ELLEFSON: `TIGHTEN YOUR SEATBELTS' FELLOW FEVERS

For two weeks running, Norm Ellefson has been leading the Fever Four main event approaching the white flag lap.

And for two weeks, Ellefson, who last drove in the Northwest Superstock Series in 1980, has been bumped and spun out by fellow racers.

So the 65-year-old veteran has issued a challenge to his fellow Fever Four competitors at Spokane Raceway Park - "Tighten your seatbelts," which would seem to indicate Ellefson is ready to return some of the rough stuff Saturday night. The most annoying of the bumping incidents occurred last Saturday on what started off to be a great evening for Ellefson, who both the A Heat and A-Dash. But while leading the main in Tom Dry's Mustang, Ellefson was bumped into a spin at the start of the last lap. He finished fourth. SRP will also welcome back the Northwest Late Models Saturday. The card will feature a 100-lap feature in another Contingency Connection race. Missoula's Ken Kaltschmidt won the series opener two weeks ago Gates open at 3 p.m. with racing at 7. Northport, Republic challenge begins After two races, the new guard rail at Northport International Raceway has yet to have a speck of paint scraped away. That will most likely change this Sunday when the track hosts the first event in a four-race challenge series with Republic's Eagle Track. The visitors from across the Kettle Range will try to put a halt to the early season domination that a pair of racers have shown at NIR. Both Modified driver Gord Zaitsoff of Castlegar, British Columbia and Colville's Don Van Sickle, in Superstocks, have two victories in as many races. Time trials begin at 1 p.m. with racing at 2 p.m. The first 100 mothers through the gate will receive a rose. Interstates headline Stateline The third race of the Interstate Superstock Racing Series, and the first of six events at Stateline Speedway take place Saturday night. Dave Thompson won the series opener two weeks ago at Tri-City Raceway, but no results were available from last week's event at Yakima, Also on the 6 p.m. program will be the Northwest Mini-Trucks, Sportsmen and Compact Streets. Looking ahead to next week, the track's popular economy program, "Wednesday Night Fever," begins next Wednesday and will feature Fever Four Hobby Cars, Super Four Modifieds and Bump-to-Pass cars starting at 6:30. Pit stops SRP also has bracket drag racing on the schedule Saturday night, beginning when gates open at 3 p.m. ... SRP 's Contingency Connection program has now reached the $100,000 mark for drag racers and $80,000 on the oval. ... Jeff Zimmerman began his hunt for a third straight Northwest Modified championship by winning the series opener last Saturday night at Tri City Raceway. ... Kevin Richards of Spokane finished 11th in the Monaco Enterprises Chevy last Saturday afternoon in a Winston West race at the California Speedway in Fontana. . . . The Tide show car of Winston Cup driver Ricky Rudd will be on display in the Spokane and Coeur d'Alene area from May 26 to June 6 and will appear with the Motorsports Connection racing souvenirs trailer. Chad Little's Roush Racing John Deere team turned a 40th-place provisional start into a sixth-place finish last Sunday at the California 500. It was Little's fourth top 10 finish of the season in nine races.

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