Weedsport, NY — April 25, 2010 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
The return of Thunder Mountain Speedway to DIRTcar Racing Northeast this season has elevated the count to 14 tracks scheduled to host the entry-level open-wheel Sportsman Modified division in 2010.
Highlighted by special appearances at both the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, the Sportsman class will run weekly at a dozen more tracks making it one of the most popular on the entire DIRTcar NE circuit.
“We expect to start out slow with the crate Sportsman in our first year,” remarked Thunder Mountain owner/promoter Dick Stark, now enjoying his 5th season at the helm of the Center Lisle, N.Y. speedplant. First opening in 1992, the track maintained an earlier affiliation with the World Racing Group as it staged a Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series event for Pro Stocks in 1999.
“Once the teams come out and see the track, I’m confident word will spread fast and they’ll be back. This is a great class that I know will continue to grow here during the weeks ahead,” Stark said.
Beginning this month with season-opening DIRTcar events, valuable points will be on the line for teams contending for both DIRTcar Weekly Racing Series Track and DIRTcar Regional Championships, as well as the overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar titles. Points earned on the season-long Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship trail combined with bonus points issued after Labor Day from a driver’s hometrack will determine the overall titlist in 2010. Each licensed track champion will receive 1,000 points, with the 25th-place driver earning 900 at his best track during the year.
Flanked by regular Friday night facilities Can-Am Motorsports Park, Glen Ridge Motorsports Park and Ransomville Speedway, Saturday showplaces Brockville Ontario Speedway, Canandaigua Speedway, Fulton Speedway and Merrittville Speedway, and Sunday night stops Cayuga County Fair Speedway and Humberstone Speedway, Thunder Mountain joins Cornwall Motor Speedway (Sun.) and Mohawk Int’l Raceway (Fri.) as the newest additions to the DIRTcar Sportsman fold in the group’s 35th year.
Located just off I-81 and Rt. 79 on Hunts Corners Road in Center Lisle, N.Y., Thunder Mountain is an ultra-wide and fast 3/8-mile clay oval carved out of the hillside, today boasting stadium-style concrete columns that stretch from turn 4 to turn 1 to help accommodate a seating capacity of nearly 4,000 spectators. Fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to maximize comfort throughout the fast-paced program that also features UMP-style Modifieds, open Sportsman, Hurricane Street Stocks, Road Warriors, Road Bandits and 600cc micro sprints.
For additional information, please contact DIRTcar Racing Northast Director of Competition & Track Sanctioning Joe Skotnicki (704/796-4566) during normal business hours. Further details can be obtained by calling Dick Stark at 607/227-9602 (track 607-849-7889) or logging into www.thundermountainspeed.com, while the DIRTcar homepage www.dirtcar.com lists all sanctioned divisions and every active track member.
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.allstar100weekend.com and 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 the University of Northwestern Ohio www.unoh.com and Chizmark & Larson Insurance www.chizmarklarson.com, and contingency sponsors are Bicknell Racing Products www.bicknellracingproducts.com, Bilstein Shocks www.bilstein.com, KSE Racing Products www.kse-racing.com, Motorsports Safety Systems www.motorsportssafetysystems.com, MSD Ignition www.msdignition.com, Penske Shocks, www.penskeshocks.com, Racing Electronics www.racingelectronics.com, Vicci Racing Apparel www.vicci.com and Wrisco Industries www.wrisco.com.
