At Grandview Speedway this Saturday, the battle for the championships in all three divisions of NASCAR sanctioned stock car racing comes to an end. The WNPV-1440AM Radio sponsored night of racing will feature the T.P. Trailers 358 Modifieds, BRC Late Models and Sportsman stock cars starting at 7:30 p.m.
This will be the final point races of the season for the Bechtelsville track. The top spot in the season long chase for the title in each division will earn the top finisher a healthy payoff from both NASCAR and the track.
The Low Down and Dirty Radio Meet & Greet will feature three drivers displaying their race cars and signing autographs in the main gate area at 5 p.m.
Many of the Modified racers will also be using the night to get some additional track time as they prepare for the Granddaddy of area classics, the 46th Annual Freedom 76 paying $25,000 to win and taking place on Saturday, September 10th. Many of the top names in Modified racing will be taking part.
Coming up at Big Diamond Speedway in Minersville on Friday, it’s the start of the Coalcracker Weekend as the Sportsman stock cars take center stage with a 40-lapper. The Roadrunners and Street Stocks will have their final point’s race of the year that night along with the non-winners Modified race, Vintage cars and an Enduro Dash 60.
The non-winners Modified race Friday will be for drivers who have raced four or more time this season in the Modified division but did not win a feature. The winner gets a starting spot in the Coalcracker 72. Racing gets started at 8:15 p.m.
Then on Sunday, Sept. 4, it’s the prestigious Jack Rich Inc., Coalcracker 72 paying $10,000 to win the 358 Modified feature. Tenth place in the Coalcracker pays $1,000 . The start time for Sept. 4 is 7:45 p.m. The Roadrunners, 600 Modifieds and fireworks will round out the night of racing.
* * *Dover International Speedway is making some changes as a big weekend of NASCAR stock car racing is approaching. The Delaware facility has started two construction projects which will add more than 500 feet of SAFER barriers around the track and increase usable space for NASCAR haulers in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage.
Both projects are scheduled to be completed in time for the Sept. 30-Oct. 2 NASCAR tripleheader weekend at the Monster Mile, highlighted by the first elimination race of the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship playoffs on Sunday, Oct. 2.
Facts on the recent construction are listed below:
* Approximately 500 feet of Steel And Foam Energy Reduction (SAFER) barriers will be added to the one-mile, high-banked, concrete oval. The outside wall in Turn 2, under the walkover bridge, and the outside wall of Turn 4, entering the frontstretch, will now include SAFER barriers. All of the SAFER barriers will be added to existing walls.
* A 753-foot-long concrete wall separating the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage area from the existing harness racing track is being added. The 10-foot-high wall will stretch from the Infield Media Center to the end of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, removing the grass hill between the garage area and harness track that was in place.
* The new construction will allow for additional space for each NASCAR hauler to park in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series garage, and will create a safer environment in the area.
“We continue to improve our facility for all parties involved in NASCAR, including drivers, race teams and fans,” Dover International Speedway President and CEO Mike Tatoian said. “Safety is always our top priority and the added SAFER barriers will certainly benefit our competitors. The renovations in the garage will also allow us greater opportunities for space flexibility in the coming years too.”
The Sept. 30-Oct. 2 NASCAR weekend includes the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race on Friday, Sept. 30, the “Drive Sober 200” presented by the Delaware Office of Highway Safety NASCAR XFINITY Series race on Saturday, Oct. 1 and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Oct. 2.
* * *Country music star Easton Corbin will perform a free concert at Dover International Speedway’s Victory Plaza prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, Oct. 2.
Corbin will also sing the national anthem before the race, which will feature the first four driver eliminations of the 2016 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. Corbin’s Victory Plaza concert will begin at 11 a.m.
Corbin, a Florida native, rocketed on the country music scene in 2010 with his self-titled debut album, which included the No. 1 hits “A Little More Country Than That,” and “Roll With It.” The two top releases made him the first country male artist in 17 years to have his first two singles reach No. 1.
Corbin’s most recent album, the No. 1 hit “About To Get Real,” has produced singles “Baby Be My Love Song,” a Top-5 hit which was his career-best debut on Country Airplay, and “Yup.”
For some fans this is good news but for many others the news is not so good. Many feel that the later starting times, catering to TV, will create even smaller turnouts at the NASCAR tracks.
NASCAR, along with FOX Sports and NBC Sports, recently announced 2017 race start times and network coverage for the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – based on the previously released schedule dates.
Seventeen national series events will start closer to primetime, helping to bring NASCAR’s racing to larger audiences. Seventeen NASCAR Cup Series points’ races will air on broadcast television next year, including the DAYTONA 500 and Coca-Cola 600 on FOX; and the Brickyard 400 and the NASCAR Cup Series championship race, the Ford EcoBoost 400 from Homestead-Miami Speedway, on NBC.
Looking ahead to the 2018 season, the DAYTONA 500 will move to Sunday, February 18, during Presidents Day weekend the way it was some years back.
