Concord, NC — DIRTcar Racing continues to increase its West Coast presence, acquiring the Western All-Stars Super Late Model Series in an agreement announced on Monday.
The deal brings the West Coast’s most prominent dirt Late Model tour under the auspices of DIRTcar Racing, the brand name for the sanctioning body run by the World Racing Group of Concord, N.C. DIRTcar Racing is responsible for nearly 5,000 local and regional dirt track racing events each year at more than 125 tracks in the United States and Canada.
“We’re proud to add the Western Allstars Super Late Model Series to the DIRTcar Racing banner,” said DIRTcar Racing Western Region Director Chris Morgan, who will oversee operation of the Western Allstars tour. “All of us with DIRTcar Racing recognize that the West Coast is the region of the country where dirt Late Model racing has the most room for growth, so acquiring the region’s top series is a huge step toward what we feel will be an exciting future for all the area’s drivers, team owners and fans.”
Now officially known as the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series, the three-year-old tour has contested 10 events to date this season in California and Nevada . Nine points races remain on the 2008 schedule, beginning with a date this Saturday night (June 14) at Bakersfield ( Calif. ) Speedway .
DIRTcar Racing assumes authority over the Western Allstars Series midway through the season as it has with its other recent West Coast acquisitions: the Southwest DIRTcar Late Model Series and the Barnett Harley DIRTcar Modified Series.
“Like we have with the Late Model and Modified series in the Southwest, we’ll continue with the existing Western Allstars schedule and work to make the transition as seamless as possible,” said Morgan. “We want to continue the success that the Western Allstars Super Late Model Series has enjoyed for the past couple of years and at the same time apply the marketing and organization of DIRTcar Racing to advance the series as well as our footprint in the region’s dirt Late Model racing.”
Roy Piker, who has directed the Western Allstars Series in 2008, said it was his desire to see the tour reach its full potential that prompted him to turn over its operation to DIRTcar Racing.
“As far as I’m concerned, DIRTcar Racing and the Western Allstars is a marriage made in heaven,” said Piker. “I want to see the Western Allstars Series and dirt Late Model racing on the West Coast continue to grow and prosper, and DIRTcar Racing can make that happen.
“DIRTcar Racing has everything in place to make the series a success – the marketing tools, the experience, the staff, the national notoriety. I’m excited to see where DIRTcar Racing can take the series.”
Morgan envisions the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series becoming a platform that will allow DIRTcar Racing to bring bigger, richer events for the division to the Pacific Coast – and give fans a chance to see their West Coast favorites and some well-known drivers from across the country competing in true special shows. He also noted that involvement with the Western Allstars will help get DIRTcar Racing established as a sanctioning body with the local tracks around the region.
A big supporter of DIRTcar Racing’s acquisition of the Western Allstars Series is Bakersfield Speedway owner Scott Schweitzer. His high-banked, one-third-mile oval has hosted more WAS events than any other track – a total of 17, including all eight races run in 2006, six in 2007 and three this season – and he’s on board to hold five points shows and two sanctioned specials over the remaining months of the 2008 campaign.
“I think this is great for dirt Late Model racing on the West Coast,” Schweitzer said of DIRTcar Racing’s takeover of the Western Allstars Series. “Hopefully this will bring the stability to dirt Late Model racing here that’s been needed for a long time.
“I feel that Bakersfield Speedway is pretty key to dirt Late Model racing on the West Coast, so I’m excited to be working with Chris Morgan and everyone at DIRTcar Racing to make the division bigger and better.”
Another racetrack operator who views the news as a positive for the region’s dirt Late Model scene is Santa Maria ( Calif. ) Speedway ’s Dave Swindell.
“I think dirt Late Model racing on the West Coast finally has the stability it needs,” said Swindell. “With DIRTcar’s expertise overseeing everything, I see the future being very bright for dirt Late Model racing out here.
“The division is going to grow, and I think that sometime down the line we’re going to see tracks in California and other parts of the West Coast hosting some of the bigger races in the country for the division. It’s going to be exciting.”
The 2008 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series is scheduled to run 19 points races and four non-points special events at eight different tracks. Joining Bakersfield on the slate are American Valley Speedway in Quincy, Calif.; Kings Speedway in Hanford , Calif. ; Las Vegas Motor Speedway; Marysville ( Calif. ) Raceway Park; Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif.; Santa Maria (Calif.) Speedway; and Silver Dollar Speedway I n Chico, Calif.
Mike Johnson of Lompoc , Calif. , is the defending series champion, and Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas , Calif. , is the 2008 tour’s current points leader.
For more information on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing, visit DIRTcar.com.
2008 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Schedule (winners of completed races noted):
Feb. 28, Las Vegas Motor Speedway/Las Vegas, NV (Jimmy Mars)
Feb. 29, Las Vegas Motor Speedway/Las Vegas, NV (Tim McCreadie)
March 1, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA (Bobby Hogge IV)
March 29, Kings Speedway/Hanford, CA (Chet Buckley)
April 19, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA (Bobby Hogge IV)
April 26, Marysville Raceway Park/Marysville, CA (A.J. Kirkpatrick)
May 3, Kings Speedway/Hanford, CA (A.J. Kirkpatrick)
May 17, Santa Maria Speedway/Santa Maria, CA (Steve Drake)
May 24, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA (Bobby Hogge IV)
May 31, American Valley Speedway/Quincy, CA (Richard Papenhausen)
June 14, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA
June 20, Ocean Speedway/Watsonville, CA
June 21, Antioch Speedway/Antioch, CA
July 5, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA
July 19, Santa Maria Speedway/Santa Maria, CA
July 26, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA
Aug. 9, Silver Dollar Speedway/Chico, CA
Aug. 31, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA
Sept. 20, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA
Oct. 10, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA (non-points)
Oct. 11, Bakersfield Speedway/Bakersfield, CA (non-points)
About World Racing Group, Inc.:
World Racing Group, Inc. (OTCBB: WRGI), a sports entertainment company, is a world leader in the sanctioning and promotion of dirt track auto racing. WRGI, based in Concord , N.C. , owns and operates the three highest profile national touring series for dirt track racing in the United States :
• The Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws® Sprint Car Series
• The World of Outlaws Late Model Series(SM)
• The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series™
World Racing Group sanctions more than 4,900 local and regional dirt track racing events in the United States and Canada at 126 tracks each year under the DIRTcar™ Racing brand. In addition, World Racing Group owns and/or operates seven premier dirt track speedways.
To learn more about World Racing Group, visit worldracinggroup.com.
