FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

By Evan Jensen
Splash Editor

LIBERTY LAKE — On the playground at Liberty Lake Elementary School, dozens of students stand side-by-side around a white car, peering in at its empty interior and trying to imagine what it’s like to be in the driver’s seat at 100 miles per hour. Directing the kids to back away from the car, the owner of the 2006 Chevy Monte Carlo racing car reaches into the car decorated with the number 98 and a handful of sponsors and starts the engine.

The car comes to life, the engine rumbles, the kids cheer and Liberty Lake resident Brian Standow knows the power of the car and skill of his driver Frankie Volz Jr. will bring home a few trophies and cash prizes this year.

Standow brought the NASCAR-style car to LLES last Friday, one day before Volz would race the car for the first time at Stateline Speedway in Post Falls last weekend. The car is one of two Performance Motorsports will field for competition this season.

"This is a brand new car," Standow said. "We expect great things. It’s got the best of everything."

The Super Late Model NASCAR-style car costs an estimated $50,000 with its custom-built chassis designed to keep the weight of the car on the left side for handling turns around the track. Standow started racing cars about 12 years ago and teamed up with Volz, a top-ranked driver, to compete in stock car racing events around the Inland Northwest. He’s still recruiting sponsors for the season and hopes to win a lot of races in the Super Late Model class and the Northwest Modified class with another car.

LLES students Connor Gu and Patrick Hinea stopped to admire the car during their afternoon recess. When Standow started the car, the two stood with their backs against the portable classroom, watching the car vibrate while the engine rumbled on the blacktop.

"It was so cool," the boys said. "It was really loud."

On race night, Standow takes a step back and lets Volz run the show. Volz has been racing cars for the last 20 years and holds championship titles at major competitions throughout the area. He also runs his own business building customized chassis for racecars. Last Saturday at Stateline Speedway, Volz was a top competitor, winning the trophy dash, earning a top spot in the heat and finishing third in the main event.

"Frankie is one of the best drivers around," Standow said. "He’s racked up a lot of championships so I know that when we put him out there, he’s going to come home in the top three almost every night. … He’s really fun to watch. When he gets out on the track against the other racers, he usually puts a whoopin’ on them."

Standow said the biggest challenge of racing NASCAR-style cars is keeping the vehicle together during practice runs and competitions. For every race, the tires are replaced with a new $500 set. High-octane race fuel costs an estimated $6 a gallon and the cars burn about 12 gallons of fuel a night. Accidents, broken parts and other mechanical problems can also make racing a challenge.

"The biggest challenge is trying to keep the car together," Standow said. "On any given night, there might be a crash fest and it seems like the fans enjoy that more than a good race. I guess a good race to us might be boring to some of the fans."

One LLES student asked Standow how fast the car can go, another asked to crawl through the window into the driver’s seat and a school janitor ran his hand along the door panel of the car like it was made of gold.

"Based on the numbers in our practice run, this car is off the charts," Standow said. "This car has all the potential in the world. We expect a lot this season. Even if we have some bugs, we’re prepared for them and we expect to go out and win."