Monroe, WASHINGTON – June 17, 2021 – The title legend is bandied about all too easily these days, but in some cases it fits, and one of those is Wenatchee native Garrett Evans. The winner of over 400 short track races all over the United States, few Evergreen Speedway racers have been as popular or as successful as Garret Evans and in what will likely be his last season racing behind the wheel. With the Evergreen Speedway Mark Galloway Shootout right around the corner on June 26 and the Summer Showdown on July 23-24, it’s a busy and exciting time at Evergreen Speedway and especially for premium NASCAR short track racing in the region.
Garrett has already tasted success this year with back-to-back wins in the Northwest Super Late Model Series at Stateline and South Sound Speedway. The latest win was the eighth in his Northwest Super Late Model Series career, and has given Evans tremendous cause for optimism heading to Evergreen Speedway. We spoke to him last week about his plans for the year ahead and how he’s planning his swansong.
“This is probably going to be my last year of racing,” he told us, in an announcement that will surely leave fans disappointed. “So I’m hoping to go out with a bang and do really well this year. We’re running quite a few races.”
Garrett is particularly excited to drive the 5/8 track at Evergreen Speedway, “As far as Evergreen goes we only get to race on its 5/8 twice a year so I’m really looking forward to it. It’s the last big track in the Northwest with all the half mile tracks being closed up and it’s got its own unique challenges from a driving perspective. Racing on the 5/8 is different because it’s a lot faster than the other tracks. It demands a good handling car and a good driver stands out there.”
Garrett also paid tribute to the special fan experience at Evergreen and his own memories of watching racing there when he added, “I remember when I was in High School, I used to go over to Evergreen Speedway watching the races on the 5/8, the sound of the cars coming down and the echoing of the grandstands, it’s a unique fan experience as none of the other tracks have a roof over the grandstand. You can see everything on track from your seat, every corner all through the race and it’s really great racing.”
Garrett is racing Super Late Model cars this year, effectively the premier class of short track stock cars. The bodies are all Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford but there’s more to them than that as he explained, “Super Late Model cars are the fastest stock cars in the Northwest. The motors have 600 BHP and they’re very technical these days. The geometry is different to what it used to be. They weigh 2850lbs and they’re pretty cool.”
Continuing to comment on car specifications, “We don’t shift unless there are restarts. Most of the guys run three speeds nowadays with a quick change, and the third gear is a 1 to 1 ratio. Setup wise there’s hundreds of things you can do and that is what makes it fun.”
Of the upcoming action at Evergreen, Garrett added, “The local guys get to compete against the regional contenders, so that’s always fun to see the local guys racing against the out of towners.”
As his extraordinary career nears its end, Garrett reflected on his success at Evergreen and the catalogue of achievements, “I’ve been racing for a long time, but probably my greatest achievement was from 1985 when the Northwest Tour started, I won the open tour race there for nine years in a row which is kind of unique. I also held the track record from 1994 when I set the record until the tour finished in 2005. I won the Northwest Tour Championship four times, the Northwest Elite Division and three of the Northwest Super Late Model Series Championships.”
Excitement is building around Monroe for two of the biggest NASCAR events of the year. There is still time to register for the Mark Galloway Shootout and you can do that here: https://evergreenspeedway.com/
Tickets are available now: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/
Register for the Summer Showdown here: https://evergreenspeedway.com/
Tickets for the event are available here: https://evergreenspeedway.com/
About Evergreen Speedway: Established in 1954, Evergreen Speedway has a rich history in racing. For 60+ years, amateurs, aspiring professionals and seasoned veterans alike have raced at Evergreen, including 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Kevin Harvick, David Pearson, Bill Elliott, Sterling Marlin, Derrike Cope and Hershel McGriff. Today, Evergreen is recognized as the marquee racing facility in the Northwest region and a noted training ground for tomorrow’s racing stars. The facility hosts over 130 events annually and attracts over 270,000 fans each year. Evergreen Speedway is home to experiences from motorsports to concerts to rodeos to festivals with covered grandstand seating for up to 7,500 fans rain-or-shine, with additional uncovered seating for 5,000. Proudly the only NASCAR track in the Pacific Northwest, Evergreen Speedway is a gem to the region and deep roots with local communities.
The Northwest Super Late Model Series is the premier regional touring Super Late Model series in the Northwest. The series has many valued partners including Hoosier Racing Tire, McGunegill Engine Performance, AR Bodies, Leonard Evans Used Car Superstore, Joes Racing Products, Penske Racing Shocks, Accelerated Graphics, Five Star Bodies, AFCO/Longacre Racing Products, Wheel Chill, Atomic Screen printing and Embroidery, Franks Racing Radio, BLP, Jefferson Racing, Driven Racing Oil, Vital Signs, Bassett Wheels, American Racer and The Ti Company. For more information on the series visit www.nwslms.com or on Facebook and Twitter.
