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TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY JOINS MERCER RACEWAY PARK AS FASTRAK-SANCTIONED AS WEEKLY LATE MODEL RACING RETURNS TO BOTH PREMIER TRACKS IN 2008
By Mike Leone
(Pulaski, PA)…The FASTRAK Northeast Region grew to six speedways when Tri-City Speedways owners Mike Graham and Roger Crick announced their intention to have FASTRAK sanction their weekly Late Model racing at their Venango County oval in 2008. One week ago, the half-mile speedway in Franklin, Pennsylvania announced that the Late Models would return weekly for the first time since 1997 and just after Mercer Raceway Park announced Late Models will make their return weekly for the first time in 34 years.
“We’re thrilled to add Tri-City Speedway to the Northeast fold,†acknowledged Northeast Region Co-Director Vicki Emig. “Tri-City is one of the region’s premier speedways and one of the most successful Sunday night tracks in the nation. This will now give area racers the opportunity to race three nights within a very reasonable drive. Fans will see competitive, quality racing and the racers will be running more affordable cars with the chance of winning big money.â€
“We investigated all options, and we found that the best one for our Late Models at this time includes the rules and programs that FASTRAK has to offer,†said Tri-City Speedway Co-Promoter Mike Graham. “We ultimately decided that FASTRAK was the way to go for our drivers and teams.â€
FASTRAK Northeast was created just one year ago and quickly had four weekly-sanctioned speedways this season with Raceway 7, Freedom Raceway, Dog Hollow Speedway, and McKean County Raceway. The FASTRAK Northeast Touring Series saw Alan Dellinger claim the inaugural $5,000 championship as over 50 cars participated this past season. Dellinger and Raceway 7 champion Dick Barton both performed well at the Grand Nationals last month. Barton tied for fifth and Dellinger ended up eighth in the final national points. Other Northeast racers that headed to Tennessee to compete in the Grand Nationals included Tom Snyder, Jr., Rodney Phillips, and Dave Padula.
FASTRAK Northeast is under the FASTRAK Racing Series umbrella of 11 regions nationwide amongst 22 states. Started in 2004 with just five cars, FASTRAK has quickly grown each successive season and is the nation’s fastest growing Series. FASTRAK also boasts the richest point fund for grassroots weekly racing in the nation ($350,000 in 2007) and is nation’s second richest Late Model point fund second only to the World of Outlaws. Plans for the 2008 season are well underway making it the richest and most lucrative ever.
“We were very pleased with the inaugural season of FASTRAK here in the Northeast,†stated Northeast Region Co-Director Mike Leone. “There were bumps in the road, but the racers believed in the vision of FASTRAK and supported the events. With Mercer Raceway Park and now Tri-City Speedway hosting weekly racing, the foundation is now there for rapid growth. We have to thank Raceway 7, Dog Hollow Speedway, Freedom Raceway, and McKean County Raceway as being the pioneers of this brand of racing as they went out on a limb in the inaugural season and should be forever accredited for that distinction.â€
For more information on Tri-City Speedway and Mercer Raceway Park, check out their websites at www.tricityspeedway.com and www.mercerracewaypark.com respectively.
Stay tuned for further press releases and updates throughout the winter months. To join our mailing list, simply send an e-mail to fastrakpr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Mike Leone and Vicki Emig can be reached at 724-964-9300. E-mail to info@fastraknortheast.com and snail mail to 4368 Route 422, Pulaski, PA 16143. For more information on FASTRAK, check out the Northeast website at www.fastraknortheast.com and the national website at www.fastrakracing.com.