Elbridge, NY — July 2, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
A passing shower over Rolling Wheels Raceway Park blew by just after 3 p.m. on Thursday afternoon to provide track officials with a glimmer of hope for the evening ahead.
But when the clouds gradually crept back into the area until fully unloading exactly two hours later, the ensuing downpour was more than they wanted to see, reluctantly forcing cancellation of the entire July 2 program that featured the first of four Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series events scheduled at the Elbridge oval.
“The sun came out right after we got hit the first time but the second blast flooded parts of the pits and infield so we really had no other choice except to pull the plug,” remarked Rolling Wheels GM Cory Reed, immediately following the decision that was announced at 5:15 p.m. “We were well prepared for another cloudburst and had the track locked down, just didn’t expect so much to come down in such a short time. It was a safety issue as much as anything else after that.”
Opening night of the traditional ‘Fourth of July’ racing holiday was scrapped well before sundown, leaving series personnel rushing to review the remainder of the summer tour in hopes of landing a new date for the latest rain victim. With 20 series specials already dotting the 2009 agenda, none could be found, although racers still have three more chances to visit the ‘Fast Track’ —September 7, Sept. 26, October 9— to earn valuable points towards the overall Mr. DIRTcar crown.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The 20th Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Series is back in action right away with the big ‘July 4th’ holiday quadrupleheader continuing in Central New York at Brewerton Speedway on Friday before crossing the Canadian border for weekend appearances at Brockville Ontario Speedway and Cornwall Motor Speedway. Title contenders then make their way to Weedsport on July 18 for the inaugural DIRTcar All-Star Weekend before participating in a rare mid-week special at Canandaigua Speedway on July 21. Tour activity resumes on Labor Day in September, with every extra-distance affair offering valuable points towards the overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship as well as guaranteed starter status for Super DIRT Week in October.
**ATTENTION**
All Sportsman teams planning to compete in the Mr. DIRTcar Series event slated for Brewerton on Friday, July 3 are reminded to arrive early. To avoid the heavy congestion that town officials have repeatedly posted warnings about, please use the Central Square exit off Route 81 as a big fireworks exhibition is expected to create lengthy traffic delays on Route 11 south of the track.
2009 Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series Schedule
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE LAPS TRACK WINNER/LOCATION
Sun-Apr 5 75 Black Rock Speedway Sammy Reakes IV
Fri-Apr 17 30 Can-Am Motorsports Park Chris Raabe
Thr-Jul 2 25 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Rain-Cancelled
Fri-Jul 3 30 Brewerton Speedway Brewerton,NY
Sat-Jul 4 30 Brockville Ontario Speedway Brockville,ONT
Sun-Jul 5 30 Cornwall Motor Speedway Cornwall,ONT
Sat-Jul 18 30 Cayuga County Fair Speedway Weedsport,NY
Tue-Jul 21 33 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Mon-Sep 7 25 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Elbridge,NY
Fri-Sep 11 50 Ransomville Speedway Ransomville,NY
Sat-Sep 12 50 Merrittville Speedway Thorold,ONT
Sun-Sep 13 50 Humberstone Speedway Pt.Colborne,ONT
Fri-Sep 18 33 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Sep 19 30 Genesee Speedway Batavia,NY
Sat-Sep 26 25 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Elbridge,NY
Fri-Oct 2 30 Fulton Speedway Fulton,NY
Wed-Oct 7 30 Can-Am Motorsports Park LaFargeville,NY
Fri-Oct 9 30 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Elbridge,NY
Sat-Oct 10 30 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse,NY
Sat-Oct 24 50 Black Rock Speedway Dundee,NY
@Driver’s (2) worst finishes dropped through September; last (5) events count.
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 17-19, featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Sportsman and Big-Block Modifieds in the richest short-track show of its kind in the nation — the $20,000-to-win Super DIRTcar Series “DIRTcar All-Star 100” on Sunday, July 19.
The Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds 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.
