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Syracuse, NY - November 17, 2006 - By Tom Skibinski, DIRT NorthEast PR Director
Member track officials from the DIRT MotorSports NorthEast circuit assembled on
November 17 at The Marx Hotel & Conference Center in downtown Syracuse, New York for
their annual Promoters' Meetings to kick off the traditional year-end DIRT NE Awards
Banquet festivities. Increased focus on the untapped youth movement and further
emphasis on new weekly promotions were hot topics discussed by track operators while
minor rulebook amendments and tentative series schedules were released for the 2007
race season. Continuation of team work among DIRT NE track affiliates was a theme
that permeated every talk as each affiliate bid farewell to the organization's 31st
consecutive season of sanctioning auto racing events.
"DIRT MotorSports has experienced many changes as of late yet the loyalty and
dedication of our track promoters and operators has remained the most consistent
element," said DIRT President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Deery as he opened up
the afternoon session. Deery was joined from the new corporate office in Concord,
N.C. by Chief Financial Officer Brian Carter, VP Public Relations Chris Dolack,
Director of Human Resources Jennifer Newlin and Manager, Broadcast Services Brian
Dunlap. The DIRT NorthEast core group was headed by General Manager Jack Deery,
Director of Competition & Track Sanctioning Cory Reed, Director of Sales & Marketing
Tonya Moschell and Public Relations Director Tom Skibinski. "We're hoping for very
few changes from here on, just additions as we continue to grow. So many officials
from around the country are envious of those in the Northeast. There is a great
amount of value to being together for so long and continuing to be a leader in the
industry. Today's turnout is another great example as we move together toward the
future," Deery said.
Participation from the DIRT NorthEast membership was nearly perfect on Friday
afternoon as only one of the 22 track promoters was not in attendance while Black
Rock Speedway operators Dean Hoag (owner) and Alex Hoag (promoter) rejoined the
DIRT-fold after a two-year absence. Already making the commitment to the DIRT
MotorSports organization for 2007 were Brewerton, Brockville, Can-Am, Canandaigua,
Cayuga County, Cornwall, Drummond, Edelweiss, Frogtown, Fulton, Genesee, Granby,
Humberstone, Lebanon Valley, Lernerville, Merrittville, Ohsweken, Orange County,
Ransomville, Rolling Wheels, Thunder Alley and Tri-City speedways while officials
from the Empire Super Sprint and Patriot Sprint Group made appearances to secure
upcoming tour dates for their winged machines.
Immediately after the customary morning roll call that served as an official
welcome, representatives from each track spoke about what worked and what didn't at
their facility during the 2006 race season. In certainly the most energetic and
thought-provoking pitch made during the entire day, Moschell followed up by putting
track promoters to task when posing questions to them throughout her half-hour
marketing presentation entitled 'What's it going to take.' She stressed the
importance of providing the race fans with something new to offer at every show,
every week. Her counterpart at DIRT NorthEast headquarters in Weedsport, Jack Deery,
supported the notion pointing out that "we all have to get fans anticipating the
next show before they even leave the one they're at. There has to be a constant buzz
created, something that's fresh every week and keeps people coming back for more."
Receiving very little noise were the few new rules that Reed outlined along with the
introduction of DIRT NE Technical Directors and proposal of a Competition Council.
"The goal is to have a set of rules in place in for three straight years and I'm
expecting DIRT to be better than ever with the tech process currently in place for
'07," said Reed, who announced Orange County Fair Speedway mainstay George Johnson
as the new leader of the technical team with Jim Malloy, Scott Fremouw and Rich
Lemieux singled out as the chief assistants. "It has to be emphasized that this is
still a team effort, with our traveling staff working with individual track tech
inspectors and having no one person in charge. Using a program similar to last
season, and with the rules basically the same, we're ready for another smooth season
behind pit wall."
The development of new templates to govern rear wing windows on bodies built after
July 1, 2007 was the only proposed adjustment made to DIRT Modified entries in both
big-block and small-block divisions. The GM Crate engine part #88958602 will become
mandatory for use in both DIRT Sportsman and newly titled UMP Pro Stock classes
beginning in 2008 while GM Crate powered cars will continue the use of a 6200 rev
chip in 2007 and a 6000 RPM chip will be required in open head engines. Stock OEM
distributors and coils only (2006 rulebook page 43, section 17) will be permitted in
the Sportsman and UMP Pro Stocks ---still recognized under the DIRT banner yet now
being able to compete on a national scale using UMP sanction; implementation of UMP
Street Stock and UMP Modified divisions also discussed--- although ignitions must
remain stock as manufactured with the exception that distributor advance plates may
be welded and vacuum advance horn may be removed. No high performance components
such as Mallory or Accel may be used. Again in both Sportsman and Pro Stock classes,
clarification of metering block part #'s is allowed; allow the use of Holley number
11180 in addition to part #'s 5924 or 5925. Any steel tube quick-change rear-end is
also allowed on Pro Stocks in 2007. In addition, letters in driver last names must
be a minimum of eight inches in height and positioned under or above the number on
both sides of the car.
"DIRT NE tracks that sanction Pro Stocks will be under the UMP umbrella next year,"
said Carter, himself an open-wheel Modified pilot out west in his spare time. "With
so many 'floating' divisions around the country needing some form of guidance it was
the promoters that came to us for direction. DIRT wants to take a leadership role in
consolidating these same classes and in the future marry them to make a single
division with more of a national scope."
The internet continues to be one of the most valuable resources available in
motorsports today and PR Director Chris Dolack divulged that the target date for
unveiling a brand new user-friendly DIRT website is February 5, 2007 --- just in
time to open up Race Weeks at Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. "More and
more of the news we read today is being taken off the internet and it's a great tool
to attract younger generations," said Dolack, who was voted "Media Person of the
Year" in 2005 by the North American 410 Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media
members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers. The North American 410
Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame
and Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, IA. "We're looking for the new corporate
site, World of Outlaws Sprint, WoO Model Series and Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT
Series sections to be ready to surf in early February. DIRT NorthEast will be given
it's own special place after that. The new site will stress more interactivity,
offer special downloads to media for logos and pictures, with Dirtvision video
players available on all the homepages. It will be much more event promotion
oriented and best of all easy to navigate compared to what's in place today."
Mr. DIRT Series host track promoters continued to stay away from summer events with
a regional format continuing for 358-Modified, Sportsman and UMP Pro Stock classes
in '07 although Reed hinted that a couple summer races may be included on the
Central New York circuit. Already penciled in is a DIRT 358-Modified tour
doubleheader north of the border at Autodromes Granby and Drummond in late August.
Advance Auto Parts SDS Modified event promoters also agreed to realign the tour
purse structure, keeping the same total while spreading the payoff to feature
finishing positions farther back. As DIRT officials look to test the waters with
weekend tour events added to the summer agenda, only 3-4 Saturday night shows are
currently being pursued on the 2007 big-block slate. Remaining on the tour are big
200-lap season-finales at Lebanon Valley, NYS Fairgrounds and Orange County, with a
first-time ever event listed at Virginia Motor Speedway in early May. The post-Labor
Day championship trail of events for all four touring classes remains a work in
process as tracks continue to fill out their own schedules. Detailed SDS schedules
will be released as soon as the tracks and accompanying dates are confirmed.
Returning to the conference room after lunch sponsored by Rand Insurance, Jack Deery
followed the "state of DIRT" remarks offered by brother Tom Deery and marketing
strategies touched on by Moschell with the outline of a unique Super DIRT Week
package put together especially for DIRT-sanctioned track members. Included in the
deal are Friday Pit Party passes, Sunday Hospitality Tent tickets, an invitation to
the pace car parade, display space, track champion "Win It & You're In It' team pit
passes, and combo pit pass bonuses based on DIRT-sanctioned tracks sign up at each
track.
Adjournment came at 4:30 p.m. allowing ample time for many of the promoters to head
to the New York State Fairgrounds' Verizon Center of Progress Building and take in
the 27th National Parts Peddler Trade Show.
The DIRT MotorSportsT Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across
the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance
Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include
AMB i.t., DealMaker Auto Group and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the
contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein
Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, DART Machinery, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra
Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company, Penske Shocks and
Wrisco Industries.