Sprint Car Racing Returns To Southern Oregon Speedway
When Mike McCann began his tenure as promoter of Southern Oregon Speedway, he had studied every aspect of the track to plan what needed to be done. One of the glaring absences at the track has been a Sprint Car program. For several seasons, the track had a winged Sprint Car division as part of the program, and many champions have been crowned through the years.
In recent seasons, however, the division has been relegated to visiting status despite the fact that there are some drivers in the area who would love to run their Sprint Cars there. They will get that chance this season as one of McCann's first announcements as the new promoter was to create a ten race schedule for the division.
The rules are open to allow drivers from the Sportsman Sprints, 360 Sprints and the 410 Sprints to come out and race. The goal is to build and establish a strong Sprint Car presence at the 21 year old racing facility. Where it goes from here will depend on the drivers, but McCann is anticipating good things for the division.
The ten race schedule includes dates on the April 30 season opener, May 7 and 21, June 4 and 25, July 30, August 20 and 27 and the September 24 season finale. The tenth date is actually part of the prestigious Sprint Car Speed Week on July 9. This means plenty of Sprint Car racing excitement for the fans throughout the season.
As the drivers take a look at the schedule and make plans, there are already four drivers who have made a commitment to race at Southern Oregon Speedway this year. They are rising young star Camden Robustelli, Pro Stock star Jeffrey Hudson, Sprint Car veteran Bill Hopper and Todd Whipple.
Robustelli made his mark as a Go Kart champion on the smaller tracks before moving up the the Dwarf Car ranks. Not surprisingly, he became one of the front runners there and notched a few big wins along the way before making his Sprint Car debut last season at Southern Oregon Speedway. He is looking forward to making more Sprint Car starts this season.
Hopper has an extensive background in open wheel racing, but his recent accomplishments are back to back championships in the wingless class at Orland Raceway. Hopper managed to win a nail biter with Tony Richards last season by having a better finish in the season finale.
Speaking of battles to the end, young Jeffrey Hudson also won a battle that went to the season finale in winning last year's Outlaw Pro Stock championship. Hudson will be making his first starts in a Sprint Car this season, but this kid has shown that he has the talent to wheel a race car to the front of the pack.
Whipple has made a handful of Sprint Car starts at Yreka and Southern Oregon Speedway in recent years, and he's looking forward to more seat time this year. These are just the drivers who have made plans to do some Sprint Car racing, but more drivers are coming as Southern Oregon Speedway sets out to reestablish a division this season. For further information, check out the official website at www.sospeedway.com.
Past Southern Oregon Speedway
Sprint Car Champions
1996 Dan Menne
1997 Bill Nutter
2001 Chad Bauer
2002 Todd Zeitler
2003 Dan Menne
2004 T.J. Winningham
2005 Dan Menne
2006 Bill Nutter
2007 Randy Rodgers
2008 Randy Rodgers
2009 Charlie Thompson
2010 Chadd Noland
