NW auto racing notebook: No fast answer in super stocks

Get past all the carburetor calibrations and wind-shear calculations, and auto racing boils down to a basic question:

Who has the fastest car?

The debate rages on at Evergreen Speedway.

John Zaretzke concluded his reign as the track super-stock champion by winning the season finale last Saturday in Monroe. The victory created more questions than it answered.

Zaretzke decided not to defend his season title after the fifth race, choosing to concentrate on other races around the Northwest. He came back to Evergreen often enough to win five times, but Shane Harding took the title with nine wins.

Harding clinched it with his third-place finish in the final race and certainly didn't feel he'd won only because of Zaretzke's absence.

"If we would have needed a win last Saturday night, we would have been able to do it," Harding said. "It's easy to say this now, but I think I was faster than John on both tracks."

Zaretzke was just as adamant.

"There's no doubt in my mind that we could have won it again if we'd raced in Monroe all season," Zaretzke said. "After the first five races we had two wins, two seconds and a third. That's how you win championships."

Which car is faster probably won't be decided anytime soon.

Harding, who lives in Surrey, B.C., plans to buy a new car and run in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite division next year.

Zaretzke, who lives in Monroe, isn't sure what he will do in 2006 but was happy with the decision he made not to defend his track championship.

"Even racing on a budget it costs $50,000 to $60,000 to race in Monroe," Zaretzke said. "You have to win a lot of races just to break even. Nobody makes a living racing at Evergreen. It's a hobby and a very expensive one. So we'll wait until Jan. 1 to make a decision."

Harding said he will end up making a little money this season, but only because he has an all-volunteer crew and keeps a vise grip on every penny.

Harding hopes to keep his current car intact and race at Evergreen whenever possible.

Originally Harding, 29, thought he might jump into his dad's car. Pete Harding had been talking about retirement, but he has had such a good season he probably will wait a while longer.

Heading into the final race of the season in Wenatchee on Saturday, Pete Harding is in third place in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite division, 30 points behind leader Brandon Riehl.

"He's doing so well he'll probably run forever," Harding said of his dad. "He's definitely looking forward to that final race. We'll be a team and share setup information and things like that — then try to run over each other on the track."

Note

• Scott Lynch, whose nine straight top-five finishes include a pair of wins, remains the leader in the NASCAR Grand National Division, West Series. Mike Duncan, who won at Evergreen earlier this season, became the first three-time winner last weekend in Roseburg, Ore.