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Eric Westendorf
SARVER, Penn. (June 17) - In just ten days the Dirt Late Model racing community will turn all of its attention towards the Lernerville Speedway for the 2nd Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com. Below you will find all the information you need to know to experience the biggest Dirt Late Model Race of 2008!
What: The 2nd Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com featuring the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and the Uncle Sam 30; a $3000-to-win non-qualifiers race.
When: Friday-Saturday June 27-28, 2008.
Friday Schedule of events: Pits & Grandstand gates open at 4:00. Time trial qualifying starts at 7:15 followed by heat race action. Fireworks will be followed by a concert in the parking lot behind the main grandstands by National Recording Artist Vanessa Campagna and Y108/Kenny Chesney Next Big Star winner NoMAD.
Saturday Schedule of Events: Weenie Roast with music by Sarah Wilson, Best Burger/Best Banner Contest, Driver/Fan Horseshoe contest at 12:00 noon. Driver Autograph Session time TBD. On track action begins at 7:30 with B-Main racing at 7:30, followed by the Uncle Sam 30 and 2nd Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com.
Where: Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, PA along route 356 in Butler County approximately 30 minutes north of Pittsburgh. Lernerville is easily accessible from the PA Turnpike and Interstate 79.
How: Buy tickets in advance by calling the Lernerville Speedway office Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at (724) 353-1511. Advance ticket purchases will include a FREE Friday Night-only pit pass upgrade and priority access to the driver autograph session Saturday Afternoon. Tickets will also be sold on the day of the event.
Two-Day ticket prices are as follows; Reserved seats are $42 for Adults, $40 for Seniors, $37 for 17 & under; General admission is $39 for Adults, $36 for Seniors, $34 for students 11-17, Children 10 & under FREE for General Admission. Two-Day Pit Entry is $45 for DIRT/UMP members, $50 for non-members.
Who: The 2nd Annual Firecracker presented by GottaRace.com is a World of Outlaws Late Model Series-sanctioned event. As such, the touring drivers of the WoO LMS will be in action; Steve Francis, Darrell Lanigan, Josh Richards, Chub Frank, Shannon Babb, Rick Eckert, Clint Smith, Shane Clanton, Billy Moyer, Tim Fuller, John Blankenship, Vic Coffey, Danny Johnson and Joe Isabell. Part-time World of Outlaws driver Tim McCreadie is also registered to compete for the Firecracker crown!
Lernerville regulars John Flinner, Alex Ferree, Lynn Geisler, Jared Miley, Gary Lyle, Matt Lux, John Mollick, Dutch Davies, Keith Barbara, Gregg Satterlee, Ken Schaltenbrand and Mike Blose will represent the Lernerville Speedway during the two-day show on Friday-Saturday June 27-28.
Regional drivers Dave Hess Jr., Dan Stone, Rick "Boom" Briggs, Mike Balzano, Robbie Blair, Jason Covert, Doug Horton, Chuck Harper, Mike Knights, Ricky Elliott, Colby Frye, Jeremy Miller and Davey Johnson will stake their claim for the $40,000-to-win, 100-lap shootout.
Scott Bloomquist, defending winner of the Inaugural Firecracker 100, will be on hand to defend his crown. He is fresh off his record fifth Eldora Dream Victory. Bloomer's Team Zero posse is also expected to be on hand including Jimmy Owens, Chris Madden and Brady Smith.
Wisconsin driver Terry Casey is registered for the event. Some other nationally known Late Model drivers are also expected to attend, but have not yet registered for the race. Some national drivers who competed last season and are fully expected to attend this year include Earl Pearson Jr., Jimmy Mars, Dale McDowell, Brian Birkhofer, Bart Hartman, Chad Ruhlman and Rick Aukland.
Why: To crown a $40,000+ Firecracker Champion. The winner's purse is $40,000 to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Don Martin's Lernerville Speedway. The "+" comes into the equation with lap money provided by sponsors for each of the 100 laps. Lap Sponsors will be posted on the website soon and will add an additional $2500-$3000 to the overall purse. Whichever driver leads each given lap, wins the lap money for that lap. Lap money ranges from $25-$100 per lap. Sponsors range from local race teams and businesses; local, regional and national print and online media outlets; racing related companies like Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, Edge Racing Engines and Lias Tire/American Racer; regional touring series (MACS Late Models) and other area speedways (Tri-City, PPMS, Challenger and Mercer).
Where to Stay: Reserved Camping is available on site, but is almost sold out. As of time of release, less than 10 spots remain available. Reserved camping is $40 and provides a flat space with proximity to the pits. General Camping will also be available free of charge on a first come, first serve basis, but will be further away from the track. There are no electric/water hookups in either area.
The Days Inn in Butler, PA is the top recommendation for travelers planning to stay at a hotel. The Days Inn in Butler is located 10 miles from the speedway on route 8 just south of Butler. The Days Inn has an indoor pool, on-site restaurant & lounge and is in close proximity to a handful of restaurants including McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Burger King. Other nearby towns with hotels include (arranged in order of proximity) Butler, Kittanning, New Kensington, Cranberry Twp. and Harmar Twp.
How to get involved: The 2nd Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com is more than a two-day late model race. The Firecracker 100 weekend is a total fan experience. On Friday Night, after time trials, heat races and a fireworks display by Premier Pyrotechnics, fans are invited to attend a post-race concert in the parking lot behind the main grandstand. National Recording Artist Vanessa Campagna will perform along with local Country/Rock Band NoMAD.
NoMAD is fresh off a monumental weekend in their blossoming career. NoMAD was one of over a hundred bands that submitted a demo to local country station Y108 to compete for Kenny Chesney's "Next Big Star". The band was selected as one of the ten finalists by Y108 executives and employees. Fans voted them into the Final Four through online voting on Y108.com. Last Friday, NoMAD competed against the rest of the Final Four at the Hard Rock Café in Station Square. They were selected by a three-judge panel and crowd vote as the "Next Big Star". As winner of the contest, NoMAD took the big stage at Heinz Field to open the Poets & Pirates Tour show, featuring Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Leann Rimes, Gary Allan and Luke Bryan.
The off-track fan festivities resume Saturday at noon for a weenie roast with music by Sarah Wilson. Shortly following the beginning of the weenie roast will be a Best Burger and Best Banner contest. The winner of each contest will earn a spot in the Driver/Fan horseshoe contest and a trip to Victory Lane for the Firecracker A-Main feature. The other fans will be selected Friday Night during qualifying action. The fan interaction peaks with a pre-race Driver Autograph Session under the grandstands Saturday Afternoon. As mentioned above, you can get priority access to the Driver Autograph Session by purchasing your tickets in advance.
In Closing: Don't miss out on the opportunity to take part in the biggest Late Model race of the year. Call and order your reserved tickets and camping now by calling the speedway office (724)353-1511 during normal business hours! For ticket prices and more details about the 2nd Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com, log on to www.Lernerville.com. For more information about the World of Outlaws Late Model Series log on to www.WorldofOutlaws.com.
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