Purse Posted For This Weekend’s Melvin L. Joseph Memorial At Georgetown Speedway
Story By: CHRIS MOORE / GEORGETOWN SPEEDWAY – GEORGETOWN, DE – The sixth running of the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial is set to take place at the historic Georgetown Speedway to kick off the Northeast dirt Modified racing season this Friday, March 12 and Saturday, March 13.
The race also represents the official start of the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled by Sunoco in 2021 on the Velocita-USA South Region presented by Design for Vision and Sunglass Central for the Modifieds and Belmont’s Garage South Region for Crate 602 Sportsman racers.
The event is open to in-person attendance and will mark the debut of both Georgetown Speedway and the STSS on FloRacing. Both days will be broadcast live on FloRacing with production spearheaded by Dirt Track Digest TV.
A total purse of $69,684 is set for all divisions over the two-day spectacular at the banked half-mile in Southern Delaware. The STSS Modifieds headline the weekend with their 49-lap, $10,049-to-win main event that will take place Saturday (March 13). A total minimum purse of $33,889 in total is up for grabs for the big-block/small-block Modifieds.
In addition to the hefty purse, numerous cash bonuses and certificates will be up for grabs throughout the weekend for several divisions. Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company has also sponsored each lap of the 49-lap event at $49 each rotating through the top-seven positions ($2,401 total).
Anthony Perrego of Middletown, N.Y., won the inaugural running of the event back in 2016 while driving for the New York Truck Parts team. Jimmy Horton won the coldest edition of the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial, besting Ryan Watt, Billy Pauch Sr. and the rest of the field to top a daytime event in the 2017.
In 2018, Boyertown, Pa.’s Watt improved by one position, picking up his first-career Georgetown win in grand fashion. Watt outdueled Matt Sheppard in a thriller to pick up the payday.
In the most recent two editions of the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial, Sprakers, N.Y.’s Stewart Friesen has picked up the wins, becoming the first multi-time winner of the event. Friesen concluded the 2020 season in Victory Lane at Georgetown after a ‘Gobbler’ triumph.
Each of the past Melvin L. Joseph Memorial victors will be in attendance this weekend.
Excitement builds for the 2021 edition as it is expected to be the most heavily attended event – for both competitors and spectators – in the history of the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial. Entry forms have been filing in from across the Northeast from competitors ready to attend the highly anticipated, well-paying event.
The Bob Hilbert Sportswear STSS Crate 602 Sportsman will also be on the Saturday night card, kicking off their Belmont’s Garage South Region STSS points campaign for 2021. The STSS Crate 602 Sportsman will go 25-laps in a $1,549-to-win headliner.
Also on Saturday’s program will be the 12-lap features for the Little Lincolns, Delaware Super Trucks and Delmarva Chargers.
The Friday night (March 12) program is headlined by a 30-lap, $4,049-to-win event for the Small-Block Modifieds. The RUSH Crate Late Models are also on the Friday program going for 20 laps and $1,049-to-win.
Friday night’s program will also include 12-lap features for the Southern Delaware Vintage Stock Cars, Delaware Super Trucks and Delmarva Chargers. Practice laps will also be available to STSS Modifieds and STSS Crate 602 Sportsman on Friday night. The two fastest drivers (single-lap time, overall) will advance automatically into Saturday’s redraws.
