WENATCHEE, WA (January 16, 2017)–Drivers, fans and officials of the Northwest Super Late Model Series came together Saturday evening at the Wenatchee Convention Center to honor series champion, Garrett Evans, in addition to eight men and one young lady that made up the final top-10 points standings for 2016.
Speed 51’s Most Popular Driver of the Year award for the NWSLMS was presented to Brittney Zamora. The Kennewick native received over 50 percent of the overall vote total to earn the honor. Zamora made several trips to the stage as she collected the 2016 Jefferson Pitts Racing Rookie of the Year award and hardware for finishing fourth in the series points standings. Her points finish earned the high school senior $3,000 in cash and contingency awards from Racing Dynamiks and the series.
Zamora, who’s Rookie of the Year award includes a test session with Jefferson Pitts Racing’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series team, will begin her 2017 season on Feb. 4 competing in Tucson Speedway’s famed Chilly Willy 150.
Shane Mitchell (10th place), Dirk Bennett (9th), Clint Habart (8th), Glenn Knutson (7th) and Ed Thomsen (6th) were the first group of drivers to receive trophies and over $3,500 in points fund checks in addition to over $2,000 in contingency awards from Frank’s Radio (Bennett), Five Star Race Bodies (Knutson) and AR Bodies (Thomsen).
One of 2016’s most exciting drivers on the series, Ryan Wells, who finished in the fifth place position, was awarded $1,000 from the points fund and a $900 graphics package from Accelerated Graphics. The Hingham, MT driver maintained a presence inside the top-5 in the championship standings throughout the season. Wells is a past champion of Montana Raceway Park.
Mitch Kleyn continued his successes on the NWSLMS as the Quincy, WA native earned his third consecutive top-3 points finish on the series. An alliance with Racing Dynamiks during the off-season paid off as Kleyn’s Wild 1 Racing Team had several top-5 and top-10 finishes en route to the third-place points finish.
Braeden Havens had a breakout season on the NWSLMS as the Medical Lake driver scored his first series victory (August’s ID 200) and consistently ran among the top-10 drivers at each stop the series made. The 2016 season marked Havens first full-time venture on the NWSLMS after running partial schedules in 2014 and 2015. Havens will be back this year to challenge for the championship in a brand new car built by Racing Dynamiks.
Evans picked up his third consecutive series championship on the strength of four main event victories. In seasons past the East Wenatchee driver was the model of consistency with top-5 finishes, but had yet to break through for a series main event until last spring’s 50th Annual Apple Cup at Yakima Speedway. Led by crew chief, Brian Andrus, the famed No. 64 Chevrolet became the dominant race car of the region as Evans was a threat not only at NWSLMS events, but challenged for victories in the 2016 Summer Showdown at Evergreen Speedway and nearly captured his second Montana 200.
The NWSLMS kicks off its 2017 season on April 30 with the running of the Leonard Evans 150 at Wenatchee Valley Super Oval. For more information on the series visit www.nwslmseries.com or on Facebook or Twitter. To contact the series please email northwestsuperlatemodels@gmail.com
The Northwest Super Late Model Series Inc. is the premier regional touring Super Late Model series in the Pacific Northwest. The series has many valued sponsors including Hoosier Racing Tire, McGunegill Engine Performance, Port City Race Cars, AR Bodies, Joes Racing Products, Accelerated Graphics, Five Star Bodies, Longacre Racing Products, Wheel Chill, KRC Power Steering, Racers Against Child Abuse, Atomic Screenprinting and Embroidery, Franks Racing Radio, BLP, Jefferson Pitts Racing and Racing Dynamiks.
