Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 27, 1990 TAG: 9004260338
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JEFF MOTLEY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
The Loctite Midget Racing Series will make its first appearance at the Dublin oval tonight with heat races and a 40-lap main event.
The midget car is basically a small piece of sheet metal with a roll cage and open wheels. The cars are extremely fast, and race organizer Duke Cook says he has no doubt that the track record - 100.040 mph, set by Randy Morrison - will be broken on the first lap turned by these cars.
Most of the drivers in the series aren't exactly household names. The key drivers to watch will be Russ Jamester, defending USAC champion, and Don Schilling, who won last week at Sandusky, Ohio. Another favorite is Winston Cup star Ken Schrader, who will race in the Louie Seymour car out of Marlboro, Mass.
Schrader raced in this series when he was younger and still races as often as he gets a chance.
"I don't have any preferences really as to what I drive," Schrader said. "I used to run them out in the Midwest, but it doesn't compare to Winston Cup."
Despite the lack of marquee-name drivers, Cook knows the race will draw well at PCS and has evidence to prove it.
"Ever since ESPN started `Thursday Night Thunder,' this sport, and especially this series, has grown," Cook said. "Now that people sit at home and watch this stuff on television, they are curious and actually have heard of some of the drivers.
"A perfect example was last year at Lanier (Ga.) Speedway. It was one of the biggest crowds ever and people left really enjoying it. People can go anywhere and watch late-model stock car racing, but this is different."
The biggest difference, aside from the type of cars, is the length and format of the races. There are five mini-heats of 10 and 12 laps. The top four in each heat are placed in the 40-lap feature that pays $1,200 to the winner.
"We just want to run a quick race," Cook says. "I'd rather see the green flag drop and they all go for it. There are no pit stops, and barring a caution, it is just a flat-out sprint from start to finish."
Cook also used this opportunity to promote his series over the Winston Cup.
"I like Winston Cup racing, but in Winston Cup a fan can sit on the concrete for four hours and see a lot of nothing," Cook added. "Then there is a caution near the end and they have the same thing we do - a 30- to 40-lap sprint to the finish.
"The biggest thing is the differences in horsepower," Schrader continued. "These cars are about 300 horsepower compared to 700 horsepower for a stock car. Everything in the sprint cars is a lot quicker."
Also on the racing card Friday will be a late-model stock race with most of the track's regular drivers. Schrader will participate in the 50-lap race.
On Saturday night, the speedway will feature the NAPA/Champion Spark Plug 200. Winston Cup star Bill Elliott will be on hand for the event.
Keywords:
AUTO RACING
by CNB