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Vader, Wa - Brea Lopez Opens Season With A Second Place Finish At South Sound Speedway
By Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media
Nineteen year old Midget driving star Brea Lopez and her Brea Lopez Motorsports Team made the most of their first start of the 2008 racing season as Lopez overcame an opening lap skirmish to finish in the runner-up slot when the checkered flag fell after 25-laps of hard racing. The action took place at the South Sound Speedway in Rochester, Washington, where the Washington Midget Racing Association opened up it's season for the 72nd consecutive year. The track proved be fast right away as the top six qualifiers all posted times within fractions of each other. The lightning fast 3/8 mile oval provides a great backdrop for the powerful midget cars to do what they do best...Go Fast.
The event marked the beginning of the 4th season Lopez has been competing in the WMRA series. The talented teenager qualified fourth fastest in the time trial period and then proceeded to go out and win her heat event. This set the stage for the feature event. Lopez and Spence Gatrell got together on the initial green flag with Lopez spinning to the infield and Gatrell suffering enough damage to keep him from restarting the event. Once underway, Tony Seidleman took the lead and Lopez and Evan Margeson followed closely. The three leaders separated themselves from the rest of the field and raced that way until the halfway mark. Margeson, in his attempts to go around Lopez, blistered a tire and dropped off the pace a bit. Lopez remained close to Seidleman throughout the race but the cars were equal for the most part all around the racetrack. Seidleman took the win with Lopez in for second, 2007 WMRA Champion Margeson hanging on to third, WMRA Rookie Mark Atkinson fourth and Darren Linder rounding the top five place finishers.
Miss Lopez is looking forward to a great season season and was happy with her opening day finish. In a day after phone conversation she remarked, "The car was good and I thought I might be able to find a way around Tony early on. The longer the race wore on, I felt the car get looser with each lap after the midway point, and though I still had a lot of throttle to work with, I decided to play it safe, finish the race with all four wheels on the car, as we are working with a considerable less amount of sponsorship dollars this year". Later she added, "The economic picture in this country is flat, and that alone has most of the racers trying to hold in the reins as to how much money they will spend for each race event. With each passing day the news we receive Nationally is worse than it was the day before, so all we can really hope for is to play the racing safe and be in one piece when the checkered flag falls".
Miss Lopez was once again behind the wheel of the newly refurbished 2006 Beast Chassied/Esslinger powered Midget that is Crewed by her grandfather, the legendary West Coast racer, Dan Press. While the team had hoped to travel to as many venues as possible to race in 2008, the Lopez Team is weighing all of their options as to travel and competition. The Lopez Team is still seeking additional sponsorship partners for the 2008 racing season to assist with the larger travel schedule the series has embarked on with a couple of shows being scheduled across the border into Canada.
Lopez, who is hoping to land a Late Model ride in the future, will continue to race the Midgets until something solid comes along. Plans are in the formative stages to have Lopez do some testing in a Late Model racer as well as hone her pavement skills at the Finish Line Racing School in Florida. Along with her grandparents, crewman Joe Hayes completes the makeup of the Brea Lopez Motorsports team.
Lopez will return to action on May 3rd as the second event of the WMRA Season will unfold once again at the South Sound Speedway.
Brea Lopez would like to thank all of her sponsors and supporters for their efforts in helping the team prepare for the 2008 racing season. Steve Forler Trucking, Redline Oil, Ridgecrest Homes, Hooker Harness, Bell Helmets, Finish Line Racing Equipment, Keizer Wheels, Loma Hair Products, DPI, Airgas, Nex-Gen Motorsports, and GA Motorsports Media will all play a major role in the success of the team this coming year.
Individuals lending support include Steve Lewis, John Hunter, Chip Hanauer and Dave Reed. Individuals or Sponsors looking for much needed exposure through a strong association with Motorsports are encouraged to contact Brea Lopez Motorsports for further information regarding the sponsorship programs the team has in place.
For more information regarding the latest in updated news and information for the talented racer Brea Lopez, log on to her website at: http://www.brealopez.com |
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