Weedsport, NY — March 17, 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 five 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.
1998 Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Champion Billy Decker has amassed 39 career extra-distance Series wins to currently stand fifth on the all-time list. The ‘Franklin Flyer’ quickly gained national prominence by copping three of the four televised Rite Aid 200 Championships held at the New York State Fairgrounds during Super DIRT Week from 1998-2001.
An Advance Auto Parts Series regular for the past 20 years, Decker registered his last tour triumph at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on September 22, 2007 and won a career-best six Series events in 1998 en route to the overall tour title.
Second all-time with 32 fast times set qualifying, Decker owns a half-dozen track Modified speed marks including the single lap record of 28.348 sec. (126.993 mph ave.) on the Syracuse Mile set in 2004.
The Unadilla, New York standout has competed in every ‘North-South Shootout’ at Hagerstown Speedway since it originated in 2001, posting a Series-best four Top-5 finishes yet still seeks his first trip to victory lane.
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.
