The month of August normally means the end of summer is coming, but for the Northern Tier Inc ULMS Late Model Series it means the final two months of action will be hot with special money events! It all starts with a mini three day ULMS Speed week tour visiting three of the old Tri State Series tracks. ULMS will visit McKean County, Raceway 7 and Stateline Speedway Thursday, August 5th thru Saturday, August 7th with over $12,000 on the line.
Thursday, August 5th, the Northern Tier Inc. ULMS Late Models headed by current point leader, Dennis Lunger will roll into McKean County Raceway in E. Smethport, PA for the 6th annual Stephanie Eckl Memorial. This event will pay a $3000 to the winner with tenth and last place getting a minimum of $300 and $200 respectively to start. Greg Eckl has raised money over the years for this race in memory of his late daughter and has stated that all extra money he receives from donors will be added to the purse beginning in the rear of the payout. Past winners of this event have been Todd Andrews (three times), Rob Blair and Mike Knight won this event last year after the first and second place running cars of Chad Valone and Gregg Satterlee tangled on the final lap. This year’s event should be just as exciting.
The very next night, Friday, August 6th, the Northern Tier Inc. ULMS Late Models head west on I-86 and I-90 to Conneaut, Ohio for Raceway 7. The July 9th 40th Anniversary event was washed out by mother nature. On this night, the “Fallen Heroes of Raceway 7 Memorial” in part of the tracks 40th Anniversary season will be celebrated with the ULMS Late Models on hand. Dennis Lunger may have an upper hand on the competition as he is a weekly visitor to the track in the crate late model division. Other contenders will be three time defending ULMS champion, Bob Close, Bump Hedman, Boom Briggs, Dereck Frank, Brent Rhebergen and the “The Captain” Jason Dupont will be some of many drivers on hand for the $2000 to win, 30 lap event. David Scott picked up the win last year at Raceway 7; he no doubt will be on hand with the #3 Valona Ford.
The very next night the, biggest event of the year to date will take place at Stateline Speedway in Busty, NY. The Lynn Seaman’s – Donna Roberts Memorial will pay $7000 to the winner. This event will once again be an American Racer Tire only event, per agreement with Stateline Speedway management. So far the two ULMS shows at Stateline this year have been barn burners with very good field of entries on hand. David Scott and Mike Knight have picked up ULMS wins at the Busty oval. The weekly Stateline regulars will be tough to beat on their home track as John Lob, Doug Eck, Dick Barton, Chris Hackett, Dutch Davies in the George Lebaberra #26g, Scott Johnson, Chad Valone will all be tough to beat on their home track. The ULMS faithful of Lunger, Briggs, Hedman, Close, Frank will have their hands full with the toughest weekly competitors in the northeast. Rain date for this event is Saturday, August 21 if needed. The entry fee for this event will be $40.
The ULMS Late Models will then take seven days off before heading east on I-86 and Rte 417 into Steuben County in New York state for the 19th annual Late Model Reunion at Woodhull Raceway in wonderful, Woodhull, New York on Saturday, August 14. The 358 dirt modified fans get their annual taste of the 2200# lightning on dirt super late models on the high bank 3/8 mile oval. The 30 lap event will pay $2000 to the winner and is expected to bring cars from central and eastern Pennsylvania along with the ULMS travelers. Bob Close has dominated this event over the years and with 2010 looking to be his last year of full-time competition; this may be one of his best opportunities to grab that first win of 2010. Boom Briggs has finished second to Close two of the past three years; he will no doubt be looking to improve on the high banks. It appears that two of the past winners of this event, Jeff Hoffman and Al Brewer will not be participating as Hoffman reportedly lost a motor at Little Valley earlier in the month and Brewer sold his late model over the winter and no ride seems apparent for this event at a track he raced at in the 70s and early 80s before the late model division was dropped.
The Northern Tier Inc ULMS Late Models will end the month of August at Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway as they return to the MONSTER HALF MILE oval on Saturday, August 28. The night will begin with the second Twin 28 event of PENNational that was washed out on July 24. Mike Knight and Dennis Lunger find themselves on the front row for this $2000 event with Boom Briggs starting 4th. The rest of the program will be the Red Miley Rumble with a minimum of $4053 going to the winner of the race named after the Miley family patriarch. The PPMS regulars have been very tough at PPMS when the UFo and ULMS series meet up. The UFo stars of Chad McClelland, Johnny Mollick and Keith Barbara will no doubt be tough to beat along with the PPMS stars of Jared Miley, John Flinner, Mike Johnson, Lynn Geisler and Steve Baker. Maybe this night will be different with the ULMS stars being near the front of the conclusion of the PENNational.
For more information on all these events check http://www.unitedlatemodelseries.com/ out or visit each tracks website out at http://www.mckeancountyraceway.com/, http://www.raceway7.com/, http://www.stateline-speedway.com/, http://www.woodhullraceway.com/ and http://www.ppms.com/. All ULMS events mandate that Raceivers are needed and events at Raceway 7 and PPMS, transponders are mandatory by the track (can be rented at the track).
REMAINING 2010 SCHEDULE:
Thur. Aug 5 – McKean Co. Raceway $3000 to win – Stephanie Eckl Memorial
Fri Aug 6 – Raceway 7 $2000 to win – 40th Anniversary Event
Sat. Aug 7 – Stateline Speedway $7000 to win Lynn Seamans Memorial
Sat Aug 14 Woodhull Raceway $2000 to win 19th Annual Woodhull LM Reunion
Sat Aug 28 PPMS – Race#2 of PENNational Twin 28 ($2000 to win) plus Red Miley Rumble $4053
Fri Sept 10 Stateline Speedway $5000 to win
Sat. Sept 11 Stateline Speedway $5000 to win
Fri – Sat Sept 17-18 PPMS – Pittsburgher
Thur Sept 23 – McKean Co Raceway KOH (Fall Classic)
Fri Sept 24 – MCR – $2500 to win
Sat. Sept 25 MCR Priority Care RaceFAN 50 $12,000 to win
OCTOBER — TBA
