Weedsport NY — April 29, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
The 2008 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series is finally set to open with the 2nd Annual Paul Sawyer Memorial at Virginia Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 1 just two days away.
Commemorating the 10th straight season of Series partnership with Advance Auto Parts based in Roanoke, Virginia, those top-10 hosts on the list of Advance Auto Parts Series all-time Big-Block Modified track sites will be highlighted for each of the 10 days leading up to the VMS event.
While Virginia became the 44th track to stage an Advance Series race last spring, this elite group of dirt ovals from around the Northeast headlines a legendary list that encompasses 10 states and two Canadian provinces. And all but one of these are scheduled to run at least one major event in the ’08 Advance Series that marks the 29th straight season of tour competition.
The nationally recognized site of Super DIRT Week since 1972, the New York State Fairgrounds www.nysfair.org has hosted 47 Advance Series extra-distance events to rank second on the all-time list. Among the charter member tracks when DIRTcar NorthEast was created in 1976, the ‘Moody Mile’ in Syracuse has been a staple on the premier Big-Block Modified traveling tour from day one.
The flat one-mile oval at the NYS Fairgrounds actually dates back to the late 1820s when it was originally built to host horse racing and when the New York State Fair moved to the banks of Onondaga Lake in 1941, the track was incorporated into the Fair layout. Automobile Association of America (AAA) championship races were first staged in 1909 and just two years later the worst auto racing accident in United States history was recorded when Lee Oldfield crashed through a wooden fence in turn two, killing 11 spectators. 1949 was the first year for the once annual Labor Day stock car race —won by Ray Hill in a 15-mile event— with USAC dirt car and NASCAR Convertible, Grand National and Sportsman events among the specials held during the 1950s and ‘60s. DIRTcar founder Glenn Donnelly assumed control of the Fairgrounds’ legendary horsetrack in 1972 when he launched Super DIRT Week, which stands as one of the most popular multi-day events staged anywhere in the nation today.
Brett Hearn has been a master of the Syracuse Mile in four different decades, scoring five of his fairgrounds firsts in the Rite Aid 200 where he was even named rookie of the race in 1978. Two-time race winner Vic Coffey is the defending champion of the Columbus Day special as officials prepare for the 37th edition in October.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series
Top-10 Big-Block Modified Track sites (1980-2007)
EVTS TRACK FIRST RACE LAST RACE
76 Rolling Wheels Raceway-Elbridge,NY 8/13/80 9/22/07
47 New York State Fairgrounds-Syracuse,NY 9/6/82 10/7/07
46 Lebanon Valley Speedway-West Lebanon,NY 7/8/80 9/15/07
43 Fonda Speedway-Fonda,NY 4/19/80 7/17/03
43 Orange Co. Fair Speedway-Middletown,NY 9/10/83 10/21/07
41 Cayuga Co. Fair Speedway-Weedsport,NY 7/16/80 9/2/07
38 Canandaigua Speedway-Canandaigua,NY 7/23/80 8/9/07
28 Ransomville Speedway-Ransomville,NY 6/27/80 7/6/07
19 Autodrome Granby-Granby,QUE 7/10/89 9/17/00
19 Autodrome Drummond-Drummondville,QUE 7/11/89 7/23/07
The 10th Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series season continues on May 4, 2008 with the 28th DIRT Challenge Cup at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park. Further track information is available at www.rollingwheelsraceway.com and the DIRTcar NorthEast Office (315/834-6606) is open during weekdays. Log into the Advance Series homepage at www.superdirtcarseries.com or www.dirtcar.com to find out more about the entire circuit.
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 and Hoosier Racing Tire. Rite Aid Corporation is a promotional partner and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks, Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Dig Safely New York, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks, Rislone Oil Stabilizer and Wrisco Industries.
