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Champions Shine At Gateway International Raceway
Jul 13th
Todd Bodine (No. 30 Germain.com Toyota) believes it’s coincidental that experience appears to be
the key at Gateway International Raceway, where a NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series-record seven champions
have won in 12 races at the 1.25-mile track in suburban St.
Louis.
“Anybody can hit on that (special) setup, haul the mail
and run up front,” said Bodine, the 2006 series champion
and current points leader.
Anybody can – but anybody doesn’t.
There have been no first-time winners at Gateway. No
Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender has won a race
there.
The only double winner is Ted Musgrave, who led a
whopping 158 of 160 laps of the 2006 event – the year he
and series pioneer-owner Jim Smith won the championship.
Often as not, the dominant truck hasn’t won at Gateway.
A year ago, Mike Skinner (No. 5 Exide Toyota) was a
surprised winner after some late-race fireworks that saw a succession of drivers abdicate the lead in a series
of bizarre, late-race incidents.
“We won with a fourth-place truck and at the end of the day, when the smoke cleared, the No. 5 was in
Victory Lane,” Skinner said. “I kept asking myself, ‘How did this happen?’ But I’ll take it.”
David Starr (No. 81 Randy Moss Motorsports Toyota) is another driver who won at Gateway when
other drivers’ ambitions overcame common sense. Starr led only the final lap in 2004 in the last of three
green-white-checker attempts.
“I was running fifth and I thought I’d finish third at best,” said Starr, who executed a bump-and-run maneuver
with less than a lap to go to claim the victory.
Gateway, with its tight turns and relatively flat configuration, requires a lot of braking over the course of
160 laps. By the time a driver is ready to make a final charge, those brakes may not be able to sufficiently
slow a 3,400-pound truck.
“It invites you to go deeper and deeper and makes for an exciting (end of the race) when the guy who
goes in too deep knocks out the guy who is running second,” Starr said.
Still, he agrees with Bodine – it’s a great feeling to have the perfect truck. It’s not something that happens
frequently. The Houston driver, who made his 250th start a week ago at Iowa Speedway, remembers
having that special setup when he won his first race in Las Vegas in 2002.
“It doesn’t happen often,” Starr said. “When it does, it’s a feeling you can’t describe. It’s just awesome.”
6 Days-Countdown To 2nd DIRTcar ALL-STAR WEEKEND Continues
Jul 9th
6 Days ….. Countdown To 2nd DIRTcar ALL-STAR WEEKEND Continues!Weedsport, NY – July 9, 2010 – Culminating with the headline ‘All-Star 100′ on July 17 at Cayuga County Fair Speedway, the start of DIRTcar All-Star Weekend ’10 is six days away. Opening day activity kicks off at Brewerton Speedway on July 15 while the Cayuga County Fairgrounds come to life for the final two days of heart-pounding, high-powered, pedal-mashing entertainment, with the Big-Block Modified winners on Saturday sharing $20,000 from the record posted purse of $100,000.
For ticket and camping information, please contact the DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office (315/834-6606) in Weedsport, New York, or visitwww.cayugacountyfairspeedway.com and www.allstar100weekend.com – the home of DIRTcar All-Star Weekend.
Looking back at the inaugural edition of DIRTcar All-Star Weekend staged at the home of DIRTcar Racing Northeast, highlights from last year’s historic event will be recalled in anticipation of the return of the richest race ever scheduled during the summer at the popular Route 31 oval.
Autographs will abound during All-Star Weekend II, with a number of Super DIRTcar Series drivers convening at the Northeast Modified Hall of Fame adjacent to Cayuga County Fair Speedway at 1 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. With the HoF enjoying extended hours throughout the weekend, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday-Sunday, look for special appearances by seven-time Super DIRTcar Series Champion Brett Hearn, 2009 Super DIRTcar Week Syracuse 200 champion Matt Sheppard and former child actor turned DIRTcar racer Michael Storms on Friday, with defending DIRTcar All-Star Weekend winner Ryan Phelps, current SDS points leader Billy Decker and local Series hotshoe Jimmy Phelps taking center stage on Saturday afternoon. These candid meet & greet driver sessions also offer great photo opportunities for fans arriving early during the ‘Super DIRT Weekend’ of the summer in Weedsport.
DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds, home of DIRTcar All-Star Weekend in July. DIRTcar Northeast’s crown jewel event —Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse runs annually in October featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Big-Block Modified, 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions. Ticket and schedule information is available by contacting the Weedsport office (315/834-6606) during the day or logging into www.allstar100weekend.com and www.superdirtweekonline.com anytime.
The Big-Block Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Hoosier Racing Tire www.hoosiertire.com and VP Racing Fuelswww.vpracingfuels.com. Promotional partners include the University of Northwestern Ohio www.unoh.com and Chizmark & Larson Insurance www.chizmarklarson.com , and contingency sponsors are Bicknell Racing Products www.bicknellracingproducts.com, Bilstein Shocks www.bilstein.com, KSE Racing Products www.kse-racing.com, Motorsports Safety Systems www.motorsportssafetysystems.com, MSD Ignition www.msdignition.com, Penske Shocks, www.penskeshocks.com, Racing Electronics www.racingelectronics.com, Vicci Racing Apparel www.vicci.com and Wrisco Industries www.wrisco.com.