FromRich Vleck
Rochester, NY — (May 28, 2013) — As the 2013 Patriot Sprint Tour America Championship begins to take some structure, two races lie ahead that are sure to be major variables with the lack of track experience for most teams.
This Friday Night, the Patriot Sprint Tour heads to Raceway 7 in Conneaut, OH for the first time ever. Raceway 7 will be the 33rd track to host at Patriot Sprint Tour point race in series history, only the second facility in the Buckeye State. The 7/16-mile oval is the only track the PST will visit for the first time in 2013. Not only are the Patriots at Raceway 7 for the first time, it is the first 360 sprint race at the Northeast Ohio facility.
On Saturday Night, the series returns to the beautiful Mercer Raceway Park. Last September, the 3/8-mile oval attempted to host its first PST event since 2005, but as the A-Main was pushing on to the racetrack, rain moved over the facility and continued building in intensity, forcing the cancellation of the A-Main.
This weekend there is a good chance that one driver will win their second PST event of the season. The top four in the current PST America standings all have one win this season, including Bryan Howland, who currently holds a 16-point advantage in the PST America standings over Scott Kreutter, who is fresh off his third straight win at Eriez on Sunday. Justin Barger is third in points, a single marker ahead of Jared Zimbardi, who won Saturday at Bradford Speedway.
Among the drivers looking for their first PST win of 2013 is George Suprick won his heat race at Mercer last season. Another driver with a solid opportunity is Dave Ely, who won the “Great Race” Challenge there in 2004. Ely was knocking on the door of Victory Lane in both races last weekend. Tommy Wickham was sixth in both events and should be a factor this weekend. Canadians Jamie Collard and Mitch Brown should also be making their presence known.
PST mainstays Geoff Quackenbush, Clint Ide, Brad Knab, Derek Jonathan, Bruce DeWick, Steve Collins, Dave Wickham, Brandan Warner, Steven Hutchinson Jr., Tyler Graves, Scott Just and Dave Just are also expected for the journey out west.
Among the locals that have had these events circled are Adam Anderson of Meadville, PA, Dennis Wagner of New Castle, PA, Gary Edwards of Columbiana, OH, Craig and Dalton Daniels. There are many other competitors that may join in on the fun and any interested are urged to contact series director Mike Emhof at 585-370-6495 for more information.
Raceway 7 is located at 4094 Center Rd in Monroe Center, OH and will swing their gates open at 5:00 P.M., with racing beginning at 7:30 P.M. Mercer’s gates will open at 4:00 on Saturday, with racing starting at 7:00 P.M. The track is located at 555 Fairground Rd, Mercer, PA, 16137. For more information, visit www.PatriotSprintTour.com.
Patriot History at Mercer
Races: 3
5/17/2003 Mike Lutz
9/18/2004 Dave Ely
6/4/2005 Jamie Martin