Slingshots To Get Big Car Payday
Story By:Mike Feltenburger/Action Track USA Media Photos By:Lenny Slemmer/Speed Images
Kutztown PA….Doug Rose and Rich Tobias of Action Track USA are going to pay $4,000 to win – and $300 to take the green – in the first ever Slinger Warehouse Super Slingshot Fair Nationals. The event, the richest race ever held for the All Star Slingshot class, is scheduled for August 15 and August 16 of 2016 during National Dirt Week at the Kutztown Fairgrounds as part of the annual Kutztown Fair.
Racers will have a chance to earn even more green, as in cold, hard cash, in the preliminary event on Night #1, as 50 drivers are guaranteed to be paid on the first of this gigantic two-night event.
“This race is geared for every Slingshot team in the United States and Canada,” said Rose. “This is going to be a great event and we are glad to give back to all the Slingshot teams. There are approximately 300 Slingshots competing in the U.S. and Canada, and we’d love to have all of them attend this race. That may not be practical or realistic, but we do expect a very large portion of them to come and race because of the prestige carried by this new event, the great racing that we offer at Action Track USA, and the fact that this race is all about the Slingshot racers across our great Nation and Canada.”
Rose plans to use a modified version of the Chili Bowl qualifying format. Night #1 will see the field split into two groups – Blue and Red. Drivers will draw for their starting position in the heat races, and passing points/finishing points will determine who moves on to the preliminary night A, B, and C-Mains. There will be separate A-Mains for the Blue and Red groups, and each of the prelim A-Mains will pay $500 to win and $50 to take the green flag. With 25 cars slated to start each of the A-Mains, a total of 50 drivers will get a pay envelope on Night #1.
The top three finishers from each of the two A-Mains will be locked into Tuesday’s Slinger Warehouse Super Slingshot Fair National.
Night #2 of the National will begin with the alphabet qualifiers that will be lined up according to the results from the previous night of competition. Drivers will have to race their way through the alphabet soup as they attempt to qualify for the lucrative A-Main that will be contested over a distance of 55 laps. In addition to those who “race their way in”, the driver who advances through the most last-chance alphabet qualifiers but does not transfer out of the B-Main will be added to the big race as a reward for his/her perseverance.
There will also be provisional starting spots awarded as an incentive for racers from other parts of the country and Canada. At least one driver from every track (that is represented at the Nationals) will make the A-Main on Tuesday. For example, if only one driver from Button Buck Speedway in Minnesota shows up, he/she will automatically race in the 55-lap feature on Tuesday night. If ten of the Button Buck regulars enter the event, and two of them qualify for the big race, then the next highest driver in Button Buck points will receive a provisional starting spot. This procedure will be followed for every Slingshot track that is represented at the Super Slingshot Fair Nationals.
Tuesday’s A-Main will also offer double points toward the All Star National Slingshot Tour Championship. And there will be cash…LOTS of cash on the line for those who enter and make it to the big dance on Tuesday.
Not only will the Nationals A-Main pay $4,000 to win and $300 to take the green, but the runner-up will receive a hefty $2,000 and fifth place will be paid $1,000!
Steve Svanda of Slinger Warehouse has signed on to be the title sponsor of the Super Slingshot Fair Nationals because he, like Rose and Tobias, wants to recognize and reward the drivers with a huge race and a never-before-seen payday such as this race will offer. And the promotional gurus are not stopping there, as they’ve also added a third night of high speed adventure for the Slingshot racers.
The “Night After the Nationals”, set for August 17, will spotlight the drivers who did not make the 55-lap Super Slingshot National. They will have the opportunity to compete in a feature(s)-only format, with car count determining whether one or two features are necessary. Every driver who takes part in the Night After the Nationals will be paid.
The event is timed perfectly, as race teams from near and far can spend a few late-summer days in scenic Berks County before public schools and colleges begin a new year. The Kutztown Fair provides fun for the whole family, with rides and games for the kids, plenty of delicious food and treats, and parents can relax and unwind after a day at the Fair (and the races) by spending some time in the famous Kutztown Fair Beer Garden.
Camping will also be permitted on the Fairgrounds for those who don’t wish to stay in a nearby hotel or motel.
Additional details regarding this megabucks event will be released in the coming weeks and months. “I believe the prestige of this event will encourage all of our great Slingshot teams to attend; it will be a race that everyone will want to be part of and we wanted to get the news out early so Slingshot racers can make plans to be here on August 15th and 16th,” stated Rose.
Watch for more information about the Slinger Warehouse Super Slingshot Fair Nationals at www.actiontrackusa, as well as on the speedway’s Facebook page (facebook.com/action track usa) and on Twitter (@ActionTrackUSA).
