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LATEMODELRACER >> NORTH REGION >> Fastrak Northeast Announces New 'Futures Cup' Program for 2011
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Message started by LMR on 11/12/10 at 1:17am

Title: Fastrak Northeast Announces New 'Futures Cup' Program for 2011
Post by LMR on 11/12/10 at 1:17am

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 11, 2010

FASTRAK NORTHEAST ANNOUNCES NEW “FUTURES CUP” PROGRAM FOR 2011 DESIGNED TO SHOWCASE TEENAGE TALENT

By Mike Leone
(Pulaski, PA)…At 18, Max Blair was the FASTRAK Late Model National Weekly and Northeast Touring Series Champion in 2008. At 16, Bud Watson finished third in the Northeast Touring points in 2009 and won his first career FASTRAK race this past season. Josh Double, Damian Bidwell, and Billy Stile III won Weekly Series events in 2010 at age 17!

There’s little doubt that the future of racing looks bright thanks to the talent pool of these teenagers, which has been spawned by the opportunities to run a Late Model provided by FASTRAK. With this in mind, FASTRAK Northeast has announced a new program in 2011 called the “Futures Cup”.

FASTRAK member drivers in the Northeast and Mid-Ohio Valley that are 19 years old or younger and do not have more than one “full” season of prior FASTRAK competition will be eligible for this program. Those who have competed in Super Late Models, Big-Block Modifieds, or Sprint Cars will be ineligible. A full season is considered eight races or more.

The program will be based off the National Weekly Series points where drivers accumulate their best 15 finishes at FASTRAK-sanctioned events. Then as an added twist, there will be two events held in both the Northeast and Mid-Ohio Valley for these eligible racers. These events will allow these racers to add points on top of their “best 15” point tally. At season’s end, a point fund will be paid with the champion also receiving the inaugural “Futures Cup” and a championship jacket.

“I cannot tell you how excited I am to finally be able to focus 100% of my time on the continued growth of FASTRAK Northeast,” expressed Northeast co-Director Vicki Emig. “This program will be the first of many that we will be designed to create additional interest to all levels of our participants, and what better place to start than by showcasing the phenomenal group of young, talented drivers that continue to join the FASTRAK ranks.”

Some of the rookie FASTRAK racers from 2010 that are expected to participate in this program include Bidwell, Stile, Chad Wright, Nico Dabecco, Newt Tackett, Russell Baird, Jr., Matt Bassaro, Shane Weaver, and Alessa Young. They’ll likely to be joined by 14 and 15-year-old newcomers to FASTRAK in 2011 including Clay Ruffo, Eric Wilson, Ryan Montgomery, Blane Krott, and many others.

“The success of these youngsters is amazing,” stated Northeast co-Director Mike Leone. “Some of them are stepping right out of go-karts into FASTRAK and you would never know they hadn’t raced a full-sized car before. With how well some of these teens performed last year, it got us thinking that we needed to come up with a program specifically for them. The influx of another crop of youngsters is already happening and we’re still five months away from race season. By getting this program public now, it might spur even more teenagers to make the move into FASTRAK and become the next Max Blair or Bud Watson!”

Once 2011 FASTRAK membership forms are available, drivers are urged to complete these forms as early as possible and before they compete in their first event in order to begin to accumulate points. Eligible “Future Cup” racers should also contact the Northeast Office once their form is completed to notify of their intent to participate in the program.

In the future, drivers will be eligible for a second year provided they meet the above requirements. Additional details on this program will be released over the offseason and as the 2011 racing season draws near.