First Ever Ultimate Sportsman Showdown To Pay $5K-To-Win At Utica-Rome

Story By: JOHN TIFF / UTICA-ROME SPEEDWAY – VERNON, NY – The biggest 602 Crate Sportsman event of the season is set to go this Sunday, September 10, at the Utica-Rome Speedway as Donath Motor Worx, Fastline/FOX Shocks, and Extreme Performance present the Ultimate Sportsman Showdown.

Boasting a purse of over $23,000 plus contingencies, the winner of the 50-lap main event will take $5,000 with a minimum of $500 to start the feature event. This will be a stand-alone one division show.

Heat lineups will be determined by timed sessions by heat groups with an inversion draw of two, four, or six deciding the heat lineup. Non-qualified cars from the heats will be placed into a B, C, or D Main (number of mains is dependent on car count), and all mains will have a payout. There will be no provisionals, the best 24 cars of the night will start the feature. Dave Marcuccilli holds the only guaranteed spot for the Ultimate Sportsman Showdown by virtue of his winning the Mike Martin Memorial on July 16.

Competitors should expect extensive post-race technical inspection for the top five finishers along with a random car, determined by draw, from positions six through 10. DIRTcar Sportsman rules will be used for this event, and that includes rules concerning driver eligibility as this event is geared to Sportsman drivers.

Currently, there is an A, B, C, and D Main scheduled and that could be expanded if car counts dictate. This event is geared towards Sportsman drivers only. Any driver that holds a DIRTcar 358-Modified or DIRTcar Modified license, or has competed in six or more 358-Modified or Modified events is not eligible to compete in this event. Any questions concerning eligibility can be directed to Bill Shea at 315-794-8387.

There is a $50 registration fee for each driver upon entering the pits, and registration forms can be found on the track website. Pit fees will be $35 with grandstand admission set at the normal weekly price of $13 for adults. Military and Seniors will be admitted to the grandstands for $10 with children 16 and under free.

Beyea Custom Headers will be awarding over $1500 in gift certificate at the Ultimate Sportsman Shootout. Each heat race winner will win $50.00. The hard charger of the feature will win $250.00 certificate and the 24-car starting field for the Ultimate Sportsman Shootout will be thrown into a drawing for $500.00 certificate to be drawn at conclusion of Ultimate Sportsman Showdown. www.beyeaheaders.com

Race teams are encouraged to arrive early as there will be a pre-race technical inspection. Pit gates will open at Noon, with grandstands opening at 1:30 p.m. The draw will close at 2:15 p.m. with the drivers meeting at 2:30 p.m. Hot laps, by heat groups, will start at 3 p.m. with group time trials immediately following. Racing is set to begin at 4 p.m.

Utica-Rome Speedway is located on Route 5 just east of the village of Vernon, just minutes from the New York State Thruway. More information including registration forms, driver eligibility information, pre-race technical inspection process, and much more can be found on www.uticaromespeedway.com. The speedway office can be contacted by calling 315-829-4557. Utica-Rome Speedway can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.