NSCS Brownfield purse experiences boost
Andrew Kunas, NSCS Publicist
ELMA, Wash. - In the past at Grays Harbor Raceway, the old Evergreen State Sprint Challenge closed Northwest Speed Week and was the showcase event for the old Northern Sprint Tour, being worth a solid $5,000 to win. It was annually one of the biggest sprint car weekends in the Pacific Northwest.
Things, however, have changed since June 16 of last year when Fred Brownfield was killed in an on track accident at Grays Harbor. His Northern Sprint Tour creation continued on with what would be its final season and questions were raised about Grays Harbor's future and that of the Evergreen State Sprint Challenge.
As for the Evergreen State Sprint Challenge itself, it was originally scheduled to be run for the 11th time as the opening event of Northwest Speed Week for the new Northwest Sprint Challenge Series and still award $5,000 to win. In February, however, new Grays Harbor Raceway promoter George Wade announced that the Evergreen State Sprint Challenge as it was is no more. The two-day event received a significant name change and an initial bump of the winner's share up to $7,500.
It's now the Fred Brownfield Memorial Sprint Challenge.
This weekend will be bittersweet for the drivers, teams and everyone involved with the NSCS as the series will be part of the event named for the much respected and sorely missed promoter of the tour's predecessor series.
There will still be happy times, as evident by the excitement over this weekend's event. In an NSCS drivers meeting at Grays Harbor Raceway in April, Wade announced his hopes to eventually bring the winner's share to $10,092 and have the dollar amount awarded to each position on Saturday's A-Main end in 92, which was the car number for most of Brownfield's driving career, which included many championships at Skagit Speedway.
Just last month, it became a done deal, being the $10,092 Wade and many others hoped for. The A-Main will also pay $492 to start. Through donations and sponsorships, including lap sponsorships worth $92, more than $15,000 was raised and went straight to the purse, which now sits at about $45,000.
"It's awesome everyone's contributing," said Mitch Olson, who currently sits second in the NSCS point standings. "It shows how many people he touched. It's definitely one you want to win. It'd be nice if one of the Elma cars won."
It was nice indeed for local fans last year when, just over a month after Brownfield's death, track regular and eventual champion Jay Cole scored an upset victory in last year's Evergreen State Sprint Challenge over national star Jason Sides and NASCAR star Kasey Kahne.
Olson himself is hoping he is the Elma driver to win it, and maybe cut away at Roger Crockett's 85-point lead in the standings in the process.
Josh DeWitt is another driver excited for the bigger Fred Brownfield Memorial and the now even bigger Speed Week.
"It's really amazing. It definitely bumps up the competition. Everyone will
drive harder."
With Grays Harbor Raceway and its supporters boosting its purse for the Fred Brownfield Memorial, the NSCS now has $10,000+-to-win high-profile events book ending the largest Speed Week the Northwest has ever seen. Following three races in Oregon, Speed Week will close with the Bob's Burgers & Brew Skagit 360 Nationals, which has a $60,000 purse and will pay $10,000 to win.
"It brings a lot of attention here from people who don't think of the Washington. It's a big sport up here," DeWitt said about having two high-paying races for 360 sprint cars in the Northwest. "A lot of people will come out for Speed Week. It brings the best of the best."
"Credit to Shawna (Wilskey) and everyone to get it rolling and getting it as big as it is," Olson said.
More information on the Northwest Sprint Challenge Series and its drivers can be found online at http://www.racenscs.com and Grays Harbor Raceway's website is located at http://www.graysharborraceway.net.
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NSCS: The Northwest Sprint Challenge Series
http://www.racenscs.com
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