Document text
35 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, April 13, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 9, 2005 Is it full sprint ahead at speedway? Thanks to enhanced purse, the number of sprint cars could go way up this season By DON HUNT Mail Tribune WHITE CITY — There’s nothing like a bigger purse to lure more drivers to the race track. Before today’s Southern Oregon Speedway season-opener got rained out, office manager Teresa Lowe had 31 sprint-car drivers ready to sign up. That’s more than double the average turnout of the popular, open-wheeled, race cars, which are far and away the fastest on the track. The reason? Sprint car driver T.J. Winningham has hustled up enough sponsors to add $500 to promoter John Skinner’s $1,000 winning purse. "We had eight from the Sacramento area, six from Chico and four from Eugene," Lowe says. "And of course our local guys. It looked like it was going to be a heck of a sprint-car show." Advertisement Lowe and speedway promoter John Skinner know that sprint cars are the fan favorite, but it’s been a challenge getting the car counts to match those of the other classes. Skinner has been reluctant to jack up the purses too far, knowing that fans will still come out to watch the other classes. And with sprint cars expensive to build and to operate, not every racer can afford one. Winningham apparently has injected some new life into the class and drawn the attention of out-of-town drivers. "Whether anyone in motorsports likes to admit it or not, the idea of a strong sprint-car show means a gigantic draw," Lowe says. "The news spreads like wildfire. You don’t even have to advertise." Not that the speedway couldn’t survive without them. At the test-and-tune event last Saturday, the track drew 80 cars — of all kinds — and 400 spectators. "That’s more cars than the average race track has on their race nights," Skinner says. "We’ve never had a practice like that before. If this is an indication of things to come, we might be in for our biggest season ever." Defending track champions include Winningham in the sprints, Brad Alfrey in the modified class, Frank Word III in the pro stock class, Crash Jackson in the dwarf car division, Bryan Barnes in the Super 4 category and Dave Bishop in the mini stock class. Marquee events such as the Art Pollard Memorial (May 21), the Northern Sprint Tour (May 28 and July 11), the Golden State Challenge (June 14), the Firecracker 50 (July 2), the Gene Romero West Coast Flat Track Series (July 30), the Dwarf Car Nationals (Aug. 12-13) the Lon Skinner Memorial (Sept. 3) and the Oregon Supercross Challenge (Oct. 1) remain intact. New on the docket is an April 30 show, dubbed "Open Wheel Mania," that features midget sprint cars. "They’re really popular in California," Skinner says. "They’re fast — almost as fast as the regular sprint cars — and the wingless ones are way more dangerous to drive. "We’re excited about that race." Skinner is also tickled about a state-of-the-art electronic scoring system that will time each car each lap, making life easier for the lap checkers. He hopes to add a scoreboard next season, allowing fans to see results within seconds after drivers cross the finish line. "This is going to take the guesswork out of scoring," Skinner says. "On those close races, we won’t have to rely on the photo finishes any more." The pit area, meanwhile, has acquired a high tech P.A. system that was at the Southern Oregon Dragway last year. Admission prices remain the same: $10 for adults and $7 for seniors 60-and-over and children 7-12. Sprint car shows are slightly more. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Fasa Advertisement s