Doug Pace: Festival of Speed promises weekend of racing, activities

The Festival of Speed brings vintage road racing back for its seventh consecutive year on the twists and turns at Spokane County Raceway.

Billed as a showcase of road racing cars, drivers and camaraderie, the event begins Friday and runs through Sunday. This weekend’s competition includes timed racing in four groups with up to 16 races held during qualification and class finales.

All racing is sanctioned by of the Society of Vintage Racing Enthusiasts (SOVREN), a national body complete with stringent safety and mechanical rules.

Friday drivers tackle SCR’s 2.25-mile road course layout for a series of practice sessions.

All cars will run a complete test and tune schedule then make their way to downtown for the annual car show and driver reception beginning at 3 p.m. Cars will be staged on the corner of Main Avenue and Post Street as part of Spokane’s First Friday activities.

Enthusiasts can expect to see many of road racing’s biggest manufacturers represented, including Porsche, Lotus, Alfa Romero and BMW. American classics such as Mustangs, Corvettes and Camaros will also be part of the weekend’s action.

Formula style race cars, including Formula Atlantic machines, are another highlight of the various divisions that make up the Festival of Speed.

Three spectator areas are available throughout the weekend. SCR’s two grandstands offer views of the pregrid events prior to racing with the southern end of the course in sight during the race. Fans will also be able to sit in a grandstand section that provides viewing of the curved section of the course, straightaways and entrance to the longest stretch of the road course layout.

New this year is an infield grandstand that offers a view of the main straightway, the track’s famed zigzag corners and the prerace grid area.

George Follmer, who is one of a handful in motorsports who has competed in NASCAR, Formula One, Indy Cars, Trans-Am road racing and World Endurance events, is this year’s Festival of Speed special guest. Follmer’s career includes victories on the Trans-Am road racing circuit behind the wheel of his Ford Mustang. Driving a Porsche 917 for Roger Penske, Follmer also won championships in road racing’s prestigious Challenge Cup.

Follmer will be available throughout the weekend to sign autographs and talk about his many racing experiences.

Local organizers, with support from businesses including Porsche of Spokane, have worked for many months to prepare for this weekend’s race. Held as a charitable event, ticket proceeds benefit the community in the form of donations to the Parkinson’s Resource Center of Spokane. Info: sovernracing.org.

Stateline begins Triple Crown Series

Stateline Speedway hosts the first of its three-race Triple Crown Series, featuring Super Late Models, with Saturday’s race set for 150 laps.

The Post Falls facility has hosted a variety of traveling series for its first big late model race of the season, but this year track operators elected to run a three-race format with backing from a local business and its corporate ties. That backing allows for increased payouts throughout the series run, including a $3,000 prize to the Summer’s Here 150 main event winner.

In July, Stateline’s Triple Crown series raises the race distance to 200 laps, with the event formally known as the Idaho 200 now scheduled for 250 laps set for the first weekend in August.

With the increased purse, fans can expect plenty of the region’s top drivers to turn out, including Braeden Havens, Joey Bird and David Garber.

“This should be a good race with great competition,” Garber said. “When the schedules for the (region’s) different (super) late model events came out, the Triple Crown Series was something that look like a good deal to run as part of our season. We think we can run up front all night long and be there at the end for a win.”

Saturday’s schedule also features the INEX Legend cars running a Twin 25 main event format. Stateline has put together several value-added ticket packages for this weekend’s race. Info: raceidaho.com.