Weedsport, NY — March 20, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
The 2008 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series opener, 7th Annual North-South Shootout at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on Saturday, March 22 is just two days away.
Commemorating the 10th straight season of Series partnership with Advance Auto Parts based in Roanoke, Virginia, those top-10 drivers on the Advance Auto Parts Series all-time Big-Block Modified feature win list will be highlighted for each of the 10 days leading up to the event.
This all-star cast of drivers has accounted for 416 feature race victories from the list of 66 drivers taking checkered flags in 593 tour events held at 44 speedways around the Northeast since 1980. The elite group of 10 drivers has amassed 26 overall Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Championships and at least half are expected to compete full-time with the ’08 Advance Series, beginning with the lid-lid-lifter at Hagerstown.
A four-time overall Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Champion, Danny Johnson has racked up 65 career extra-distance Series wins to rank second on the all-time list. The Rochester, New York native is a five-time DIRTcar NE Driver of the Year, twice winning both the Rite Aid 200 at Syracuse and Lebanon Valley 200, with four Eastern States 200 first-place trophies picked up at Orange County Fair Speedway.
An Advance Auto Parts Series regular from the beginning, Johnson registered his last tour triumph at Cayuga County Fair (NY) Speedway on August 19, 2007. Touted as one of the most talented drivers racing under the DIRTcar umbrella, the ‘Doctor’ won a career-best six Series events in 1989 and again in 1997, securing Mr. DIRTcar crowns both years. He has won at more tour tracks (29) than any other driver in the Series’ 28 years.
Johnson has missed only one ‘North-South Shootout’ at Hagerstown Speedway since it was first run in 2001, cracking the Top-5 (3rd) just once in that same year while placing 20th and beyond in his past three attempts.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series
Top-10 Big-Block Modified Feature Winners (1980-2007)
WINS DRIVER FIRST WIN LAST WIN
98 Brett Hearn Lebanon Valley, 7/15/81 Rolling Wheels, 9/22/07
65 Danny Johnson Fonda, 9/25/82 Cayuga County, 8/19/07
51 Bob McCreadie Ransomville, 9/10/82 Rolling Wheels, 9/4/00
47 Alan Johnson Ransomville, 6/27/80 Cayuga County, 9/2/07
39 Billy Decker Lebanon Valley, 9/18/88 Rolling Wheels, 9/22/07
28 Jack Johnson Cayuga County, 7/16/80 Orange County, 6/14/01
27 Steve Paine Canandaigua, 9/7/85 Can-Am, 8/18/07
26 Doug Hoffman Orange County, 10/25/87 Lowe’s, 4/6/02
18 Tim McCreadie Rolling Wheels, 9/26/99 Drummond, 8/23/04
17 Tim Fuller Rolling Wheels, 9/21/03 Cayuga County, 8/19/07
The 10th Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series season begins on March 22, 2008 with the 7th North-South Shootout at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway. Further track information is available at http://www.HagerstownSpeedway.com and the DIRTcar NorthEast Office (315/834-6606) is open during weekdays. Log into the homepage at www.superdirtcarseries.com anytime 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, 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.
