Weedsport, NY — March 5, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
The DIRTcar Racing Northeast circuit will once again take center stage with participation by many of its cars and stars headlining Motorsports Expo ’09, March 14-15, in the Center of Progress Building at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.
A handful of Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series drivers are scheduled to be in attendance for the 23rd Annual Exposition & Trade Show presented by the staff at Gater Racing Photo News, with the current list headed by Big-Block Modified standouts Gary Tomkins, Jimmy Phelps, Dale Planck and Ryan Phelps.
Each of these drivers will be on site Saturday, March 14 at 3pm for a special autograph session that also offers plenty of photo opportunities. They will be available to answer questions and reveal their race plans for the upcoming season, with Tomkins and Jimmy Phelps also discussing their recent trips around the world to Australia and Planck detailing his own journey south to Volusia Speedway Park in Florida for the Alltel DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH.
Along with the no. 91 Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell entry steered by 2008 Mr. DIRTcar Modified Champion Billy Decker, the Big-Block car of Billy Dunn (#49), 358-Modified mount of ’08 Airborne Speedway points titlist Patrick Dupree (#24), Sportsman Modified ride of Brett Martin (#10), Pro Stock mount of his father Mike Martin (#99), Street Stock machine piloted by Mike Schultz (#16), plus the 4-Cylinder stocker of Brad Rathbun (#91) representing Black Rock Speedway will also be on display around the centrally located ‘DIRTcar Land’ throughout the weekend.
“This is always a big show as it comes right before our Advance Series opener (Hagerstown, March 28) and interest is high from all the fans and drivers that stop by,” remarked DIRTcar Northeast Director of Competition & Track Sanctioning Cory Reed. “It also means only one more month until our weekly season starts. We’ve got some exciting news to tell that should make 2009 one of our biggest seasons ever in Central New York, giving everybody even more to talk about during the months ahead.”
Helping make ‘DIRTcar Land’ the biggest ever at Motorsports Expo ’09, Airborne, Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Black Rock, Canandaigua Speedway, Cayuga County Fair Speedway, Genesee Speedway, Humberstone Speedway, Ransomville Speedway and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park information areas will be active during the two-day show as track representatives will be providing schedule cards as well as supplying important news about each.
Plenty of DVDs showcasing past race events will be stocked in the DIRTcar booth, where teammates can fill out an official 2009 DIRTcar License application form, learn about ‘09 rule book updates and pick up major series race schedules.
Crowning of Ms. DIRTcar 2009 highlights the first day of activity during the Exposition & Trade Show, with competition taking place Saturday, March 14 beginning at 7 p.m. Each entry in the 12th Ms. DIRTcar contest sponsored by Leaf Racewear will be judged in the customary round of sportswear plus an on-stage interview session.
The New York State Fairgrounds is located on State Fair Blvd., off Route 690, only minutes west from downtown Syracuse. Show hours in the Center of Progress Bldg. are 11am-9pm Sat. and 11am-4pm Sun. For more information, please contact Joe Patrick at 315/457-0175 during normal business hours or log into www.gaternews.com.
DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds www.cayugacountyfairspeedway.com, home of the 2009 DIRTcar All-Star Weekend, July 24-26, featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Pro Stock (Fri.) and Sportsman (Sat.), as well as Big-Block Modifieds in the richest short-track show of its kind in the nation — the $20,000-to-win Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series “DIRTcar All-Star 100” on Sunday, July 26.
Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company’s web site at www.advanceautoparts.com.
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire www.hoosiertire.com and VP Racing Fuels www.vpracingfuels.com. Promotional partners include Rite Aid Corporation www.riteaid.com, Dig Safely New York www.digsafelynewyork.com and the University of Northwestern Ohio www.unoh.com and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks www.barsproducts.com, Bert Transmission www.berttransmission.com, Bicknell Racing Products www.bicknellracingproducts.com, Bilstein Shocks www.bilstein.com, Brodix Cylinder Heads www.brodix.com, Ferris Industries www.ferrisindustries.com Holley HP Carburetors www.Holley.com, Integra Shocks www.integrashocksandsprings.com, Intercomp www.intercomp-racing.com, KSE Racing Products www.kse-racing.com, Motorsports Safety Systems www.motorsportssafetysystems.com, Penske Shocks, www.penskeshocks.com, Racing Electronics www.racingelectronics.com, Rislone Oil Stabilizer www.barsproducts.com and Wrisco Industries www.wrisco.com.