Weedsport, NY — March 19, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
The 2009 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series opener, 7th Annual North-South Shootout at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on Saturday, March 28 is just nine days away.
Commemorating the 10th Anniversary of Series partnership with Advance Auto Parts based in Roanoke, Virginia, those top-10 drivers in the final 2008 Advance Auto Parts Series Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Modified will be profiled for each of the 10 days leading up to the event.
This talented group of drivers has accounted for 207 Advance Series race victories from the list of 67 drivers taking checkered flags in 619 tour events held at 45 speedways around the Northeast since 1980. Along with 870 DIRTcar Northeast Big-Block feature wins and 63 track point titles, these same 10 drivers have amassed nine overall Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Championships and all are expected back to compete full-time with the ’09 Advance Auto Parts Series, beginning with the Spring lid-lifter at Hagerstown.
Last season second-generation standout Ryan Phelps scored his first Top-Five finish in the fourth feature from the end at Canandaigua Speedway to help the ‘Rocket’ salvage ninth-place in points for the Big Red Towing no. 99 Dave Miller Auto Body/Bicknell team. The rising star from Fulton, New York led 10 laps in the Twin 50s at Canandaigua and added a heat win at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park in his first full year chasing Advance Series accolades.
2009 marks Phelps’ seventh season of Modified racing, with a pair of Big-Block feature wins scored at Can-Am Motorsports Park. He logged his lone Integra Shocks Fast Time at Cayuga County Fair Speedway in ’07, where he also owns one feature win (2002) in Sportsman Modified competition.
Phelps has only crossed the Mason-Dixon Line to race on two occasions, the first when he failed to qualify among a stellar field of 70 cars in 2004, and in ’06 when he finished 20th in the traditional tour opener.
2008 Overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Modified/
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Point Standings (Top-10)
Rank No. Driver Points Series Track Diff. Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 91 Billy Decker 2,495 2,195 300 0 10 18 24 26
2 98h Jimmy Phelps 2,293 2,019 274 -202 1 14 23 26
3 77x Dale Planck 2,251 1,959 292 -244 3 16 21 26
4 84 Gary Tomkins 2,204 1,908 296 -291 2 11 21 26
5 20 Brett Hearn 2,164 1,876 288 -331 2 9 20 26
6 9s Matt Sheppard 2,143 1,859 284 -352 1 9 18 26
7 FX1 Frankie Caprara1,904 1,612 292 -591 0 2 14 26
8 7x Steve Paine 1,852 1,560 292 -643 0 9 11 25
9 99 Ryan Phelps 1,795 1,539 256 -700 0 1 8 26
10 3 Justin Haers 1,738 1,480 258 -757 0 2 14 25
The 11th Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series season begins on March 28, 2009 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.
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 Holley HP Carburetors www.Holley.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.
