Photo Credit: Bill Moore

Brett Hearn Closes Out Northeast Season With Record 7th Mr. DIRTcar Title

Verona, NY – November 14, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director

They say records are made to be broken. On the DIRTcar Racing Northeast circuit its been open-wheel ace Brett Hearn that has remained one of the biggest advocates of that proverbial statement.

The Sussex, N.J. speedster took center stage for the seventh time in his career Saturday night, November 14 as nearly 500 drivers, owners, crew members, officials, media members and corporate VIPs filled the Turning Stone Resort & Casino Events Center in Verona, New York to celebrate during the 34th Annual DIRTcar Northeast “Night of Champions” Awards Banquet.

“I have a really high fireplace ledge at home that I’ve been putting the eagles (trophies) on, this one will have to go on the lower shelf,” smiled Hearn, 51, as he accepted the commemorative 65-pound hand-crafted “Tribute Trophy” that World of Outlaws champions Donny Schatz (Sprint) and Josh Richards (Late Model) received just last weekend for their own divisional titles to distinguish them as the best in the land. “That thing is incredibly heavy, seriously.”

“These championships are so hard to come by. It takes such a commitment, so much hard work for such a long period of time. Sometimes I can’t believe we can get up and do this the next morning.”

“George from Wentworth Construction, we’ve really become great friends over the last five years. Guys like Don Kruger and Bill Rumsey have been with us for a long time and Dean Pectal from Benjamin Moore Paints has become even more involved this year. Looking around its pretty to cool to see the success of my brother’s (Bobby) business ---Teo Pro Car Fabrication--- with three championship cars up here all at the same time. A big thanks also has to go out to Kevin Enders for his engine work, he’s given us all the power we’ve needed and more. Having everybody here together tonight makes it the most special,” noted Hearn, the all-time Super DIRTcar Series leader with 103 victories, also topping DIRTcar’s Modified list with 523 (350 Big-Block) feature wins.

World Racing Group Chief Executive Officer Brian Carter headed the presentation to Hearn and his car owner Madsen Motorsports, with WRG President and Chief of Operations Tom Deery also addressing the audience alongside newly appointed Director DIRTcar NE Competition & Track Sanctioning Joe Skotnicki. Further acknowledgements went out to the entire DIRTcar NE staff and WRG officials that helped coordinate the annual production at the internationally acclaimed Turning Stone entertainment complex.

Familiar ‘voice’ of the Super DIRTcar Series Shane Andrews emceed the program that featured interviews with every major award winner throughout the night. Always a highlight of this special occasion, customary inclusion of the four Mr. DIRTcar winning cars near center stage on the dining room floor provided a fitting backdrop that offered numerous photo opportunities both before and after the festive stage production. The sleek Madsen Motorsports no. 20 Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR-BPG/TEO mount grabbed the most attention with Hearn posing alongside with his top-flight team of sponsors.

“You need the help of a very loyal and dedicated crew to be successful in racing,” remarked Brian Madsen, speaking on behalf of his parents Guy and Patricia Madsen while accepting the coveted owners trophy. “That sums up Andrew and Thomas (Conroy, head fabricator), their work ethic is second to none and the commitment to their job is the reason we are here tonight. Then there’s Kim and Kevin Enders (engine builder), we’ve asked a lot of them and they were always up to the challenge. Thank you for the friendship.”

“Finally, there’s Brett … able to oversee the whole team without missing a single detail. Your dedication, focus and will to win is unmatched, thank you for winning our 2nd championship. Your 7th title puts you up there with the names Petty and Earnhardt. We’re planning to be back with you in 2010. I know you’ll be needing to help Brook (Brett’s daughter) with college expenses so I’m sure having to open up your own wallet will make you even more eager to win. And that should make next year even better,” teased the younger Madsen, as he helped celebrate the family’s 25th season of racing that all began with a Street Stock ride at Lebanon Valley Speedway in 1985.

Following a similar format to the banquet program initiated last autumn, recognition of the 2009 DIRTcar Northeast touring division track champions kicked off the evening agenda with Regional Racing Series top point-getters honored prior to dinner being served at 7:30pm.

Continuing in ‘09 with DIRTcar Northeast sanctioned tracks divided into regions for the Big-Block Modified, 358-Modified and Sportsman classes, Regional Racing Series point funds rewarded the leading drivers in each class with total payouts equaling $39,425 for all nine open-wheel divisions. Recently crowned Regional champions earning $2,000 in the Big-Blocks were Matt Sheppard (central), Andy Bachetti (east) and Kevin Bolland (west), Regional 358-Modified point winners collecting $1,000 were Danny O’Brien (north) and Pete Bicknell (west), while top point-getters in the Sportsman Regions receiving $600 were Chris Raabe (north), Steve Gray (central), Brian Sage (west) and Jeremiah Munson (east).

Top point-getters in the Big-Block Modified, 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock classes were recognized during this popular seasonal celebration and in the end more than $374,000 in cash, fuel certificates and contingency awards were spread over 300 paying positions in DIRTcar NE's four major touring divisions.

Eastern Region Manager Jim Kelly presented awards on behalf of VP Racing Fuels, Bicknell Racing Products Vice-President Randy Williamson rewarded teams in the name of Hoosier Tire while Larry Bishop was in attendance from Dig Safely New York, a long standing supporter of DIRTcar Racing and sponsor of the Modified Non-Qualifiers race at Super DIRT Week. Also recognized as special guests of DIRTcar Racing in this season-ending event were representatives from Camping World, Pullen’s Truck Center and Summit Auto Group.

In a special presentation made near the end of the night by Canandaigua, Cayuga County and Rolling Wheels track General Manager CoryReed, long-time scorer, handicapper and DIRTcar NE Director of Computer Operations Gary Spaid was recognized with a career achievement award. Spaid received the 4th Glenn Donnelly Award of Excellence which was created in 2006 to honor individuals, teams, associates, sponsors and others within the DIRTcar Racing Northeast community who exemplify characteristics that Glenn himself displayed. Pride, professionalism, dedication, loyalty and a genuine desire to excel are some of the attributes that qualified Spaid to receive this year’s prized award.

“I respected what Glenn did and admired all that he accomplishment in Modified racing,” uttered a choked up Spaid as he looked for words to describe a surprise reception of the rare honor. “He made our brand of racing mean a lot to everyone around him and it meant so much more to be a part of something that special. Certainly never expected this but appreciate it greatly … don’t really know what else to say. Just something I never thought of receiving although it means so much. Its nice to have some family here as they’ve been a part of everything I’ve done since day one,” noted Spaid, who was joined by wife Donna and son Brian Spaid, who was also on hand representing Tri-City Speedway during the track awards portion.

A custom trophy was given to Spaid and his name will also be inscribed on a special plaque next to 2006 award winners John Holland and Al Heinke from H&H Motorsports, ’07 recipient Tim Burger from Rite Aid, and last year’s winner Mike Paris from Advance Auto Parts, that will be put on display in the Northeast Modified Hall of Fame & Classic Car Museum located on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds in Weedsport, New York.

Along with the $50,000 Mr. DIRTcar cash jackpot collected by Hearn, the five-time Super DIRT Week Rite Aid 200 winner earned an additional $3,000 in VP Fuel certificates and $1,000 more from VP for his Super DIRT Week 358-Modified Championship fast time. The World Racing Group also fitted the newest Mr. DIRTcar Modified Champion with a commemorative ring to add to his growing collection. Mr. DIRTcar runner-up Matt Sheppard garnered an additional $2,000 in fuel from VP while receiving a unique $1,000 "Gater Leads The Way" prize package from Gater Racing Photo News editor Joe Patrick after ‘Super Matt’ led the most laps during the Super DIRTcar Series which included 20 extra-distance feature races held from April through October.

For the first time in his career, Dale Planck captured the overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship. While going winless the entire season in both Big-Block and Small-Block competition, the second-generation driver from Cortland, N.Y. traveled back to the Southern Tier $13,000 richer in cash and product.

“We’re going to go for that Big-Block title next,” beamed Planck, 39, who was joined at the podium by 358-Modified Series Director Gaston Salvas and Carey Terrance, owner of the RezX Racing no. 77x Grow It Hydroseeding/TEO entry, who settled for sixth-place in the Mr. DIRTcar 358 points chase. “We’ll see what we can do next year with this one under our belt.”

“This makes me feel pretty awesome, the level of competition just keeps getting tougher every year. Just to be consistent and end up on stage is quite an accomplishment. I’m very happy to be standing here. I can’t thank Carey enough and my family for all their support. I’m getting my son going with college right now. Told him to go out there, get a good job and make lots of money then go and race with the right equipment,” added Planck, son of DIRTcar NE pioneer Denny Planck, who was joined by wife Leslie and son Steve on the this landmark occasion.

For a second consecutive season, the ‘Teenage Tornado’ Chris Raabe from Napanee, Ontario collected a $5,000 prize after his rise to the top of the Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman point standings. Once more steering owner Garry McColman’s no. 01 Scott’s Industrial Services-TyRoute Communication/TEO machine, Raabe closed out the campaign leading the DIRTcar Sportsman ranks with 19 feature wins while claiming track high-point crowns at Can-Am Motorsports Park and Thunder Alley Speedpark in the north country.

Its pretty neat to have two eagles now and be back here with all the other champions,” said Raabe, 18, an honor student at Queen's University in Kingston Ontario where he is enrolled in his sophomore year. Owner McColman was back home battling the flu while teammates showed no signs of slowing down posing for plenty of post-season pictures.

“Chasing points around the circuit is certainly something you can’t do without a dedicated crew, and I’ve been fortunate to have such a great group of people behind me. They’ve carried me to the top two years in row, which is a pretty impressive feat considering everything required to be successful nowadays. It’s always the drivers that get to come up here and accept the awards, but its everybody behind the scenes that really make all this happen,” added Raabe, after becoming only the third repeat champion in 20 years of DIRTcar Sportsman racing and just the second to wear back-to-back crowns.

Two straight overall Hoosier-VP Mr. DIRTcar Championships was also a streak put together by Western New York Pro Stock standout Pete Stefanski, only that came in 2007. As the first decade of the new millennium comes to a close, Stefanski now owns an unprecedented fourth consecutive title worth another $2,000 for the Wheatfield, N.Y. chauffeur.

“We were fortunate this year, a lot of things went our way but that’s what you need sometimes to get an edge,” remarked Stefanski, 39, DIRTcar Northeast’s all-time Pro Stock Series winner with 23 extra-distance triumphs, including his inaugural trip to victory lane taken at Syracuse to close out Super DIRT Week in October. 10 wins in 2009 aboard the familiar Sunrise Racing no. 2 San Ter Sewing-PJ NFB Auto Sales/Chevrolet Monte Carlo/EMS ride increased his career count on the DIRTcar circuit to an all-time high total of 88.

“The whole thing probably came down to just a couple races, a few spots higher here or there would’ve made a big difference. Whether you have good luck or bad luck determines the outcome and Joey (Ladouceur, runner-up) and I had our share of both this season. We’re looking forward to getting more series races closer to home next year. We’ll just have to wait and see how the schedule works and if no. 5 (title) is in the cards. 1300 miles is a long way to travel on weekends during the season, how many times will determine our plans,” figured Stefanski, who finished out of the tour top-five just twice in nine events, going a perfect 11 for 11 in 2008 stops.

Four rookie drivers were honored at the banquet and presented special achievement awards for their first-year success by Dennis Botindari from MSS. An additional $8,500 in cash and prizes, including Extreme Mufflers and a ButlerBuilt Seat, were shared by 2009 Motorsports Safety Systems/G-FORCE Racing Gear DIRTcar Northeast Rookies of the Year award winners Rich Scagliotta (Big-Block Modified), Jeremy Wilder (358-Modified), Robert Humphreys (Sportsman) and Harvey Arquette Jr. (Pro Stock). Scagliotta was also presented a ‘Determination Award’ for loyally following both Big-Block and Small-Block Modified series, and his tentative agenda in ’10 includes a similar strategy.

‘Live' entertainment provided by the band Raised On Radio closed out the gala evening in the events center as race teams, sponsors, track operators and guests officially helped draw the curtain on DIRTcar’s 34th season of auto racing promotion.

The start of 2010 is now only 88 days away as Volusia Speedway Park leads off down south with the 39th Annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH opening for Big-Block Modifieds on February 10. Check out www.superdirtcarseries.com often as further information for Volusia's popular Winter tour events will be posted right up to race time.

Skidmarks: Michael Storms finished 10th in the final 2009 overall Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block point standings yet it was a combination of broken spindles, engine failures and racing wrecks and having his ride ---Vinny Salerno’s 4-Star Racing-Keizer Aluminum Wheels-Four Star Transmission/TEO--- stolen near season’s end that ultimately landed him the Area Auto Racing News ‘Hard Luck’ award. Helen Bruce made the presentation…. In an award introduced this year by Jeff Brownell, his own driver Matt Sheppard was selected as the ‘Xtreme Slick Move of the Year’ award recipient, yet in a fine gesture, Brownell turned over the $500 prize to Salerno following the late-season theft of his Big-Block Modifieds…Putting an exclamation point on a season filled with prize package giveaways after every Super DIRTcar Series Dig Safely New York ‘Last Chance’ qualifier, DSNY motorsports consultant Larry Bishop held a special draw with consi race winners Rich Ricci Jr., Roy Bresnahan, Tim Fuller, Pete Bicknell and Danny O’Brien collecting $100 awards while Chuck Bower earned the $500 grand-prize…In a full-fender draw among drivers attending all nine series events conducted by Pro Stock Series Director Brian Mulligan, Roch Aubin, Don Carlson, Sean Corr, Joey Ladouceur, Stephane Lebrun, Dion Oakes, P.J. Peters, Pete Stefanski and Rob Yetman, Allstar Performance 100% Club member Lebrun had his name selected to win a Five Star Body valued at $2,000 from distributor EMS proprietor Eric Marin…An informal Saturday afternoon gathering of more than a dozen media members in the Turning Stone Resort Tower Hotel’s 2nd-Floor Meadow Room pre-empted the dinner banquet with WRG officials Carter, Deery and VP Public Relations Chris Dolack offering some brief notes about what transpired during the promoters' meetings held Friday. Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman champ Raabe was among those available to answer questions, with most inquiries centered around the upcoming race season.

DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds, home of DIRTcar All-Star Weekend in July. DIRTcar Northeast’s crown jewel event ---Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse runs annually in October featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Big-Block Modified, 358-Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions. Ticket and schedule information is available by contacting the Weedsport office (315/834-6606) during the day or logging into www.superdirtweekonline.com anytime.