is our third race ever here in St. John and we’re always looking to the future.

“I just want to get through this weekend, but I know that Matt is already planning ahead for 2009.”

The growth of the event has spurred the Webbs to work with TicketsWest for presale customers and that partnership has been a benefit to the draw of the overall weekend, Webb said.

“TicketsWest presale action is easy for our fans to obtain entry to the event,” she said. “We do have those that buy at the gate or drive to the office in St. John, but overall we’re still learning all about the impact of having (Tickets West) assist with our presales of the events.”

Once racing action is completed, the St. John Fairgrounds will come alive with a barn dance for fans.

“It’s only $5 to get into the dance and we think it’s a great way to top off the day’s racing action,” Webb said.

For more information regarding the Webb’s Slough Sprint Boat event, including camping, lodging and ticket packages, visit www.webbsslough.com.

Braton memorial set

The Doyle Braton 93-lap memorial race takes place this weekend at Stateline Speedway for the Northwest Modified Series.

Scheduling of this and other specialty events for the popular modified group is something that Stateline owner Joe Doellefeld enjoys, in part because of the chance to showcase the series to new fans.

“Their popularity is growing and the spectator count is up when they come to our facility,” Doellefeld said. “We’ve had anywhere from 14 to 21 modified at their events this season and I think you’ll see a good car count Saturday night. I am pretty confident that anyone with a modified will be out here out of respect for Doyle, who passed away last year.”

While modified racing is popular in the Northeast and Midwest, its growth potential in the Northwest is still untapped, Doellefeld said.

“It’s hard to describe a Northwest Modified (race car) to someone who’s never seen one before,” he said. “They do need to race some dates at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, Yakima and South Sound (Tenino, Wash.) to get some exposure and new fans, which is key to its growth.

“Wenatchee has a good group there and some of those racers have come here to support the show, and we’re even seeing dirt (modified) guys come in here so it’s coming along.”

Joining the Northwest Modified Series this weekend at Stateline Speedway will be the Vintage Modified group and the Foreign Stock Pro 4 Series.

For more information, contact Stateline’s event hotline at (208) 773-5019