2/23/2011
Sharon Speedway
$1,500 TO AWAIT WINNER OF OPEN STOCK CAR SPECIAL APRIL 2; STAR’S MOD LITES & MINI STOCKS ALSO ON THE CARD
By Mike Leone
February 22, 2011
(Hartford, OH)…Like NASCAR’s Daytona 500 for its Sprint Cup Series, Sharon Speedway will also kickoff its season for Stock Cars with its biggest race of the year. The Gibson Agency-sponsored division will begin its 82nd anniversary season on Saturday, April 2 with the popular “open rules� format that allows cars from all over the region to compete competitively. A whopping $1,500 will await the 40-lap feature winner!
“The Stock Cars are such an important part of our weekly program,� acknowledged second-year GM Dave Willoughby. “This is a way to give back to them. It’s a show for them- they’re in the spotlight racing for their biggest prize of the season. We’ve had great success with this event in the past from both the competitors and the fans and look forward to continuing the tradition this season.�
Last year, a huge field of 62 cars was on hand for one of the region’s richest paying events, which was won by Alan Dellinger. The Niles, Ohio native also captured the inaugural event in 2008 in the Steve Burns entry. Rusty Wheeler, who is now the head tech inspector at the track, was the 2009 winner driving for Rich Howell.
Lap money is being sold for $20 a lap. For more information on sponsoring a lap, contact Debbie Burns-Polk at djcapolk@roadrunner.com or call 330-448-2349 (home) or 330-647-9419 (cell). Checks can be made payable to Sharon Speedway and sent to P.O. Box 59, Hartford, OH 44424 with it marked attention Debbie.
Adult admission is just $7 and pit admission is only $25. Pre-registration for Stock Cars for the event is $35 before March 15 and $50 after. There is a registration form available on our website at www.sharonspeedway.com and clicking Driver Info and Registration. For rules questions, contact Wheeler at 440-858-9605 or Kip Riffe at 724-272-7950.
Joining the Stock Cars will be the STAR’s Mod Lite Series along with the Presidential Lawn Care Mini Stocks. Like their big brother the Stock Cars, the Mini Stocks will open their campaign with their biggest event of the season as a $300 payday is on the line. It’ll be a big opening weekend for the Joe’s Radiator & Unitech Frame Straightening Mod Lites as they’ll also compete the night before in the “Friday Night Thunder� kickoff.
“The Mod Lites and Mini Stocks have become a great proving ground for youngsters,� explained Willoughby. “These divisions are very important to us as well and this show is a great way to showcase them too. A lot of these drivers are now moving up into other divisions and having great success.�
Pit gates open at 4 PM with the grandstands at 5. Qualifying for the Stock Cars will be held around 6:15 PM followed by racing at 7. The show will carry a rain date of Sunday, April 3.
The Stock Cars and all divisions for that matter will have their first shot on the speedway on Saturday, March 26 for an open practice from 10 AM until 2 PM. Following the practice, the “Springduro 150� Enduro will be held at approximately 2:30 PM. Registration forms for the “Springduro 150� are also available on the website. Drivers are urged to complete these forms as soon as possible to save both time and money on opening night.
Stayed tuned for more information on Sharon Speedway in the coming weeks. Sharon Speedway is owned by the Blaney, Weller, and Kirila Families and is a 3/8-mile dirt track located on Custer-Orangeville Road in Hartford, Ohio near the intersection of Routes 7 & 305. For more information, check out the website at www.sharonspeedway.com or call 330-772-5481. Become a fan of Sharon Speedway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharonspeedway and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sharonspdwy.
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