Bristol Motor Speedway
Notes: Two California tracks launch miniseries
Chris Kearns of Santa Maria Speedway
A two-track collaboration between Santa Maria Speedway and Bakersfield Speedway will provide more Dirt Late Model special events for California racers in 2009. The West Coast Super Late Model Shootout will see the tracks split six $2,000-to-win events, races that won't conflict with the California-based Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series.
The first West Coast Shootout event is scheduled for March 14 at Bakersfield. Santa Maria hosts its first event on April 25. Bakersfield hosts its other two events May 23 and Sept. 19 while Santa Maria has WCS events also scheduled for June 27 and Sept. 6. The races pay at least $500 to each of the 20 drivers starting the main event.
Promoters Chris Kearns of Santa Maria and Scott Schweitzer of Bakersfield, who previously worked together when Kearns was the Western Allstars series director, have created a "win-win situation for everyone involved: the tracks, the fans and the racers," Schweitzer said.
“I am very excited about putting on some great Dirt Late Model events at Santa Maria Speedway and very happy to be working with Scott Schweitzer," said Kearns, who took over the promotional reins at Santa Maria for 2009. "He has a great Dirt Late Model track and really knows how to take care of the racers.”
Schweitzer is glad to partner with Kearns, too. "We have really worked well together in the past and Chris has a great reputation in the Dirt Late Model community."
The West Coast Shootout champion will be crowned after the final event. Also, a drawing will be held among drivers with perfect attendance at all six events for a C.J. Rayburn Race Car. "This will only grow between the tracks and get bigger next year," Kearns said.
Among WCS bonuses offered at Bakersfield are $200 for any driver in Crate Late Model finishing in the top five and two free pit passes for teams traveling from other states.
Santa Maria, which also hosts two Western Allstars events, will host several unsanctioned Late Model events and will crown an individual track champion as well, Kearns said. Bakersfield, which has hosted more Western Allstars events than any other track, has a single Western Allstars event scheduled along with its unsanctioned Budweiser Nationals on Oct. 9-10. — From series and staff reports
SWDRA INSTITUTES SPECIAL PILL DRAW: The Southwest DIRTcar Racing Association is getting fans involved in 2009 with a special Fast 9 pill draw. The top three finishers in each of three hits will draw for the pole position on the frontstretch. Children who sign up before the race will be paired with each of the nine drivers with the kids drawing for the starting spots. In the SWDRA season opener, the lucky child who drew the pole position won a radio-controlled car donated by Duckett Management and Real Estate. — M.J. Anderson
WILD RIDE FOR HUSSAK: The first race of the SWDRA season didn't last long for Tommy Hussak III of Picacho, Ariz., on March 7 at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. On the second lap of the main event, Hussak got too high exiting turn four, catching the berm along the front straightaway and flipping just past the flagstand. His right-front tire was torn off in the process and a red flag appeared for the cleanup. Hussak checked out OK with medics. "I went for quite a ride," he said, "but other than bumping my knee, I'm OK." — M.J. Anderson
CLMA RELEASES 13-RACE SCHEDULE: The Denver-based Colorado Late Model Association released a 13-race schedule for the 2009 season, a slate that includes at least three two-race weekends. Seven of the events will be co-sanctioned by the Grand Junction, Colo.-based Western Dirt Racing Association. All the races will pay $1,200 to the winner with the exception of the Aug. 15 race at Dodge City (Kan.) Raceway Park that's co-sanctioned by the O'Reilly NCRA. That event pays $2,500 to the winner. I-76 Speedway in Fort Morgan, Colo., hosts a series-high five races (April 26, May 23, June 20, Aug. 29 and Oct. 3), Sweetwater Speedway in Rock Springs, Wyo., hosts three races (June 6, July 10-11) and Gillette (Wyo.) Speedway hosts four events (May 29-30, Aug. 21-22). — From series reports
WDRA MEETING SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 14: The Grand Junction, Colo.-based Western Dirt Racing Association is hosting a March 14 meeting to discuss the 2009 season. The series is seeking input on series issues. The meeting, scheduled for 11 a.m., will be held at Moore's Auto Body at 2488 W. Mesa, Ave., Grand Junction, Colo. For those who can't attend, they can fax input to (970) 245-3835. — From series reports
ODDS AND ENDS: To ease travel during the Wild West Shootout, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series shifted its event at Gillette (Wyo.) Speedway to July 14, a day earlier than initially scheduled. ... Ryan Neuharth, former announcer at Central Arizona Raceway, has been hired by the SWDRA to work the tower during series events in 2009. Neuharth will enforce series rules, including monitoring starts and restarts. ... In the March 7 SWDRA opener at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., Terry Belcher Jr. and Mike Brigner piloted Mike Tahtinen-owned cars.
