RaceJunkie
07-28-2005, 09:12 PM
SUMTER, S. C. - Saturday night marks the last regular racing program of the summer season at Sumter Speedway as officials of the 3/8-mile dirt oval prepare for five nights of special programs in a row, including the finale on Saturday night, September 3.
The program this week will consist of heat races and feature events in six divisions, but starting with the August 6 date, things will change somewhat.
On August 6, the feature of the night will be a 30-lap Pro Stock event, paying the winner $500 and at intermission, the kids will take to the track for another Power Wheel event. The following Saturday night, for the first time in many years, the super-fast winged sprint cars and drivers will take to the track for a special show in addition to the regular six-event card. These cars are powered by 700-plus horsepower fuel burning engines and capable of turning laps of more than 100 mph. The fourth and final kids bike race of the year will be held during intermission.
On August 20, an all-day family day is planned and will consist of a yard sale, an auction, kids games, a pizza eating contest, a hot dog eating contest and a dunk tank where fans can pay a fee to dunk their favorite drivers. Drivers are expected to be on hand with their cars all afternoon so fans will be able to meet them and take an up-close look at their cars. The Faster Pastors, a group of racing ministers, will be on hand with their cars as well. A regular racing program will be held that night, but several challenge races between the drivers will be held. This time, the drivers will be on bicycles, however. All of the proceeds will go to the South Carolina Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The super-fast Late Model T&L cars and drivers will compete in a 30-lap special event to close out the month on August 27 and a demolition derby will highlight the program on September 3. A full race program will on tap as well.
This week, Matt Holland hopes to stay in the hunt for the Pure Street season championship, but seven-time winner Pete McKenzie and Marty Horne continue to put the pressure on the rookie driver. Four-time winners James Yost and William Disher are the only winners in the Pure Stock competition in the past two months and Yost holds a commanding lead in the season points battle. Yost has 1356 points on the season while Karen Cooper is second with 1078 and Disher is third with 1035.
In the Mini Stock 4 class, the tide has turned as defending champion Tony Rabon, who could do nothing right for several races and Cody McAllister could do no wrong have both made 180-degree turns. Rabon has won three events in a row and McAllister has been winless for the past five weeks. David Hodge won a couple of feature events in the five-week span as well. McAllister finished second last week even after breaking two shocks on a track some observers said was the roughest they had seen in 20 years. Rabon now leads McAllister by eight points in the championship chase while Lane Cox is third.
James Stephens was back last week as the winner of the Pro Stock feature after a one-week absence from the winner's circle as Cary Stephens took second position. Even though James Stephens has eight wins on the season, he still trails one-time winner Joey Ayers by 19 points with five points races to go. Johnny Welch, who has four championships to his credit, is third in the 2005 chase.
Super Stock 4 points leader Banjo Duke was a victim of a blown tire and then a wheel that snapped off last week which gave Harry Pritchard little competition as he picked up his second win of the season. Duke only needs to finish in the top ten in one more race this season to win his second championship at Sumter Speedway. Duke leads Chad Morris by 751 points and Michael Boykin, who is in third place, has chosen not to run the last six races and apparently has retired from competition at his local track for the remainder of the season.
Late Model T&L driver Randy Hill has hit the right button the last two times out with wins and has closed the gap between himself and Robert "Duck" Pack to 27 points. Pack has 1933 while Hill has 1906 with Brandon Hodge slipped to third with 1905 points. Jody Truett is only one point further back with 1904.
Race time Saturday is 7:30 p. m. with gates opening at 5:30 p. m.
Contact: Dargan Watts 407-352-6592
The program this week will consist of heat races and feature events in six divisions, but starting with the August 6 date, things will change somewhat.
On August 6, the feature of the night will be a 30-lap Pro Stock event, paying the winner $500 and at intermission, the kids will take to the track for another Power Wheel event. The following Saturday night, for the first time in many years, the super-fast winged sprint cars and drivers will take to the track for a special show in addition to the regular six-event card. These cars are powered by 700-plus horsepower fuel burning engines and capable of turning laps of more than 100 mph. The fourth and final kids bike race of the year will be held during intermission.
On August 20, an all-day family day is planned and will consist of a yard sale, an auction, kids games, a pizza eating contest, a hot dog eating contest and a dunk tank where fans can pay a fee to dunk their favorite drivers. Drivers are expected to be on hand with their cars all afternoon so fans will be able to meet them and take an up-close look at their cars. The Faster Pastors, a group of racing ministers, will be on hand with their cars as well. A regular racing program will be held that night, but several challenge races between the drivers will be held. This time, the drivers will be on bicycles, however. All of the proceeds will go to the South Carolina Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The super-fast Late Model T&L cars and drivers will compete in a 30-lap special event to close out the month on August 27 and a demolition derby will highlight the program on September 3. A full race program will on tap as well.
This week, Matt Holland hopes to stay in the hunt for the Pure Street season championship, but seven-time winner Pete McKenzie and Marty Horne continue to put the pressure on the rookie driver. Four-time winners James Yost and William Disher are the only winners in the Pure Stock competition in the past two months and Yost holds a commanding lead in the season points battle. Yost has 1356 points on the season while Karen Cooper is second with 1078 and Disher is third with 1035.
In the Mini Stock 4 class, the tide has turned as defending champion Tony Rabon, who could do nothing right for several races and Cody McAllister could do no wrong have both made 180-degree turns. Rabon has won three events in a row and McAllister has been winless for the past five weeks. David Hodge won a couple of feature events in the five-week span as well. McAllister finished second last week even after breaking two shocks on a track some observers said was the roughest they had seen in 20 years. Rabon now leads McAllister by eight points in the championship chase while Lane Cox is third.
James Stephens was back last week as the winner of the Pro Stock feature after a one-week absence from the winner's circle as Cary Stephens took second position. Even though James Stephens has eight wins on the season, he still trails one-time winner Joey Ayers by 19 points with five points races to go. Johnny Welch, who has four championships to his credit, is third in the 2005 chase.
Super Stock 4 points leader Banjo Duke was a victim of a blown tire and then a wheel that snapped off last week which gave Harry Pritchard little competition as he picked up his second win of the season. Duke only needs to finish in the top ten in one more race this season to win his second championship at Sumter Speedway. Duke leads Chad Morris by 751 points and Michael Boykin, who is in third place, has chosen not to run the last six races and apparently has retired from competition at his local track for the remainder of the season.
Late Model T&L driver Randy Hill has hit the right button the last two times out with wins and has closed the gap between himself and Robert "Duck" Pack to 27 points. Pack has 1933 while Hill has 1906 with Brandon Hodge slipped to third with 1905 points. Jody Truett is only one point further back with 1904.
Race time Saturday is 7:30 p. m. with gates opening at 5:30 p. m.
Contact: Dargan Watts 407-352-6592