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
June 26, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
WCS Featured On CNN July 1 & 2
Orrville, OH --– Long before NASCAR went mainstream, race car drivers raced on dirt. And contrary to the abundance of pavement racing seen almost every weekend of the year, they still do.
Dirt track racing, with an estimated 30 million fans, is “the biggest sport you’ve never heard of,” according to the new documentary CNN Presents: Dirt Track Warriors, premiering Sat., July 1, at 8 p.m. EDT, with a replay at 11 p.m. Dirt Track Warriors re-airs Sun., July 2 at 2 a.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
Dirt Track Warriors, parts of which was filmed at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, OH, features exclusive access to the personal and professional lives of drivers who pilot lightweight, high-horsepower dirt late model race cars. The documentary follows racing bad boy Scott Bloomquist, Chub “Chubzilla” Frank and teenager Josh “Kid Rocket” Richards through a season of high-speed, dirt-throwing racing, climaxing with dirt Late Model’s biggest prize – the World 100 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
The program features considerable footage shot at Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, OH in addition to on-air commentary from local resident Doc Lehman who appears in the documentary and served as a consultant to CNN producers. Lehman, a former race track promoter & sanctioning body executive, is currently a national racing journalist, radio host and marketing & public relations expert.
“We’re thrilled with all the footage and coverage CNN produced at Wayne County Speedway,” commented Tina Heil, General Manager of WCS. “The producers wanted to interview Doc Lehman on camera at length for the documentary so he requested they do the interview at Wayne County Speedway during our anniversary weekend last summer and they spent almost two days here filming racing action, the grounds, the pits, the fans buying tickets, concessions and Doc doing his national radio show. When they explain what dirt racing is about a lot of the footage is from Wayne County Speedway.”
The sport boasts 800 dirt tracks in 49 states, with Eldora Speedway being recognized as one of the premier tracks in the country. As Tim Lee, editor of Dirt Late Model magazine explains, “Saturday night dirt track racing is like the summertime equivalent of Friday night football – especially in smaller towns. It’s a center of community.”
Two-time and reigning NASCAR Nextel Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, a product of dirt track racing whose NASCAR success allowed him to purchase Eldora Speedway in November 2004, explains.
“I may make my living racing on pavement every week, but it is no secret that I possess an earnest passion for grassroots dirt racing. It’s certainly a positive whenever this niche of racing can gain more exposure, especially when Eldora is highlighted. I’m definitely looking forward to the release of this documentary.”
“This documentary will show how big this sport really is and what an incredible economic impact it has on area economies,” added Heil. “It will be a boon for the sport to be introduced to such a worldwide mainstream audience.”
For Dirt Track Warriors, senior producer Ted Rubenstein interviewed dirt track’s kings throughout the 2005 racing season in addition to Stewart, Lee & Lehman. He offers viewers a look at the grueling life on the dirt track circuit through heartland America, which sometimes puts great strain on the personal lives of the drivers and their families.
With the eyes of the racing world on Eldora Speedway’s World 100, viewers learn whether Richards, the 17-year-old phenom, will qualify for his first World 100 competition; whether Bloomquist, celebrating his 25th year in dirt track racing, will win his fourth championship at Eldora; or whether “Chubzilla” can repeat his 2004 first-place success.
CNN Presents: Dirt Track Warriors was narrated by Miles O’Brien with field producing by Emily Probst and Jamie Hutton. Mark Nelson is vice president and senior executive producer of CNN Productions. CNN Presents is the most honored documentary program in cable news.
