From Brian Liskai
CAMARGO, IL — (Friday, Feb. 2, 2012) — The University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champion Sprint Car Series will kick off their exciting 2012 season in a big way as the teams head “down South” for seven big races.
All of the February events will be part of the All Stars’ Eastern Region
Points battle, which will pay the champion $20,000 at the end of the
season.
It begins in a huge way when the UNOH All Stars visit Screven Motor
Speedway (www.screvenmotorspeedway.com) for the Second Annual Winter
Freeze, Feb. 9-11. The Second Annual Winter Freeze will feature the UNOH
All Stars, the Screven Late Models, Crate Late Models, Go-Karts and more.
Fans across the country will be entertained by some of the best racing in
the country at the three-eighths mile high banked track that has been
dubbed “The Action Track of the South.”
Monday through Wednesday (February 6 – 8) Screven will host practice sessions for any team interested in getting in some time at the speedway. Teams that are interested in participating can do so at a cost of $50 per team. The track will be prepped each day by promoter James “Redd” Griffen
and will be open for any team interested in participating. Practice will begin at noon and end at 9 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 9 will feature a full regular open practice day for the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions 410 Sprint Car Series, plus any other team in need of practice time. Admission for Thursday is $20 per person and includes pit admission. Children 12 and under are free for the practice.
Gates will open at 10 a.m. and practice will run from 6-10 p.m.
The racing will kick off Friday, Feb. 10 with a full UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car event for $5,000 to win. The SMS Late Models will also compete in a full show for $1,500 to win. Admission to Friday’s portion of the event is $35 per adult, which includes pit admission to get up close and personal with the stars of the UNOH All Star Circuit of
Champions. Children 6 and under are free and children 7-12 are $15 and also includes pit admission. Gates will open at 10 a.m. with hot lap sessions at 5 p.m., and racing will begin shortly after hot lap sessions conclude.
Saturday, Feb. 12 will kick off early with special Mudd Drag racing at the Gee Chee Creek Mudd Drag and special Dirt Go Kart racing at the new Gamecock Speedway. Then as the night gets into full action, the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions will battle another full show for $5,000 to win. Crate Late Models will also compete in a full show for $2,500 to win.
Admission for all of Saturday’s events is $35 for adults, children 6 and under are free and children 7-12 are $15. Again the ticket price includes: admission to the Gee Chee Creek Mudd Drag, the Gamecock Speedway Go Kart Track, the full events at the Screven Motor Speedway and pit admission to
all venues. Fans will be treated to three venues for one low ticket price plus pit access to each track included with your ticket. Gates will open at 10 a.m., practice will begin at 11:30 a.m. for dirt go karts and mudd drag at the Gamecock Speedway and Gee Chee Creek Mudd Drag and racing will begin
shortly after practice concludes at both tracks. Hot laps will begin at 5 p.m. for all cars at Screven Motor Speedway with racing beginning shortly after the hot lap sessions conclude.
The UNOH All Stars then head to Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 15 and 16 as part of the 41st Annual University of Northwestern Ohio DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment. Each night will pay the feature winner $5,000.
The 12-day Winter Nationals event running Feb. 14-25 at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla., features World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Late Models, Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds, DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, DIRTcar Late Models and UNOH All-Star Circuit of Champions
Sprint Cars.
A major supporter of racing at all levels, UNOH will bring its all-student in-house DIRTcar UMP Modified teams to compete during the event, in addition to the ones driven by NASCAR racers Kenny Wallace, Ken Schrader, Austin Dillon and Ty Dillon.
“Competing at Volusia provides our students with the perfect opportunity to experience real-life racing situations while the sponsorship helps to give us the exposure we need to continue growing our motorsports program,” said Steve Farmer, UNOH VP of Corporate Development.
“The event itself is second-to-none and we’re very happy to play a role in making it a success.”
Sprint car legend Sammy Swindell swept both UNOH All Star Circuit of Champion events at Volusia in 2011. On the opening night Swindell weaved to the front and worked past Kraig Kinser to grab the lead on lap 7 of the 30-lap main event. Then the three-time World of Outlaws champion held off teammate Craig Dollansky to the checkered flag. Rising star David Gravel was third followed by Daryn Pittman and Greg Wilson.
On the second night of All Star competition, Swindell worked his way around Stevie Smith on lap 20 and held him off to the checkered flag. Kasey Kahne Racing’s Cody Darrah was on the pole and finished third with Dale Blaney and Kraig Kinser rounding the top five.
Following the UNOH DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia, the UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions then wrap up their “Southern Swing” at Bubba Raceway Park (www.bubbaracewaypark.com) in Ocala, Fla. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 23-25. The features the first two nights of action at Bubba Raceway
Park will pay $4,000 to win with the finale on Feb. 25 paying $7,000.
Nationally syndicated shock jock Bubba “The Love Sponge” Clem – a lifelong racing enthusiast – purchased the former Ocala Speedway last year. A race car driver himself, Clem, 45, hosts his five-day-per-week, talk-only radio show out of FM-102.5 in Tampa. He has already made several improvements to
the track.
“We put down 300 truckloads of fresh clay, widened the track by about 20 feet and increased the banking in the turns from 7 degrees to 18 degrees,” Clem said. “We added more guard rails, concrete walls and $20,000 more (in) lighting.”
The UNOH All Stars then wrap up February racing at the track Feb. 22-25 (Wednesday is a practice session)..”
It looks like the chase to the UNOH All Stars Eastern Region Championship will be wide open, as defending regional champion Lance Dewease is still recovering from injuries he sustained late in the 2011 season and doesn’t plan to compete until April. Look for several of the “Pennsylvania Posse” members to contend for the title such as Daryn Pittman, Stevie Smith (in his new CL Motorsports Black Bandit #19 team), Fred Rahmer and more. But, they will have their hands full as The Steel City Outlaw Tim Shaffer – who has been competing in Australia over the winter months – looks to claim his fourth consecutive national UNOH All Star title. Shaffer, who led the series with 10 feature wins in 2011 – will once again drive the Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook Motorsports #83, but with a new crew chief in 2012.
Three-time All Star champion Dale Blaney, who took 8 series victories in 2011, will once again be a force to deal with as he pilots the George Fisher Racing Ti22 Performance #2. Then throw in the young gun of DDR Motorsport’s #83 David Gravel, along with Danny Holtgraver, Pete Miller, Cap Henry and the racing action with quickly thaw the winter blues.
Go to www.allstarsprint.com for more information.