Post by dalejrfan on Mar 1, 2006 16:11:39 GMT -5
Carolina Clash Series ready to open 2006 season at Carolina Speedway
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The toughest names in short track racing are ready to rumble in the 2006 championship season-opener for the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C. The $5,000 to win main event on the weekend of Friday & Saturday, March 10-11 will kick off the tour’s 34-race championship schedule throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.
Leading the charge into the new season of dirt late model racing on the Carolina Clash will be defending series champion Ricky Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C. Weeks picked off seven tour wins in 2005, but this year will see the bar raised with the intensity of the competition growing. The top finishers of last year’s Carolina Clash series will be at the three-eighths mile Carolina Speedway including David Smith (Inman, S.C.), veteran Gary Mabe (Danbury, N.C.), Jeff Smith (Dallas, N.C.), Dan Breuer (Troutman, N.C.), 2005 Carolina Clash Rookie of the Year Clint Elkins (Lincolnton, N.C.), David thingy (Summerfield, N.C.), Noel Tucker (Mt. Airy, N.C.),(Deano Long (Saluda, S.C.) as well as numerous former series event winners, including fan favorites Billy Hicks (Mt. Airy, N.C.), Ed Basey (Evans, Ga.), Jack Pennington (Winston, Ga.) and Mike Duvall (Cowpens, S.C.).
A new generation of short track gunslingers will be shooting for the big cash and wins on the Carolina Clash series in 2006 beginning with the season opening event at Gastonia, N.C. Benji Cole (Toccoa, Ga.) stormed into the late season action during 2005 to best the fields of Carolina Clash drivers and he’ll be back looking to increase his win total on the tour in 2006. Dennis “Rambo” Franklin (Gaffney, S.C.), Larry Blankenship (Mooresville, N.C.), Petey Ivey (Union, S.C.), Phil Hall (Mt. Airy, N.C.), thingy Schiltz (Conover, N.C.), Steve Hendren (Union Mills, N.C.), among others will serve notice of their presence on the Carolina Clash tour when the green flag waves on the March 11th 50-lap event at Carolina Speedway.
During the opening weekend at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C., the Carolina Clash will feature its 50-lap $5,000 to win main event and will be joined on the racing program by the Championship Modified Tour (CMT) series for Open Wheel Modified cars with a $1,500 to win feature. Also on the card will be Crate Late Models battling for $1,000 to win and Stock 4 Cylinder cars in a special $400 to win main event.
Prior to Saturday’s racing action, the Carolina Clash Series will host a special Media Day, Cookout and Open Practice on Friday, March 10 at Carolina Speedway. The day will include Open practice sessions for ALL DIVISIONS on the racing schedule for the weekend as well as other racecars and competitors from the region. A special cookout will take place for all of the Carolina Clash and Championship Modified Tour drivers, teams, media members and fans at 4:30 pm. Pit Gates will open at Carolina Speedway at 4:00 pm on Friday, March 10 with the Open Practice getting underway from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Grandstand Gates will open at 6:00 on Friday with a special musical entertainment concert provided from 9:30-11:00 pm.
The opening day for the 2006 Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series season on Saturday, March 11 will see Pit Gates open at 2:00 pm with Grandstand Gates opening at 5:00 pm and racing at 7:00 pm. Additional event and ticket information is available at www.carolinaclash.com and at the official website of Carolina Speedway, www.carolinaspeedway.net. Advance tickets can be obtained by calling the Carolina Clash office at (910) 486-6372 or via e-mail at racing@carolinaclash.com.
The host hotels for the Carolina Clash Series event at Carolina Speedway offer special discount rates, just ask for the Carolina Clash discount. The Best Western Executive Inn of Gastonia, (Exit 20, I-85) offers a $49.00 rate, call (704) 866-2000. Holiday Inn Express & Suites of Kings Mountain (Exit 8, I-85) offers a $55.00 dollar rate, call (704) 734-0014. Discounts are also offered at Comfort Suites of Gastonia (Exit 20, I-85), call (704) 865-6688. Camping is available at Carolina Speedway with no hookups.
A New Crop of Rookies on the Carolina Clash Series Horizon for 2006
A strong field of rookie competitors have already indicated their intent to contend for the 2006 Carolina Clash Rookie of the Year Award with additional freshman contenders expected to file their eligibility for the special award prior to the May 15, 2006 cutoff date. This season’s rookie competitors are required to compete in a minimum of two-thirds of the Carolina Clash Series events completed in order to qualify for the Rookie of the Year honors.
The diverse lineup of 2006 rookie competitors already in the mix for the Carolina Clash Series Rookie of the Year award include Craig Shuffield (Fayetteville, N.C.), G.R. Smith (Pittsburgh, PA.), April Farmer (Livingston, TN), Travis Pennington (Winston, Ga.), Brandon Overton (Appling, Ga.).
Craig Shuffield has his sights set on the rookie award as he heads into Carolina Clash Series action at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C. after several successful years campaigning winning rides in the Open Wheel Modified ranks. As a three-time former track champion at Wayne County Speedway and Kings Speedway, Shuffield has tallied twenty six Open Wheel wins including victories at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Dublin (N.C.) Speedway. Shuffield completed his first full season in super late model action in 2005 at tracks throughout eastern North Carolina. The twenty year old talent will drive Larry Shaw prepared cars with powerplants from Victory Engines for the team sponsored by Southern Machine and MATCO Tools and will also campaign his Open Wheel Modified racecar on the Championship Modified Tour (CMT) when the two series run companion events.
G.R. Smith, who opened his racing season in ARCA action at Daytona International Speedway for the second straight year has recently relocated his racing operation from his native Pittsburgh, Pa. to a new shop in Mooresville, N.C. The twenty-four year old will campaign his Premier Motorsports Rocket chassis Pontiac Grand Prix with Pro-Power Engines sponsored in part by Dirt Wheels Speed Shop and Giacobbe Trucking in Carolina Clash action. Smith is a former multi-time feature winner in D.I.R.T. 358 Modified action and was the D.I.R.T. Big Block Modified Rookie of the Year at New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway. Additional information on Smith is available at www.grsmith22.com.
Travis Pennington and Brandon Overton enter the Carolina Clash Rookie of the Year competition with many eyes on their racing futures. Each of the teenage Georgians are pulling double duty with time split between racing on the road and maintaining focus on their individual high school educations. Pennington is a fifteen-year-old sophomore in the Douglas County, Ga. School system and is the son of former NASCAR Nextel Cup and Craftsman Truck ace Jack Pennington who is also a member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. The younger Pennington has already had successful runs in Dirt Late Model action as he prepares to race head-to-head with his father and fellow Carolina Clash competitors. With eight years racing experience in Quarter Midgets, Dirt Bikes and Karts, Pennington is ready to launch onto the touring scene in Dirt Late Model action. Travis Pennington information is available online at www.01rmrracing.com.
Brandon Overton, a ninth grade student in the Evans County, Ga. School district, turned many heads in dirt late model events in 2005. The fourteen year old spent his summer going door to door with veteran racers from across the country in some high-profile events in the Southeastern United States. Overton has piloted a Barry Wright Race Car in his early stages of dirt late model action with some help from Starrette Trucking of Augusta, Ga. Overton hopes to secure additional support for his racing program in order to compete in at least the minimum number of Carolina Clash Series events to be eligible for the Rookie of the Year Award on the tour. Overton hopes his racing efforts can work with educational and civic groups in the Augusta, Ga. area in order help others and to maintain focus on his education. The team can be contacted by calling (706) 825-3461.
April Farmer, a talented lady who wheels a 750 horse powered dirt late model racecar, hails from Livingston, Tn. Although the Carolina Clash Series competes in 34 sanctioned events in the realm of the Carolina’s, Virginia and Georgia; the drawing power of fans and competitors extends far beyond the borders of the four states. Farmer has competed at the super late model division for two seasons and was in action most recently in the Daytona Beach, Fl area during SpeedWeeks racing at Volusia Speedway Park in her MasterSbilt prepared racecars backed by Livingston Limestone and Tennessee Rotary Drilling. Away from the racetrack, the twenty-five year old Farmer stays busy as a mother of one and she holds a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education. Last summer April squared off with the Volunteer State’s best short-trackers in a two-week tour across Tennessee. In 2006, Farmer will expand her boundaries and head east seeking to claim the Carolina Clash top rookie honors. Additional information on April Farmer is available online at www.aprilfarmerracing.com.
Eligibility requirements for the 2006 Carolina Clash Rookies of the Year Award state that rookie contenders should have competed in no more than five feature Carolina Clash races in 2005; never won a dirt late model event of $10,000 or more and must compete in no less than two-thirds of all completed Carolina Clash events during the 2006. Rookie of the Year eligibility must be reviewed and approved by series officials. All candidates for the award have until May 15, 2006 to file their official intention for the Carolina Clash Rookie of the Year. Drivers and teams interested in applying should call the Carolina Clash office at (910) 486-6372 for application information.
NDRA Rescinds Proposed Engine Rules Revision for 2006 Carolina Clash Series
Officials of the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series have quashed a proposed engine rule change, which would have allowed increased spoiler heights for Spec Engine and Crate Engine Late Models. The move of rescinding the proposed experimental plan means that all forms of late models competing on the Carolina Clash tour must have spoilers no larger than eight inches tall. This measure includes all 2006 Carolina Clash Series events, beginning with the March 11 race at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C.
All rules, including weight tolerances relative to various types of engines allowed to compete on the Carolina Clash Series, are listed within the Rules section of the series web site at www.carolinaclash.com. Any previously published articles, advertisements or other printed matter stating otherwise, have been rescinded by the series’ sanctioning body, the National Dirt Racing Association (NDRA).
Lancaster,S.C.– Site of Race #2 on Carolina Clash Series in March 17-18 Event
Following the season opening event at Carolina Speedway on March 10-11, the Carolina Clash SLMS will head to Lancaster, South Carolina for the second event of the 2006 season in another $5,000 to win 50-lap affair at Lancaster Speedway on Friday & Saturday, March 17-18.
Support divisions at Lancaster Motor Speedway will include the Championship Modified Tour in a $1,500.00 to win event; plus racing action in the Crate Late Model and support divisions. Friday night, March 17 will offer another full night of Open Practice for all racing divisions and a night of musical entertainment with a featured concert act from 9-11 pm.
Full event scheduling information will be available for the Lancaster Motor Speedway event on the internet at www.lancasterspeedway.net for the March 17-18 weekend activities.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- The toughest names in short track racing are ready to rumble in the 2006 championship season-opener for the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C. The $5,000 to win main event on the weekend of Friday & Saturday, March 10-11 will kick off the tour’s 34-race championship schedule throughout North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and Georgia.
Leading the charge into the new season of dirt late model racing on the Carolina Clash will be defending series champion Ricky Weeks of Rutherfordton, N.C. Weeks picked off seven tour wins in 2005, but this year will see the bar raised with the intensity of the competition growing. The top finishers of last year’s Carolina Clash series will be at the three-eighths mile Carolina Speedway including David Smith (Inman, S.C.), veteran Gary Mabe (Danbury, N.C.), Jeff Smith (Dallas, N.C.), Dan Breuer (Troutman, N.C.), 2005 Carolina Clash Rookie of the Year Clint Elkins (Lincolnton, N.C.), David thingy (Summerfield, N.C.), Noel Tucker (Mt. Airy, N.C.),(Deano Long (Saluda, S.C.) as well as numerous former series event winners, including fan favorites Billy Hicks (Mt. Airy, N.C.), Ed Basey (Evans, Ga.), Jack Pennington (Winston, Ga.) and Mike Duvall (Cowpens, S.C.).
A new generation of short track gunslingers will be shooting for the big cash and wins on the Carolina Clash series in 2006 beginning with the season opening event at Gastonia, N.C. Benji Cole (Toccoa, Ga.) stormed into the late season action during 2005 to best the fields of Carolina Clash drivers and he’ll be back looking to increase his win total on the tour in 2006. Dennis “Rambo” Franklin (Gaffney, S.C.), Larry Blankenship (Mooresville, N.C.), Petey Ivey (Union, S.C.), Phil Hall (Mt. Airy, N.C.), thingy Schiltz (Conover, N.C.), Steve Hendren (Union Mills, N.C.), among others will serve notice of their presence on the Carolina Clash tour when the green flag waves on the March 11th 50-lap event at Carolina Speedway.
During the opening weekend at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C., the Carolina Clash will feature its 50-lap $5,000 to win main event and will be joined on the racing program by the Championship Modified Tour (CMT) series for Open Wheel Modified cars with a $1,500 to win feature. Also on the card will be Crate Late Models battling for $1,000 to win and Stock 4 Cylinder cars in a special $400 to win main event.
Prior to Saturday’s racing action, the Carolina Clash Series will host a special Media Day, Cookout and Open Practice on Friday, March 10 at Carolina Speedway. The day will include Open practice sessions for ALL DIVISIONS on the racing schedule for the weekend as well as other racecars and competitors from the region. A special cookout will take place for all of the Carolina Clash and Championship Modified Tour drivers, teams, media members and fans at 4:30 pm. Pit Gates will open at Carolina Speedway at 4:00 pm on Friday, March 10 with the Open Practice getting underway from 6:00 – 9:00 pm. Grandstand Gates will open at 6:00 on Friday with a special musical entertainment concert provided from 9:30-11:00 pm.
The opening day for the 2006 Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series season on Saturday, March 11 will see Pit Gates open at 2:00 pm with Grandstand Gates opening at 5:00 pm and racing at 7:00 pm. Additional event and ticket information is available at www.carolinaclash.com and at the official website of Carolina Speedway, www.carolinaspeedway.net. Advance tickets can be obtained by calling the Carolina Clash office at (910) 486-6372 or via e-mail at racing@carolinaclash.com.
The host hotels for the Carolina Clash Series event at Carolina Speedway offer special discount rates, just ask for the Carolina Clash discount. The Best Western Executive Inn of Gastonia, (Exit 20, I-85) offers a $49.00 rate, call (704) 866-2000. Holiday Inn Express & Suites of Kings Mountain (Exit 8, I-85) offers a $55.00 dollar rate, call (704) 734-0014. Discounts are also offered at Comfort Suites of Gastonia (Exit 20, I-85), call (704) 865-6688. Camping is available at Carolina Speedway with no hookups.
A New Crop of Rookies on the Carolina Clash Series Horizon for 2006
A strong field of rookie competitors have already indicated their intent to contend for the 2006 Carolina Clash Rookie of the Year Award with additional freshman contenders expected to file their eligibility for the special award prior to the May 15, 2006 cutoff date. This season’s rookie competitors are required to compete in a minimum of two-thirds of the Carolina Clash Series events completed in order to qualify for the Rookie of the Year honors.
The diverse lineup of 2006 rookie competitors already in the mix for the Carolina Clash Series Rookie of the Year award include Craig Shuffield (Fayetteville, N.C.), G.R. Smith (Pittsburgh, PA.), April Farmer (Livingston, TN), Travis Pennington (Winston, Ga.), Brandon Overton (Appling, Ga.).
Craig Shuffield has his sights set on the rookie award as he heads into Carolina Clash Series action at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C. after several successful years campaigning winning rides in the Open Wheel Modified ranks. As a three-time former track champion at Wayne County Speedway and Kings Speedway, Shuffield has tallied twenty six Open Wheel wins including victories at Fayetteville (N.C.) Motor Speedway and Dublin (N.C.) Speedway. Shuffield completed his first full season in super late model action in 2005 at tracks throughout eastern North Carolina. The twenty year old talent will drive Larry Shaw prepared cars with powerplants from Victory Engines for the team sponsored by Southern Machine and MATCO Tools and will also campaign his Open Wheel Modified racecar on the Championship Modified Tour (CMT) when the two series run companion events.
G.R. Smith, who opened his racing season in ARCA action at Daytona International Speedway for the second straight year has recently relocated his racing operation from his native Pittsburgh, Pa. to a new shop in Mooresville, N.C. The twenty-four year old will campaign his Premier Motorsports Rocket chassis Pontiac Grand Prix with Pro-Power Engines sponsored in part by Dirt Wheels Speed Shop and Giacobbe Trucking in Carolina Clash action. Smith is a former multi-time feature winner in D.I.R.T. 358 Modified action and was the D.I.R.T. Big Block Modified Rookie of the Year at New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway. Additional information on Smith is available at www.grsmith22.com.
Travis Pennington and Brandon Overton enter the Carolina Clash Rookie of the Year competition with many eyes on their racing futures. Each of the teenage Georgians are pulling double duty with time split between racing on the road and maintaining focus on their individual high school educations. Pennington is a fifteen-year-old sophomore in the Douglas County, Ga. School system and is the son of former NASCAR Nextel Cup and Craftsman Truck ace Jack Pennington who is also a member of the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame. The younger Pennington has already had successful runs in Dirt Late Model action as he prepares to race head-to-head with his father and fellow Carolina Clash competitors. With eight years racing experience in Quarter Midgets, Dirt Bikes and Karts, Pennington is ready to launch onto the touring scene in Dirt Late Model action. Travis Pennington information is available online at www.01rmrracing.com.
Brandon Overton, a ninth grade student in the Evans County, Ga. School district, turned many heads in dirt late model events in 2005. The fourteen year old spent his summer going door to door with veteran racers from across the country in some high-profile events in the Southeastern United States. Overton has piloted a Barry Wright Race Car in his early stages of dirt late model action with some help from Starrette Trucking of Augusta, Ga. Overton hopes to secure additional support for his racing program in order to compete in at least the minimum number of Carolina Clash Series events to be eligible for the Rookie of the Year Award on the tour. Overton hopes his racing efforts can work with educational and civic groups in the Augusta, Ga. area in order help others and to maintain focus on his education. The team can be contacted by calling (706) 825-3461.
April Farmer, a talented lady who wheels a 750 horse powered dirt late model racecar, hails from Livingston, Tn. Although the Carolina Clash Series competes in 34 sanctioned events in the realm of the Carolina’s, Virginia and Georgia; the drawing power of fans and competitors extends far beyond the borders of the four states. Farmer has competed at the super late model division for two seasons and was in action most recently in the Daytona Beach, Fl area during SpeedWeeks racing at Volusia Speedway Park in her MasterSbilt prepared racecars backed by Livingston Limestone and Tennessee Rotary Drilling. Away from the racetrack, the twenty-five year old Farmer stays busy as a mother of one and she holds a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education. Last summer April squared off with the Volunteer State’s best short-trackers in a two-week tour across Tennessee. In 2006, Farmer will expand her boundaries and head east seeking to claim the Carolina Clash top rookie honors. Additional information on April Farmer is available online at www.aprilfarmerracing.com.
Eligibility requirements for the 2006 Carolina Clash Rookies of the Year Award state that rookie contenders should have competed in no more than five feature Carolina Clash races in 2005; never won a dirt late model event of $10,000 or more and must compete in no less than two-thirds of all completed Carolina Clash events during the 2006. Rookie of the Year eligibility must be reviewed and approved by series officials. All candidates for the award have until May 15, 2006 to file their official intention for the Carolina Clash Rookie of the Year. Drivers and teams interested in applying should call the Carolina Clash office at (910) 486-6372 for application information.
NDRA Rescinds Proposed Engine Rules Revision for 2006 Carolina Clash Series
Officials of the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series have quashed a proposed engine rule change, which would have allowed increased spoiler heights for Spec Engine and Crate Engine Late Models. The move of rescinding the proposed experimental plan means that all forms of late models competing on the Carolina Clash tour must have spoilers no larger than eight inches tall. This measure includes all 2006 Carolina Clash Series events, beginning with the March 11 race at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C.
All rules, including weight tolerances relative to various types of engines allowed to compete on the Carolina Clash Series, are listed within the Rules section of the series web site at www.carolinaclash.com. Any previously published articles, advertisements or other printed matter stating otherwise, have been rescinded by the series’ sanctioning body, the National Dirt Racing Association (NDRA).
Lancaster,S.C.– Site of Race #2 on Carolina Clash Series in March 17-18 Event
Following the season opening event at Carolina Speedway on March 10-11, the Carolina Clash SLMS will head to Lancaster, South Carolina for the second event of the 2006 season in another $5,000 to win 50-lap affair at Lancaster Speedway on Friday & Saturday, March 17-18.
Support divisions at Lancaster Motor Speedway will include the Championship Modified Tour in a $1,500.00 to win event; plus racing action in the Crate Late Model and support divisions. Friday night, March 17 will offer another full night of Open Practice for all racing divisions and a night of musical entertainment with a featured concert act from 9-11 pm.
Full event scheduling information will be available for the Lancaster Motor Speedway event on the internet at www.lancasterspeedway.net for the March 17-18 weekend activities.