Lancaster Announces Purse & Format For Ken ‘Hurricane’ Heckler 51
Story By: DAVE BUCHANAN / LANCASTER SPEEDWAY – LANCASTER, NY – Lancaster National Speedway will honor the memory of a recently departed member of its racing family this Saturday with the Ken “Hurricane” Heckler 51 Tribute Race for the Advance Auto Parts Street Stocks.
Heckler, who passed away suddenly in March, raced for many years at Lancaster in the Street Stocks, Super Stocks, Sportsman and Cup Lites before transitioning into the role of Pit Steward after his driving career ended. The Ken Heckler Tribute Race will be 51 laps in honor of the car number Heckler used during his days in the Street Stock division.
This special event will feature an increased purse, a special race format and around $1,800 in lap money up for grabs.
As a reward to the drivers in the Advance Auto Parts Street Stocks for helping grow the division over the last three seasons and for their exciting side-by-side racing action, Lancaster National Speedway will pay out the same purse that the division gets for the season-ending U.S. Open. The race will pay $500 to the winner and it will be a minimum of $75 to start the feature.
“The Advance Auto Part Street Stocks have had some of the largest car counts and put on some great shows this year,” said Tim Packman, Track President. “Ken Heckler cast a big shadow on this track, and not just because of his height. He left his mark as a driver, official and friend through four decades. So, if we’re going to honor a big man like Hurricane, we’re going to do it in a big way for his race.”
In addition to the increased purse, there will also be close to $1,800 lap money thanks to the efforts of Heckler’s wife, Debbie, and the racing community. Debbie Heckler collected a minimum of $25 per lap for all 51 laps. All drivers in the feature field will be eligible for the lap money, with a random draw deciding which position receives the payout for each lap. Long time LNS supporter, Howie Markel, has also added a $10 lap leader bonus for all 51 laps.
To make things interesting there will be a competition caution on lap 26 to invert part of the field before the start of the second half of the race. A random draw place will take place to determine the amount of cars that will be inverted. If there are 25 or 26 cars in the race, then the maximum possible number of cars to invert will be 13. The maximum number for the inversion will be 12 for a 23-24 car field, 11 with 21-22 cars, and so on. The number of cars to be inverted will be not be revealed until the competition caution.
The Sunoco Sportsman and Roaming Buffalo 4-Cylinders will also be in action on Saturday night. The championship race in both divisions is heating up with just a few weeks left in the regular season. There will also be lap money available for both the Sportsman and 4-Cylinders this Saturday thanks to Debbie Heckler.
This Saturday is also Kids Night at Lancaster National Speedway. There will be a Power Wheels race during intermission for any child that brings their own power car from home plus a kids bicycle giveaway. Admission for kids 11 and under will be free on Saturday, which is the case for all Speedway and Dragway events.
About Lancaster National Speedway & Dragway: Founded in 1959, Lancaster National Speedway and Dragway, WNY’s Premier Motorsports and Event Facility, is a multi-use facility located on 77 acres just outside of metropolitan Buffalo, N.Y. The facility features a 1/8-mile drag strip, a 1/2-mile oval track and hosts several non-motorsports events such as car shows and concerts. For the latest information on Lancaster National Speedway & Dragway check out our website www.lancasternationalspeedway.com. Additional information for racers and fans can be found on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/LancasterSpeedway) and on Twitter (@LancasterSpdwy).
Ken “Hurricane” Heckler Tribute 51 Lap Street Stock Purse
1st $500
2nd $350
3rd $300
4th $275
5th $250
6th $225
7th $200
8th $175
9th $150
10th $125
11th to 15th – $100
16th through field – $75
