{"id":3748,"date":"2009-09-03T21:09:31","date_gmt":"2009-09-04T02:09:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/100.24.212.105\/?p=3748"},"modified":"2023-08-08T16:38:36","modified_gmt":"2023-08-08T20:38:36","slug":"world-racing-group-tours-divisions-set-to-dominate-the-northwests-racing-scene-over-labor-day-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dirtcar.com\/divisions\/late-models\/world-racing-group-tours-divisions-set-to-dominate-the-northwests-racing-scene-over-labor-day-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"World Racing Group Tours & Divisions Set To Dominate The Northwest\u2019s Racing Scene Over Labor Day Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"
Concord, NC<\/strong> \u2014 The World Racing Group\u2019s high-profile tours and divisions are set to dominate the Northwest\u2019s dirt-track racing scene over the Labor Day weekend.<\/p>\n An array of entities that operate under the WRG banner \u2013 from the region\u2019s marquee Super Late Model series to the famed World of Outlaws Sprint Cars to the DIRTcar Modifieds \u2013 will bring thrilling action to the Northwest\u2019s fans throughout the traditional end-of-summer holiday period.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is going to be a powerhouse stretch of racing in the Northwest for the World Racing Group and DIRTcar Racing,\u201d said Chris Morgan, the director of WRG\u2019s DIRTcar Racing Western Region. \u201cIt\u2019s exciting for WRG and DIRTcar Racing to be a part of so many big events at some of the region\u2019s top racetracks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Thursday night\u2019s 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).<\/p>\n \u201cGoing back to Skagit Speedway with the DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour is a big deal for us,\u201d said Morgan. \u201cSteve Beitler runs one of the country\u2019s best racetracks and it\u2019s an honor for our growing Late Model series to be invited to run there \u2013 especially as part of a giant weekend of racing that features the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars.\u201d<\/p>\n The DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour will also headline the \u2018Labor Day Classic\u2019 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\u2019s hotbed of Super Late Model racing. Complete programs will be contested each night, giving promoter Bill Arnold\u2019s track a critical role in determining the 2009 series champion.<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 on Sept. 25-26 at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford \u2013 will remain on the series schedule after Labor Day weekend.<\/p>\n 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\u2019 finishes in Northwest I-5 Tour and DIRTcar Western Allstars Late Model Series events.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s ample spotlight with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, which continues its West Coast swing at the quarter-mile oval.<\/p>\n The open-wheel DIRTcar UMP Modified division also has a prominent place on the Labor Day weekend schedule. The 14th annual Lon Skinner Memorial \u2018King of Dirt\u2019 event \u2013 one of DIRTcar Modified racing\u2019s richest and most prestigious events \u2013 will run on Saturday and Sunday nights (Sept. 5-6) at Southern Oregon Speedway carrying a DIRTcar UMP Modified sanction for the first time.<\/p>\n A $5,000 top prize will be on the line in Sunday night\u2019s Lon Skinner Memorial finale at the three-eighths-mile UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned oval promoted by B&D Racing, LLC\u2019s Richard Barney and Ric Donnelly. Qualifying races will be staged on Saturday with the main events on Sunday.<\/p>\n For more information on this weekend\u2019s events, visit the track websites at www.skagitspeedway.com;<\/a> http:\/\/www.trophymotorsports.com\/wil…espeedway.htm;<\/a> www.cottagegrovespeedway.com;<\/a> and www.sospeedway.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n