Madras Speedway racers roll into Ray's

Saturday shoppers quietly collecting bread and milk for the weekend at Ray's Food Place were startled by a surreal sight - a full-size modified class race car parked inside the store. Team owner Scott Lehman and his entire racing family were out in force to help spread the word about the upcoming Madras racing season and promote awareness of the electrifying sport of dirt short-track motor racing.

"A lot of people in Sisters don't even know we have an exciting local race series out at the Madras Speedway," said Lehman, clad in his black #54 Lehman Racing jacket. "We wanted to bring the car down and answer questions about getting into racing and help support our sponsors with some giveaways and free drawings. It's very affordable for the whole family to come watch a race, and also a lot of fun."

The Madras Race Series runs from May to September and is comprised of at least 16 races with up to 25 cars in five different classes, from the rowdy sprint cars and modifieds all the way down to sportsman and juniors. A 2011 schedule will be available online in mid-February at madrasspeedway.com.

Lehman's car setup in Ray's runs through Sunday and presents photo albums of action race shots and daily prizes and gift certificates donated from sponsors and local businesses like Sno-Cap Drive In, Cascade Fitness, Pilot Butte Drive In, Black Butte Ranch, Papandrea's Pizzeria, Ray's Food Place and many more. Free tickets to the Madras Speedway are also being awarded to some lucky fans.

Team Lehman Racing has been competing at Madras since 2005 and last season fielded four entries - a modified, a late model and two sportsman cars.

"It's a full family affair, and everyone is involved and totally into it," said Lehman. "Me, my brother Jeff, his wife Shelly and their son Blake, my girlfriend Rose Wahl and my mother, Cheryl, our biggest fan."

Lehman and his nephew, Blake, ran in the modifieds and late models in 2010 as rookies and won the overall rookie championship. Scott finished second in points for the year-end awards, just seven ticks behind Dan Gilder of Bend.

The dirt-track machine featured on Ray's showroom floor started as a 1968 Chevelle frame and was modified from that point on. Under the hood is a 360-cubic-inch Chevy small-block motor cranking out 500 horsepower at the wheels. Drivetrain includes a Powerglide two-speed transmission with a locked Ford 9-inch rear end and three-link suspension for adjustability in different track conditions.

In addition to ripping up laps on the track, Lehman is also a fulltime National Guardsman working out at the Biak Training Center in Redmond.

Rose Wahl plays a vital role in promoting the team and educating the public about the Madras Speedway Series.

"We try to help kids get involved in racing and teaching them about the cars and how to be respectful," explained Wahl. "Lehman Racing does all the holiday parades and veterans events and major celebrations in Bend, Redmond and Sisters. Sponsorship is important and the more we get, the more we can support the youth programs. Many times if we place high in the main events we'll donate our winnings to charities like the Make-A-Wish Foundation."

"Our thanks to Ray's Food Place for being such a huge supporter of local racing and backing the sponsors on our cars," Lehman added. "They really love stock car racing. It's the best rush you can ever get, doing wild things in a pumped up vehicle you can't legally do on the street."

For more information contact Wahl at 541-848-3392.