Big-Block Super DIRTcar Series 10 Previewed in 39th Florida DIRTcar Nationals
by Tom Skibinski
BARBERVILLE, Fla. — The 39th Annual Florida DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio is finally here for the Big-Block Modifieds. The 2010 edition marks the 13th straight year the premier Modified Series in the Northeast has traveled to the Sunshine State, marking the 22nd sanctioned by DIRTcar under the World Racing Group umbrella.
Top DIRTcar Big-Block teams recently waved good-bye to the snow banks at home and set course for Florida and Volusia’s ultra-fast clay half-miler for their traditional week of speed. The season-opening Modified events, Feb. 10-13, highlight the 26th trip for Northeastern racers to gator country since taking the maiden voyage in 1978. Pat Ward collected his second DIRTcar Nationals Big-Block Modified points title in ‘09.
Ward will have his hands full with another loaded field of over 40 cars signed up to open the newest decade of speed down south, including reigning overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Champion Brett Hearn. Super DIRTcar Series followers registered to contend at VSP are ’09 runner-up Matt Sheppard, Jimmy Phelps (3rd), Billy Decker (4th), brothers Danny (8th) & Alan Johnson (9th), Dale Planck (11th), Larry Wight (12th), Jeff Brownell Jr. (13th) and rookie of the year Rich Scagliotta (17th).
Already a seven-time DCN Big-Block points champ and 19 race winner, Hearn is perfect with 48 starts since DIRTcar’s return to Florida in 1998, while Jamie Mills (43), Danny Johnson (40), Ward (37), Jimmy Horton (32), Ray Swinehart (30), Alan Johnson (28), Rick Laubach (26) and Andy Bachetti (25) are among an elite list (out of 148 drivers) qualifying for more than half those 48 features run in the past dozen years.
The current contingent of drivers making their maiden voyage to the Sunshine State includes Central New Yorker Chris Higgins, downstate upstart Billy VanInwegen, Big-Block rookie Brett Ballard and fellow New Jersey wheelmen John Stangle, plus Ryan Forte, Delaware veteran H.J. Bunting III, and second-generation pilot Dexter Stacey from Kahnawake, Que.
Already arriving over the weekend were Frenchmen Mario Clair and Wallace Stacey also from the Canadian province of Quebec, some 24 hours away from Volusia County. Visible on the speedway grounds were the transporters of Billy Decker, teammate Larry Wight, brothers Alan and Danny Johnson and Roger and Randy Chrysler, the father/son tandem of Rex and Rex King Jr., Jeff Brownell Jr., Dan Vauter, Rob Bellinger and Wallace Stacey, along with Hearn, Sheppard and Stangle.
Big-Block notables competing Monday on opening night in the UMP Late Model class were Tim McCreadie (7th in feature), Tim Fuller (10th) and Vic Coffey (14th), with 2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Darrell Lanigan copping the 30-lap A-Main.
Accessible 24-hours a day, the official Super DIRTcar Series website found at www.superdirtcarseries.com during the 2010 DIRTcar Nationals will be providing daily race coverage including driver/team entries, feature results, point standings and a victory lane photo. Be sure to check out www.dirtcarnationals.com for complete race results for all divisions contesting in the DIRTcar Nationals and visit www.volusiaspeedwaypark.com for the most updated track information.
In the meantime, don’t forget to sign up as a Super DIRTcar Series follower on Twitter by visiting http://www.twitter.com/SuperDIRTcar and receive updates anywhere at anytime as the 34th successive season of DIRTcar of Big-Block Modified racing gets underway.
Activity for Big-Block Modifieds begins Tuesday, Feb. 9 with evening practice. Open-wheel action concludes on Saturday, Feb. 13 with the final leg of the four-race tour covering 50 laps. Contact DIRTcar Racing Northeast Series Director Joe Skotnicki (704/796-4566, jskotnicki@dirtcar.com) or PR Director Tom Skibinski (585/350-8997, tskibinski@dirtcar.com) if you require specific track information during the upcoming week.
DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds, home of DIRTcar All-Star Weekend in July. DIRTcar Northeast’s crown jewel event —Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse runs annually in October featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Big-Block Modified, 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions. Ticket and schedule information is available by contacting the Weedsport office (315/834-6606) during the day or logging into www.superdirtweekonline.com anytime.
The Big-Block Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Hoosier Racing Tire www.hoosiertire.com and VP Racing Fuels www.vpracingfuels.com. Promotional partners include Rite Aid Corporation www.riteaid.com, Dig Safely New York www.digsafelynewyork.com and the University of Northwestern Ohio www.unoh.com and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks www.barsproducts.com, Bert Transmission www.berttransmission.com, Bicknell Racing Products www.bicknellracingproducts.com, Bilstein Shocks www.bilstein.com, Brodix Cylinder Heads www.brodix.com, Ferris Industries www.ferrisindustries.com, Integra Shocks www.integrashocksandsprings.com, Intercomp www.intercomp-racing.com, KSE Racing Products www.kse-racing.com, Motorsports Safety Systems www.motorsportssafetysystems.com, Penske Shocks, www.penskeshocks.com, Racing Electronics www.racingelectronics.com, Rislone Oil Stabilizer www.barsproducts.com and Wrisco Industries www.wrisco.com.
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