Winchester, IN – A renewal of a quarter century tradition will happen on the famous High Banks of Winchester Speedway this weekend as the Old Timers Weekend returns to the 2008 Winchester Speedway schedule bringing historic cars and drivers covering years of classic open wheel racing through out one of the greatest racing era’s in America. After an absence of a number of years, Winchester Speedway owner Charlie Shaw along with Champion Racing Association’s Glenn Luckett and RJ Scott, the promoters of Winchester Speedway, decided to bring the event back with longtime vintage racecar writer Bill Holder serving as the event coordinator.
“Saturday will be strictly a car display day with the cars available for close examination from 9am to 6pm,” remarked Holder. “On Sunday, the cars will again be on display except for some track time during the day. It should be a thrill for the vintage participants being able to expose their cars on the track in front of a full house of fans. There is no additional charge for viewing the static display on either day.”
A number of the old legends of the worlds fastest half mile will also return as part of the celebration of this weekend. Some of the former drivers expected on include Greg Leffler, Bruce Walkup, Tom Bigelow, Cy Fairchild, Butch Wilkerson, Larry Rice, Rollie Beale, Bill Puterbaugh, Pancho Carter, Hernest Hillegas, Brent Whitted, Greg Stabb, Steve Butler, Chic Hale, Crocky Wright, Jim Hines, Johnny Vance, Dave Weir, Bob Moore, Jim Baugh, Mutt Anderson, Bill Hollaway, Kevin Olsen, Steve Perkins, Bobby Stokes, Mel Kenyon and Eldon Rasmussen.
Heading up the racing action on Sunday will be the USAC National Sprint Car Series with their third event of the season at Winchester Speedway. Darren Hagen and the Keith Kuntz Motorsports Team will be looking to make it a clean sweep of the Winchester events after taking victories in the Rich Vogler Classic on April 27th and the Thursday Night Thunder event on June 12th. The Kuntz cars are always tough on pavement, especially the high-banked tracks.
Levi Jones comes into Sunday’s event as the point leader for the Tony Stewart owned team. Jones holds a slim nine-point lead over second place Jerry Coons Jr. driving for the famous Hoffman family, the all-time winners in USAC Sprint car history. Cole Whitt with Keith Kuntz Motorsports is third in points followed by New Castle, Indiana native Tracy Hines, Jones’s teammate. The top four in points are all entered for Sunday’s event.
Other top drivers expected for Sunday’s event includes veterans Brian Tyler, Eric Gordon, Brian Gerster, and Muncie native Aaron Pierce. There are several local young guns also entered including New Castle’s Dakoda Armstrong and Knightstown’s Rex Norris III and Kasey Kahne’s hot shoes Brady Bacon and Brad Sweet, the winner of the series last event at Eldora Speedway.
The MAX 93.5/96.7 CRA Street Stocks will also be in action on Sunday led by series points leader Joe Beaver who comes in with only a nine point lead over Bret Miles Jr. with only two series points events left in the 2008 season. Rookie Josh Burton, Beaver’s teammate, is currently in third place in points, he is 48 points behind Miles Jr. Larry Matillo is currently fourth in series points, he is only six points behind Burton. Carl Muffley has now dropped to fifth place in points, eleven points behind Matillo.
Rick Erwin became the ninth different winner in the ten series events held so far this season in the series last event this past Saturday at ORP. Carl Muffley is the only driver this season to visit victory lane twice. The series Season Championship event will be part of the Winchester 400 Weekend at Winchester Speedway on Saturday, October 11th.
Also in action Sunday will be the INEX Thunder Roadsters for the third time in 2008. Toby Alfrey got the victory in the first event with that series on June 12th over T.J. Sneva and Tony Wachter. Sneva got an exciting win in the August 10th feature holding off James Edsal and Al Renner to get the win.
Pit gates open at 9am on Sunday, spectator gates open and practice begins at 11am, with qualifying beginning at 12:30pm. The race program will begin at 2pm. More information on this weekend’s event is available at www.winchesterspeedway.com.
