Bristol Motor Speedway
Notes: Appalachian Speedweek gets rolling at Hagerstown
The inaugural Appalachian Mountain Speedweek for Dirt Late Models kicks off Saturday at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway with the first of seven unsanctioned events paying at least $5,000 to the winner. The tour, modeled after the 18-year-old Pennsylvania Sprint Car Speedweek, is expected to draw several Mid-Atlantic drivers battling seven nights and a points fund paying $2,000 to the champion.
Hagerstown's event is followed by races at Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway on June 7 and Winchester (Va.) Speedway on June 8. Four Pennsylvania events wrap up the Speedweek at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg (June 9), Lincoln Speedway (June 10), Port Royal Speedway (June 11) and Bedford Speedway (June 12).
All the events are scheduled to pay $5,000 to the winner with the exception of Lincoln's Charlie Grinestaff Memorial, which pays $7,000 to the winner. The track's a sprint-car stronghold, but Grinestaff made a name for himself in full-bodied cars, winning his first-ever feature at Lincoln in 1954 and winning all over the East Coast through three-decade career. The Grinestaff family also plans a $500 bonus for the hard charger in the 40-lap feature.
All the Appalachian Mountain Speedweek events will use the same format with time trials followed by heat races, consolation races and the feature events. Each night's fast qualifier — who gets $100 from Shearer Custom Speedway & Accessories — will draw for a heat-race inversion each night.
Among other series sponsors are American Racer, Choice Hotels, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, Keizer Aluminum Racing Wheels, K.R.S. Graphics, Rocket Chassis and WRT Speedwerx. — From series reports
LUCAS OIL OUTLAWS TWO HOOSIER TIRES: Two Hoosier tires, the LM40 and ribbed 1600, have been disallowed in Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competition, the series announced Tuesday. The series standard for policing those compounds is reading 60 with a durometer punch, but the tires were failing to meet that hardness, said series director Ritchie Lewis, putting drivers in danger of penalties that can include fines and loss of points. "If the competitors and the series knows the tire can get them in trouble, why are you going to even allow it?" Lewis said. Equivalent-hardness tires still allowed on the series are two Hoosiers (square block 1600 and shoulder-plated D55) and an American Racer (MD56); a variety of softer compound tires are also legal. — From series and staff reports
LAP SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE AT HESSTON: Hesston (Pa.) Speedway is selling laps sponsorships for the Oct. 8-10 Rumble by the Lake '09, the first-ever Unified Force Championship Series event at the track. The 88-lap Super Late Model event will pay $20 to the leader of each lap with the $20 sponsorships a way to advertise or remember a loved one. For more information on how to reserve a lap, email the track at hesstonspeedway[at]gmail.com and include contact information. Deadline for lap sponsorships is Aug. 17. — From track reports
ODDS AND ENDS: The Northern Tier United Late Model Series runs June 12 at Raceway 7 for the first time in six years. The event pays $2,000-to-win at the Terry Adams-promoted track in Conneaut, Ohio. ... The Mississippi State Championship Challenge has added a June 13 event at Southern Raceway in Milton, Fla., replacing a cancelled race at Deep South Speedway in Loxley, Ala. The Southern date gives MSCC a two-race weekend in Florida with a pair of $2,000-to-win event at Northwest Florida Speedway in Blackman and in Milton. ... The Race Brothers Show-Me Racin' Series has added a $1,500-to-win event at Lucas Oil Speedway on June 27. The first series race at the Wheatland, Mo., track since 2006 will be in conjunction with a USMTS event for modifieds. The track's weekly ULMA Late Models will be legal to compete in the Show-Me Series event.
