Concord, NC — The World Racing Group’s high-profile tours and divisions are set to dominate the Northwest’s dirt-track racing scene over the Labor Day weekend.
An array of entities that operate under the WRG banner – from the region’s marquee Super Late Model series to the famed World of Outlaws Sprint Cars to the DIRTcar Modifieds – will bring thrilling action to the Northwest’s fans throughout the traditional end-of-summer holiday period.
All the excitement kicks off on Thursday night (Sept. 3) at Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Wash., where the DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour will provide a rare dose of full-bore Super Late Model competition to a track well-known as a Sprint Car haven.
“This is going to be a powerhouse stretch of racing in the Northwest for the World Racing Group and DIRTcar Racing,” said Chris Morgan, the director of WRG’s DIRTcar Racing Western Region. “It’s exciting for WRG and DIRTcar Racing to be a part of so many big events at some of the region’s top racetracks.
“We’re working hard with the promoters in the Northwest to create a buzz for dirt-track racing in the region and this huge holiday weekend is a major milestone in that respect.”
Thursday night’s mid-week Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour date at Skagit is a great way to get the excitement level turned up. A three-tenths-mile oval promoted by former Sprint Car racer Steve Beitler, Skagit is playing host to a Super Late Model show as a high-profile lead-in to its two-day World of Outlaws Late Model Series program on Friday (Sept. 4) and Saturday (Sept. 5).
“Going back to Skagit Speedway with the DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour is a big deal for us,” said Morgan. “Steve Beitler runs one of the country’s best racetracks and it’s an honor for our growing Late Model series to be invited to run there – especially as part of a giant weekend of racing that features the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars.”
The DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour will also headline the ‘Labor Day Classic’ on Saturday night (Sept. 5) and Sunday night (Sept. 6) at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., a historic one-third-mile oval that is widely recognized as the region’s hotbed of Super Late Model racing. Complete programs will be contested each night, giving promoter Bill Arnold’s track a critical role in determining the 2009 series champion.
John Duty of Portland, Ore., carries the Northwest I-5 Tour points lead into the Skagit/Willamette swing, but he holds a precarious 17-point edge (1,034-1,017) over Jeremy Shank of Salem, Ore. Just two races – on Sept. 25-26 at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford – will remain on the series schedule after Labor Day weekend.
Meanwhile, Nick Bartels, 21, of El Segundo, Calif., is expected to enter the Willamette events in hopes of defending his lead in the UMP DIRTcar Racing Pacific Region points standings, which combine drivers’ finishes in Northwest I-5 Tour and DIRTcar Western Allstars Late Model Series events.
DIRTcar Super Late Model action will also take place on Tues., Sept. 8, at Cottage Grove (Ore.) Speedway. The full-fender racing will share the evening’s ample spotlight with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, which continues its West Coast swing at the quarter-mile oval.
The open-wheel DIRTcar UMP Modified division also has a prominent place on the Labor Day weekend schedule. The 14th annual Lon Skinner Memorial ‘King of Dirt’ event – one of DIRTcar Modified racing’s richest and most prestigious events – will run on Saturday and Sunday nights (Sept. 5-6) at Southern Oregon Speedway carrying a DIRTcar UMP Modified sanction for the first time.
A $5,000 top prize will be on the line in Sunday night’s Lon Skinner Memorial finale at the three-eighths-mile UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned oval promoted by B&D Racing, LLC’s Richard Barney and Ric Donnelly. Qualifying races will be staged on Saturday with the main events on Sunday.
For more information on this weekend’s events, visit the track websites at www.skagitspeedway.com; http://www.trophymotorsports.com/wil…espeedway.htm; www.cottagegrovespeedway.com; and www.sospeedway.com.
Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.
