SAN BERNARDINO -- Throughout the 2008 Race Season at the historic ¼ Mile Oval, Orange Show Speedway has been recognized and been seen in many ways beyond the incredible fans that attend each week. From newspaper articles, to 'live' race reporting on Racing West, to this weekend's visit from the Lucas Oil Productions for the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour filming for the second visit of the SuperClean Modifieds presented by K & N Filters. But that is only the tip of the iceberg as OSS Championship Points Leader Linny White leads the BSR West Super Late Models back to the track for a twin-50 lap showdown. The night will include Main Event action for the ASA Pro 4 division and the always unpredictable, entry-level, ASA Factory Fours. Round number six of the SuperClean Modified Series will feature 22 of the best open wheel modified driving talent in the western states running a 75-lap feature. The event will also be video taped for national television and will be shown on the Versus Network on September 14th at 6pm. The television crews will be working overtime as part of the National Broadcast, the Orange Show Quarter Midget Racing Association (OSQMRA) will be showcasing their youth racing program to the world.
According to all accounts, the QMA (Quarter Midgets of America) Region 11 2-Day race, that was coordinated by the families and Board of Directors of the OSQMRA, will be the first-ever Nationally Televised race for this branch of motorsports. This sport is definitely the 'best kept secret' you'll ever come across. The OSQMRA is a family oriented club and sport that involves racing in special prepared cars. A Quarter Midget car is a scaled-down version of an actual midget racer, approximately 1/4 scale. The cars, rules and safety procedures are designed specifically for kids. They race on oval tracks approximately 1/20 of a mile. A child who is 5 to 16 years of age can race. Safety features include full roll cages, multi-point seat harnesses, full-face helmets, and other gear. This sport has fewer injuries than little-league or junior league football. The racing environment is about children and family. Not only do kids learn valuable skills and sportsmanship, but they also make new friends. For more information about the OSQMRA, visit their website at http://www.osqmra.com/.
After the OSQMRA families finish their racing for Saturday, they will be in for a treat as they make their way into the stands of OSS and leave their 6 horsepower aside for 600 horsepower open wheel racing with the SuperClean Modifieds. This outstanding ten race series, visiting five tracks in three different states, has been a hot bed of competition throughout the first half of the 2008 season. Northern California's Scott Winters, who was making his first ever, visit to the series, won the first race, held July 12th. The field of SuperClean Modifieds put on a spectacular show that night with multiple groups of cars racing wheel-to-wheel all throughout the 75-lap feature.
Don't be the least bit surprised if the SuperClean Modified drivers take that level of intensity several notches higher when the green flag falls on Saturday night's K&N Performance Filters 75. With the series beginning the second half of the season, the point's structure will become increasingly important. The top of the points standing has become a back and forth battle between Jimmy Dickerson and Andrew Phipps. Dickerson has been a dominant factor in the series from the very beginning. The El Cajon-California driver came on strong and won two races in a row, followed by a second place finish and then scored his third win. All this while Simi Valley-California's Andrew Phipps was doing all that he could to keep within striking distance of his rival in the points standings. He helped that cause by scoring a series win and making sure his car finished in the top five after each race. But the points standing took a dramatic turn at the OSS on July 12th when Dickerson's car suffered a mechanical failure that sent him behind the wall. He eventually was able to return to the race but was multiple laps down and had to settle for a 14th place finish. Phipps finished second and left the OSS that night as the new points leader. He will go into this Saturday night leading by 24 points. Expect him to do everything that's necessary to protect that lead. OSS fans are going to get that extra intensity of racing excitement Saturday night while watching the drivers do everything they can to elevate their points positions.
But there will be other drivers who are planning on exerting some influence over who wins the K&N Performance Filters 75 this Saturday night. Certainly one of them is likely to be Mike Salm. Many felt that the Baldwin-California driver was robbed of a win during the July 12th race at the OSS. Salm rolled out of the hauler strong that weekend and set the Budweiser fast time after touring the speedway's quarter mile oval with a lap of 13.718 seconds. He led the first 38 laps of the race before getting caught up in a wreck, not of his making, with a lapped car. Expect Salm to come back to the OSS this Saturday night just as strong as his last appearance while thinking that this track owes him.
The bookends to all the exciting action this Saturday will be the BSR West Super Late Models in a pair of 50-lap Main Events. Linny White will be competing not only as the OSS Points Leader, but also sitting 6th nationally in the ASA Joe Gibbs Driven National Short Track Championship standings. Affectionately known as the 'Colton Cowboy,' the local driver has grown up racing at OSS with wins and championships in other divisions, including some classic battles over the years with former Champion Mark Shackelford of Riverside. Shackelford fell one position short of a successful return to the track after a season long hiatus. Yet as history tends to repeat itself, it was a late race battle that had Mark finishing second to the eventual winner, and nemesis, Linny White. It was Shackleford's debut in his new Blackjack Fireworks/Cannon Heating & Air #10 that he plans on making a splash in for the remain races of 2008. Linny White was excited to see Shackleford's return;
"It is awesome to have Mark out there. We've finished 1-2 so many times, I can't even keep count. He's an amazing driver and makes me work for every inch out on that track. But we've ran side by side for so many years, we give each other enough respect to race hard, but clean. It means I have yet another great driver gunning' for me."
K & N Filters will also be celebrating Employee Night out at the track. With all the proud employees of one of the racing industry leaders in attendance, the atmosphere will be electric and one that should not be missed. K&N Engineering, of Riverside, California, is the inventor and leading innovator of reusable cotton gauze filter technology for automotive applications. From humble beginnings as a family run business over 35 years ago, K&N Engineering, now a truly global company with offices in the U.K. and the Netherlands, continues to exist as a family owned business with an enthusiast mindset and a direct connection with motor sports that carries over throughout all levels of management and manufacturing. Today, K&N exists as both the sales and brand leader for performance filters, and maintains a stocking catalogue of over 3,500 part numbers, including an extensive line of both factory replacement drop-in filters, FIPK (Fuel Injection Performance Kit) applications, and its line of innovative Performance Gold oil filters. For more information, fans can also visit their fully comprehensive website at www.knfilters.com.
Auto Club Speedway will be represented as well as OSS celebrates 61 consecutive years a racing, fans will have the opportunity to purchase a special OSS/Auto Club Ticket package that includes one Pepsi 500 Ticket to Auto Club Speedway on Labor Day Weekend, two tickets to Orange Show Speedway good for the balance of the 2008 racing season, an OSS collectable T-Shirt and OSS Souvenir Program all for just $61. The offer will expire August 22, 2008. The package is available immediately. For details fans can contact Patrick Wuertz at 909-429-5134 or email him at pwuertz@autoclubspeedway.com. For more information on the Auto Club Speedway or Labor Day's biggest party, the Pepsi 500 weekend at the Auto Club Speedway of Southern California, please call 800-944-RACE log on to www.autoclubspeedway.com.
Orange Show Speedway is a proud member of the ASA Member Track program, which is comprised of a network of short tracks around the United States. For news and information from all the racetracks and tours involved in the ASA, visit www.ASA-Racing.com . Drivers, Racers and Fans are encouraged to keep abreast will all the updates and exciting news during the off season by checking out www.nosevents.com and keep an eye on the speedway page for more information.
Racing at Orange Show Speedway is sponsored by
Lucas Oil, Pick A Part Auto Recyclers, Blackhawk Protection, Del Taco, KTTD radio (AM 1350), Leno's Rico Taco, JAM Sportswear, Budweiser, Hoosier Racing Tires, Frank's Radio Service, 1st Valley Credit Union, Parker Pumper/BSR West, Star Auto Parts, Matich Corporation, Industrial Metal Supply, L. Curti Truck and Equipment, One Stop Landscape Supply, Race Radio (WWW.RACERADIO.ORG), CEC Embroidery
For further information, contact Orange Show Speedway at 909-888-6788, X438, visit the web site at www.nosevents.com, or email us direct at osspeedway@aol.com.
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