Besides one interruption from Mother Nature, the fun never stopped during the month of July. Upon my return home from Vegas, I packed my bags once again and headed a few hours north to a special Thursday night show at Shangri-La II Motor Speedway in Tioga Center, New York. The evening went off without a hitch and the fans came out to form an impressive crowd to see the first appearance for the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series at track. These cars were bad fast on the concrete, defeating the prior track record by over three seconds. Although the field was smaller than average, they put on quite the show with open wheel veteran and occasional super late model racer Aaron Pierce taking the win. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the series come back and, if on a weekend, see a larger field and at capacity crowd turn out.
The following weekend, I made my first appearance at the CNB Bank Raceway Park in Clearfield, Pennsylvania. This track has been reopened by the Bainey racing family in 2012, and the crowd came out in numbers for this event as well to see the NASCAR K&N Pro East Series drivers conquer the .625 mile. There was lots of side by side racing, but Brett Moffitt was able to hold off his competitors to lead the race flag to flag. His closest competitor, teammate Sergio Pena, had issues with the starter following the halfway break and point leader coming into the race Chase Elliott suffered two cut tires. I was impressed with the show, but I hope that next year they can at least get a support division or two on board. The three hour break in the afternoon between practice sessions and qualifying was probably a little bit too much. What made my evening was I had the chance to get a tour of the television production truck thanks to SPEED pit reporter Derek Pernesiglio. It was amazing to see how compact all of the equipment is, and how everything and everyone connects to put the entire show together.
The weekend after did not go anything close to according to planned. I decided to go down to Manassas, Virginia for the entire weekend this time around and explore the area, and maybe see some practice at the track. The weather had other ideas, as an ongoing annoying mist plagued the entire weekend. The third annual Youth For Tomorrow 150 at Old Dominion Speedway was postponed to the following Saturday. BK Racing drivers Landon Cassill and Travis Kvapil as well as former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Mike Skinner still signed autographs for the fans that were in attendance.
It was a bit of an uneasy start to the next weekend with an ongoing threat of storms, but the evening went off as scheduled. The NASCAR drivers had commitments at Indianapolis and were not present, but a strong field of 26 late model stock cars as well as Legends cars, Bandoleros, UCARs and Virginia Sprint Series cars were all on hand to entertain the fans. Dustin Storm took the lead early in the 150 lap main event and never looked back. In the end the event was a success with proceeds and donations going to Youth For Tomorrow, in which the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car owner of first year team BK Racing, Ron Devine, is the chairman.
Coming up is NASCAR and ARCA’s annual late summer stop at Pocono Raceway. After patiently waiting for nearly a year after last August’s Saturday rainout, I’m ready to bring my raincheck and get out to the tricky triangle. Both the Truck Series and ARCA initial entry lists are a little concerning, since it appears that neither will have a full field. Despite Kyle Busch Motorsports having only one top five finish this season, my odds on favorite to win would have to be Denny Hamlin due to his experience and success at the track. Don’t count out some of the ongoing favorites such as Matt Crafton, James Buescher, Ty Dillon, Johnny Sauter and current point leader Timothy Peters. My eye will be on a couple drivers from my home region that will be making their debuts. After setting fast time for the Daytona ARCA race, Sean Corr and his Empire Racing team have been working hard toward making their first foray into the Truck Series. I expect them to stay out of trouble and accomplish a lead lap finish. The other debut driver is from a little closer to my home. Lebanon, PA’s Kyle Martel has made several starts in ARCA and will do double duty on Saturday running both 50 lappers. Martel and team will be supporting and have been raising money for the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition. For this good cause, I hope they can take home some solid finishes as well.
The ARCA Racing Series is in the midst of a close point battle, and has not seen a repeat winner at Pocono in the last 13 races held there. I wouldn’t be surprised to see that streak continue with championship contenders Chris Buescher and Alex Bowman as well as frequent top five finishers Grant Enfinger, Chad Hackenbracht and Matt Lofton in the field; however, June winner Brennan Poole will be hard to beat and veteran Frank Kimmel rides the momentum into Long Pond from his win last time out at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.
Unfortunately due to some recent minor financial setbacks and time constraints, I have decided to only attend the Saturday portion of the weekend once again. As some form of compensation and to keep myself entertained, I plan on going to a few local shows throughout the month at places such as Mountain Speedway, Mahoning Valley Speedway and the New Reading Fairgrounds in order to save for some upcoming trips.
After the last post, I thought that I would be lacking for a while with the poker news. Luckily, I happened to split a tournament three ways a week ago and won a future buy-in into a $100 tournament that will most likely take place either at Delaware Park, somewhere in Atlantic City or Hollywood Casino in the PA Capital Area. I will be keeping everyone posted on when that takes place.
Meanwhile, you can check out my videos from Shangri-La II Motor Speedway and Old Dominion Speedway at http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. Enjoy!
Showing posts with label Shangri-La II Motor Speedway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shangri-La II Motor Speedway. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Viva Las Vegas and Other Destinations
As I type this, it is my last night in Las Vegas prior to an early flight home in the morning and I thought what could be a better time to wind down and share my experiences via this blog post. I will always be partial to traveling to the south, but there is nothing like Las Vegas. Initially it was quite the overwhelming feeling, but after a day or so the city starts to grow on you. The trip didn’t go entirely according to plan both financially and logistically, but I am already thinking about my possible return next year. I had the chance to do some things that I have been dreaming about for the last seven years, including playing in a tournament at the World Series Of Poker held at the Rio Casino and Hotel. It was only a daily deepstack tournament rather than a multi-day bracelet event, but I lasted until there were about 200 players remaining out of a 1,100+ starting field. I didn’t make any cash, but the experience was well worth it. For anyone that hasn’t been, there is so much more to see and do than gamble in Vegas. Even the flight was interesting; seeing parts of the country for the first time in the air. I would recommend traveling there to anyone in an instant.
In addition to my adventures in Las Vegas, I drove into California to see the SRL Southwest Tour at Madera Speedway. My initial reaction was disbelief that this track was still open. It is surrounded by shopping centers, but I suppose it stays in business because it is part of the Madera Fairgrounds. The local fields were small but competitive, and SRL had a great turnout with 26 Legends cars and 22 Super Late Models. The Southwest Tour race saw a last lap pass for the win when former two time NASCAR Southwest Tour champion Jim Pettit II worked his way past Derek Thorn, who set a new track record on the recently repaved surface, amidst lapped traffic. It definitely was an entertaining night, and it was nice seeing some regional racing in another part of the country.
Earlier in the month of June I made two other trips to some short tracks. The Pro All Stars Series race at South Boston Speedway was a little low on car count, but once again not low on competition. Saturday’s Kentucky winner Brad Keselowski won his first race as a super late model owner when Landon Cling held off a number of veteran drivers in the closing laps. The following weekend I made my way across my home state of Pennsylvania to Motordrome Speedway to see the Super Cup Stock Car Series and five local divisions. Kevin Kromer led the 50 lap Super Cup race flag to flag, but during much of the race you could throw a blanket over the top four cars. Kromer’s story was interesting as they blew a motor in the shop during the week leading up to the race and had to borrow one from Peck Motorsports, the team that got Todd Peck into victory lane at Motordrome the year before.
I did not go to any races the weekend after due to preparation for the Las Vegas trip; however, I did pay close attention to a doubleheader that took place for late models in Pennsylvania. The fairly new TBRA Late Model Series hosted 100 lap races Friday night at Motordrome and Saturday night at the reopened CNB Bank Raceway Park in Clearfield. Both races had an impressive turnout with over 20 late models. Colt James came up from North Carolina and won the Saturday night feature. I am hoping they do this again next year so I can check it out. Also, I am glad to see a positive outlook for late model racing in this portion of the country.
You would think after a busy month of June that I would be taking some time to settle down a little bit. That certainly will not be the case. While I do plan to spend July 4th at home, the day after will be spent traveling up to Shangri-La II Motor Speedway in Tioga Center, New York to see the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series. This will be an interesting show to see, which will be my first time witnessing these blistering fast open wheel sprint cars race on the concrete surface. The last time they competed on concrete, they set track records at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The following weekend I will be going to CNB Bank Raceway Park to see the NASCAR K&N East Series compete there for the first time since 1987. I have a feeling there might be a smaller field than some past races, but it will be interesting to see how the talented and possible future NASCAR stars react to a track where they do not have much or any experience at. It should also be a perfect track for these types of cars on the 5/8 mile oval.
The weekend after that will be a stop at the Old Dominion Speedway for the second year in a row to see the Youth For Tomorrow 150 benefitting the Joe Gibbs Youth Home in Bristow, Virginia. It doesn’t look like the show will be as big as the previous year, but NASCAR drivers who have been announced to compete in the show include Mike Skinner, Travis Kvapil, Landon Cassill and David Reutimann. The local late model drivers will be vying for the win against these guys for a $10,000 1st place prize. Capping off the month of July will possibly be an annual stop at the close to home Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway to see some Micro Sprint racing.
Photo galleries and videos will be forthcoming and can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/ajcrdstr24?sk=photos (if you have trouble viewing photos, I will gladly accept your Facebook friend request) and http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. Hope everyone has a happy and safe Independence Day!
In addition to my adventures in Las Vegas, I drove into California to see the SRL Southwest Tour at Madera Speedway. My initial reaction was disbelief that this track was still open. It is surrounded by shopping centers, but I suppose it stays in business because it is part of the Madera Fairgrounds. The local fields were small but competitive, and SRL had a great turnout with 26 Legends cars and 22 Super Late Models. The Southwest Tour race saw a last lap pass for the win when former two time NASCAR Southwest Tour champion Jim Pettit II worked his way past Derek Thorn, who set a new track record on the recently repaved surface, amidst lapped traffic. It definitely was an entertaining night, and it was nice seeing some regional racing in another part of the country.
Earlier in the month of June I made two other trips to some short tracks. The Pro All Stars Series race at South Boston Speedway was a little low on car count, but once again not low on competition. Saturday’s Kentucky winner Brad Keselowski won his first race as a super late model owner when Landon Cling held off a number of veteran drivers in the closing laps. The following weekend I made my way across my home state of Pennsylvania to Motordrome Speedway to see the Super Cup Stock Car Series and five local divisions. Kevin Kromer led the 50 lap Super Cup race flag to flag, but during much of the race you could throw a blanket over the top four cars. Kromer’s story was interesting as they blew a motor in the shop during the week leading up to the race and had to borrow one from Peck Motorsports, the team that got Todd Peck into victory lane at Motordrome the year before.
I did not go to any races the weekend after due to preparation for the Las Vegas trip; however, I did pay close attention to a doubleheader that took place for late models in Pennsylvania. The fairly new TBRA Late Model Series hosted 100 lap races Friday night at Motordrome and Saturday night at the reopened CNB Bank Raceway Park in Clearfield. Both races had an impressive turnout with over 20 late models. Colt James came up from North Carolina and won the Saturday night feature. I am hoping they do this again next year so I can check it out. Also, I am glad to see a positive outlook for late model racing in this portion of the country.
You would think after a busy month of June that I would be taking some time to settle down a little bit. That certainly will not be the case. While I do plan to spend July 4th at home, the day after will be spent traveling up to Shangri-La II Motor Speedway in Tioga Center, New York to see the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series. This will be an interesting show to see, which will be my first time witnessing these blistering fast open wheel sprint cars race on the concrete surface. The last time they competed on concrete, they set track records at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The following weekend I will be going to CNB Bank Raceway Park to see the NASCAR K&N East Series compete there for the first time since 1987. I have a feeling there might be a smaller field than some past races, but it will be interesting to see how the talented and possible future NASCAR stars react to a track where they do not have much or any experience at. It should also be a perfect track for these types of cars on the 5/8 mile oval.
The weekend after that will be a stop at the Old Dominion Speedway for the second year in a row to see the Youth For Tomorrow 150 benefitting the Joe Gibbs Youth Home in Bristow, Virginia. It doesn’t look like the show will be as big as the previous year, but NASCAR drivers who have been announced to compete in the show include Mike Skinner, Travis Kvapil, Landon Cassill and David Reutimann. The local late model drivers will be vying for the win against these guys for a $10,000 1st place prize. Capping off the month of July will possibly be an annual stop at the close to home Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway to see some Micro Sprint racing.
Photo galleries and videos will be forthcoming and can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/ajcrdstr24?sk=photos (if you have trouble viewing photos, I will gladly accept your Facebook friend request) and http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. Hope everyone has a happy and safe Independence Day!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Good Times With NASCAR And Local Short Track Stars
So far July has been jam packed with nice weather and side by side racing. Following the Independence Day weekend, I set out North to Tioga Center, New York where the half mile Shangri-La II Motor Speedway is located. The one word to describe this track is "unique." It is one of the few short tracks with a concrete surface, and one of the very few that I know of that has a drag strip connected to the facility. With the purchase of one admission ticket, fans can walk freely between the two tracks and check out two different forms of racing action. Although there was a lot of racing taking place, the show did seem to drag on. A fireworks display entertained the crowd; however, it occurred in between features and the fans had to wait before the track lights came back on for the next race to be ready to get going. Racing for the night did not conclude until well after midnight, but it was still worth the price of admission. The Race Of Champions Modified Tour put on a whale of a show with Matt Hirschman proving once again that he deserves a shot at the big leagues. Despite the small car counts in the local divisions, the racing was still competitive. For a fairly new track they are heading in the right direction, and being under the ASA banner will do nothing but help them even further.
The next weekend I drove South to Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia for the first time...and definitely not the last time. It was a very enjoyable experience with some exciting finishes to the end in the local division races as well as some thrilling battles for track positions in the twin 75 lap ISCARS features. The track surely knows how to attract the fans, as this particular evening was Scout Night in which boy and girl scouts wearing their uniforms were admitted free. I overheard several times of families that were there for the first time. The show kept moving smoothly and following the night's racing festivities the pits were opened up to fans of all ages to meet the drivers and get an up close look at some of the cars. It was neat getting a chance to say hi to the friendly ISCARS staff, crews and drivers once again as well as meet some drivers I hadn't heard of before in the local divisions. I even had the chance to sit in one of the Late Model Stock Cars!
The morning after the racing action I drove up to Kutztown, Pennsylvania to play in a poker tournament. I arrived just in time, sat down and hit four of a kind and took a massive pot. Unfortunately, as the afternoon went on the deck went cold and I ultimately finished 12th. The top four finishers qualified for another tournament in Atlantic City.
There was no doubt that I was returning the following weekend for Old Dominion Speedway's big 150 lap Late Model Stock Car event benefiting Joe Gibbs' Youth For Tomorrow Foundation. Another event that was going on in the town of Manassas was their 150 year Civil War commemoration. I had the chance to check out the Manassas Museum, see a cannon fire and wander about the town during the late morning and early afternoon hours before heading to the race track. The triple-digit weather may have turned some away, but the afternoon activities at the track definitely did not disappoint. Freestyle Motocross demonstrations, monster trucks, karting, show car displays and live music were all quite entertaining, but the autograph sessions featuring local and NASCAR drivers as well as a few Washington Redskins players seemed to attract the biggest crowd. Andy Lally, Ron Hornaday, Mike Skinner, Sterling Marlin, Johnny Benson, Max Papis and Curtis Markham were all on hand and competed in the late model race later in the evening. All of these drivers piloted cars prepared by other drivers in the region so it was neat to see them wheel cars they're not used to driving against the local drivers who compete at the track just about every weekend. The NASCAR stars did not fare too well in the feature and Mike Darne won his second straight Youth For Tomorrow 150, but some of them certainly gave back to the competitors in the form of bonuses for the 1st, 5th and 10th place finishers in some of the supporting features. Once again the pits were opened up to fans at the end of the evening and some of the NASCAR and local drivers stuck around to converse with the fans.
I can't wait to go back to Northern Virginia to see some more racing, but meanwhile I'll be staying fairly local and I'll have to enjoy my memories via video footage at http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. This weekend I'll be making an annual stop to Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Newmanstown, PA to see some Micro Sprint racing. The following weekend will be my debut seeing the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in action at Pocono along with the ARCA Series. A couple days after that the Reading Fair takes place in Berks County, PA and will feature some Slingshot and Kart racing. This will all lead up to a visit to Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, PA on my birthday later in August. The video footage will be taking a break, but keep posted for some more photos from all the excitement!
The next weekend I drove South to Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia for the first time...and definitely not the last time. It was a very enjoyable experience with some exciting finishes to the end in the local division races as well as some thrilling battles for track positions in the twin 75 lap ISCARS features. The track surely knows how to attract the fans, as this particular evening was Scout Night in which boy and girl scouts wearing their uniforms were admitted free. I overheard several times of families that were there for the first time. The show kept moving smoothly and following the night's racing festivities the pits were opened up to fans of all ages to meet the drivers and get an up close look at some of the cars. It was neat getting a chance to say hi to the friendly ISCARS staff, crews and drivers once again as well as meet some drivers I hadn't heard of before in the local divisions. I even had the chance to sit in one of the Late Model Stock Cars!
The morning after the racing action I drove up to Kutztown, Pennsylvania to play in a poker tournament. I arrived just in time, sat down and hit four of a kind and took a massive pot. Unfortunately, as the afternoon went on the deck went cold and I ultimately finished 12th. The top four finishers qualified for another tournament in Atlantic City.
There was no doubt that I was returning the following weekend for Old Dominion Speedway's big 150 lap Late Model Stock Car event benefiting Joe Gibbs' Youth For Tomorrow Foundation. Another event that was going on in the town of Manassas was their 150 year Civil War commemoration. I had the chance to check out the Manassas Museum, see a cannon fire and wander about the town during the late morning and early afternoon hours before heading to the race track. The triple-digit weather may have turned some away, but the afternoon activities at the track definitely did not disappoint. Freestyle Motocross demonstrations, monster trucks, karting, show car displays and live music were all quite entertaining, but the autograph sessions featuring local and NASCAR drivers as well as a few Washington Redskins players seemed to attract the biggest crowd. Andy Lally, Ron Hornaday, Mike Skinner, Sterling Marlin, Johnny Benson, Max Papis and Curtis Markham were all on hand and competed in the late model race later in the evening. All of these drivers piloted cars prepared by other drivers in the region so it was neat to see them wheel cars they're not used to driving against the local drivers who compete at the track just about every weekend. The NASCAR stars did not fare too well in the feature and Mike Darne won his second straight Youth For Tomorrow 150, but some of them certainly gave back to the competitors in the form of bonuses for the 1st, 5th and 10th place finishers in some of the supporting features. Once again the pits were opened up to fans at the end of the evening and some of the NASCAR and local drivers stuck around to converse with the fans.
I can't wait to go back to Northern Virginia to see some more racing, but meanwhile I'll be staying fairly local and I'll have to enjoy my memories via video footage at http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24. This weekend I'll be making an annual stop to Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Newmanstown, PA to see some Micro Sprint racing. The following weekend will be my debut seeing the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in action at Pocono along with the ARCA Series. A couple days after that the Reading Fair takes place in Berks County, PA and will feature some Slingshot and Kart racing. This will all lead up to a visit to Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, PA on my birthday later in August. The video footage will be taking a break, but keep posted for some more photos from all the excitement!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Shangri-La II Motor Speedway Video Footage
ROC-N-Concrete Rumble
July 9, 2011
Shangri-La II Motor Speedway - Tioga Center, New York
The 100 lap Race of Champions Modified Tour feature
Features for the Speedstr Series as well as Sportsman Modified, Street Stock and Late Model local divisions
Some Additional footage from the Skyview Drag Strip, which is adjacent to Shangri-La II Motor Speedway and is included with admission into the facility. Yes, those are snowmobiles that are drag racing in the last clip!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
The Summer 2011 Journey Has Just Begun
The last time I blogged, I previewed my trip to Atlantic City and clued all of you readers in that I'll be making some journeys during the months of July and August. Unfortunately, I didn't fair too well in the tournament I played in or during the entire short-lived trip for that matter. I almost knocked a player or two out of the tournament for some bounty money and I almost folded what I thought was a winning hand instead of pushing all of my chips in, but "almost" doesn't pay anything. The gambling is over for the time being, but the travels to several racing venues are just about to begin.
In fact, the first brief trip occurred over this past weekend when my dad and I made the less than an hour trip to the 27th Annual Latimore Valley Fair in York Springs, Pennsylvania. The Latimore Valley Fairgrounds no longer features competitive racing, but the 1/2 mile dirt track still stands. The Saturday afternoon's festivities featured track time for some vintage stock cars, modifieds, sprint cars and midgets. The Eastern Museum of Motor Racing that overlooks the fairgrounds was opened for extended hours, and the fairgrounds also featured tractor pulls, a hot cruise-in, food and other entertainment from Friday through Sunday. I had intentions of going to this the past few years and could never make it, but it sure was worth going to. I uploaded some photos, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.569010970669.2071711.37801386&l=73c3a3fa90.
Following the July 4th holiday, I will be kicking my own personal street car into high gear and visiting some new places as well as some old favorites. Shangri-La II Motor Speedway, which is located west of Binghamton and near the New York-Pennsylvania border will be the site of my first stop. I believe that several precipitation related circumstances have kept the fairly new track from completing a full program on schedule this year to date, but I'll be crossing my fingers that all of it has passed as the Race of Champions modified tour visits the "concrete castle" on Saturday, July 9. This tour features some very well known names from the northeast, including Matt Hirschman, Chuck Hossfeld and Jan Leaty. Late Models, Sport Modifieds, Street Stocks and the unique Speedstrs will run supporting features as well.
The next weekend will be even busier as I make my initial trip to the NASCAR-sanctioned Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia close to Washington, D.C. Several weekly local divisions will be racing as well as the ASA sanctioned ISCARS Dash Touring Series. This longtime sport compact racing series is now dubbed "the world's premier stock car tuner racing series." Although I have seen them many times before, I'm really looking forward to seeing the new body styles up close and seeing some of their side by side racing much closer to my home than usual. As a matter of fact, with the proximity back to Pennsylvania I'll be waking up early Sunday morning and making the three and a half hour drive from my hotel in Northern Virginia up to Kutztown, PA for a poker tournament.
If I enjoy my first experience at Old Dominion, which I'm confident I will, I plan to return the following weekend for a special event benefiting Joe Gibbs' Youth for Tomorrow foundation. It will include an entire afternoon of events, concluding with a 150 lap late model race featuring drivers such as Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday, Max Papis, Johnny Benson, Andy Lally and road racer Spencer Pumpelly as well as several of the area's top local drivers.
From there, I plan to make some stops locally at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Mahoning Valley Speedway and perhaps the New Reading Fairgrounds. I'll check in later in July and summarize my experiences as well as post links to photos and video footage. I'm purchasing a lap top this week, so I actually may have the ability to upload while on the road so stay tuned to my YouTube page for uploads: http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24.
In fact, the first brief trip occurred over this past weekend when my dad and I made the less than an hour trip to the 27th Annual Latimore Valley Fair in York Springs, Pennsylvania. The Latimore Valley Fairgrounds no longer features competitive racing, but the 1/2 mile dirt track still stands. The Saturday afternoon's festivities featured track time for some vintage stock cars, modifieds, sprint cars and midgets. The Eastern Museum of Motor Racing that overlooks the fairgrounds was opened for extended hours, and the fairgrounds also featured tractor pulls, a hot cruise-in, food and other entertainment from Friday through Sunday. I had intentions of going to this the past few years and could never make it, but it sure was worth going to. I uploaded some photos, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.569010970669.2071711.37801386&l=73c3a3fa90.
Following the July 4th holiday, I will be kicking my own personal street car into high gear and visiting some new places as well as some old favorites. Shangri-La II Motor Speedway, which is located west of Binghamton and near the New York-Pennsylvania border will be the site of my first stop. I believe that several precipitation related circumstances have kept the fairly new track from completing a full program on schedule this year to date, but I'll be crossing my fingers that all of it has passed as the Race of Champions modified tour visits the "concrete castle" on Saturday, July 9. This tour features some very well known names from the northeast, including Matt Hirschman, Chuck Hossfeld and Jan Leaty. Late Models, Sport Modifieds, Street Stocks and the unique Speedstrs will run supporting features as well.
The next weekend will be even busier as I make my initial trip to the NASCAR-sanctioned Old Dominion Speedway in Manassas, Virginia close to Washington, D.C. Several weekly local divisions will be racing as well as the ASA sanctioned ISCARS Dash Touring Series. This longtime sport compact racing series is now dubbed "the world's premier stock car tuner racing series." Although I have seen them many times before, I'm really looking forward to seeing the new body styles up close and seeing some of their side by side racing much closer to my home than usual. As a matter of fact, with the proximity back to Pennsylvania I'll be waking up early Sunday morning and making the three and a half hour drive from my hotel in Northern Virginia up to Kutztown, PA for a poker tournament.
If I enjoy my first experience at Old Dominion, which I'm confident I will, I plan to return the following weekend for a special event benefiting Joe Gibbs' Youth for Tomorrow foundation. It will include an entire afternoon of events, concluding with a 150 lap late model race featuring drivers such as Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday, Max Papis, Johnny Benson, Andy Lally and road racer Spencer Pumpelly as well as several of the area's top local drivers.
From there, I plan to make some stops locally at Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, Pocono Raceway, Mahoning Valley Speedway and perhaps the New Reading Fairgrounds. I'll check in later in July and summarize my experiences as well as post links to photos and video footage. I'm purchasing a lap top this week, so I actually may have the ability to upload while on the road so stay tuned to my YouTube page for uploads: http://www.youtube.com/ajcrdstr24.
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