Weedsport, NY — October 14, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
One down three to go. When the inaugural DIRTcar Northeast Fall Nationals at Brockville Ontario Speedway, two more overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar champions will be recognized with just one more determined next weekend.
Big-Block specialist Brett Hearn sealed the deal Sunday in the Super DIRT Week showdown on the Syracuse Mile while season-long point chasers will drive away from Brockville this weekend clinging to a pair of coveted titles earned in the 358-Modified and Pro Stock ranks. Black Rock Speedway in Dundee, N.Y. brings down the curtain on DIRTcar Racing Northeast’s 34th year of operation when a Sportsman champion is declared for the 20th straight season back in the states.
Right now, all eyes are focused on Brockville as preparations for the biggest weekend in 40 years of racing at Brockville come to a head on October 17-18 when the ‘Beast of the East’ unlocks its gates for the 2009 finale.
Crews have been busy coming up with plans, and repositioning barriers around on the Speedway grounds to handle race fans and teams as they come north of the border to close out the biggest season ever for owners Paul and Cheryl Kirkland. Also on the card is a special open 360 Sprint Car event plus a full-fender Street Stock invitational with qualifying heats beginning each day at 2 p.m.
While Hearn edged recent Rite Aid 200 Presented By Ferris & Snapper Mowers winner ‘Super Matt’ Sheppard by just four points in the final Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block points tally, the remaining three championship are going down to the wire with two to be decided this weekend.
In search of his first-ever title, American hopeful Dale Planck leads defending Mr. DIRTcar champ Pete Bicknell from St. Catharines, Ont. by 52 points as they head toward the City of the Thousand Islands. A finish of 16th or better guarantees Planck a seat at the head of the banquet table, although a victory for Bicknell accompanied by a 17th-place tally by ‘The Natural” will result in a tie atop the small-block standings.
The trip to Brockville for Pro Stockers will mark the first ever series stop for DIRTcar NE’s top full-fender touring division, and in another international confrontation it will be New Yorker Pete Stefanski contending for an unprecedented fourth consecutive overall title against second-generation standout Joey Ladouceur from nearby Alexandria, Ont. Just 37 points separate this dynamic duo that accounts for 24 victories in ’09, including seven of the eight tour wins recorded on both sides of the border. A finish of ninth or better will sew up the championship no matter where Ladouceur crosses the line.
Its Canada vs. United States still one more time as another margin of 37 points stands between reigning Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman points king Chris Raabe from Napanee, Ontario and rising star Ryan Susice from Ransomville, N.Y. The teenage titans will trade paint on Raabe’s (18 yrs) home soil before Susice (19 yrs.) travels closer to home for the Oct. 24 judgment day at Black Rock.
Leading the bullies of Brockville into battle over the weekend will be nine-time 358-Mod track champ Danny O’Brien from Kingston, Ont. and 16 year-old driving sensation Matt Billings, fresh off a command performance leading flag-to-flag last Saturday in the Super DIRT Week Sportsman Championship.
For more information, please contact the Brockville office (613/348-3998) or the DIRTcar NE office in Weedsport (315/834-6606) during normal business hours. In the meantime, log into the homepage at www.dirtcar.com to find out more about the Mr. DIRTcar Series as well as the entire circuit.
Brockville Ontario Speedway http://www.brockvillespeedway.com is easily accessible from all directions: From Watertown N.Y. and south take 1-81 to Thousand Islands Bridge, exit onto Highway 401 East, follow Highway 401 East to Highway 29 at Brockville, then turn left at lights following exit follow Highway 29 to track on left; From Ottawa ON and north take Highway 417 to Highway 7, take Highway 7 west to Highway 15 at Carleton Place, follow Highway 15 South to Smith’s Falls, pick up Highway 29 at light just after bridge in Smith’s Falls, then follow (appox 30kms) to track on right hand side; From Kingston ON and west take Highway 401 East to Highway 29 exit at Brockville, turn left at lights, take Highway 29 13 kms North to find track on left; From Cornwall ON and east, take Highway 401 West to Highway 29 exit at Brockville, turn right at lights, take Highway 29 13 kms North and track is on the left.
2009 Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship Series Schedule
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE LAPS TRACK LOCATION/WINNER
Mon-May 18 Merrittville Speedway Larry Lampman Jr.
Mon-May 18 Merrittville Speedway Larry Lampman Jr.
Fri-Jul 31 Ransomville Speedway Danny Johnson
Sun-Sep 6 Cornwall Motor Speedway Carey Terrance
Fri-Sep 11 Mohawk International Raceway Pat O’Brien
Sat-Sep 12 Brockville Ontario Speedway Pat O’Brien
Sun-Sep 13 Autodrome Granby Billy Decker ($10,000 to win)
Sat-Sep 19 Autodrome Drummond Jimmy Phelps ($10,000 to win)
Fri-Sep 25 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Billy Decker
Wed-Oct 7 Can-Am Motorsports Park rain-cancelled
Thr-Oct 8 Brewerton Speedway Tim McCreadie
Fri-Oct 9 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park rain-cancelled
Sat-Oct 10 New York State Fairgrounds Billy Decker ($20,000 to win)
Sat-Oct 17 Brockville Ontario Speedway Brockville,ONT
Sun-Oct 18 Brockville Ontario Speedway Brockville,ONT
2009 Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Championship Series Schedule
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE TRACK WINNER/LOCATION
Sat-Apr 5 Black Rock Speedway Sammy Reakes IV
Fri-Apr 17 Can-Am Motorsports Park Chris Raabe
Thr-Jul 2 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park rain-cancelled
Fri-Jul 3 Brewerton Speedway Tim Sears Jr.
Sun-Jul 5 Cornwall Motor Speedway Chris Raabe
Sat-Jul 18 Cayuga County Fair Speedway Justin Wright
Mon-Sep 7 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Jipp Ortiz
Fri-Sep 11 Ransomville Speedway Don Spatorico
Sat-Sep 12 Merrittville Speedway B.J. Willard
Sun-Sep 13 Humberstone Speedway Chris Raabe
Fri-Sep 18 Canandaigua Speedway Jipp Ortiz
Fri-Sep 18 Canandaigua Speedway Ryan Susice
Sat-Sep 19 Genesee Speedway Chris Raabe
Sun-Oct 4 Fulton Speedway Ryan Susice
Wed-Oct 7 Can-Am Motorsports Park rain-cancelled
Fri-Oct 9 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park rain-cancelled
Sat-Oct 10 New York State Fairgrounds Matt Billings
Sat-Oct 10 Rolling Wheels Raceway Park Ryan Susice
Sat-Oct 17 Brockville Ontario Speedway Brockville,ONT
Sat-Oct 24 Black Rock Speedway Dundee,NY
@Driver’s (2) worst finishes dropped through September; last (7) events count.
2009 Mr. DIRTcar Pro Stock Series Championship Schedule
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE TRACK WINNER/LOCATION
Sat-Jul 4 Genesee Speedway Pete Stefanski
Fri-Jul 17 Mohawk Int’l Raceway Pete Stefanski
Sat-Aug 22 Autodrome Drummond Joey Ladouceur
Sun-Aug 23 Cornwall Motor Speedway Joey Ladouceur
Fri-Sep 11 Autodrome Edelweiss Joey Ladouceur ($1,500-to-win)
Sat-Sep 12 Lebanon Valley Speedway Don Carlson
Sat-Sep 26 Rolling Wheels Raceway Joey Ladouceur
Sun-Oct 11 New York State Fairgrds Pete Stefanski ($2,000-to-win)
Sun-Oct 18 Brockville Ont. Speedway Brockville,ONT
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.
