Weedsport, NY — April 26, 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 five 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.
Among the oldest continuously operating facilities in the country, Orange County Fair Speedway www.ocfsmotorsports.com has hosted 43 Advance Series extra-distance events to actually stand tied for fourth on the all-time list with Fonda Speedway. Orange County has been a vital member of the DIRTcar NorthEast family every year but one since 1983, running tour races just as many seasons.
Formerly known as Victory Speedway, Orange County boasts one of the greatest racing heritages in all of motorsports. The original Middletown, N.Y. tract was built for horse racing in 1857 and called “The Harry Clay Oval” after a notorious steed. Initially laid out as a half-mile, the track was both widened and lengthened over the years to its present day 5/8-mile size and the current grandstand structure was built in 1925. An overflow crowd packed the track on August 15, 1919 to witness Jim Benedict best nine other entries to claim the inaugural 10-lap AAA-sanctioned race while the first official ‘stock car’ race was run off on Sept. 18, 1948 and won by Rocky Dinatale. Frankie Schneider captured the inaugural Eastern States 100 Championship on October 28, 1962 and the Northeast’s premier short-track event was lengthened to 200 laps in 1968.
It’s no surprise that all-time Orange County champion Brett Hearn also heads the 17-man list of career win leaders in Advance Auto Parts Series competition on the ‘Hard Clay’ with 10 feature victories. Local favorite Jeff Heotzler claimed his first Eastern States title in the ’07 tour finale while Pennsylvanian Frank Cozze won the annual Series show last spring in Middletown.
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.
