Weedsport, NY — May 4, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
*Jay Fish Photo
May is a rare month off from Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified competition this year for the Northeast’s top traveling teams, yet time won’t be wasted as drivers continue to rack up feature wins at their customary weekend stops.
With the DIRTcar Northeast circuit getting underway for a 34th consecutive season, nine Advance Series stars have already racked up 11 victories from the list of 22 drivers taking checkered flags. Waterloo, New York pilots Matt Sheppard (Canandaigua Speedway) and Jeff Brownell Jr. (Glen Ridge Motorsports Park) are the lone tour regulars to double up, with all four wins for the Xtreme Lubricants/Bicknell teammates posted in April.
Reigning Mr. DIRTcar points king Billy Decker, Canadian standout Pat O’Brien and rising tour star Ryan Phelps have swept the early rounds at Brewerton Speedway, while past Mr. DIRTcar champions Alan Johnson (Cayuga County Fair Speedway), Gary Tomkins (Canandaigua) and Brett Hearn (Volusia Speedway Park) continue to bolster their career totals. Frankie Caprara opened the season up north with his initial triumph taken at Can-Am Motorsports Park, where he is the defending Big-Block points champion.
Advance Auto Parts Series activity resumes in June with a big doubleheader in the Capital Region of New York State. Top point chasers head to the high banks of Lebanon Valley Speedway on June 6 before traveling north the next day for ‘The Battle of Plattsbugh’ on the asphalt of Airborne Speedway. Both 100-lap Modified main events pay to $6,000 to win and award valuable points toward the overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship.
For additional information, contact DIRTcar Racing Northeast Director of Competition & Track Sanctioning Cory Reed (315/224-9009) or log into www.superdirtcarseries.com. To find links to every DIRTcar Racing track affiliate hosting events during the season, log into http://www.dirtcar.com and select ‘Tracks’ at the top and follow the instructions provided. Bookmark each track selection for quick review at a later time.
2009 DIRTcar NORTHEAST BIG-BLOCK MODIFIED WINNERS (22 thru 5/3)
2 Matt Sheppard
2 Jeff Brownell Jr.
2 Pat Ward
1 Brett Hearn
1 Billy Decker
1 Alan Johnson
1 Pat O’Brien
1 Frankie Caprara
1 Ryan Phelps
1 Gary Tomkins
1 Jamie Mills
1 Brian Swartzlander
1 Rex King
1 Kenny Tremont
1 Steve Paine
1 Mark Flach Jr.
1 Kevin Bolland
1 Jerem. Shingledecker
1 Duane Howard
1 Bobby Varin
1 Paul Gilardi
1 Tim Fuller
25 Events / 12 Tracks
DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds www.cayugacountyfairspeedway.com, home of the 2009 DIRTcar All-Star Weekend, July 17-19, featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Sportsman and Big-Block Modifieds in the richest short-track show of its kind in the nation — the $20,000-to-win Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series “DIRTcar All-Star 100” on Sunday, July 19.
Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company’s web site at www.advanceautoparts.com.
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 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.
