Three regional racetracks have teamed up for The Ultimate Body Shop Triple Crown U-CAR Series.
Southern National Motorsports Park in Lucama, North Carolina, Wake County Speedway in Raleigh, North Carolina and East Carolina Motor Speedway in Robersonville, North Carolina will each host races in the three race championship series. The series will not only put the U-CAR division in the spotlight but also boasts a unique partnership between three very different racetracks.
“This is going to be a really cool deal,” Southern National Motorsports Park promoter Langley Austin said. “Racing needs all the tracks in a given area working together. I think between myself, John Vick at East Carolina and Charlie Hansen at Wake County, we’ve done a great job of working in that direction.”
The Ultimate Body Shop Triple Crown will kick off on Saturday night, May 30th at East Carolina Motor Speedway. Wake County Speedway will host a Triple Crown race on June 19th and then the series finale will be held at Southern National Motorsports Park on July 11th.
“I’m excited about it,” East Carolina Motor Speedway promoter John Vick said of the Triple Crown. “I think it gives all the tracks an opportunity to put the U-CARs at the forefront. U-CARs are what are helping our tracks quite honestly. They bring fans and it is traditional short track Saturday night racing.”
The race format will be twin 25 lap races each night. Each track has agreed to use the $500, 25 car purse that is listed on the Southern National Motorsports Park website. The purse will be divided between the two races ($250 to win each race). All three promoters are excited about giving the U-CAR an opportunity to shine in the spotlight.
The Ultimate Body Shop, located in Kinston, North Carolina, is the primary sponsor of the series and will award money to the top-three points finishers with a guaranteed $300 to the series champion, $200 for second place and $125 for third. All drivers finishing outside the top three will be eligible to enter in random cash drawings ranging from amounts between $50 and $500. In order for drivers to be eligible, they must compete in at least two of the series races and must race at least once at some point in all three tracks in the Triple Crown series before the Southern National finale.
“This U-Car Triple Crown Series will be a good deal one of the divisions that some tracks seem to just overlook,” Austin remarked. “With this three race series and some good money on the line for the drivers and teams, it should give some of the little guys some good exposure.”
“I think that the U-CAR division is long overdue to be considered the premier division,” Wake County Speedway promoter Charlie Hansen stated. “They’re racing for some decent money and there’s a nice little points fund that’s been put together. They’ve just been long overdue for some good exposure.”
“I think it’s going to bring the fans to the track because it will be a large field,” Vick said. “I think it is bringing excitement back to short track racing. Those U-CAR guys are good guys. They work all week long. They go to the shops at night. They come to the track to race. They’re not trying to be the next Dale Jr, they’re trying to race. It’s truly some of the best racing you’ll see.”
Austin feels the deal is unique not just in being a three race set at three different tracks, but because all three tracks are very unique. Wake County is a quarter-mile bullring, East Carolina is a 3/8-mile D-shaped oval and Southern National Motorsports Park is a 4/10-mile oval.
“The three tracks are so different too,” Austin explained. “Wake County is just a little bull ring and the short track of the series, East Carolina is like an intermediate track, really racy and challenging and Southern National is like the Daytona of this series. I think it’ll be a real challenge for the drivers to conquer all three tracks and we’re glad to be final stop of the series, where they’ll settle the championship.”
The series is a unique opportunity not just for the U-CAR competitors but for all three tracks to work together for something that strengthens every track and the drivers.
“It just makes good sense for tracks to work together,” Hansen commented. “Racing is a tough enough deal to try to make work when you’re trying to battle each other instead of working together. It only hurts the tracks. When tracks can work together and have a common set of rules, it gives the drivers the ability to travel and race wherever they want and it gives more people the opportunity to build a car rand race at several places. They don’t have to worry if one track closes up that they don’t have a place to race. If tracks can work together, it would help racing in general.”
For more information about Southern National Motorsports Park, check out SNMP’s website at www.snmpark.com, “like” Southern National Motorsports Park on Facebook or “follow” @SNM_Park on Twitter.
For more information about East Carolina Motor Speedway, visit their website at www.ecspeedway.com. For more information about Wake County Speedway, visit www.wcspeedway.com.
