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Victory Lane Communications
GLENCOE, Ala. (February 18) - With the final checkered flag falling on the SpeedWeeks racing action in Florida to kick off the 2008 stock car season, eyes now turn to Green Valley Speedway for the annual running of the 'BAMA BASH'. The event, now with over a decade of history for short track all-stars, offers one of the most lucrative purses of the early racing season each year. Heavy hitting drivers from across the nation will roll into the Gadsden area beginning with Thursday's open practice sessions which open the huge weekend of racing activities at the high banked clay oval located in Glencoe. The main event, a $10,000 to win 75 lap affair for the Super Late Model dirt cars will draw a hefty field of high-horsepowered machines and their teams all vying for the championship title of this year's 'BAMA BASH'.
World of Outlaw title contender Clint Smith of Senoia, Georgia will lead the field into Green Valley Speedway as the three-time defending champion of the prestigious 'BAMA BASH'. Smith heads into the special event fresh off of a huge SpeedWeeks win in Daytona Beach where he roared to victory at Volusia Speedway Park. Known as 'The Catdaddy', Clint Smith is a former four-time Southern All-Star (SAS) champion and was the original champion of the Hav-A-Tampa Dirt Racing Series. Numerous other headline drivers that will be in action during the 'BAMA BASH' include one of the all-time winningest drivers in the history of Green Valley Speedway, Ronnie Johnson a.k.a. 'The Chattanooga Flash'. Johnson, a two-time SAS champion and two-time winner of the Dirt Track World Championship, is expected to be a busy driver during the weekend competing in several of the divisional battles including the Super Late Model main event.
'The Bama Bash is always a very competitive race to make and one that you've got to be on the top of your game to win,' points out Clint Smith, who's conquered the event in both 2007 and 2006. 'Once all of the racing is done in Florida during SpeedWeeks everyone's focus turns to Green Valley,' adds Smith, 'It's kind of like a second start to the season each year and you had better be on top of your game. You've not only got to be ready to face the biggest guns in the nation but you've got to go up against a very strong bunch of local and regional racers from Alabama and North Georgia that didn't wear out their equipment and energy down in Florida,' adds Smith. 'It's a tough race to win on a track that demands a lot from you.'
Other all-stars heading to this weekend's 'BAMA BASH' include former multi-time national champion and former SAS title holder Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Georgia who claimed the 'BAMA BASH' title in 2001, and
Batesville, Arkansas wheelman Wendell Wallace, the 2002 'BAMA BASH' champ. Terrance Nowell of Phenix City was the 'BAMA BASH' winner in 2003 and will be on the hunt for another title at Green Valley Speedway.
Young guns and cagey veterans alike will all be in action with the likes of former SAS champs James Cline (Oxford, Alabama) and Mike Head (Ellenwood, Georgia) in the mix with 2000 'BAMA BASH' winner John Jones of Rock Springs, Ga. National title contender Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Georgia as well as Crossville, Tennessee hotshoe Randy Weaver and Southern Regional Racing Series leader Tony Morris of
Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Many other drivers who have been competing nightly during the past three weeks of SpeedWeeks action will join the battles in pursuit of the big bucks during Green Valley Speedway's season-opening weekend of racing. Among them will be a variety of champions from major national events and travelling sanctions including Ray Cook (Brasstown, North Carolina); Skip Arp (Georgetown, Tennessee) all ready to rumble toward a notch in their gunbelts with an early season win in the special event.
In addition to the large purse up for grabs for the Super Late Model field, two other late model classes will be battling for their own laurels and cash with $5,000.00 to win going to both the winning drivers of the Limited Sportsman and Crate Late Model division events which will each spotlight 50-lap features. Also on the racing schedule will be Super Streets, Hobby, Modified Pony, Cruiser and Pure Pony divisions, each racing for high dollar purses and the chance to claim the trophies as 'BAMA BASH' champions for 2008.
A long list of history making racers have competed and won major events at Green Valley Speedway over the decades of the track's storied past, including legends Red Farmer who is expected to be on hand for the 'Bama
Bash' weekend.
Following the open practice session on Thursday (Feb 21) for all classes of cars, Friday night will see preliminary heat racing action for Modified Pony, Pure Pony and Cruiser division, plus added practice sessions for all other classes. On Saturday (Feb 23) the action intensifies with Time Trial Qualifying for the Super Late Models, Limited Sportsman and Crate Late Models which will be followed by Qualifying Heat Races for each of these top divisions. Also on Saturday night feature events will be conducted for
the Modified Pony, Pure Pony and Cruiser divisions.
Gates will open at Noon on both Thursday and Friday with activities beginning at 6:00 p.m. on each of the first two nights. On Saturday, gates will open at 10:00 a.m. with Qualifying slated to get underway at 4:30 Saturday afternoon. Sunday's main events will see gates open at 9:00 a.m. with the first feature events getting the green flag at 1:00 p.m.
Kids 12 and under are admitted FREE into the Grandstands each day when accompanied by a paying adult. Special 2-Day and 3-Day Ticket or Pit Passes packages are offered for the weekend event with all information available online at the track's web site, www.greenvalleyspeedway.com. For additional event information contact Alex Hudson at (256) 504-6086 or
for competitor rules and tech information call Tim Willingham at (256) 492-4547.
Former BAMA BASH Champions
2007 Clint Smith
2006 Clint Smith
2005 Clint Smith
2004 Rick Eckert
2003 Terrance Nowell
2002 Wendell Wallace
2001 Dale McDowell
2000 John Jones
Past Major Event Winners at Green Valley Speedway:
July 16, 1984 - Don Hester (SAS)
Sept 2, 1985 - Red Farmer (SAS)
Mar 11, 1985 - Ronnie Johnson (SAS)
May 25, 1987 - Ronnie Johnson (SAS)
Mar 13, 1988 - Ed Gibbsons (SAS)
Apr 10, 1988 - Ronnie Johnson (SAS)
May 29, 1988 - Ronnie Johnson (SAS)
Sept 5, 1988 - Ronnie Johnson (SAS)
July 10, 1988 - Rudy Boutwell (SAS)
Mar 19, 1994 - Dale McDowell (SAS)
Apr 29, 1994 - Scott Bloomquist (Hav-A-Tampa)
Apr 8, 1995 - Tom Maddox (SAS Bandit)
Apr 15, 1995 - Scott Bloomquist (Hav-A-Tampa)
Mar 26, 1995 - Bill Frye (SAS)
Jun 8, 1995 - Jody Summerville (SAS Bandit)
Aug 19, 1995 - Byron Michael (SAS Bandit)
Apr 13, 1996 - Jody Summerville (SAS Bandit)
Jul 5, 1996 - Dale McDowell (SAS)
Aug 17, 1996 - Jody Summerville (SAS Bandit)
Mar 26, 1999 - Ronnie Johnson (SAS Bandit)
Sep 3, 1999 - Duayne Hommel (SAS)
Feb 27, 2000 - John Jones (SAS - BAMA BASH)
Apr 7, 2000 - Scott Slay (Miss. Champ Series)
May 26, 2000 - Wesley Hood (SAS)
Jul 28, 2000 - Jason Smith (SAS)
Mar 11, 2001 - Dale McDowell (SAS - BAMA BASH)
June 17, 2001 - Ronnie Johnson (SAS)
July 27, 2001 - Ronnie Johnson (SAS)
Sept 28, 2001 - Jimmy Mars (UDTRA)
Sept 29, 2001 - Billy Moyer (UDTRA)
Feb 24, 2002 - Wendell Wallace (SAS - BAMA BASH)
May 18, 2002 - Duayne Hommel (GVS)
Feb 23, 2003 - Terrance Nowell (SAS - BAMA BASH)
Feb 29, 2004 - Rick Eckert (BAMA BASH)
Jun 26, 2004 - Greg Skinner (GVS)
Mar 13, 2005 - Clint Smith (BAMA BASH)
Oct 28, 2005 - Robert Gant (Southern Thunder)
Feb 26, 2006 - Clint Smith (BAMA BASH)
Feb 25, 2007 - Clint Smith (BAMA BASH)
May 5, 2007 - Robert Gant (SRRS)
July 3, 2007 - Dale McDowell (Advance Thunder)
July 23, 2007 - Dion Deason (SAS)
Sept 15, 2007 - Byron Michael (SRRS)
Other former feature winners during Green Valley Speedway's history include: Gene Chupp, Don Gibbs, Mickey Gibbs, Red Farmer, James Cline, Mike Head, Tommy Noblin, Danny McDowell, Earl Jones, Larry
Spurlock, Bo Shirley, Freddie Lee, Joe Ritchey, Gar Dickson, Bruce Griffin, Mark Mears, Bo Shirley, Danny Peoples, Mark Bangs among others.
Area Host Hotels for the February 21-24 BAMA BASH:
DEERFIELD INN (Southside, AL) (256) 413-1300
MOTEL 6 (Gadsden, AL) (256) 543-1105
COMFORT SUITES (Gadsden, AL) (256) 538-5770
GADSDEN INN & SUITES (256) 543-7240
HAMPTON INN (Gadsden, AL)(256) 546-2337
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