BLUE CHIP COMING TO T-CITIES, GOLD CUP

By Paul Delaney/ NW Motorsports News

Andrew Riehl following his Idaho 200 win at Stateline Speedway, July 26. Dishaw Photo

STATELINE, Idaho (July 26, 2025) — At 14,  Andrew Riehl cannot legally drive a car on the street.
The Troutdale, Oregon youngster, however, proved he CAN drive a late model stock car with a seasoned field of some notable names following his win in the 26th Annual Idaho 200, July 26 at Stateline Speedway.

By staying out of trouble, a must on a quarter-mile oval crowded with 25 other cars, Riehl scored a .875 second victory over Kasey Kleyn from Quincey, Wash. and 2022 Idaho 200 victor, Cory Allard from Sandpoint.
The keys to victory for Riehl, the younger brother of Montana 200 winner Zach Riehl, were “Just staying consistent, not really burning my tires up and, yeah, staying clean, not hurting nobody,” he said in a telephone interview.

Riehl, the son of notable racer from years past, Brandon, said there were moments where he wondered if things would work out to earn the advertised $25,000 first-place money.

He led from lap 69 (his car number) to the halfway point and then took the lead for good on lap 147.
Starting 11th, he was in traffic when the first incident occurred.

“About lap 30 Haeden Plybon and (Thomas) Stafford wrecked in front of me and I had a check up pretty hard for that,” Riehl said. “That would have been bad if I hit them.” Plybon, the 2022 Idaho 200 winner would exit the race then and finish 24th.
Then about halfway through the race, there was another spin out in front of him in turn three and “I had to checkup (on the brakes) for that.”
BJ Tidrick led the opening 25 laps, as well as from laps 41 to 45. Nicole Tarr — formerly Behar — led two segments (26 to 40 and 47 to 68) before the car’s rear end gave out.

Another former champ in 2023, Nick Gibson from the Boise area, was sixth.
“It’s been a great summer so far,” mother, Lynsie Riehl wrote in a text message after reflecting on her sons capturing both the Montana 200, July 12 and now the Idaho 200.

Patience pays off for Villwock in Gold Cup win

From NW Motorsports News

KENNEWICK, Washington (July 27, 2025) — Moments after a likely agonizing wait for a review of the start of the championship heat of the 115th running of the American Powerboat Association run on the Columbia River, Dave Villwock offered poignant words.

“Don’t let the old man in, don’t count the old man out,” Villwock said on a post-race regional television interview on SWX.

And indeed, the “old man,” had been ruled as the winner of his 11th Gold Cup and 68th career victory as one of only two boats to execute a legal start. In winning Sunday in the U-27 Miss Apollo, Villwock tied Chip Hanauer for most Gold Cup victories, the oldest driver ever to do so.

Villwock also extended his lead in career unlimited racing wins over both Bill Muncey (62 wins) and Hanauer (61 wins) on the all-time leaderboard. He’s won seven races in Tri-Cities.

The 71-year-old Villwock used a crafty starting strategy in the warmup laps that had some criticizing him.
However, in the end at the traditional running start, U-8 Beacon Electric with J. Michael Kelly driving, Corey Peabody in U-9 Beacon Plumbing and U-21 Spirit of America and Gunnar O’Farrell all jumped the start and landed a one-lap penalty.

That left Villwock, the U-11 FLAV-R-PAC and Jamie Nilsen as well as Andrew Tate in the U-91 Miss Goodman Real Estate as the only legal starters.

More than just a personal achievement, the win fulfilled Villwock’s wish to offer Bruce Ratchford, owner of the U-27 and sponsor through Apollo Mechanical, his first-ever Gold Cup victory in front of a hometown crowd. The win in Tri-Cities, where Apollo Mechanical is based, made the moment all-the-more-meaningful.

With a small fleet of just seven boats, this year’s race was blessed with no major blow-overs or crashes like in 2024 where multiple boats suffered damage.

Earlier in the day, the U-12 Graham Trucking with driver Jeff Bernard sustained significant damage when a propeller blade broke off and punctured the bottom of the boat. The team was forced to withdraw from further competition. A full damage assessment is underway.

The boats now move onto their traditional first weekend in August date in Seattle for Safair, Aug. 1-3 on Lake Washington.
Villwock Tri-City Wins: 
1998 – Columbia Cup; 1999 – Columbia Cup; 2004 – Columbia Cup; 2005 – Columbia Cup; 2006 – Atomic Cup; 2007 – Columbia Cup; 2025 – Gold Cup

'Wheels for Meals' car show is Aug. 6 at Ron's Drive Inn event is fundraiser for Meals-on-Wheels in Spokane

“Eddie the Edsel” and owner Eric Etzel will be one of dozens of cars on display at the 12th annual “Wheels for Meals” fundraiser on Aug. 6 at Ron's Drive Inn in Spokane Valley. Eric Etzel photo

SPOKANE — Back in the 1990s Eric Etzel was trying to distance himself from the crowded market of real estate professionals.

He shunned advertising professionals who said for a pocket full of cash they’d come up with a winning strategy.
Not being that flush, Etzel thought of a name association that just might do the trick. With a name that sounded a great deal like the Ford Motor Company’s dud of a car, the Edsel, he thought it just might be the thing that indeed set his company part.

“Why don’t we create our own branding with the car, with the Edsel,” Etzel explained. Thus came the slogan, “In the driver’s seat for all your real estate needs,” with Eddie the Edsel the backdrop.

This reverse psychology, perhaps, was at play when he went in search of the car he used to hear about from his dad.
“My dad used to always tell a joke, which I didn’t understand when I was a little kid,” Eztel recalled. “You know the definition of a two-time loser? It’s a guy driving an Edsel with a Nixon bumper sticker.”
Etzel didn’t quite get it until dad explained “Well, 1960 you know Nixon lost to Kennedy and it was also the year that the Ford Motor Company killed the Edsel.”

With a black Edsel in his driveway, and cruising around town, that became his trademark. For those who might not have had a realtor in mind to work for them, the idea of “how about that guy with the Edsel?” was born.
The marketing gimmick not only helped his business, but also fanned an old spark from Etzel’s youth for classic cars.

He’s combined the two for both his own good — having written a guidebook for the car enthusiast whose searching for the right property — and charity with the foundation of a car show called ”Wheels for Meals” that helps raise funds for Meals on Wheels.

The second of two shows is from 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 6 at Ron’s Drive Inn 12502 E. Sprague Ave, Spokane Valley, WA. The first of the year was held in June.

Etzel was told that no one will enter, let alone go see a midweek car show. But next week’s will be the 12th such rendition of “Wheels for Meals.”

That June show drew 73 cars who paid $20 entry. And along with t-shirt sales, “We raised over $2,000 for Meals on Wheels and gave them the money that night,” Etzel said.

Why Meals on Wheels, the organization that puts ready-to-eat meals in the hands of senior citizens across Spokane County?

“Programs in Spokane County, they don’t get any state or federal money,” Etzel said. “They get their money (only) through donations,” he added.
For further information contact Eztel at (509) 995-2833.