SPRINTFREAK'S TRAVELS 12.12.99 Well hello there sprint fans, the sprintfreak is back with another dose of sprintcar medicine to get you through the winter! I have been putting my ear to the floor hoping to come up with all the best information and rumors, so lets get to it!
First, we will start with an update on the Dave Blaney Racing shop going up in Hartford, Ohio. Remember, this going to be the new home for the #93 sprint car team owned by Dave and driven by brother Dale. Work on the shop is almost complete with new equipment arriving to the old shop(just for storage) everyday! Probably will be moved in and operating in next couple of weeks. I look for this to be a strong, strong team on the Outlaw tour next season!
Of course, as everyone has already heard, Joey Saldana has a major sponsor for next season with HE&M saws. Joey will be a full-time regular with the Outlaws. Look for many fast times and a couple of wins from this team!
Out in Central, Pa. most of the top teams are remaining the same, with two top teams still looking for drivers. The Zemco #1 and the Apple #12. These are two of the best non-Outlaw teams in the country and I am sure they are taking their time with driver selections! Whoever gets the ride in these two bullets can count on one thing? Running up front!
In Western, Pa., as I told you in my last column, three tracks have joined forces to try and improve local sprint car racing in Western, Pa. and Northeastern, Ohio. Sharon Speedway, Mercer Raceway Park, and Tri-city Speedway(of Pa.) have joined together to form a three track alliance with the same rules, including a much needed weight rule, a similar purse structure, and improvements to each facility. Sharon who will run on Friday nights has already begun some major face changes which include, moving the pits to the outside of the track for better visabilty. They have also begun tearing out the inside guardrail which they hope will also improve vision and safety for the drivers. For the first time in years, there are many people excited about Sharon speedway again! Mercer Raceway Park in also making some improvements. They will have new ladies restrooms for next season and the have torn out the old catch fence(if you seen it, you know how ugly it was) and are replacing it with a brand new one! Also I've heard they are giving the facility a new paint job and will be re-claying the 1/3 mile egg-shaped oval. It is just great to see local tracks banding together to try make the sport we love better for all those involved, the drivers and the fans!
If you have been reading any of the message boards lately you have probably seen the new sanctioning body known as the Assoc. of Sprint Car Organization & Fans. This is a new sanctioning body with their feet planted in the right ground! I have done a little research on the AscoF and have found that they have a unique idea for their series, instead of a bunch of one day shows paying top-heavy purses, the AscoF wants to run all two day shows and pay back through the field so that local drivers can afford to run with the big boys! What a concept! Here's how it works. Each event is a two day show with the winner on day one receiving $5,000. On day two the winner will receive $8,000 which is not shabby at all, but the kicker is this, the 24th place finisher will receive $1,000! Thats right, $1,000 just to make the show, and it doesn't end there. The b-main on night two will pay $300 just to take the green! Last place in the b-main will pay $300! That's unheard of! I was talking to a driver who finished 16th in a World of Outlaw's b-main and he got paid $50 bucks! $50 doesn't even pay for your fuel in one night! Another unique thing they will be doing for the fans is this. If you are an avid sprint car fan and know you will be attending a lot of events in a season, they offer a fan membership for $40 dollars that will get you into every event for the low price of $10 no matter what the price at the gate is! Isn't that great? These people are trying to make an organization that will benefit both fans and drivers alike, and I think we should all support their effort! These are some of the things our sport has needed for a long time and I for one will support this series!
Speaking of support, the sprintfreak is in need of some much needed sponsorship support. I have been trying to put together a sprint team for 2000, and although I have already landed several associate sponsors, I am still looking for one or two major sponsors! I have already decided that if a major sponsor is not secured by the middle of Jan. 2000, I will put the team on hold for another year. If there is anyone out there who might be interested in helping out with our effort for 2000, please e-mail me and we will get together to discuss our goals for 2000 and beyond. Just some background info on our team for anyone who might be interest;
*I am a former sprint car owner in the
Western, Pa. and Northeastern Oh. area. and I
am 29 years old.
*I am looking to compete full-time on the
Western, Pa. circuit at Sharon Speedway,
Mercer Raceway Park, and Tri-city Speedway.
*I will also be running in Central, Pa.
in the early spring of 2000 and the late fall
of 2000.
*I will be running for rookie of the year in
the 410's in Western, Pa. and Nationally.
*I have experience racing both go-karts and
four wheel atv's, and have competed in three
410 races in the past finishing in the top
ten in two of them.
*My crew chief has over 35 years wrenching
experience. *My team consists of two other
former sprint car owners and one former
driver.(I like to surround myself with
experienced people)
*I offer unique
sponsorship packages designed to fit the
sponsor's needs and can be beneficial to any
type of business or individual.
*I have
several product deals all ready in place to
assure quality equipment will always be
utilized by my team.
Associate sponsors who have already signed on with our team:
*GR&F Fabrication of Northeastern, Ohio
*Broadway Ernies Transmissions of Farrell,
Pa.
*Ace Services(lawncare specialists)
of Trumbull county in Ohio
I would like to thank these Associate sponsors for all their support in our efforts for the upcoming 2000 racing season and would like to invite anyone out there who is interested in becoming a sponsor of the greatest sport on the face of the earth, to send me an e-mail so that we may get together and discuss a possible partnership!
sprintfreak@hotmail.com
Well, that is all for this week. I will be writing another column in a couple of weeks, hopefully by then we will have some word on the several driver changes that we expect to take place this winter, and hopefully I will have some good news to report on my team for next season! Until then, happy sprint car racing!
The sprintfreak!
