This message was edited on
October 15, 2012 at
01:17:45 PM by dmantx
Big Changes Greet Southern Challenge & SSM Nationals Teams
ABILENE
TX (8/18/12) by DarinShort.com. Arguably the largest gathering IMCA
teams in the South takes place each October at Abilene Speedway, when
competitors from as far away as the Northern and Western tier of states
converge upon the ¼ mile speed plant for three days of racing action
during the Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge presented by Smiley’s
Racing Products and Abilene area NAPA Auto Parts.
However, this year marks some significant changes to the event:
-First
off, the traditional Friday-Saturday-Sunday racing format has been
shifted back one day, so all racing will take place during optimal
racing hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
-The 18th
Annual Ryan Bard Memorial Southern Challenge weekend race dates are now
Wednesday October 17th (Practice Night & legendary free Pit Party),
Thursday October 18th (Opening Night, Racing at 7pm), Friday October
19th (Qualifying Night, Racing at 7pm) and Saturday October 20th (Finale
with Racing at 6pm).
-Also, the highly anticipated Southern
Sport Mod Nationals event will join this year’s Southern Challenge;
setting the stage for a spectacular weekend of racing.
When you
add it all up, an incredible $75,000 cash is up for grabs; with $4,000
earmarked for the Fletcher Motor Sports IMCA Modified winner, $2,000 to
win the Abilene Powder Coating Southern IMCA SportMods, $2,000 to win
the Showtime Signs & Designs IMCA Stock Cars and $1,000 to win for
the Destroyer Chassis IMCA Hobby Stocks.
And in traditional
Southern Challenge fashion, solid payback is offered throughout the
field; as it pays $650 to start the IMCA Modified feature (and $400 to
start their B-feature), $300 to start the IMCA Stock Car feature, $200
to start the IMCA SportMod feature and $150 to start the IMCA Hobby
Stock feature. A complete Abilene Speedway Street Stock program will
also join the Friday night racing line-up.
Registration for all
IMCA race divisions is now open, and drivers are encouraged to enter
early, as car numbers are assigned on a first-entered basis.
Here are the quick facts for this year’s Southern Challenge & Southern SportMod Nationals:
Event Dates:
Weds. October 17th – Saturday October 20th. Practice/Legendary Pit
Party on Wednesday (Gates open at 5pm, with Registration and Practice
from 6pm-10pm, party to follow). Qualifying Nights on Thursday and
Friday (Gates open at 3pm, Draw closes at 6pm, Racing at 7pm).
Championship Finale on Saturday (Gates open at 2pm, Draw closes at 5pm,
Racing at 6pm). There is also an open practice scheduled from Noon to
4pm on Sunday, October 14th.
Track info:
Abilene Speedway is located at 6825 West Hwy 80 in Abilene, TX. If you
are traveling Eastbound on I-20, you will take Exit 279, which is I-20
Business Route. The track is located on the right in approximately one
mile. If you are traveling West on I-20 to Abilene, take Exit 278,
crossover to the Eastbound side and take Exit 279 and continue one mile,
the track will be on the right.
Track phone: Please call 325-725-3849 or 325-692-8800. The track promoter is Rob Poor.
Track website: http://www.AbileneSpeedway.com
RV’s: RV’s are welcome, but there are no hook-ups.
Competitor Pre-Registration:
The event flyer is presently being mailed to former participants.
Please fill out the registration form and mail it back on or before
October 1st. Enter early to have the best chance of receiving your car
number, as there are no duplicate numbers allowed. Entries filed after
October 1st, or at the track on race weekend, will be $30 higher (with
the exception of Hobby Stocks which is $25 higher). No personal checks
are accepted; cashier’s checks or money orders only.
Online Registration Forms: Both pages of the event flyer can be downloaded by clicking http://www.abilenespeedway.com/
and then clicking the ‘Southern Challenge’ hyperlink towards the bottom
of the home page. No personal checks are accepted; cashier’s checks or
money orders only.
Note that if you are going to print out the
online flyer, it is formatted for a legal size piece of paper. In order
for it to print out on standard size printer paper you must follow this
procedure:
1. Save the file to your desktop by right clicking on the flyer image. 2. Find the saved file icon on your desktop, then right click the file icon and select ‘preview.’ 3.
From your preview screen, click the print button and make sure you have
selected ‘fit file to page’ in order for it to output properly in
condensed format. 4. You can then fill out the registration form and mail it to the track.
About the Ryan Bard Memorial:
Ryan Bard was the 2007 New Mexico state IMCA Southern SportMod Champion
that tragically lost his life at the 2007 Southern Challenge. After
Ryan’s passing, the Ryan Bard Safety Foundation (RBSF) was formed by
Paul Lapaire (Ryan’s father-in-law-to-be) to help better educate the
racing community on the importance of improved racing safety awareness.
Visit http://www.racinwithneal.com/?p=11977 for much more information on the RBSF.
Complete Purse Breakdown: Click http://abilenespeedway.com/so_challnge_procedures_12.htm for complete event purse breakdown, which is also on the back side of the event flyer being mailed out.
Racing Fuel: VP Racing Fuel will be available at the track on race weekend, and is sold by the gallon or drum.
Host Hotels:
We have three host hotels for race teams and fans. Please mention
Abilene Speedway when placing your reservation to receive the best
possible rates. Host hotels are listed in no specific order:
1. Whitten Inn, phone: 800-880-7666. Click http://www.whitteninn.com/ for complete details. 2. Howard Johnsons Plaza: 325-795-8888. Click http://www.hojo.com for more information. 3. Motel 6: 325-672-8462. Click http://www.motel6.com/ to view options for their property.
Race Fans:
Grandstand tickets will be sold upon your arrival at the speedway each
night. No advance tickets are sold. Adult ticket prices are $12 each
night (ages 13 and up), Kids (ages 6-12) $5 each night, Ages 5 and under
are Free with Adult purchase. Active Military (with I.D) are admitted
to the grandstand area for $8/night.
Pit Passes:
Pit Passes will be sold upon your arrival at the pit gate each night.
No advance pit passes are sold. Wednesday night (practice): $15.
Thursday/Friday/Saturday: $25 each night, all ages.
Legendary Pit Party:
The kickoff to the Southern Challenge is our annual Pit Party that
takes place at the end of practice night on Wednesday, October 17th. We
will have free BBQ, Beer & Music; so make plans to attend!
Golf Cart Rentals: If you’d like to rent a golf cart for the weekend of the Southern Challenge, please call 325-665-2196 to reserve yours today.
Competitor Rules:
All IMCA rules apply. Engines will be marked, and you must run the same
engine that you qualified for the A-feature in, during the championship
A-feature.
We’d like to thank everyone for their past
participation in the event, and we are all really excited about the new
alliance of the Southern IMCA SportMod Nationals and the Ryan Bard
Memorial Southern Challenge, which will provide race fans with three
straight days of non-stop racing action at Abilene Speedway on October
18th-20th!
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Stellar weather conditions are forecast for this week's
$75,000 Southern Challenge and IMCA Southern SportMod Nationals to be
held at Abilene Speedway Oct. 17-20!
As of Monday afternoon, here's the latest forecast - which shows a 0% chance of precip each day:
Wed Oct 17, Sunny 83°/52°, Chance of rain: 0%, Wind: NW at 18 mph
Thu Oct 18, Sunny 73°/47°, Sunny, Chance of rain: 0%, Wind: NNE at 8 mph,
Fri Oct 19, Sunny, 76°/54°, Sunny, Chance of rain: 0%, Wind: WSW at 8 mph
Sat Oct 20, Sunny, 84°/62°, Sunny, Chance of rain: 0%, Wind: SSW at 16 mph
Please click www.darinshort.com/abilene.html for the event info hub, or click www.AbileneSpeedway.com for all track information.
Good luck to all the competitors as it's going to be a great week for racing!
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