Bristol Motor Speedway
Notebook: Clash, track titles will pay $40,000
From track and series reports
Drivers looking to pick up big purses this season on the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series and Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway’s Crazy 8 miniseries will have a shot at even more money than they expected. The series and track announced March 20 that any driver who can win both championships will receive a whopping $20,000 bonus.
"To say we are excited about this new bonus program would be a huge understatement," said Carolina Clash founder Larry Lee, who organized the program with Fayetteville co-promoter Larry Norris. "We have been looking at some type of incentive program for quite a while and this one is a grand slam, not only for us but for our fans and race teams as well."
Officials are shuffling schedules to avoid conflicts among the 23 Carolina Clash races and the 14 races that make up Fayetteville’s Crazy 8 events, a miniseries that includes eight regular-season events as well as specials sanctioned by the Clash, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and World of Outlaws Late Model Series.
With the Clash championship paying a record $12,500 and Fayetteville’s Crazy 8 championship paying $7,500, a double champion would be in line to earn $40,000, counting the $20,000 bonus.
“The Carolina Clash Series and Fayetteville Motor Speedway have a long history together,” Norris said. “This bonus money program is just one of the many things we are working on at FMS in 2008 to make it the best season yet.”
Defending and four-time Carolina Clash champion Ricky Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C., may be among the drivers taking a crack at the windfall. Weeks, who says he was already considering running regularly at Fayetteville, says the possibility of the bonus “puts the icing on the cake for me" to gun for the lucrative double.
To avoid schedule conflicts, the Clash has canceled its May 24 date at Harris Motor Speedway while adding a June 28 event at Clary’s Speedway in Brinkleyville, N.C. The series finale at Fayetteville has also been pushed back a week to Oct. 4.
One of Fayetteville’s Super 8 events was originally scheduled for June 7 — which conflicts with a Clash date at Lancaster, S.C. — and Norris is looking to move his race to avoid the conflict. — From series reports and Thomas Pope
FLORENCE POSTPONES SPRING 50: Torrential rains this week that followed a snowstorm the previous week have forced Florence Speedway in Union, Ky., to postpone the March 22 Spring 50 to April 5. The unsanctioned event pays $5,000 to the winner. The northern Kentucky track still plans on hosting a March 29 practice session. — From track reports
SUPR RACES AT BATESVILLE CANCELED: Heavy rainfall at Batesville (Ark.) Motor Speedway forced track and series officials to cancel the March 21-22 O’Reilly Southern United Professional Racing tour events. No raindate was immediately announced. — From series reports
ODDS AND ENDS: Baton Rouge (La.) Raceway has pushed back its season opener to April 4. ... Douglas (Ga.) Motor Speedway postponed its March 22 opener. The next scheduled race is April 26.
