By Rich Vleck
ROCHESTER, NY, (May 21, 2013)- For the last six seasons, the Patriot Sprint Tour has annually being heading to Eriez Speedway on the Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend for a big early-season event. It is a tradition that will continue on this year, paired up this time around with a track that last hosted the Patriots before that tradition was ever in place.
The Patriot Sprint Tour America Series is back in action this weekend with a pair of $2,000-to-win shows in Northwest Pennsylvania. The PST runs Saturday at the tiny high-banked oval once again known as Bradford Speedway. The last time the series was in competition there, it was in 2006 when the track was running on Sundays and was called “The Hill Raceway”. The slide jobs and crossovers has become the stuff of legend and after an exhibition by Patriot competitors Brad Knab and Tyler Graves this past weekend, the fans in Rew, PA are ready for the winged wildness once again seven years later. Knab is one of the few competitors that ran the event back in 2006 that will be in competition this Saturday; he finished third that day, which ties his career best in PST competition.
The local favorite on Saturday is sure to be Jared Zimbardi. Now residing in Smethport, PA, “The Juice” is geared up for the closest race he has to home this season. Zimbardi was fourth in Bradford back in 2006, just ahead of Don Adamczyk, who looks to make his season debut this weekend.
Once what is sure to be a wild Saturday Night is concluded, the teams will travel on down the road Sunday to Eriez Speedway for what will be the 200th points race in Patriot History. The track that hosted the third race in series history in 2003, as well as the 100th race in 2008, will once again be the site of a major landmark.
Since revisiting Eriez in 2007 after a four year hiatus from the Hammet, PA facility, the 1/3-mile oval has become a wildly competitive track on the circuit, often producing different winners. Not until last September had the same driver ever won multiple PST features at Eriez. Scott Kreutter was the driver to return to Eriez Victory Lane, doing so in epic fashion as that win spring-boarded him to the 2012 PST America Series Crown and the $10,000 payout that went with it. Kreutter had also won the prior Eriez event, which means he is looking to go for three-in-a-row this Sunday.
George Suprick is also a former winner at Eriez, with his victory coming in July of 2011, along with Zimbardi, who won back in 2007. Don Adamczyk has come close to victory before at Eriez, as has Canadian Jamie Collard, who finished second there last September.
A host of drivers will be invading Eriez with much less experience include PST America point leader Justin Barger. In order for Barger to retain his point lead after this weekend, it will take a solid appearance both nights at tracks unfamiliar to him. Kevin Ward Jr. will be there for the first time, as will Tyler Graves.
Other drivers that are likely to factor in this weekend include Tommy Wickham, Clint Ide, Steve Collins, Mitch Brown, Brandan Warner, Dave Wickham, Geoff Quackenbush, Todd Hoddick, Bruce DeWick, Derek Jonathan and hometown driver Adam Anderson.
Gates will swing open at 5:00 P.M. Saturday at Bradford, with racing getting underway at 7:00 P.M. Bradford Speedway is located on PA Route 646 near Rew, PA. The GPS track location is 330 Summit Rd, Bradford, PA, 16701. Eriez Speedway opens their gates at 4:00 with racing at 5:30 P.M. and is located at 9821 Sampson Rd, Erie, PA, 16509. For more information, visit www.PatriotSprintTour.com.