Halmar International Signs On As Lead ‘Hard Clay Open’ 2015 Sponsor For April 7 At Orange County Fair Speedway, Joining United Pump & Tank And East Coast Speed/ECS Auto; Four-Car Halmar Racing Team To Include Modifieds Of Mike Ricci, Rich Ricci Jr. & Willy Auchmoody, Crate 602 Sportsman Of Matt Janiak
MIDDLETOWN, NY – The kickoff event to the 2015 Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek has a new marquee partner.
Halmar International has signed on as the title sponsor of the ‘Hard Clay Open’ at Orange County Fair Speedway on Tuesday, April 7 (rain dates: April 8 and 9). The ‘Hard Clay Open’ is headlined by a 50-lap big-block/small-block Modified event boasting a $5,000-plus winner’s share, $1,000 for 10th and $500 to take the green from a hefty $30,000 posted purse. A number of lap sponsors, special awards and bonuses will sweeten the pot for racers even further.
The ‘Hard Clay Open’ kicks off the battle for the 2015 Bob Hilbert Sportswear North Region championship, worth $15,000 for an eight-race series.
Crate 602 Sportsman will also be featured in the Elmo’s Speed & Supply 25 paying $1,250 minimum to the winner and $100 to take the green flag.
Halmar International joins ‘Hard Clay Open’ presenting sponsors United Pump & Tank of Newburgh, N.Y., and East Coast Speed/ECS Auto of Middletown, N.Y., for the event’s second running at the venerable five-eighths-mile oval.
Located in Nanuet, N.Y., Halmar International has a 50-year legacy of service, integrity and performance with expertise in construction, design/build, construction management, procurement management and logistics. Key markets include mass transit, aviation, highways and bridges, and environment, energy, industrial and institutional.
To learn more about Halmar International, visit www.halmarinternational.com or call 845.735.3511. The general information e-mail is: info@halmarinternational.com.
Halmar International owner Chris Larsen, a 55-year-old resident of the area, has a deep love for racing at Orange County Fair Speedway, a track he visited since his childhood days. He has assembled a “mega-team” for the 2015 season and will have no less than four cars in the ‘Hard Clay Open’ pit area sporting the Halmar red, white and blue colors.
Larsen’s race-day roster will include three Modifieds: a No. 44 Teo-Pro car big-block driven by Mike Ricci of Tillson, N.Y.; a No. 11 Hig Fab big-block piloted by Mike’s younger brother, Rich Ricci Jr. of New Paltz, N.Y.; and the No. 16 Teo-Pro car 358-Modified with Willy Auchmoody of Highland, N.Y., at the wheel. In the Crate 602 Sportsman event, Matt Janiak of Warwick, N.Y., will drive a Hig Fab No. 17J.
The BD Motorsports Media LLC promoted ‘Hard Clay Open’ is unique in that big-block Modifieds and dry sump small-blocks will be outfitted with traditional windows, while standard small-blocks will utilize high sail panels, setting up a decision for competitors and true distinction between engine combinations for fans.
Complete rules and ‘Hard Clay Open’ general information can be found at the following link: http://bdmotorsportsmedia.com/hard-clay-open-rules-general-information/
The Modified purse structure, from first to last, has also been posted: http://bdmotorsportsmedia.com/hard-clay-open-modified-pay-structure/
Registration is ongoing for both the Modifieds and Crate 602 Sportsman. Entry forms have been posted on the event website.
For the ‘Hard Clay Open’ pit gates will open at 1 p.m. Grandstand gates open at 4 p.m. with a drivers’ meeting scheduled for 5:45 p.m. at the pit tower. Hot laps will follow and racing is set to begin promptly at 7 p.m.
Grandstand admission is $22 (Adults), $20 (Seniors) and $2 (Kids 6 and under). Pit admission is $35, with no license required. Advance tickets will go on sale through the speedway office on March 2 by calling 845.342.2573.
Andy Bachetti of Sheffield, Mass., bested a 59-car Modified field to win last year’s inaugural ‘Hard Clay Open’ special over a charging Tim Hindley, who drove from 19th starting position to a runner-up finish in Joe Sarvis’ small-block. Short-track racer Danny Tyler, traveling star Danny Johnson and veteran Jeff Heotzler rounded out the top-five.
Bachetti, off the strength of an Orange County triumph, went on to earn the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek championship worth $10,014-plus.
Brian Krummel of Middletown, N.Y., is the defending ‘Hard Clay Open’ Crate 602 Sportsman victor, having pocketed the $1,000 payday a year ago.
The Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek and BD Motorsports Media LLC can be found on the web at www.shorttracksuperseries.com or www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com. Brett Deyo can be reached by phone at 845.728.2781 or via e-mail: bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com. The series is also on Twitter @ShortTrackSS and Facebook under “Short Track Super Series.”
Marketing opportunities, including lap sponsorships ($20 per lap), are currently available by contacting the BD Motorsports Media LLC office.
Located at 239 Wisner Avenue Middletown, N.Y., 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.
The Hard Clay Open is presented by Halmar International, United Pump & Tank, ECS Auto Stores Inc./East Coast Speed, American Racer/Lias Tire, Grand Rental Station of Middletown, Rock Fantasy, McGannon Excavating, Elmo’s Speed & Supply, Zubi’s Racing and many other fine marketing partners.
The Short Track Super Series is presented by Hi-Tek Race Fuels, American Racer/Lias Tire, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., ECS Auto Stores Inc./East Coast Speed, Scotty’s Speed & Diesel, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, Dirt Track Digest, Hig Fab Chassis, Bicknell Racing Products, Teo-Pro Car, FOX Shocks, Fast Axle, Henry’s Stainless Steel Exhaust, Kirkey Race Products, Simplicity Designs, ATL Fuel Cells, Lineman Racing, S&W Awards and many other fine marketing partners.
Sources: BD Motorsports Media