LaFargeville, NY — November 25, 2009 – By Craig Revelle, Finish Line Web Design
Just days after announcing his plans to purchase Can-Am Motorsports Park from the Caprara family, new owner Tiger Chapman, a businessman from the Rochester, New York area, has made it clear that 2010 will be a great season at the track. Consistent rules, lower concession prices and an emphasis on filling the stands on a weekly basis are just a few items that Chapman will look to address as the new season approaches.
“We had talked about this deal for a while now with the Caprara family,” Chapman said. “The track was almost sold last year to another buyer, but it fell through. When the opportunity came up again, we just decided to go for it.”
Chapman is a racer at heart, competing for many seasons, most recently in the Street Stock division at Can-Am in 2009. Chapman brings a lot of enthusiasm and great ideas to a track that has struggled in recent years with getting fans to come out in support. Chapman has many ideas in efforts to bring more fans in weekly, ones he plans to implement very early in his reign as track owner.
“I started going to the track at a very early age, following our local drivers at the Evans Mills Speedway,” recalled Chapman, who has now been involved in racing for nearly 25 years. “At age 17 I raced my first event and have been hooked ever since.”
The first change that was announced came at the annual Can-Am Motorsports Park awards banquet on Nov. 21 at the Bonnie Castle Resort in Alexandria Bay. Just after being announced as track owner, Chapman asked those in the crowd if they would be interested in a 100-lap endurance race, to which there was a large applause supporting the event.
January 2, 2010 will be the first event under the new ownership. A demolition derby has also been added to the Saturday show and snowmobile races may be scheduled during the winter months, weather permitting. The endurance race, ‘Hangover 100’ will pay out $600 to the winner of the event, $300 for second and $100 for third. The Demolition Derby winner stands to collect $500. The rain date will be Sunday, January 3.
“We’ll still be running under the DIRTcar sanction, with all our divisions finalized over the next couple weeks,” remarked Can-Am General Manager Chip Burdick, who will continue to work hard over the off-season to secure sponsorship for the upcoming campaign. “We’re already looking forward to our first points event, the season-opener on April 17. Its sure to generate a lot of excitement with a Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series doubleheader for 358-Modifieds and Sportsman topping the card.”
More information about the 2010 season at Can-Am Motorsports Park can be found at www.canammotorsports.com or by contacting Chip Burdick at 315/778-3407.
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.
