Weedsport, NY — October 22, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
And then there was one.
For the 20th straight season an overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman champion stands to be crowned when Black Rock Speedway hosts the division finale on Saturday, October 24.
With Brett Hearn (Big-Block Modified), Dale Planck (358-Modified) and Pete Stefanski (Pro Stock) already capturing the highest DIRTcar Northeast titles, its up to teenagers Chris Raabe and Ryan Susice to settle the score Saturday in the Sportsman ranks.
Black Rock will be the center of attention this weekend as the Dundee, N.Y. oval helps bring the curtain down on DIRTcar Racing Northeast’s 34th successive year of operation. With nearly 50 Sportsman entries expected for their final show of ’09, Raabe and Susice will be the focal point as they contend for the coveted championship.
Black Rock will open for Sportsman practice on Saturday beginning at 9:30 a.m. with time trials scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. and heat races slated to get underway at 1:00 p.m. Registration starts at 8 a.m. and the main grandstands open for seating at 11 a.m.
It will be another international encounter on neutral soil when Raabe arrives bearing the Canadian Mapleleaf while Susice tows to the Yates County 4/10-miler carrying the stars and stripes. At 18, the Napanee, Ontario pilot is the reigning Mr. DIRTcar points king while 19 year-old Ransomville, N.Y. racer Susice is a star on the rise with two track titles under his belt in his first full-season on tour.
A margin of 57 points separates the formidable pair, forcing five-time race winner Raabe to finish 20th or better in Black Rock’s 50-lap feature race to clinch outright a second consecutive championship. A fourth win on the ’09 trail by Susice accompanied by a 21st-place tally by Raabe would result in a tie atop the point standings, and anything lower would leave the door open for second-generation chauffeur Susice to garner DIRTcar’s highest honor.
Sammy Reakes IV copped the series opener at Black Rock in April with Raabe limping across the line ninth while Susice failed to qualify from the 49-car field signed in. Trailing Raabe and Susice in the current series points are Jipp Ortiz (2 wins), Justin Wright (1) and Dan Wiesner. Leading the local contingent in defense on Saturday will be recently crowned track champion Todd Henderson and top point chasers Donnie Lawson, Brady Fultz, Craig Gardner, Loren Lincoln and Fran Hilton.
For more information, please contact DIRTcar NE Competition Director Joe Skotnicki (cell 704/796-4566), the Black Rock Speedway office at 607/243-8686 or visit www.blackrockspeedway.com. In the meantime log into www.dirtcar.com to find out more about the Mr. DIRTcar Series as well as the entire circuit.
Black Rock Speedway Schedule: Saturday October 24
Grandstand Adult General Admission is $15
– Pit Gates open at 8AM / Grandstands at 11AM
(TOO AVOID EXCESSIVELY LONG PIT LINES PLEASE STAGGER ARRIVAL)
Sportsman, Late Models, and Street Stocks should begin arriving at 8AM.
* Hot Lap Session One 9:30am – 10:30am (5 minutes per session) Sportsman
* Late Models
* Street Stocks
* Time Trials 10:30 am Sportsman (1 Lap)
* 10:55 am Late Models (1 Lap)
* 11:30 pm Street Stocks (1 Lap)
Sprints, 4 Cylinders, and Enduros should begin arriving at 10AM.
* Hot Lap Session Two 12:00pm – 12:30pm (5 minutes per session) Xcel 600 Mods
* NYMM
* 4 Cylinders RWD (Limited to ONE 5 minute session)
* 4 Cylinders FWD (Limited to ONE 5 minute session)
* Heat Races 12:30 NYMM (8 Laps)
* 12:45 Xcel Mods (8 Laps)
* 12:55 Sportsman (8 Laps)
* 1:10 Late Models (8 Laps)
* 1:40 Street Stocks (8 Laps)
* 2:40 4 Cylinders RWD (8 Laps)
* Consi’s 3:00 Sportsman
* 3:15 Late Models (2)
* 3:45 Street Stocks (3)
TRACK PREP
* Features 4:45 NYMM Series 1 (18 Laps)
* 5:05 Xcel 600 Mods (20 Laps)
* 5:30 Sportsman (30 Laps)
* 6:00 Late Models (30 Laps)
* 6:30 Street Stocks (100 Laps) FUEL STOP MIDWAY
* TRACK PREP
* 8:30 NYMM Series 2 (18 Laps)
* 8:50 RWD 4 Cyls (20 Laps)
* 9:15 FWD 4 Cyls (30 Laps)
***Sunday tentative schedule if necessary***
Features to be held at original time with format changes listed below:
*Pit Gates will open at 9:00am
* NO ENGINES MAY BE FIRED BEFORE NOON!
* Hot Laps will begin at 12:10pm
* NO time trials
* Heats will begin at 12:45pm
* Features will begin at 4:45pm
2009 Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series Schedule
DAY-DATE TRACK WINNER/LOCATION
Sat-Apr 5 Black Rock Speedway Sammy Reakes IV
Fri-Apr 17 Can-Am Motorsports Park Chris Raabe
Thr-Jul 2 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park rain-cancelled
Fri-Jul 3 Brewerton Speedway Tim Sears Jr.
Sun-Jul 5 Cornwall Motor Speedway Chris Raabe
Sat-Jul 18 Cayuga County Fair Speedway Justin Wright
Mon-Sep 7 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Jipp Ortiz
Fri-Sep 11 Ransomville Speedway Don Spatorico
Sat-Sep 12 Merrittville Speedway B.J. Willard
Sun-Sep 13 Humberstone Speedway Chris Raabe
Fri-Sep 18 Canandaigua Speedway Jipp Ortiz
Fri-Sep 18 Canandaigua Speedway Ryan Susice
Sat-Sep 19 Genesee Speedway Chris Raabe
Sun-Oct 4 Fulton Speedway Ryan Susice
Wed-Oct 7 Can-Am Motorsports Park rain-cancelled
Fri-Oct 9 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park rain-cancelled
Sat-Oct 10 New York State Fairgrounds Matt Billings
Sat-Oct 10 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Ryan Susice
Sat-Oct 17 Brockville Ontario Speedway Chris Raabe
Sat-Oct 24 Black Rock Speedway Dundee,NY
@Driver’s (2) worst finishes dropped through September; last (7) events count.
DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds, home of DIRTcar All-Star Weekend in July. DIRTcar Northeast’s crown jewel event —Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse runs annually in October featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Big-Block Modified, 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions. Ticket and schedule information is available by contacting the Weedsport office (315/834-6606) during the day or logging into www.superdirtweekonline.com anytime.
The Big-Block Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors 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, 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.
