June 24, 2026
For immediate release
The second race of the 2026 Sprite-Midget Challenge season is in the books, providing thrills for drivers and spectators, down to the final turn.
The starting grid consisted of drivers Campbell (12), Greenman (21), Quackenbush (8), Hansen (36), Smith (18/8), Newman (4), and Slinker (50), as a crazy attrition bug left Newby (1), Duncan (154), Herb (149), Shinn (62), and new SMC driver Sahawneh (70) sidelined.
Campbell got the jump at the start and led down the front straight, with Greenman and Newman in hot pursuit. By the end of the first lap it was Campbell and Greenman very close, Quackenbush had rocketed from sixth to third, and a race-long battle was developing between Newman, Smith, and Hansen. Slinker, on his first day of road-racing and first SMC race dropped back and craftily learned from the other drivers.
By lap three sprinkles were spicing up both ends of the track, while it oddly remained dry in the middle. With the drivers on dry-track Hoosiers, the lap times rose as cagey drivers dared those behind to exceed degraded traction limits to attempt a pass. And so it was that Hansen went around on lap 6 looking for a pass, to the benefit of Smith and Newman. Having built a bit of a lead, and on a drying track, he was able recover and rejoin the three-car scrum.
Meanwhile, at the front, Campbell and Greenman were in an epic battle for the lead, with a ten second advantage over Quackenbush in 3rd. Greenman’s penultimate lap of 1:45.692 was the overall fastest of the race and set him up to press Campbell hard on the last. Brillliant late braking by Greenman had him on Campbell’s rear bumper (if he had one) through turns 5, 6, and 7. Campbell took a balanced line into the final turn and Greenman stuck his foot in the inside door like a hungry Amway salesman, coming alongside Campbell. But on the wider line Campbell carried more speed out of the corner, edged ahead and closed the door to finish in P1, with Greenman just 6/10ths behind.
Quackenbush collected the final podium position, followed by Hansen, Smith (with a 1098!), and Newman in a bunch separated by less than two seconds. Slinker, in his first SMC race and first weekend of racing, finished the race with his first sub-2:00 laps at Spokane.
We were absent our official photographer for the weekend, so have limited action shots.
Final standings:
Group A (1275)
Campbell (12)
Greenman (21)
Quackenbush (8)
Hansen (36)
Newman (4)
Slinker (50)
Group B (1098, 948)
Smith (18/8)
Standings after two events:
Next up: Battle of the Brits 2 at the Pacific Northwest Historics, July 3-5 at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington. If you’re in the area, come out to the track, see the action, and meet the drivers.