The Summer Showdown is one of the highest-paying races on the West Coast with the winning driver receiving $30,000. And where’s the event held? Right here at Evergreen Speedway on the 193-acre land of the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe.
On Aug. 13, a day prior to the weekend races, drivers talked with local media outlets at the Summer Showdown Media Luncheon, giving praises about the beauty of Evergreen’s track and its role in serving as premier racing destination in Washington state. Evergreen is the only NASCAR-sanctioned track in the Pacific Northwest, and the 5/8-mile (0.625) paved outer oval surrounds the 3/8-mile (0.375) and 1/5-mile (0.2) paved inner ovals, the figure-eight track and 3/4-mile (0.75) road course. The 5/8-mile oval is also one of the longest and fastest short track ovals on the West Coast.
Below are some of the drivers’ responses when asked about racing at Evergreen.
Ethan Ebert (Tucson, AZ): “It’s a super rad track that we get to go on for this season. It’s super fast, super technical. There’s just a lot to learn that you need to pick up on really quick. It definitely can change within temperature, so you got to watch that. Line choice here is all over the place. It can be high, low, in the middle, wherever. So, it’s just super interesting to be able to learn all that stuff and carry it on to different tracks.”
Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA): “I just like the character of the racetrack that you’ve got options from a driver standpoint to run the bottom, the middle, sometimes the top. A lot of bumps and character in the racetrack, so that to me is what makes a fun racetrack to be able to navigate as a driver and move around. … Fun racetrack, and I always enjoy just kind of trying to do something different than what is the norm when you’re looking for a line like that.”
Keelan Harvick (Charlotte, NC): “I really like this track. I like how it’s so technical. If you mess up one time, it takes about a lap or two to get your momentum back. (It’s) not line dependent because you could run the top or the bottom but just can’t make a lot of mistakes. But, hopefully we can put on a good show.”
Jace Hansen (Greely, CO): “This place is really cool. It’s one of my favorite tracks. It’s got a lot of character to it, and it’s just super big. There’s not very many places on the West Coast, which is where we do most of our racing, that’s a place of this size, so it’s a lot of fun. We got a lot of strategy in how you race this place. … (It’s) a lot of fun, a lot of speed. You don’t get to do that very often when we race on the West Coast, so this is definitely one of my favorite places.”
Chase Gardner (Snohomish, WA): “It’s just so special to me. There’s definitely not a sensation around it on the West Coast that we just kind of feel loaded up in the corner. I think the atmosphere is really what makes it so special too. Summer Showdown, (Mark) Galloway (Shootout), grandstands packed, and just the atmosphere of the fairgrounds here, kind of nestled in the mountains makes it really cool and unique too. Just definitely a super special weekend. It’s a ton of fun. … This place is awesome. Speeds are so high. It’s such a fun track.
… I was born in these grandstands. My mom and I would always sit four rows down from the right-hand side watching my dad race. I have some of my earliest childhood memories here, so it’s really cool and surreal to have some of these really big-name stars coming to Evergreen Speedway. The Cars Tour Northwest has definitely given us a banner that has been able to accelerate a lot of us to media attention, kind of outside of the West Coast, which is really cool. … This weekend has always just held a super special place in my heart. It was the one that always had a circle on the calendar. My dad never raced late models, but it was always the one that I wanted to be here regardless of anything. A lot of my childhood memories are here. I love this place to death. Summer Showdown will always have a special place in my heart. I remember almost all of them, and it’s really cool to be competing in it while being in the pro series. Being involved with the Summer Showdown is kind of a dream come true. My family puts a ton of effort into this weekend. We’re one of the smallest teams out here. It’s typically my dad and I, so a lot of family time, a lot of long nights in the shop getting ready for it. But, we love it to death and wouldn’t trade all the memories for anything in the world.”
Max Schroeder (Tacoma, WA): “I grew up in those grandstands and fell in love with racing when I was 6, 7 years old. … It’s just the environment. This is the first race that we put down on our (calendar) to make sure that we hit each and every single year, and that’s thanks to Doug and Traci Hobbs doing an immaculate job putting on a great show. Cars Tour Northwest being here, they do an incredible job, and it’s just awesome to see the evolution of this race, and it gets bigger and better every single year. It’s just awesome to live and be able to compete in it.”
