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Kevin Kovac
SARVER, Penn. (June 30) - All 180 laps of the rain-postponed final night of the second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway have been rescheduled for Tues., July 29, officials announced on Monday.
Continuous waves of showers hit the four-tenths-mile track on Saturday and again on Sunday's raindate, preventing the conclusion of the blockbuster $150,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series event. The weekend had kicked off in spectacular fashion on Friday night with a huge crowd watching 62 dirt Late Model superstars do battle in what many fans proclaimed to be "the best six heat races of the year."
"Friday night's action had everyone so pumped up to see what those guys were going to do when the big money was on the line that it was really hard to take the fact that the weather just wouldn't cooperate and allow us to run the finale of the Firecracker 100 weekend as scheduled," said Lernerville Speedway general manager Gary Risch Jr. "All the teams and fans hung in there with us as our crew did all they could to make the show happen on Saturday and Sunday, but we just couldn't catch a break from Mother Nature.
"Now the anticipation of who will make the show and who will be crowned the Firecracker 100 champion will build for another month until July 29th."
Firecracker 100 rainchecks and pit bands will be honored on Tues., July 29. The full program scheduled to close the weekend will be run on the midweek date, including a 10-lap C-Main, a pair of star-studded 20-lap B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100.
Fans who purchased reserved camping spots should also contact the speedway office by Fri., July 25, in order to re-confirm as spots will be provided at no additional charge and general camping will once again be free.
The new date will feature all of the pre-race pomp and pageantry fans are coming to expect from the Firecracker 100, including fireworks, the Firecracker Girls and adrenalin-pumping driver introductions delivered by 'Uncle Sam' himself.
Eighteen drivers are already locked into the Firecracker 100 A-Main following Friday night's preliminary program, including heat winners Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa. Many of the best drivers in the country, including Rick Eckert, Clint Smith, Scott Bloomquist and Jimmy Owens as well as local favorites Alex Ferree, Lynn Geisler, John Flinner and Jason Covert, will square off in B-Main action as they have yet to claim a starting spot in the main event.
The July 29 date fits snugly into the WoO LMS schedule, which will bring the tour's stars through Ohio for the Alltel Ohio Speedweek in the preceding days. Alltel Ohio Speedweek includes events on July 24 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio; July 25 at Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; July 26 at Dave Blaney's Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio; and July 27 at Eriez Speedway just across the Buckeye State's border in Hammett, Pa.
The rescheduled Firecracker 100 will also close out a mammoth stretch of July competition at Lernerville Speedway, which also hosts the $40,000-to-win Cleveland Brothers Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup for the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on Tues., July 15.
Some Firecracker 100 reserved seats are still available at $34 each, with General Admission priced at $32.50 and, as always at Lernerville, kids 10 and under are admitted free. Senior and Student pricing is also available.
For more information on the Firecracker 100 or Cleveland Brothers Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup, visit www.lernerville.com, www.worldofoutlaws.com or call the track office at 724-353-1511.
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