DIRTcar Racing Northeast Circuit Closes Book On 34th Season In 2009; Florida Up Next

Weedsport, NY – December 31, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director

DIRTcar Racing is set to roll into another decade of speed already boasting 34 years of success around the Northeast circuit. Officially launched during the nation’s Bicentennial, 2009 marked the sixth straight season of operation under the World Racing Group umbrella with short-track stalwarts Brett Hearn, Dale Planck, Chris Raabe and Pete Stefanski capturing the coveted overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Championship crowns.

Since its establishment in 1976, DIRTcar Racing NE has sanctioned both open-wheel and full-fender classes at 82 tracks reaching into a dozen states and two Canadian provinces, as far north as Quebec, southward to Florida and out west to Texas. Charter members Canandaigua Speedway (1368) and Cayuga County Fair Speedway (1246) in New York’s Finger Lakes Region, along with Empire State ovals Lebanon Valley Speedway (1358) and Can-Am Motorsports Park (1020), and Ontario oval Merrittville Speedway (1057) are among the leaders in DIRTcar events run with 20,131 chronicled in seven divisions.

Registered in the DIRTcar NE record book, 746 main events — Big-Block Modified 154, 358-Modified 130, Sportsman 209, Pro Stock 101, Street Stock 105, Pro Late Model 47 — were staged at 32 speedways in ’09 with six Big-Block drivers, 12 Small-Blockers, 21 Sportsman pilots, 21 Pro Stock wheelmen and 11 Street Stock chauffeurs reaching victory lane for the first time; Pro LMs made their NE debut in ‘09. Over 2300 drivers have now cracked the winner’s circle beginning in 1976, with ‘Mr. Small-Block’ Pete Bicknell (294) ---89 Big-Block, 203 Small-Block, 2 Sportsman--- heading a group of 51 drivers that have won features in all three open-wheel divisions

The season-long Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds and companion traveling tours for 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock teams continue to lay the foundation for the four Hoosier-VP Mr. DIRTcar point chases, while weekly shows help maintain a steady flow of competition that is evident at every active track affiliate. Of those 700-plus features run in ‘09, 57 were extra-distance touring events held from April through October.

Overall Modified champ Hearn collected a lucrative $50,000 top prize at the ‘09 DIRTcar Northeast ‘Night of Champions’ for his record-setting 7th Big-Block title, with the ‘Jet’ improving his series standard to 103 victories after taking three checkered flags. The ‘Natural’ Planck pocketed a $13,000 prize package for his first-ever Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship while the ‘Teenage Tornado’ Raabe earned $5,000 after securing his 2nd consecutive Sportsman title. Adding to his growing list of career accomplishments, Stefanski made it four straight in full-fender Pro Stock tour competition and took home $2,000 in post-season awards.

Hearn closed out the decade with his third Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block title of the millennium, rising to the top of the points chart for the first time in 1990 while adding an overall Mr. DIRTcar Small-Block championship to his record-setting resume in 2006. He copped five feature wins during the season yet it was ‘Super Matt’ Sheppard dominating with a division-high 20 checkered flags although coming up just four points short in the overall points chase. Along with his unmatched success achieved in the Super DIRTcar Series, Hearn remains DIRTcar Racing NE’s all-time open-wheel winner with 523, standing behind only Canadian veteran Bicknell on DIRTcar Northeast’s 358-Modified all-time list despite being the career 358 Mr. DIRTcar Series race winner with 68 extra-distance triumphs. And it is only Alan Johnson (364) who owns more Big-Block feature wins than Hearn (350), although ‘A.J. Slideways’ holds the mark of at least one feature win scored every year of DIRTcar’s existence.

While Planck went winless en route to top Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified laurels in ’09, Raabe earned a Sportsman series-best five victories with 14 more first-place trophies taken home during the regular season. Planck is still listed among DIRTcar Northeast’s all-time Top-20 358-Modified feature winners with 49 checkered flags ---including 4 in the Mr. DIRTcar Small-Block series--- with 4 track point titles earned over the past 10 years. Raabe increased his DIRTcar count to 50 while collecting track point crowns at Can-Am Motorsports Park and Thunder Alley Speedpark, along with earning high-point honors in the DIRTcar ‘North’ Region final standings for a second straight year.

2009 marked the 15th season that DIRTcar Racing offered a Mr. DIRTcar Championship for the premier Pro Stockers and that just provided one more year for Stefanski to build on his full-fender legacy for a fourth successive campaign. He continues to be recognized as the all-time Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Series winner now with 23 tour triumphs, also reaching victory lane 10 times at a handful of tracks to retain his position as DIRTcar Northeast’s all-time career division leader with 88 wins.

Another impressive emergence of fresh faces around the entire DIRTcar Racing Northeast circuit in 2009 helped account for 71 first-time feature winners in one of the most competitive seasons ever. Headed by Motorsports Safety Systems/G-FORCE Rookie of the Year award winners Rich Scagliotta (Big-Block Modified), Jeremy Wilder (358-Modified), Robert Humphreys (Sportsman) and Harvey Arquette Jr. (Pro Stock), some of those same drivers gained even more familiarity with solid showings in their respective home track point standings.

The 2010 race season is expected to bring further success as DIRTcar continues to raise the level of excitement in the world of short-track auto racing. It all begins this coming February when racers make their annual pilgrimage to Florida for the start of DIRTcar Racing Northeast’s 35th straight season. The 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park will be highlighted by the 22nd trip to the Sunshine State for the DIRTcar Big-Block contingent, with Florida Tour ‘10 featuring the mighty Super DIRTcar Series Modifieds during the week of February. 10-13.

A FREE Fan Pit Pass has been made available to every ticket buyer who comes through the main gates each night of the DIRTcar Nationals at VSP beginning on Feb. 2. All fans have to do once they arrive at the track is take their grandstand ticket and head toward the pits, where a table will be set up to sign-in for an up-close look at the cars and stars who will be racing that night. To purchase tickets call Volusia Speedway Park at 386/985-4402, for more information visit www.DIRTcarNationals.com.

In addition, every person that purchases a ticket for the DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia before January 15 will be entered in the “Fan of February” contest currently being held. The winner will be announced on January 16 and will receive two tickets for each of the (4) Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified shows run at VSP In February, as well as a free hotel stay during that time. Winners will also be selected for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car and WoO Late Model Series portion of the 2010 DCN, as well as the UMP DIRTcar Modified segment. For more information visit www.fanoffebruary.com.

Last chance to vote for Canada's top current and future racers!

Voting for the Eighth Annual Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards closes at midnight on New Year's Eve. We're planning to announce the winners, on stage, at the Canadian Motorsports Expo on Friday, January 22, 2010.

The survey consists of 13 questions. Most of the categories include six nominees and space for write-in votes. The Inside Track Readers' Choice Awards celebrate Canada's top current and future racing stars, across the spectrum of motorsports, including stock cars, road racing, motorcycle racing, rallying, karting and drag racing.

Click here to be taken to the survey site.

Kawartha Durham Kart Club Confirms Bridgestone "Thrill of a Lifetime" for 2010

The Bridgestone Racing Academy has confirmed that they will once again be offering a “Thrill of a Lifetime” lapping day at the Mosport International Driver Development track to qualified senior KDKC members.

This amazing opportunity has been generously provided to members of the club for many years and will once again be an opportunity to experience the high speeds of the Bridgestone Academy’s Formula 2000 cars. Everything you need is provided free of charge (a retail value of almost $1,000.00). There can be no argument that this is the greatest perk available to any kart club in Ontario (Canada?) and to the largest number of members. Whether you want to move on to open wheel racing or just want to be able to say, ”I ran a fully winged race car”, a day at the Bridgestone Racing Academy can’t be beat.

Following an introductory briefing, you will be issued your personal racing gear and you're off to pit lane and the outstanding fleet of Van Diemen Formula cars. These purpose-built single seaters are very responsive with an incredible power-to-weight ratio. The warm-up lapping session becomes the exciting topic of conversation during breaks. Drivers then return to the track for three full 20-minute lapping sessions at even higher speeds than the two-session version.

“This is an excellent opportunity and we are very grateful to Bridgestone for their continued support.” Paul Evans, President of KDKC.

Check the Bridgestone Racing Academy’s website for all the great, affordable programs and courses they offer for drivers and mechanics but remember that only KDKC members have the chance to attend one free!

Watch our website throughout the year for more updates as they happen: www.kawarthadurhamkartclub.com.

CSRA snowmobiles: Round 2 CSRA Regional CAN-AM Challenge - Royal Distributing - Factory Recreation report

CSRA Regional Round 2 combined with Michigan Bay Racing in Gaylord, Michigan saw another spectacular weekend for Team Royal Distributing-Factory Recreation Rockstar Energy's Joey Sagan. Competing in the Pro AM Super Stock on his Ski-Doo, Joey won all 3 qualifiers and took the final. Finishing his last uphill climb, Sagan wowed the crowd with a heel clicker to take the checkers!

Back in Pro Stock, Joey Sagan started in the front row with pick #9 and still managed to get the hole shot. Pulling out front away from the pack, it was Sagan and Dave Joanis fighting for the win. With a 1-2 battle and nobody else in sight, Joey finished 2nd after some intense riding, and only 2 sled lengths from yet another victory.

Lee Butler found out that racing luck will even catch up with a defending champion, as broken shocks and a broken chaincase were his demise early on. Lee limped into the Pro Stock final starting on the back row with hopes of a top 10.  Lee finished 5th after battling back from the back row starting spot.

The Pro Open proved to be more successful for Lee. The Open Mod sleds were tuned on the money by Head Mechanic Wayne Legge. With Butler and Sagan starting on the front row, Lee grabbed the holeshot flanked by Joey. Keeping a median 2 sled lengths from each other for the duration of the race, Butler and Sagan finished 1-2 respectively with no threats from behind.  The Royal Distributing Factory Recreation Rockstar Ski-Doos dominated the podium and are now 2-2 in CSRA Open Mod finals.

Last year's CSRA Sport Champion's Dylan Hall looked comfortable in his first weekend as a Semi-Pro. In his second outing, Dylan rode steady all weekend long showing that he'll definitely be a contender in the Semi-Pro class this racing season. Competing in the Semi-Pro Super Stock, Hall finished 5th. But things turned around when he holeshotted from the front row in the Semi-Pro Open and dominated the entire race for the win. Awesome job from the rookie!

Special thanks to Ski-Doo, Rockstar Energy Drink, FXR, Kimpex, Ipone Oil, Studboy Traction, HMK Boots, Hercules Distributing/Fox Racing Shox, Oakley Eyewear, Jaws Performance, JR Hall Transport, C and A Pro Skis, and Manitoulin Motorsports.

From Mark Fries / Royal Distributing // mfries@royaldistributing.com // www.royaldistributing.com 

Kawartha Speedway Late Model racer Cole Powell avoids the traditional sophomore slump

Every athlete – professional or amateur – will tell you.  Having a great rookie season makes living-up to your first year’s performance extremely difficult.  During the 2009 Kawartha Speedway season 16 year-old Cole Powell of Mount Brydges, Ontario proved he’s the exception to the rule.  The 12th grader at Strathroy District Collegiate showed that he had put all his bad luck in the past and drove his #25 Chevrolet Impala SS to a 6th place finish in the track’s final NAPA Auto Parts Late Model standings.  He’ll collect the fruits of his labours Saturday, January 16th at the track’s annual awards banquet.

When the checkered flag waved to wrap-up their 2008 campaign, the Powell Motorsports team heaved a heavy sigh of relief.  Their inaugural showing in Kawartha Speedway’s late model division was to be a break-out year for the team and their then 15 year-old driver. Instead, the season was an endless string of bad luck and frustrating performances.  The team tried a number of things – including changing car numbers mid-way through the year – but nothing they did helped shake the monkey from their backs.  During a show in Florida early in 2009, their red and white machine ended-up on its roof following an on-track incident.  Crew chief and father Todd Powell worked tirelessly with the crew to fix and adjust the car during the day so they’d be prepared to run competitively each of the 7 nights.  It was at that moment the team decided things had to change.

“While I was happy he wasn’t hurt, we started talking about getting a new car before we even left for home,” said mother and head cheerleader Tracy Powell.  “Cole learned a lot running the first car and that was part of the plan.  We never thought there’d be so many obstacles along the way, but that’s part of what the sport is all about.”

Armed with a fresh, 2009 McColl chassis as their weapon of choice to begin the next campaign the quiet, likeable youngster and his family started the new season at Kawartha with a few rough outings but the driver soon proved to be a quick study, finding-out that before you can finish first, you first have to finish.  His top 15 runs were replaced by top 10 efforts.  The basic black #25 Chevy first earned a few heat race wins and by the time the season’s final night of action was in the books, Cole Powell, his family and crew were celebrating in victory lane following a win in the 100 lap finale.

“It was something we’d been working toward all season,” said the driver. “I never gave up and hoped it was just a matter of time.  The crew gave me a great car all season long.  It was winning on the last night of the year – especially in the 100 lapper against top veteran and invader Pete Vanderwyst that made it worth all the hard work.  I hope we’ll be able to carry that momentum into 2010 and if I do, a lot of it will have to do with where I came from at Kawartha.  I feel I owe some of my success and improvement in 2009 to racing with Dan McHattie, Dave Morgan, Ryan Kimball and the rest of the late model drivers every week.  If I keep working on my driving as hard as my dad and the crew work on the car, things should nicely fall into place.  The encouragement I get from established car owner and scout Ron O’Brien has also pushed me forward.  He says he likes fast cars and people who can get to the front.  Most of all, he likes seeing his name on winning racecars.”

Powell says he thinks tracks will be seeing more of the same from up and coming young runners like Brandon Watson and himself in 2010 and for many seasons to come.

Kawartha Speedway’s 10th Anniversary 2010 schedule is available now at www.kawarthaspeedway.com.  The track will also be part of the 4th annual Canadian Motorsports Expo January 22nd to 24th at the International Centre in Toronto.

Photo attachments: #1).  16 year-old Cole Powell found his way into victory lane with several heat race wins – and a 100 lap NAPA Auto Parts Late Model feature triumph during Kawartha Speedway’s 2009 season.  Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications // #2),  Cole Powell and his father Todd (L) celebrate the young driver’s first NAPA Auto Parts Late Model feature on the final night of Kawartha Speedway’s 2009 season.  Team supplied photo

Prepared by:  Jim Clarke – Clarke Motorsports Communications