Weedsport, NY — March 7, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
Qualifying procedures for the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series continue to follow a double standard in 2008 with heat race inversions after time trials once again shaping the Big-Block Modified starting grid for nearly every tour event.
Drivers will continue to draw for their order in the ‘Integra Shocks Time Trials’ at all Advance Auto Parts Series events and the fast timer will select a second pill to determine how many cars (0, 2, 3 or 4) will be inverted to start each preliminary heat race.
“With the fastest car not always starting on the pole in the heats, it created a lot more action for the fans last season,” said DIRTcar NorthEast Director of Competition & Track Sanctioning Cory Reed. “We’re always looking for ways to make the Advance Series even more entertaining for the spectators and shaking up the qualifying format just adds to the excitement.”
The ‘Integra Shocks Fast Time Award’ winner will collect $100 and five (5) bonus points and the top-three heat race finishers will earn additional bonus points as follows: 1st-5 pts, 2nd-3 pts, 3rd-1 pt. A driver can earn a maximum of 10 more points being the fast timer as well as a heat race winner during the upcoming Advance Auto Parts Series.
The customary pre-race re-draw among top heat race qualifiers will continue to be in effect throughout the summer, with season-ending events —Syracuse Super DIRT Week Rite Aid 200 and Eastern States 200 at Orange County Fair Speedway— the only Advance Auto Parts Series stops awarding fast timers with pole-position starts. Top heat race and Dig Safely New York consolation round finishers will fill those fields in the same order as heat points will not be awarded.
For further questions regarding qualifying procedures for Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series events or the 2008 race schedule, please contact Cory Reed in the DIRTcar Northeast Office (315/834-6606) during normal business hours. Log into www.superdirtcarseries.com for the latest news and results, driver and track information, media galleries and DIRTVision.com video clips, as well as many special features as the season rolls on.
Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts is the second-largest retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, based on store count and sales. As of October 6, 2007, the company operated 3,228 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The company serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets.
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 and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., Rite Aid Corporation and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks and Wrisco Industries.