SYRACUSE ? Entering its 22nd consecutive season, the Empire Super Sprint (ESS) Tour 2005 schedule is officially ready as 31 dates are booked with total prize money topping the half-a-million-dollar mark. From Drummondville, Quebec to Knoxville, Iowa, the stars and cars of the very successful winged 360 sprint car sanctioning body will be ready to put on a show for you.
A total of 23 full point shows will decide the 2005 version of the ESS champion. Thirteen events ?north of the border? will make up the Spectro Oils Canadian Invasion Tour and nine events will see the A-Main winner taking home $2,000 or more.
The first green flag of the season will be dropped on Mothers Day, May 8th at the Cayuga County Fair Speedway. It will be the return of ESS to DIRT?s flagship 3/8th mile oval after a three year absence and the first point show of the season will pay the winner $2,000. For the second year in a row the final checkered flag will be flown and the championship decided on Friday night, Oct. 14th at the Five Mile Point Speedway as ESS kicks off the big National Quarter Mile Dirt Track Weekend.
Once again Utica-Rome will play host to all three holiday weekends with a special Monday rain date used for all events. Can-Am Motorsports Park will again tie in with the Vernon, N.Y. track on Memorial Day and 4th of July weekends to continue with the tradition. The two Memorial Day weekend events will also be Bully Hill Nationals All-Star Dash Qualifiers.
New for 2005 will be three weekend visits to Autodrome?s Granby and Drummond, June and Sept. will now be joined by a late July visit making these races a big part of the Spectro Oils Canadian Invasion Tour. Once again, the Brockville Ontario Speedway will kick off the Canadian Tour will ESS first stop there on May 27th.
Joining Cayuga County in making a return to ESS? schedule is Albany-Saratoga Speedway with an early season stop on May 13th. Also producing multiple dates for 2005 will be the Cornwall Motor Speedway with single full point shows held at Little Valley, Merrittville, Ohsweken, Edelweiss and Frogtown.
Special events will also be a staple point of the 2005 schedule with high dollar shows held at the Knoxville, Black Rock, Rolling Wheels and Ohsweken. For the first time, the best in ESS will have the opportunity to race the Knoxville 360 Nationals in which the finale? pays a whopping $10,000 to win. Tying in with the annual Tournament of Champions, a special four nights of racing will be held at the meca of sprint car racing.
Here in the Northeast, the annual Billy Hill Vineyards Fall Sprint Car Nationals has been the biggest 360 show held and the one-day event is on Sept. 10th with the winner of the 35 lap event collecting $4,000. For the second year in a row, ESS will join the Patriot Sprint Group (PSG) for a special challenge event marked as the Earl Halaquist Memorial which is on Aug. 13th and that 25 lap race will pay $2,000 to win. The annual Shoot Out at the Rolling Wheels Raceway during Super DIRT Week will again be run on Oct. 8th with the United Racing Club joining ESS and PSG for a $3,000 to win prize. For the first time ever, The Canadian Sprint Car Nationals will be held and it?s at the Ohsweken Speedway. ESS is proud to be a part of the history making event which will pay $2,500 in American funds to the winner.
Each sprint team that enters an ESS event in 2005 will again be racing for one of the largest purses offered, full point shows will pay at least $1500 to win, $1000 for second on down to $400 for tenth and $250 to take the green. Over $1200 in nightly bonuses makes ESS one of the most lucrative 360 organizations in the nation. A large point fund and a record amount of sponsorships will await all that will run the Tour 2005 which produces some of the very best from ?America?s Race Cars?.
Lance Yonge is set to defend both the ESS and Canadian Championships but the challenges will be strong from the likes of Dan Kaszubinski, Doug Emery, Jeff VanDusen, Bubby Kerrick, Jeff Cook, Mike Stelter, Don Sharp Jr., John Karklin Jr., Kyle Moffit, Nick Fratto and a slew of many others.
It?s just a mere two months away to the start of the Empire Super Sprints? 22nd Anniversary Tour, from Cayuga County to Five Mile and every where in between?.it will be excitement guaranteed!!
As the racing season nears, Martin Motorsports team is finishing up work on the cars, including the new 410. During the offseason, the team has picked up several new sponsors: Bell Helmets (www.bellracing.com), K&N Air Filters (www.knfilter.com), and Outerwears Racing Accessories (www.outerwearsracing.com). Jamie has expanded his racing schedule for this year, and will continue racing the 360 car in addition to the new 410 car, both powerplants manufactured by Draime. Spring is in the air, and soon the 2005 season will be underway-- Jamie and the rest of the Martin Motorsports team look forward to seeing you at the track.
It is with great pleasure that LaGrange Racing Photos announces the creation of the 2005 ?360 Power Rankings?. On the heels of the successful LRP ?Racin? Rankings? for karts and slingshots, the 2005 360 Power Rankings seem like a perfect fit. These rankings will only be for Northeastern United States, Ontario and Quebec based 360 Sprint Car races. A minimum of 20 starts is necessary in order to be considered for these rankings.
Created in order to give recognition to the best 360 Sprint Car drivers in the region, the 2005 360 Power Rankings will be determined by the following:
Win To Start Percentage = number of wins / number of starts = score. 100 - score = win/start %
Average Finish = number of starts / total of added together finishes = average finish
Top 5 Percentage = total top fives / number of starts = score. 100 - score = top five %
Top 10 Percentage = total top tens / number of starts = score. 100 - score = top ten %
Race Awards = These are awarded after each race. Awards are awarded by the club, group or track that is putting on the show. Each award is worth .02 points. 100 - total awarded points = race awards
The 2005 360 Power Rankings are not affiliated with any track, sanction, group, club or otherwise. They will be updated each week from April through the crowning of the inaugural champion in October. The winner will receive a 2004/2005 LaGrange Racing Photos Slide Show CD and a framed photo pronouncing them as champion. Sponsorship opportunities are available for the 2005 360 Power Rankings as well as all aspects of LaGrange Racing Photos. LaGrange Racing Photos in located at www.lagrangeracingphotos.org and can be contacted via e-mail at tobylagrange@hotmail.com. Think Spring?!
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