By Grant Clark
Not too far from State Route 507 in Rainier, you will find D and W Racing, a flat track that showcases both professional and amateur motorcycle and quad racing.
If you end up there during a summer weekend, odds are you will see at least one member of the Griffin family, if not more, zipping around the oval.
“We’re definitely a race family,” said 19-year-old Kiana Griffin, the oldest of three sisters. “When we have Christmas or birthdays, the gifts usually have something to do with racing.”
There’s Kiana, a 2014 graduate of Black Hills High School, father Todd, mother Jenifer and sisters Ivy, 13, and Mahala, 12 – all racing enthusiasts. And, save for mom, all competitors in the D and W Racing summer series.
The series runs from mid-May until late September and offers racing for all ages and skill level. A trio of dates – Aug. 8, Aug. 22 and Sept. 19 – remain on the 2015 summer slate with division champions being crowned at season’s end. Gates open at 12 p.m. with racing beginning at 4:30 p.m.
“It’s a small track. It’s very fast and you’re racing very close to each other. There’s not a lot room for error,” Todd said. “The difference between first and fifth could be as little as three-tenths of a second.”
“We usually race until about 11:00 p.m.,” Todd said. “Sometimes you can have as many as 75 heats in one night. It is a big family environment. That’s something you don’t see at any other track. (Owners) Danny and Wayne Cooley really do an incredible job promoting and welcoming that.”
The flat track is almost identical to the one Todd remembers from his childhood. It was here in the late 1970s where he rode his first dirt bike. Not too long after that, it was also here where he won his first trophy.
“I think I still have it somewhere. We have boxes full of trophies now, but I still have that one,” Todd said. “Everything is exactly the same as I remember here. It’s the same place. It’s still great.”
Growing up in Lacey, Todd would frequently make the trip out to Rainier to ride during his youth. He started out in motocross and eventually began adding quads into the mix.
Then a decade or so hiatus from the sport happened.
Quads had a tough go of it in the 1990s, dying down in popularity as many sought to outlaw the all-terrain four-wheelers. Concerns over the safety of the vehicles became more prominent as ATVs were viewed as being more dangerous than motorcycles. Safety measures, including wider spread helmet use among riders, have since been adopted, but at the time Todd just gradually drifted away from racing.
It wasn’t until 2004 that Todd’s interest would once again be piqued when a friend casually asked him to come and ride quads with him.
Todd may have been absent from the track for a lengthy amount of time, but as soon as the invite was extended his passion for racing would be dormant no longer.
“Even before we got out there I knew I was going to be hooked again,” said Todd, who lived in Salem, Ore. at the time. “When I told (Jenifer) I was going to go riding, she just rolled her eyes. She knew.”
Not long after that Todd purchased a bike of his own and soon found himself riding the dunes outside Salem with his wife and oldest daughter Kiana.
“It quickly escalated from there,” Todd said.
Todd started racing quads in Salem in 2010, and by the end of that year daughters Ivy and Mahala, who will be eighth- and seventh-graders, respectively, this fall at Tumwater Middle School, had joined in as well.
“They are night and day different,” Todd said about his two youngest daughters. “Ivy is super competitive and Mahala just wants to be out there riding.”
Recently moving back to Thurston County, Todd once again found himself at his home track, but this time he wasn’t alone as it has since turned into a family affair.
While her husband and daughters compete, Jenifer certainly plays a large role as well in making Team Griffin go.
“She’s the team mom. She’s making sure everyone has everything they need,” Kiana said. “She provides us with a lot of support.”
The weekend routine at the Rainier flat track centers on racing, but has more to do with family and camaraderie than anything else.
“It’s a blast. The girls absolutely love it,” Todd said about the Rainier flat track, which also offers beginner and advance rider classes. “It’s not just about racing. It’s about time with our family and friends. We show up on Friday and are usually the last to leave Sunday night.”
D and W Racing Rainier Flat Track is located at 404 Alaska Street in Rainier. Find the racing schedule here. General admission is $8 for adult and $5 for kids with a $25 family pass also available.
