FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 6, 2010

FASTRAK LATE MODEL “WHEELMAN” BONUS EVENT CHALLENGE SERIES ANNOUNCED FOR NE/MOV TOURING SERIES EVENTS; NEW FORMAT FOR LAPPED CARS ANNOUNCED

By Mike Leone
Pulaski, PA…FASTRAK Northeast is pleased to announce a new and exciting concept beginning this Friday night and at all participating speedways that host Northeast and Mid-Ohio Valley Late Model Touring Series events in the future called “The Wheelman” Challenge Series.

At each Northeast and Mid-Ohio Valley Touring Series event at participating tracks where 30 or more cars are present, a Bonus Event will be run following the night’s A main feature for all non-qualifying cars. This 8-10 lap race will pay a purse offering the winner an amount slightly less than feature starting money and an amount to-start slightly more than tow money. As an added incentive, separate points will be kept in this “Wheelman” Challenge Series utilizing the normal point structure and a season-ending cash and contingency point fund will be offered.

“Founder Stan Lester started the Bonus Mains at many of his National Events,” explained Northeast Co-Director Vicki Emig. “We felt with the continued growth of the Northeast Touring Series this will help out those drivers that fail to qualify for the feature and allow them to go home with more than tow money. This concept should hopefully give racers additional incentive to continue to support these events. Each year since the Northeast Touring Series debuted in 2007, car counts have increased and it’s important for the tracks to be able to maintain strong car counts in order to host these events in the future.”

In the future, the goal is to have a separate “The Wheelman” Challenge Series for both the Mid-Ohio Valley and Northeast, but at the present the program will combine the two regions’ events.

Also, effective immediately all lapped cars will go to the tail in all FASTRAK Northeast and Mid-Ohio Valley Touring Series heats, B mains, and features; however, modeled off NASCAR’s “Lucky Dog,” the highest running lapped car on the speedway after each caution will receive a lap back in all FASTRAK Touring Series event nationwide.

“We have had to make a change on our lapped car rule,” stated Northeast Co-Director Mike Leone. “Even though we have run 40 other Touring races without lapped cars causing an issue, in two of the last three events lapped cars have caused undesirable consequences after both races went nearly green-to-checkered. The Lucky Dog rule will also give these racers additional incentive and at the same time keep the entire country the same on this procedure. ”

Both “The Wheelman” and the lapped car rule change will begin this Friday night at the Mid-Ohio Valley Touring Series event at West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells, WV. Friday night will not only be the $1,200 to-win May 16 make-up feature, but also a new $1,200 to-win program. On Saturday, the National $10,000 to-win event will also award Touring points to both the Northeast and Mid-Ohio Valley Touring Series.