ULMS RETURNS HOME TO MCR FOR 2008 SERIES OPENER
April 11, 2008
The Northern Tier Inc. United Late Model Series will kick off its 2008 season at, McKean County Raceway in East Smethport, Pennsylvania on Saturday, April 26. The annual Jim Duffy Memorial will be on tap and this event will pay $2000 to win for the 30 lap main event for the super dirt late models. The winner will also be a guaranteed starter for the Dave Lundgren Memorial in May at MCR, which will be sanctioned by the IRS series.
McKean County Raceway is a 3/8 mile oval that sits in the rural town of Smethport, PA. ULMS has had thirteen races at MCR since 2002 and there have been nine different winners. Chub Frank has three ULMS wins at MCR while, Bob Close, Todd Andrews and Rob Blair each have two wins a piece at MCR. Solo ULMS winners at MCR are: Dick Barton, Ron Davies, Dan Stone and David Scott. Close is the two-time defending ULMS champion and has six ULMS wins to his career. Ron Davies and David Scott each have career ULMS wins.
The opening night event is in memory of the late Jim Duffy. Mr. Duffy was a very important part of the rebuilding of the racetrack in the early 1980s. He returned to late model racing in the mid 1980s and on opening night in 1989, he passed away after running the opening nights heat race.
Randy Hall Wins Inaugeral UEMS Event At Mercer
April 7, 2008
Saturday night, a new era started for the Emod racers of the northeast. The inaugural event for the new United E Mod Series was held at Mercer Raceway Park (PA) as part of the annual “CHILLER THRILLER.” Randy Hall of Olean, NY won the first ever event for the new series.
Twenty-eight race teams from New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio entered the first of six scheduled 2008 events on the United Emod Series (UEMS) schedule. Alan Dellinger of Hermitage, PA would put his name into the UEMS record books by winning the Lias Tire / American Racer Tire heat over second generation driver, John Woodward Jr., Russ Dunn and Jack Young.
The Close Racing Supply / GRT Race Cars Heat # 2 saw Randy Hall winning his qualifying event, but had to hold off the pressure of Dave Hess Jr. after a late yellow. Butch Lambert and Greg Eicher came home third and fourth. Eicher came from ninth place in the qualifying event.
The Hoosier Tire – Mid Atlantic – Cousins Designs Heat #3 was a barnburner. George Catanzano of Chatham, NY made the seven-hour drive and would lead until the final lap when 2007 McKean County Raceway and Little Valley Speedway Emod champion, Rich Michael would make the winning pass on the backstretch on the white flag lap to pull off the win. Catanzano would break a rear end gear on the final lap but would limp home second, just ahead rookie Emod driver, Justin Tatlow and Shawn Shingledecker.