West Point Golf Course Signs On As Associate Marketing Partner Of March 23 ‘Hard Clay Open’ At Orange County Fair Speedway; Bonuses & Awards Continue To Add Up; Lap Money Total Surpasses $1,600 For 2014 New York State Modified Opener & Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Lid-Lifter
MIDDLETOWN, NY – The anticipation grows for a race both fans and racers have dubbed a “must-see” on the 2014 Northeast dirt Modified schedule: the ‘Hard Clay Open’ at Orange County Fair Speedway.
The inaugural running of the ‘Hard Clay Open’ at the Middletown, N.Y., facility – promoted by Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports Media LLC via an agreement with speedway operators Michael Gurda IV and Howard Commander – on Sunday, March 23 continues to grow. The event, which serves as the first on-track activity at Orange County in ’14, is slated to kick off the New York State Modified season and opens the 2014 Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP.
Marketing support has blossomed since the event’s official announcement in November. Most recently, West Point Golf Course has signed on as an associate sponsor of the Sunday soiree. The West Point Golf Course, located in historic West Point, N.Y., is open to the public. The course was designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones and opened in 1946. West Point Golf Course was recently named one of the top 10 military golf courses in the world.
Narrow fairways, water features, dog-legs, up- and downhill par-3s, greens that demand precision, elevation changes and breathtaking views are all part of the West Point Golf Course experience. The course features a professional staff, large clubhouse, top-of-the-line pro shop, small restaurant and ample dining space for post-tournament awards. To learn more, call 845.938.2435 or visit www.wespointmwr.com/golf.
West Point Golf joins United Pump & Tank of Newburgh, N.Y., and East Coast Speed & Sport Shop/ECS Auto of Middletown, N.Y., as backers of the ‘Hard Clay Open’ event.
The ‘Hard Clay Open’ will be headlined by a 50-lap big-block/small-block Modified event paying a minimum of $5,000 to win. The strength of the purse is its balance through the field: second-place pays $4,000, with $1,000 reserved for the 10th-place finisher and $500 just to take the green flag. A base payout of $30,000 has been outlined for the first ‘Hard Clay Open’ Modified event. Crate 602 Sportsman run a 25-lap main event paying $1,000 to win and $100 to start in the lid-lifter of the Dig Safely New York GRIT Series.
Bonus money is piling up for the special event. Ray and Debbie Tuit of 673 Racing, in conjunction with Mike Sparta Trucking, have posted three special awards in memory of Judy Tuit totaling $500. The extra cash will be distributed to the drivers finishing sixth ($150), seventh ($150) and third ($200) in the 50-lap main event.
McGannon Excavating of Garnerville, N.Y., has signed on to support the Modified division’s Hard Charger Award – presented to the driver advancing the most positions from their scheduled starting position to the finish – worth $210 cash.
Rochinski Contracting Services of Dickson City, Pa., will distribute $200 total amongst the final 10 finishers in the main, sending each of the 10 drivers home with an additional $20 in their pocket.
The 17th-place finisher earns a $50 bonus courtesy of Elmo’s Auto Body, with locations in Ballston Spa, N.Y., and Scotia, N.Y.
The lap money total has now topped $1,680 and continues to increase. All lap money at the ‘Hard Clay Open’ will rotate through the top-seven running positions during the main. Lap sponsorships remain on sale at $20/minimum per lap by contacting Brett Deyo at Deyo99H@aol.com or by phone at 845.728.2781. A lap sponsorship form has been posted on www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com.
Among the more lucrative laps are 25, which offers $400 in cash thanks to Rock Fantasy Concert, Smoke Shop & Pinball Room and lap 31, paying $310 thanks to Zubi’s Racing. Teo-Pro Car will reward a $500 product certificate to the 25th-lap leader, as well.
Due to high off-season demand, advance tickets – for the first time in BD Motorsports Media history – will be offered beginning Jan. 20. Tickets can be purchased in-person at the Orange County Fair Speedway office – located at 239 Wisner Avenue Middletown, NY 10940 – Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Phone sales, utilizing a credit card, can be completed during the same business hours by calling 845.343.2573. Checks, made payable to Orange County Fair Speedway, can be mailed to the speedway office address above.
Admission for the ‘Hard Clay Open’ is $20 for Adults, $18 for Seniors and $2 for Kids 12 and under. Pit admission is $35, with no license required.
Big- and small-block combinations are legal for this unique event with staggered minimum weights. American Racer and Hoosier tires are both legal, as well. Accepted tire compounds have been outlined in the race rules/information.
For the first time ever at Orange County, sail panels are permitted for the ‘Hard Clay Open’ Modified event. Sail panels must be no taller than 65 inches when measured from the ground and must mirror each other in size and shape side-for-side. A four-inch roof spoiler is permitted, as well. All other Orange County/DIRTcar body rules will be in effect. Complete race rules, weights and tire compounds can be found online at www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com or www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net.
For qualifying, drivers will draw for their starting positions upon entry to the speedway. Heat-race finishes utilizing staggered passing points will be calculated to set the redraw participants and qualified cars from 10-lap heat races. Consolations, 10 laps each, will set the remainder of the 28-car starting field via their order of finish. The heat-race finish/passing point combination will set the starting lineups for the consolations.
The passing points system, new to Modified racing but widely used in other forms of racing including Sprint Cars and the famed ‘Chili Bowl’ in Tulsa, Okla., aims to satisfy the desires of both racers and fans by easing the consequences of a poor draw for competitors and providing heat-race excitement for fans.
The ‘Hard Clay Open’ will be contested on a date that is conflict-free on the dirt Modified landscape. The Sunday afternoon lid-lifter should attract a cross-section of cars from the north, south, east and west. On Saturday of the weekend (March 22), New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway hosts an event, setting up a potential two-day swing south for traveling teams from Central New York and further north.
For competitors planning to chase points on the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP, the ‘Hard Clay Open’ serves as the first of six points-paying events. Orange County is joined in the Short Track Super Series by Thunder Mountain (N.Y.), I-88 (N.Y., two events including the championship-deciding Alpine Building Supply Short Track SuperNationals presented by Olum’s in October), Accord (N.Y.) and Penn Can (Pa.). A point fund of more than $17,000 has been posted for competitors in addition to a long list of contingency awards and incentives.
Fans can be assured pit-area parking will be laid out carefully to keep larger haulers toward the center, with only smaller trucks and trailers in the corners to ensure maximum visibility. The show will be fast-paced to allow fans and racers ample travel time on a Sunday night.
The GRIT Series 602 Sportsman will draw for starting positions with a redraw of top qualifiers for the main event. Heats and consolations will be eight laps. GRIT Series rules will be in effect on this event. Visit www.gritracingseries.com for further information.
For the 2014 ‘Hard Clay Open’ event, pit gates open at 8 a.m. Grandstand gates open at 10 a.m. A drivers’ meeting will take place at 1 p.m., with hot laps at 1:20 p.m. and racing at 2 p.m. Fans can expect a pre-race autograph session/meet and greet in both the grandstand and drive-in areas.
The ‘Hard Clay Open’ will mark the second earliest Orange County opener since the speedway began hosting stock cars regularly in 1948, eclipsed only by March 18, 1984 when Larry Brolsma drove to victory.
For further ‘Hard Clay Open’ information, contact Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports Media at Deyo99H@aol.com or by phone at 845.728.2781. BD Motorsports Media is on the web at www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com. “Like” BD Motorsports Media on Facebook.
Located at 239 Wisner Avenue Middletown, NY 10940 on the Orange County Fairgrounds, Orange County Fair Speedway is the oldest continuously operating dirt track in the United States. The first auto race was held at the speedway in 1919. The five-eighths-mile oval offers fully-covered and half-covered grandstands in addition to open bleacher seating on the frontstretch and turn one areas, with drive-in viewing on the backstretch. To learn more, contact the Orange County Fair Speedway office at 845.342.2573 or visit www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net.
In the event of inclement weather, the rain date is tentatively slated for Friday, March 28.
The regular season at Orange County is slated to get underway with an open practice on March 29 and the official Season Opener on April 5.
The ‘Hard Clay Open’ is presented by United Pump & Tank, East Coast Speed/ECS Auto, West Point Golf, Rock Fantasy Concert, Smoke Shop & Pinball Room, 673 Racing, Mike Sparta Trucking, Elmo’s Auto Body, Zubi’s Racing, McGannon Excavating, Rochinski Contracting Services & many other fine marketing and lap sponsors.
The Short Track Super Series is presented by VP Racing Fuels, Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., East Coast Speed/ECS Auto, Allstar Performance, American Racer/Lias Tire, Art’s Radiator, ATL Fuel Cells, BFP Specialty, Bicknell Racing Products, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, DRACO Springs, ERK Steering, Finish Line Web Design, Henry’s Stainless Steel Exhaust, Hig Fab Chassis, Jack’s Used Race Car Parts, Kirkey Racing Products, Rochinski Contracting Services, Schaeffer Racing Oil, Shiley Fabrication, Teo-Pro Car, Troyer Race Cars & Valken Wheels.
Sources: BD Motorsports Media