TOP 11 COUNTDOWN – PARKER STEPHENS
By Kevin Peters
Next up, in the top 11 countdown, is the driver currently tied for 9th in the Spears Southwest Tour Series Point Standings, Olympia, WA driver Parker Stephens. Parker is running for Rookie of the Year driving for the NTS Motorsports Team in 2015. He currently occupies the second position in the race for that title, just 49 points behind fellow rookie Ryan Cansdale. Parker currently has 2 Top 10 finishes in his four point event starts. His best finish was 8th at Kern County Raceway with a worst finish of 11th in a very consistent points season to date.
Parker’s first event of the season got off to a rocky start at the Spears Southwest Tour’s 2015 Winter Showdown at Kern County Raceway. The non-points special event ended in a practice crash, which resulted in a failure to even make a qualifying effort. “Our season has gone pretty good this year with just a couple of humps in the road, but we will see victory lane soon!”, Parker commented. The Winter Showdown was the biggest of those early season humps.
In addition to his Spears Southwest Tour Series starts Parker has excelled in his Super Late Model in the Pacific Northwest. He finished forth in the Leonard Evans 200 (Wenatchee Valley Super Oval), fifth in the Apple Cup 200 (Yakama Speedway) and another fifth in the Winter Showdown’s companion event, The Summer Showdown at Evergreen Speedway. This past weekend Parker Stephens broke into victory lane with a victory in the Central Welding 125 at the 3/8 mile at Evergreen Speedway.
The second half of the Spears Southwest Tour Series Schedule gets underway at Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka, CA on August 1st. When asked about the upcoming events, Parker said “We really just need to start popping off some wins and podium finishes everywhere we go.”
When it comes to his NTS Team, Parker says, “I can’t thank the guys enough for all their hard work at NTS Motorsports.” Parker hopes that hard work will pay off in multiple wins and a championship at the end of the season.
