The INDEPENDENT, September 18, 2008
Page 21
Dodge takes 5th in main event while Nusom wins Street Stock title
by Mike Weber
Tricia “Great” Brittain of St.
Helens, Dan Smith of Scap-
poose and Deer Island’s Justin
McMullen concluded the 2008
stock car racing season by win-
ning Columbia County Racing
Association division titles Sat-
urday at River City Speedway
in St. Helens.
Brittain drove her Fast Rac-
ing/Rose Valley Market Chev-
rolet Monte Carlo to a fourth
place finish in the sportsman
main to capture the series title.
It’s a notable accomplishment
as Brittain is the first woman
driver in the track’s 22 year his-
tory to win the division.
“At the beginning of the sea-
son, I honestly never thought
that I would be able to win the
title,” said Brittain, 37, in her
seventh year in sportsman and
11th season overall. “There’s
so many tough competitors in
this class and I don’t have the
fastest car. I just try to run con-
sistently and stay out of trouble
and it payed off for me. It’s so
exciting being the first woman
to win the sportsman title and it
seems almost unbelievable.”
Smith took seventh in the
modified main with the Reser’s
Fine Foods/STC Racing parts
open-wheel style racer owned
by Sam and Jane Jeffers of
Scappoose. He recorded top
five finishes in seven of nine
races to capture the second ti-
tle of his 17-year motorsports
career.
“We had a good season and
I’m glad that I won another
championship,” said Smith, 38,
who won the 2006 title. “The
STC race team has been pretty
dominating the last few years
and I’ve had lots of fun. We
have a great group of guys, in-
cluding my teammate Jeremy
Martin and our pit crew of Mike
Harrison, Bobby Morley and
Robert Smith. I enjoy having
my kids (Amber, Katie, Cody)
come out here supporting me,
because without them here, it
would be rather boring.”
Gresham’s Curt Nusom won
the street stock title and Port-
land's Jacki Graham captured
the women’s division crown.
Jesse Freeman of Wilsonville,
Eddie Farness of Sandy, Chris
Quinn of Vancouver and “Holly-
wood” Gary Meyer of Vernonia
won main events in the sea-
son’s final points race.
McMullen maneuvered up
from an eighth place start and
was runnerup in the mini stock
main to Meyer, competing for
the first time this year in his
Dodge Neon. McMullen had a
top three finish in 8 of 9 races
with his McMullen Water Sys-
tems/Skinny’s Texaco Ford
Mustang to capture the series
title. Last year, McMullen won
the Most Improved Driver
award and took fourth in the
point standings.
“We were shooting for first
place this year, everything
worked out well and we had
some good luck,” said Mc-
Mullen, whose parent’s Scott
and Kathy, also compete at the
speedway. “I had lots of fun this
season and I'm glad I won the
title. I wish that I could’ve raced
with Joe Cherington again this
year. I put up good numbers
and I’ve raced side-by-side with
him in the past. I think that we
could’ve had a good close bat-
tle in the point standings.”
Cherington of Vancouver,
won the last four titles, but he
didn’t return this year.
Nusom drove his Tom’s Auto
and Performance Machine Ca-
maro to a runnerup finish to
Farness in the street stock
main. Nusom won the trophy
dash and later gave his trophy
to young fan Jessica Holt, 6.
Curt won the title over Farness
and his younger brother John,
who are co-drivers in their Ca-
maro. Terry Moss of St. Helens,
took third with his Knife River
Malibu and he finished third in
the final standings for the sec-
ond straight year.
Graham had an impressive
performance as the only driver
who came from behind to win
the title. Graham trailed division
leader Brenda Hurley of Castle
Rock, by 17 points prior to the
race. Graham was simply un-
beatable, though, while she
swept every event in her T & T
Draggin’ Wagons/Perfection
Automotive Pontiac Firebird.
Graham was the fastest qualifi-
er on the quarter-mile oval at
16.39 seconds. She proceeded
to win the trophy dash, heat
race and moved up from eighth
to win the main.
“I’ve been trying to win a
championship while racing here
for 13 years, I had a great day
and I’m so excited to finally win
it,” said Graham, who is the
speedway announcer. “I was in
second place all season and I
gradually worked my way up to
catch Brenda and then won by
just two points.”
Mark Reser, Tigard; Curtis Zelmer,
Portland. Heat 2: Dan Fox, War-
ren; Chris Quinn, Vancouver; Don
Jenner, Vancouver. Main: Quinn;
Sean Fox; Dan Fox; Jenner; Bobby
Morley, Scappoose; West; Reser;
Dan Smith, Scappoose; Corey
Cook, Rainer; Chris Long, Port-
land.
Street Stock Division – Fast
Time: Brad Nusom, Gresham
16.35. Trophy Dash: Curt Nusom.
Heat 1: Stephen Fenter, St. He-
lens; Tom Zwicki, Portland; Mike
Crase, Portland. Heat 2: Eddie
Farness, Sandy; Ron Dodge, Ver-
nonia; Todd Newton, Portland.
ia. Heat 1: Jason Woody, Portland;
Joe Wheeler, Portland; Devon
Reed, Washougal. Heat 2: Brad
Beehler, St. Helens; Adam
Beehler; Justin McMullen, Deer Is-
land. Main: Meyer; Justin Mc-
Mullen; Scott McMullen, Deer Is-
land; Brad Beehler; Ric James,
Portland; Adam Beehler; Bob Wal-
lace, Portland; Eric Lindquist, Mil-
waukie;
Jerry
Winchester,
Longview; Woody.
Women’s Division – Fast Time:
Jacki Graham 16.39. Trophy Dash:
Graham. Heat 1: Kathy Griffin,
Scappoose; Kim Lemmons, Tole-
do; Suzy Farness, Sandy. Heat 2:
Curt Nusom, on the outside, while Vernonia’s Ron Dodge races the number 7 Oldsmobile dur-
ing racing action in St. Helens, on September 13, during the last points race of the year.
CCRA RIVER CITY RESULTS
September 13, 2008
Sportsman Division – Fast
Time: Danny Asher, Portland
16.00. Trophy Dash: Curt Nusom,
Gresham. Heat 1: Pam Graham,
Portland; Tony Hendon, Portland;
Daniel Thompson, Astoria. Heat 2:
Tricia Brittain, St. Helens; Jesse
Freeman, Wilsonville; Curt Nusom.
Main: Freeman; Curt Nusom;
Derek Vorseth, Yamhill; Brittain;
Larry Lemmons, Toledo; John Nu-
som, Gresham; Asher; Matt Taylor,
Portland; Graham; Thompson.
Modified Division – Fast Time:
Gannin Thomas, St. Helens 15.19.
Trophy Dash: Sean Fox, Rainier.
Heat 1: Don West, Deer Island;
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Main: Farness; Curt Nusom; Terry
Moss, St. Helen; Brad Nusom;
Dodge; Don Grentz, St. Helens;
Crase; Doug McVae, Scappoose;
Newton; Zwicki.
Mini Stock Division – Fast Time:
Adam Beehler, St. Helens 16.87.
Trophy Dash: Gary Meyer, Vernon-
Graham; Stacey Fordyce, Vancou-
ver; Susan Nelson, Portland. Main:
Graham; Brenda Hurley, Castle
Rock; Fordyce, Griffin; Nelson;
Melissa McVae, Scappoose; Julie
Camberg, Portland; Kay Bayot,
Portland; Erica Asher, Portland;
Farness.
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