Wayne County Speedway
1083 N. Carr Road
Orrville, OH 44667
Office Phone: 419.522.8761
Track Phone: 330.682.7435
Fax: 419.522.0463
Ernie Coffman/Promoter - 419.522.8761
Tina Heil/ Marketing/Sales Director - 330.642.0269
Email: tinaheil@zoominternet.net
August 31, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wayne County & Hilltop Join Forces For Weekend Extravaganza
Orrville, OH --- Race fans and drivers will be able to close out the summer season in a big way at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, OH and Hilltop Speedway in Millersburg, OH this weekend when both tracks join forces for three consecutive days of Super Late Model racing that will bring some of the midwest’s top drivers together in north central Ohio for three separate programs and a big money payoff. Wayne County Speedway will run two separate events on Friday and Saturday September 1 & 2 while Hilltop Speedway will move from it’s regular Friday night slot to Sunday September 3 for an extra money special event.
“I’m excited that we have three days of local racing where we don’t have to travel hours away from home and our local fan base can follow us all three nights like a mini-traveling series,” commented driver George ‘The General’ Lee. Lee competes in his Rocket Chassis/Malcuit Racing Engines #21 sponsored by Cowen Trucklines, Bert Transmission, Brazwell Carb, Brad Penn & Afco Racing Products.
“And we have two local tracks, finally, after all these years, finally working together. We’ve said it for years as racers, why can’t more tracks do this? This will be a plus for everybody. We’ll be at Wayne County for two nights, plus they have that bonus and I can’t wait to take it home (laughs)! And then to Hilltop which is a great racy track and I can’t wait to get down there.”
Lee isn’t alone in expressing his pleasure that there will be a full weekend of racing for increased purses and exposure without traveling across the state or out-of-state. “ Yes, I like the idea that the tracks are working together,” stated Flyin’ Ryan Markham, a multi-titled WCS champion who is currently leading the Hilltop Speedway point chase. Markham drives the Rocket Chassis/Malcuit Racing Engines #5m sponsored by Biscotti’s Restaurant, Stu’s Place & Dor Lo Pizza. “I wish all three of the local tracks could do stuff together. I wish that we had more $2,000 to win races in the area.”
“One good thing to see is there is two local tracks working together and that’s great for the local racers,” added Doug Drown, who has wins at both tracks this season. Drown drives the Wooster Glass Co/Poske Performance Parts/Hamlin Automotive/Malcuit Racing Engines/Mason Racin/Bert Transmission/Hoosier Tire/Genesis Racing Shocks/ Rocket Chassis Ford Mustang #12. “Now we don’t have to drive three or four hours for a bigger race. For us to have this much money up for grabs this close to home is great. Hopefully the owners will keep working together.”
And then there is the matter of the $25,000 bonus going to the driver who can win at WCS on Friday & Saturday nights. In addition to the $2,500 and $5,000 payoffs each night, if one driver can pull off two wins this weekend at WCS they will collect the Orry Wirt Memorial $25,000 Driver Challenge and all drivers are taking note of that fact.
“My chances are just as good as anyone else’s,” said Lee. “When you pull into Wayne County you have to have your game on, you have to be focused and be ready. You cannot have mistakes. It’s going to be some action packed racing. You put that big of a carrot in front of us and were going after that carrot. It will be an awesome weekend for the fans and I can’t wait.”
“As far as the 25k bones I have been running in top three or four all year,” commented Markham who, like Drown, has scored wins at both tracks this summer. “My chances are good. I am going to run this weekend like any other that we race though.”
“We have a good team obviously, especially the crew and I think we have good confidence, we run well at both tracks,” said Drown. “Now it’s a matter of showing up and being on our ‘A’ game that night. Hopefully things will work out and we’ll get a win or two.”
WCS presents the Inaugural Summer Sizzler Clash, a two-day, two-program racing extravaganza that will close out summer on Labor Day weekend with the possibility of one Super Late Model driver having a chance to take home $33,500 for the weekend. On Friday September 1 WCS will host the 11th Annual Pete Jacobs Memorial followed by the 3rd Annual Freedom Fighters 50 on Saturday evening September 2. Additionally, one fan will go home with a Corvette and one fan may go home $25,000 richer.
On Friday September 1 the 11th Annual Pete Jacobs Memorial will be held with Super Late Models headlining in a $2,500 to win main event. Additionally, the Inaugural Ken Jacobs Memorial Dash will be held for the top six qualifiers with $1,000 going to the winner of the six-lap dash race. Also appearing that evening will be Pure Stocks and Mini Stocks and the popular Faster Pastor grand finale and a special autograph session with drivers like Blaine Aber, Doug Drown, Clint Coffman, Eric Smitley & many, many others.
On Saturday September 2 the 3rd Annual Freedom Fighters 50 will be staged featuring the Super Late Models in a $5,000 to win main event along with the Pure Stocks and Mini Stocks. WCS promoter Ernie Coffman has also instituted a bonus program, the Orry Wirt Memorial Driver Challenge where if one Late Model driver wins the features on Friday night and Saturday night, they will earn a $25,000 bonus! Additionally, we’re going to have a program where one lucky fan has the chance to win $25,000 also if the fan who is chosen at random can match up to the top two finishers in Saturday night’s Freedom Fighters 50 race.
Orry Wirt was the 15-year old crewmember and son of WCS Super Late Model driver Dave Wirt who tragically lost his life last April in a traffic accident.
On Sunday September 3 Hilltop Speedway will present the Sunday Sizzler featuring a 35-lap, $2,500 to win main event for Super Late Models along with support divisions Modifieds, Mini Stocks and Mini Trucks. Gates will open at 3:00 PM with racing at 6:00 PM. Hilltop, which just opened this past spring after 31 years of being dormant, will have extra parking and grandstand seating in place for the Sunday Sizzler.
But that’s not all! On Saturday the 2nd Annual WCS Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held in addition to one lucky fan taking home a 1974 Corvette. “It’s a 1974 classic big block 454 T-top Corvette and she’s worth about $25,000 - $28,000,” explained Ernie Coffman, owner of WCS and Coffman Corvette. “Its got new paint, new interior, new brakes, new tires and the nice part of this is a lot of people got on board and fixed us up with the stuff to restore it.”
A dozen prominent individuals that have spent years and decades participating at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, OH will be recognized and honored on Saturday September 2 when they are inducted at the 2nd Annual Wayne County Speedway Hall of Fame ceremony that will take place prior to race time for the 3rd Annual Freedom Fighters 50.
Honorees being inducted include drivers Blaine Aber, Jim Case, Jeff Drown, Marriann Jacobs, Dave Ledford, Wayne Maffett, Sr., and Brad Malcuit. Being inducted in the Fan category will be James Gentry, Sr. while the Car Owner category inductee will be Bob Mullens. Those named into the Staff category include Glen ‘Calhoun’ Davisson, Gary McKisson and Bob McGovern.
You can pick up specially priced pre-sale weekend tickets for the Inaugural Summer Sizzler Clash Labor Day blitz. Presale tickets are available during the week by calling the track office between the hours of 9:00 am and 4:30 pm at 419-522-8761. PRE-SALE: 2 day Adult General Admission is $30; 2 day Senior Citizens is $25; Children 15 & Under Free. Tickets at the gate the day of the event:
Adult General Admission $18; Senior Citizens $15; Children 15 & Under Free; Pit Passes $30 each night.
Wayne County Speedway is located nine miles east of Wooster, OH on US Route 30 or 15 miles west of Massillon, OH on US Route 30 then one mile north on Carr Road. For more information contact: 330.682.7435 (track), 419.522.8761 (office) or GM Tina Heil can be contacted at her office at: 330.642.0269 or via email at: tinaheil@zoominternet.net or visit the WCS website at: www.waynecountyspeedway.com
For Sunday’s Sunday Sizzler Super Late Model race grandstand tickets will be adult general admission $15, children 15 & under free and pits $30 for this special event. Hilltop Speedway is located three miles South of Millersburg Ohio on County Road 150. County Road 150 is located at the US Highway 62 and Ohio Highway 83 split. For more information contact Hilltop Speedway promoter Jeff Norris at 330.674.6747 (track) or 419.962.4548 (office) or visit the Hilltop website at: www.hilltopspeedway.net
-Prepared by Lehman Motorsports Services
