Non-Qualifiers’ Incentives Put In Place For NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Starting At Tuesday, May 20 Thunder Mountain Speedway ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ $27,000-Plus Spectacular; “Recycle Your Entry Fee” Program Launched; Manmiller Electric Posts $100 Cash Bonuses For DNQ Drivers
CENTER LISLE, NY – Incentives continue to grow for the “racers’ choice” National Dirt Racing League (NDRL) Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP.
Round No. 2 of the first-year series, offering a $10,014 champion’s share, approaches at Thunder Mountain Speedway (Center Lisle, N.Y.) on Tuesday, May 20 (rain date: May 21) with the Olum’s ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ presented by Rochinski Contracting Services & Husqvarna.
Emphasis has been placed on rewarding drivers unable to qualify for the NDRL Modified main event – not only at the Thunder Mountain spectacular – but for the remainder of the series, which also includes stops at I-88 (N.Y.) Speedway (July 23 and Oct. 11), Accord (N.Y.) Speedway (Aug. 5) and Penn Can (Pa.) Speedway (Aug. 12).
The NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP has adopted an innovative “Recycle Your Entry Fee” program. All drivers on the DNQ list at any NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP event will receive a complimentary car entry at the next series event. Any driver that had already filed a full-season entry with payment will receive a refund – yes, a cash refund – if they qualify for the “Recycle Your Entry Fee” program. They will get cash back when they visit the car registration table on race day.
The program is in place for all remaining ’14 NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP events.
Drivers that were unable to qualify for the first event of the season at N.Y.’s Orange County Fair Speedway on April 6 will receive a FREE car entry for the May 20 Thunder Mountain ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP race. To be eligible, drivers simply need to e-mail series coordinator Brett Deyo at Deyo99H@aol.com to register.
“We wanted to put a program in place to reward drivers who aren’t able to make the feature field at our events,” series coordinator Deyo said. “This is a token of appreciation for attendance, and it saves race teams a few dollars as well. We are actively working on other bonuses and awards for drivers missing the field, and we’ve already got a few lined up.”
Manmiller Electric of Shoemakersville, Pa., has posted a pair of $100 cash bonuses for the May 20 Thunder Mountain event, set aside for drivers unable to qualify for the main. A random drawing of non-qualifiers will reward two participants with a $100 each
Diversified Machine Inc. (DMI)/Bulldog Rear Ends also stepped up for the racers. A driver unable to make the main will take home a $50 product certificate via a draw; the 11th-place feature finisher will also receive a $50 DMI certificate.
A long list of contingencies and special awards is already in place for every NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP event. A complete list/breakdown can be found at www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com.
Following a huge opener at Orange County’s spacious five-eighths-mile oval won by Andy Bachetti on April 6, attention now turns to Karl Spoonhower’s Thunder Mountain three-eighths-mile for a record-setting event May 20. It will mark the richest ever purse structure in track history.
More than $27,000 has been posted for the NDRL Modified division purse: $5,100 to win (including a $100 bonus from Simplicity Design of Middletown, N.Y.), $1,500 for fifth, $1,000 for 10th and $500 just to take the green flag for 50 laps of racing.
Additionally, there will be lap money, contingency awards, bonuses and product certificates distributed at the unprecedented event promoted by Deyo and Spoonhower.
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 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 system made its debut at Orange County.
Sportsman (Open vs. Crate) will also be featured on the ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ card in a 25-lap event paying a minimum of $1,000 to the winner and $100 to take the green flag. Sportsman will qualify via a traditional draw/redraw format.
Complete rules, general information and pricing have been posted on the BD Motorsports Media LLC website – www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com – under “Events” and “Lightning on the Mountain” from the main menu.
The ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ is the first major midweek event at Thunder Mountain since a T3 All-Star Series event backed by John Wight in August 2008.
Gates will open at 4 p.m. for the ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ special. A drivers’ meeting takes place at 6:20 p.m. Hot laps begin at 6:40 p.m. with a 7:15 p.m. start time planned. The rain date is Wednesday, May 21.
Adult grandstand admission is $20. Seniors (ages 65 and over) and Students (ages 10-17) pay $18. Kids nine and under are FREE. Pit admission is $35, with no license required.
Lap sponsorships, $20 per lap, are currently on sale by contacting Brett Deyo via e-mail at Deyo99H@aol.com. All lap money collected will be distributed directly to the racers.
For further ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ information, contact Brett Deyo of BD Motorsports Media via e-mail 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 or “follow” @BrettDeyo on Twitter.
Thunder Mountain Speedway is located approximately 25 miles north of Binghamton at 91 Hunts Corners Road Center Lisle, NY 13797. The race day phone is 607.848.7899. To learn more, visit www.thundermtnspeedway.com, like “Thunder Mountain Speedway” on Facebook or follow @thundermtnspeed on Twitter. Fans will enjoy spacious concrete seating, a family atmosphere and a spectacular view off the backstretch as they ‘Feel the Rumble, Hear the Roar’ of Modified racing at Thunder Mountain!
Thunder Mountain Speedway ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Modified Payout (50 Laps): 1. $5,100; 2. $3,250; 3. $2,250; 4. $1,800; 5. $1,500; 6. $1,350; 7. $1,200; 8. $1,100; 9. $1,050; 10. $1,000; 11. $700; 12. $650; 13. $600; 14. $550; 15. $525; 16. $515; 17. $510; 18. $505; 19-Last: $500.
Note: Provisional starters, two highest in NDRL Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP points unable to qualify, receive $250 to start.
The ‘Lightning on the Mountain’ special is presented by Olum’s, Rochinski Contracting Services, Husqvarna, Manmiller Electric and many other fine marketing partners
The National Dirt Racing League (NDRL) Short Track Super Series is presented by VP Racing Fuels, Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., East Coast Speed/ECS Auto, Rochinski Contracting Services, Allstar Performance, American Racer/Lias Tire, Art’s Radiator, ATL Fuel Cells, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, BFP Specialty, Bicknell Racing Products, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, COMP Performance Group, Dirt Track Digest, DRACO Springs, Driven Racing Oil, ERK Steering, Finish Line Web Design, FOX Shox, H.B. Steele & Son, Henry’s Stainless Steel Exhaust, Hig Fab Chassis, Jack’s Used Race Car Parts & More, Kirkey Racing Products, PM3 Digital Imaging, Quarter Master, Race Pro Weekly, Schaeffer Racing Oil, Shiley Fabrication, Sleepy Hollow Golf, Teo-Pro Car, Troyer Race Cars & Vahlco Wheels.
Sources: BD Motorsports Media