Canandaigua Pro Stocks - Jay Fish Photo
Weedsport, NY — March 19, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
Pro Stocks have been an integral part of the weekly show at Genesee Speedway since the Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series was launched in 1995, and up until 2006 they comprised the top full-fender division at Canandaigua Speedway every weekend throughout the summer.
With both tracks meeting halfway in 2009, a unique merger has resulted in a handful of special events scheduled at each site, with the title of “Terrell’s Potato Chips Drivin’ Route 5 Pro Stock Series” Champion hanging in the balance as teams travel the corridor where east meets west.
“We’re here to support the resurgence of the Pro Stock class,” remarked Canandaigua General Manager Jack Deery, now on the brink of beginning his third year heading race day operations at the historic ‘Land of Legends’ oval. “They’ve been away for a while so we’re happy to have them back, albeit a partial schedule this coming season. Hopefully, a good turnout for these events will lead to something bigger down the road.”
With the overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series currently boasting a solid schedule of extra-distance events, the introduction of 10 prolific Pro Stock shows at two tracks less than an hour apart has further bolstered the rising bandwagon effect.
“Mike (Martin) phoned a lot of the drivers to get a feel for something like this even happening as he wants his class to survive locally,” noted DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Competition Director Brian Mulligan, who served as a liaison between Martin, Deery and Genesee Promoter Mike Lauterborn, securing dates and sponsorship over the winter months. Martin, runner-up in the ’08 Genesee point standings, has received commitments from a solid core of Pro Stock pilots along with others looking to rejoin the weekly wars and still more planning to convert from the entry-level Street Stock ranks.
“This is a perfect union for these two Saturday night tracks. Mike (Lauterborn) really didn’t want to get rid of the class and after the Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock show at Canandaigua last year, Jack even wanted to host two this summer. So far we’ve received great support from everyone involved, maybe this will be a springboard for more multi-track associations in the future,” added Mulligan, who has already outlined a $2,000 point fund with $1grand plus a custom-monogrammed leather jacket saved for the champion. Depending on actual car counts, 20-lap winners will earn up to $350 with $50 guaranteed to start every feature race. Extra monetary incentives are also in the works for rookies looking to advance from the Street Stock class.
“Yes, Mike (Martin) was definitely the instigator of this whole deal,” confirmed Lauterborn, who like Deery, will kick off his third year at the helm of the Genesee County Fairgrounds oval. Genesee is scheduled to open the ’09 season on April 25 with Round 1 of Terrell’s Drivin’ Route 5, while Canandaigua, its own icebreaker slated for April 18, stages its first Terrell’s tour stop for Pro Stocks on May 23. “I just hated to drop these guys from our program, they’ve all been so loyal since I took over. Maybe this will be the kind of boost this class needed all along, they’ve got my blessing however things turn out.”
For additional information, please contact Pro Stock Series Director Brian Mulligan (613/938-6751) or track managers Jack Deery at the DIRTcar Northeast office (315/834-6606) and Mike Lauterborn at the Genesee office (585/293-2780). In the meantime, log into the homepages at www.canandaiguaspeedway.com or www.geneseespeedway.com to find out more about both DIRTcar member affiliates.
2009 Terrell’s Potato Chips Drivin’ Route 5 Pro Stock Series Schedule
*DP=Double Points show; all events subject to change.
DAY-DATE LAPS TRACK LOCATION
Sat-Apr 25 20 Genesee Speedway Batavia,NY
Sat-May 16 25-DP Genesee Speedway Batavia,NY
Sat-May 23 20 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Jun 6 20 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Jun 20 20 Genesee Speedway Batavia,NY
Sat-Jul 18 20 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Aug 1 25-DP Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Aug 8 20 Genesee Speedway Batavia,NY
Sat-Aug 29 20 Genesee Speedway Batavia,NY
Sat-Sep 5 20 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
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 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series “DIRTcar All-Star 100” on Sunday, July 19.
Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company’s web site at www.advanceautoparts.com.
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, 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 Holley HP Carburetors www.Holley.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.
