Published: October 03, 2008 12:23 am            

Huge slate of racing on tap at Action Track

Fans will see more than their usual share of racing Saturday at the Terre Haute Actin Track.

As a result of the Sept. 12 rainout of the Monster Modified Classic, which was to be prefaced by the inaugural Race to Recover, the 2008 season will conclude with a grand finale.

The Hut Hundred is the main event, but fans can enjoy more than eight hours of action on the1/2-mile dirt oval if they so choose. Modifieds will begin practice at 2 p.m. for their 7:45 p.m. feature. IndyCar drivers, including Action Track promoter Davey Hamilton, A.J. Foyt IV, Tomas Scheckter, Jay Howard and Sarah Fisher, will race in the UMP Modifieds at 8:45 p.m.

And NASCAR’s J.J. Yeley and Jason Leffler will be among the racers in the Hut Hundred. Yeley outraced Dave Darland, this year’s Hulman Classic winner at the Action Track, to win last weekend at Eldora Speedway.

Yeley will relinquish his No. 4 ride to Bobby East, the 2004 winner of the Hut Hundred. Yeley will drive the No. 1 Husqvarna car.

“Obviously I feel like I can win, or I wouldn’t be running,” said the former USAC Triple Crown Champion. “We’ve got a brand new version of the Mopar engine for Terre Haute, and I’m looking forward to adding that race to my resume. It’s a race with a lot of tradition, and I’d like to win it.”

Tracy Hines of New Castle, will try to continue his quest to become USAC’s fifth “Triple Crown Champion” as he leads the Mopar USAC National Midget Series standings. Hines has already won USAC’s Silver Crown and National Sprint titles and needs the Midget crown to join drivers Tony Stewart, Pancho Carter, Dave Darland and J.J. Yeley as the only ones to earn all three championships in a career.

Leffler, the only driver since the late Jimmy Davies (1960-1962) to win three consecutive USAC National Midget titles (1997-1999), joins a talented field of drivers for Saturday’s race.

“I’ve never run for Don [Fike],” Leffler admits. “But the way his cars have run this year I’m looking forward to Saturday. When you talk about Midget racing in the Midwest, the Hut Hundred is always at the top of the list, and I’d like to win it again. I haven’t run at Terre Haute since 2002 but it’ll be fun to get back there.”

With the UMP Modifieds and the IndyCar drivers also taking the track, it should be a special evening.

“We hope fans from across the Midwest appreciate the fact that we're going to give them two great shows for the price of one,” said Mike King of DHK Promotions. “The rainout on Sept. 12 put us in a difficult position, schedule-wise, and we wanted to make sure we gave fans a chance to see the modifieds. It’s going to make for a full day, but we're going to start a bit earlier and still plan on completing the event by 10:30 Saturday.”

The track itself has recovered from the flood.

“The best news of all,” said King, [is that] the tunnel that runs under the front straight will be open for fans to access the infield. The high water table from the flood has kept the tunnel closed for the last two events, but we will have it open … that, plus the fact that I’m betting Chris Novotney will give the racers the best track conditions they’ve experienced in years at this track.”



USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CAR SERIES

Point standings

1. Tracy Hines 1,060

2. Cole Whitt 982

3. Brad Sweet 922

4. Levi Jones 916

5. Brady Bacon 911

6. Bobby East 898

7. Darren Hagen 829

8. Dave Darland 717

9. Jerry Coons Jr. 710

10. Brad Kuhn 665



Saturday’s Action Track schedule

First Financial Hut 100 presented by Dorsett Mitsubishi

Monster Modified Classic presented by MacAllister Machinery

11 a.m. — Open pit gates

2-3 p.m. — Modified practice

3-3:30 — Track cross over open

3:30-4:30 — Modified heats

4:30-5 — Track prep and cross over open

5-6 — Midget practice

6-6:15 — Modified B main

6:15-6:45 — Midget practice

6:45-7 — IndyCar drivers’ practice

7-7:45 — Midget qualifying

7:45-8:30 — Modified “A” main

8:30-8:45 — Midget “B” main

8:45-9 — IndyCar drivers main

9-9:20 — Track prep and opening ceremonies

9:20-10:30 — Hut Hundred

        

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