Weedsport, NY — April 9, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast PR Director
A full-fender frenzy moves to the forefront on Saturday, April 19 when the Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series makes its first stop of the 2008 campaign as part of Can-Am Motorsports Park’s SUNY Canton season-opener. A top prize of $1,000 is on the line for the 25-lap tour winner from the posted race day purse of more than $5-grand.
“I’ve been in touch with many of the top contenders from last year and most are looking forward to coming back to start out the 2008 tour,” said Brian Mulligan, appointed DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Competition Director in December and now anxiously awaiting his initial trackside trip to Can-Am next weekend. “Being the first event, I expect to find some new drivers at Can-Am as they all want to see how well they can fare. With the second show almost three months away there’s plenty of time to make the decision to go full throttle after that.”
A seasoned pack of Pro Stock warriors is once again expected to converge on the fast half-mile Can-Am oval providing some of the most fierce fender to fender, paint swapping action on the DIRTcar NE circuit. Starting time is 7 p.m. with grandstand admission beginning at 5 p.m. and the pit gates swinging open at 4 o’clock.
Two-time defending overall Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Champion Pete Stefanski from Wheatfield, New York will be back looking to make it three straight steering his potent Sunrise Racing no. 2 San Ter Sewing-Mar Jon School of Beauty Culture-PJ NFB Auto Sales Chevrolet Monte Carlo. Last season Stefanski scored a division-high three tour wins, closing out the Series with successive 50-lap wins at Cornwall and Edelweiss followed by a second consecutive victory in the WHF Racing Weekend finale at Fulton.
Two–time ’07 tour winner Allen Peters settled for runner-up honors on the final points chart just 33 markers behind, with past Syracuse Super DIRT Week champion Louie Jackson, since retired Dave Bissonnette and Don Barnes completing the front-five. North country standouts Roch Aubin, Dion Oakes, P.J. Peters and Denis Gauvreau along with Jack Terrell filled out the top-10 and all are expected back to contest for the coveted crown in DIRTcar NorthEast’s premier full-fender touring group.
“There’s great comraderie and mutual respect among all the teams and it’s a fun Series to follow,” Mulligan noted. “The Peters brothers continue to supply the motor for Stefanski while Barnes just built a brand new car for Jackson. Joey Ladouceur is now a Stinger Chassis dealer and still helps out area drivers part-time with body work. We’ve got a fresh crop of newcomers like Cory Wheeler, Ghislain Valade and Bruno Cyr from Canada and New Yorkers Rob Yetman and Mike Vaughn are ready to travel for the first time. Interest is certainly growing all around and Can-Am will be a great neutral site to get us rolling.”
The popular Pro Stocks have made just one previous stop at Can-Am since the Mr. DIRTcar trail originated in 1995. Stefanski earned a narrow victory in the September 2005 contest that boasted seven lead changes with all but one exchange between Stefanski and eventual Mr. DIRT Pro Stock Champion Jipp Ortiz. ’04 Mr. DIRTcar titlist Ladouceur, Clayton Benedict —a DIRTcar 358-Modified rookie in 2008— and P.J. Peters rounded out the first five.
Thunder Alley Speedpark in nearby Evans Mills, New York leads off the big DIRTcar doubleheader weekend on Friday, April 18 with the first UMP/DIRTcar Pro Stock event staged at the 3/8-miler since 2005 and paying $500 to win.
For additional tour information, please contact Pro Stock Series Director Brian Mulligan (613/938-6751) or Cory Reed, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Director of Competition & Track Sanctioning, at the Weedsport office (315/834-6606) during normal business hours. In the meantime, log into the DIRTcar homepage at www.dirtcar.com to find out more about the entire circuit.
Track information can be found at www.canammotorsports.com or by contacting Race Director Chip Burdick at 315/778-3407. Can-Am Motorsports Park is located off of NYS Route 411 and can be reached from the east or west by traveling the NYS Thruway to I-81 (Exit 36). Take I-81 North or South to Rt. 411 (Exit 49), then head west four miles.
2008 Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Championship Series Schedule
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE LAPS TRACK LOCATION
Sat-Apr 19 25 Can-Am Motorsports Park LaFargeville,NY
Thr-Jul 3 25 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Sat-Aug 2 30 Genesee Speedway Batavia,NY
Fri-Aug 22 30 Thunder Alley Speedpark Evans Mills,NY
Sat-Aug 23 30 Autodrome Drummond Drummondville,QUE
Sun-Aug 31 50 Cornwall Motor Speedway Cornwall,ONT
Fri-Sep 5 100 Autodrome Edelweiss Hull,QUE
Sat-Sep 6 30 Mohawk Int’l Raceway Hogansburg,NY
Sat-Sep 20 30 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Sep 27 30 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Fri-Oct 3 30 Fulton Speedway Fulton,NY
Sun-Oct 12 25 New York State Fairgrnds Syracuse,NY
Sun-Oct 19 25 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown,NY
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 and Hoosier Racing Tire. Rite Aid Corporation is a promotional partner and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks, Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Dig Safely New York, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks, Rislone Oil Stabilizer and Wrisco Industries.
