Race Expo slated for March 6-7

The 3rd Annual Race & Performance Expo will be held March 6-7 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, Ill., near Chicago. Many manufacturers will have products on display and two legends in the high performance business, Vic Edelbrock and Rick Moroso, will also be at the event. For more information call 815-727-1208 or go to www.RPExpo.com. [2/2/2010]

Spokane to move dragstrip; still looking for track operator

John Craig reports in The Spokesman-Review that Spokane County Raceway Park will make safety improvements to the facility and plans to move a half-mile of track.

County officials want to re-route the track to keep vendors and other visitors from driving across it to reach the raceway office. The office is surrounded by the road course on the property.

Besides separating delivery vans from race cars, the realignment would remove the raceway’s three-quarter-mile concrete drag strip from the asphalt road course. That would prevent what racers say is a serious traction problem when they switch from one surface to the other, parks director Doug Chase said.

County officials are seeking a new operator for the track because the previous operator, Austin Motorsports Management, ordered too many improvements last year and left the county to pay the bills when financing feel through.

Six local contractors sued the county in December for $1.1 million in unpaid bills. Commissioners canceled Austin’s 25-year, renewable lease before it was a year old.

A “request for qualifications,” issued Dec. 16, seeks an experienced racetrack operator who would be governed by a tighter contract. An extended deadline gives prospective operators until Feb. 8 to apply for a five-year contract that could be renewed for five more years. [2/2/2010]

Schriefer’s daughter dies in snowboarding accident

The Agent was saddened to hear of the death of Ericka Schriefer, daughter of Justin Schriefer, who drives for Dale Creasy Sr. Ericka, 24, died Sunday, Jan. 31, after hitting a tree while snowboarding in Colorado.

Our condolences to Justin and family. Funeral arrangements are incomplete in her hometown of Kankakee, Illinois. [2/2/2010]