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BIG BLOCK MODS STAY, SUPER SPRINTS GO AT TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY FOR 2008
by Brian Spaid
FRANKLIN, PA .. Tri-City Speedway officials made their final
decision about weekly racing at the Venango County half-mile oval this
weekend, and the DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds will be the headline division.
The class will join the FASTRAK Late Models, E Mods, Pro Stocks and
"Sunday Night Thunder" Cars each Sunday night. As a result of the decision,
the Super Sprint division will no longer compete weekly at Tri-City.
"We took a lot of time to make this decision," said Tri-City
Co-Promoter Mike Graham. "We considered all of the input of our fans, drivers
and teams. This weekend, I made a trip to Syracuse, N.Y., and met with
officials of World Racing Group, which sanctions the DIRTcar Big Block
Modifieds. Those meetings were fruitful and solidified our decision."
The DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds have been a mainstay at Tri-City
since 1977. Tri-City has been sanctioned by DIRTcar since the track
reopened in 1996. That sanction has expanded opportunities for drivers and
teams in the class. In 2007, track champion Kevin Bolland collected
$2,500 from DIRTcar for his second consecutive point title. Four-time track
champion Brian Swartzlander earned an extra $1,800 by capturing the
DIRTcar Big Block Modified Western Region title. In fact, 15 drivers
shared in point fund money and contingency prizes in the regional point
chase, including many Tri-City regulars. In addition, Tri-City will host
two BRP Modified Tour 2008 events continuing a tradition of excellence
in DIRTcar Big Block Modified competition at the track.
"The DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds provide a unique and popular form
of racing at Tri-City, and the majority of fans that contacted us
expressed a strong preference to see them race weekly," said Graham, who runs
Tri-City with his Co-Promoter Roger Crick.
The Small Block Modifieds were considered for weekly competition,
but Graham noted that teams competing in that class are currently allowed
to race with the DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds.
"We incorporated a weight break for the Small Block Modifieds in our
rules years ago," said Graham. "Some of those teams have taken
advantage of that rule. We would like to see more of them do so, especially
because our purse structure offers Small Block Modified teams the
opportunity to race for more money with the DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds. To
us, it makes sense to keep the rules the same in the DIRTcar Big Block
Modifieds for now."
One of the major factors in the decision to discontinue weekly Super
Sprint racing was car counts over the last few years. By far, the
Super Sprint car count dropped significantly. In 2007, the division
averaged only 14 cars on a weekly basis, which was the lowest of any division.
On at least three occasions, only nine cars were in competition.
"The trend of lower car counts began a few years ago, but the Super
Sprints have been popular at Tri-City and we wanted to continue to race
them," noted Graham. "In the end, it is apparent to us that the Super
Sprints have become so expensive to race that the division is gradually
becoming extinct as a weekly class. Grassroots racers simply cannot
afford to compete in a competitive 410 sprint car. Perhaps things will
change in the future and we will reverse this decision. However, at this
time, we need to make a decision that is best for Tri-City's fans and
racers."
Despite the decision to end weekly Super Sprint racing at Tri-City
for the first time since the division first appeared at the track in the
mid-1960s, track officials have not ruled out a special event in 2008.
"We would like to accommodate our Super Sprint fans with at least
one big event this season," said Graham. "The event will not be
sanctioned by the All Stars or another major sanctioning body, unless we obtain
major sponsorship for such an event. Instead, we'd like to examine the
possibility of a race that offers local Super Sprint teams a good
purse. To be honest, however, we are somewhat leery about it because other
area tracks experienced disappointing car counts when racers were
offered higher purses. If we run an event, we will need the commitment of the
racers and teams to make it a success."
Another division under consideration for weekly competition at
Tri-City was the Super Late Models. That option was dismissed for several
reasons.
"We concluded that the DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds provide a variety
of racing that attracts fans and spices up the show," said Graham. "In
addition, we believe that the FASTRAK Late Models offer an excellent
alternative to the Super Late Models for our race teams. We have already
received a number of commitments for FASTRAK Late Models this season,
and the great thing about those commitments is the positive response
from our current competitors that are now able to make their dreams come
true and move up from the E Mods and Pro Stocks into an affordable Late
Model car. Plus, we do not want to dilute our show with two divisions
that look identical. We have to remember that we are in the business of
motorsports entertainment, and the casual race fan needs to be able to
distinguish the cars on the track to have a meaningful experience that
causes that fan to return."
Area competition was also a major factor for Graham and Crick with
respect to the Super Late Models.
"Currently, the division races weekly at Eriez Speedway, which is a
little over an hour away from Tri-City," said Graham. "They also run
special regional races on Sundays at tracks like Little Valley Speedway,
McKean County Raceway and Challenger Raceway. We see no reason to fight
with those tracks over Super Late Models, especially Eriez. We do
intend, however, to have Super Late Model races on our schedule, and we are
looking at some exciting options for the Oil Region Labor Day
Classic."
With the final decision made about the 2008 weekly shows, Graham and
Crick will now focus attention on preparations for the 2007 banquet
and securing sponsorship contracts for the 2008 season.
"We are close to announcing all of our division and special series
sponsors for next season," said Crick. "We are pleased that our sponsors
still consider Tri-City to be the premier Sunday night race track in
our region."
The 2008 schedule will be announced in February.
Tri-City Speedway is owned and operated by Roger and Susie Crick and
Mike and Margaret Graham. They have promoted Sunday night racing at
the popular facility since they reopened it in 1996. The DIRTcar Big
Block Modifieds, FASTRAK Late Models, E Mods, Pro Stocks and "Sunday Night
Thunder" Cars race each week at the Venango County half-mile dirt oval.
Tri-City is located seven miles north of Franklin, Pa., off State
Route 417. |
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