Horton Beats All Obstacles to Win New Egypt RoC Cabin Fever 60

New Egypt, NJ (March 23, 2013) – Jimmy Horton of Neshanic, NJ defeated everything at New Egypt Speedway Saturday evening including the track as he captured the 60 lap RoC Tour Modified feature event. The “Cabin Fever 60” season opener had fierce competition throughout the event on a less than perfect early Spring track surface. “The track was the same for all of us,” stated the winner in victory lane, “We all got beat up but it was a lot of fun racing back and forth for the lead the way we did with Ryan (Godown) and Billy (Pauch). I am sure the fans loved it!” 

Matt Sheppard and Billy Decker brought the 27 car star studded field to the green flag with Sheppard grabbing the early lead. Sheppard led the field for the first 10 laps as 3rd starting Sammy Piazza challenged for the lead. By lap 15 Horton, who had started 6th was challenging for the lead with ninth starting Billy Pauch right with him.  The duo passed Sheppard on either side simultaneously with Horton taking command.  This was short lived as Pauch worked hard on him to get by as defending NES champ Ryan Godown beared down on the two. These three perennial NES stars traded the lead numerous times for over the middle portion of the race while the fans wildly cheered them on as each got to collect lap money.  Just after halfway Sheppard dropped out with mechanical issues and shortly after that Pauch retired pit side as well. With 20 laps remaining Godown got a flat and after getting new rubber rejoined at the rear of the field.  Piazza and 16th starting Craig Von Dohren now took up the chase and began to pressure Horton, with Piazza leading again momentarily.  Horton again was up to the challenge as he took the lead back. The final 10 laps saw numerous yellows for cars breaking, but saw more action than this article could do justice as this event will surely be one of the favorites to buy at the video stand. With 6 laps remaining David Van Horn charged into third only to roll over the cushion and flip in turn one, and with 3 laps remaining Piazza broke while running third. This final caution set up a wild restart with Rick Laubach making a move that many described as one of the best they have ever seen, going from seventh in turn one to second in by turn two driving right down the middle between 5 cars!  Laubach quickly chased after Horton, but Horton drove away for his 20th career victory at the speedway. Laubach ran second until he lost the handle in the final turn, causing a collision and then a mad scramble the final 100 yards to the finish line. Jimmy Blewett finished second with Godown completing an impressive comeback in third. Laubach crossed the line fourth with Von Dohren taking fifth. Completing the top ten were Bobby Varin, defending RoC champ Danny Johnson, Pat Ward, Neal Williams and Sammy Martz.

Ken Hammond of Berkshire, NY captured his first win at NES in the 30 lap RoC Sportsman tour race. Hammond raced in or near the top five the whole race before finding grooves that worked in each turn and charging up to challenge the leader. He passed early race leader & teammate Eddie White for second with five laps remaining and then got by NES regular DJ Ruppert with less than 2 laps remaining to post his second career RoC tour win. Ruppert had to settle for second for the second straight year in this race, while White crossed the line third. Jim Housworth and 2012 NES champion Clay Butler rounded out the top five.

Next Saturday, March 30, New Egypt Speedway will host its annual practice day from 12noon-5pm. All divisions will be practicing and fans are invited to come and watch free of charge. Then on April 6th NES will kickoff the 2013 regular season with a full card of 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, and Street Stocks. Gates open at 4:00 p.m. with the first race starting at 6:00 pm.  For more information call the speedway office at (609) 758-1900 or log on to www.newegyptspeedway.net. You can also follow New Egypt Speedway this season on Facebook and Twitter.

NES RESULTS 3/23/13

ROC DIRT SERIES

MODIFIEDS Feature (60 Laps): 1. Jimmy Horton 2. Jimmy Blewett 3. Ryan Godown 4. Rick Laubach 5. Craig Von Dohren 6. Bobby Varin 7. Danny Johnson 8. Pat Ward 9. Neal Williams 10. Sam Martz 11. Stewart Friesen 12. Sammy Piazza 13. Andrew Krause 14. David Van Horn 15. Mel Schrufer 16. Frank Cozze 17. Mike Mahaney 18. Billy Pauch 19. Matt Sheppard 20. Rocco Infante 21. Billy Decker 22. Danny Creeden 23. Larry Wight 24. Jimmy Phelps 25. John Stangle 26. Eric Kormann 27. Ron John Koczon.

Heat 1: 1. Rick Laubach 2. Frank Cozze 3. Billy Decker 4. Bobby Varin 5. Sam Martz
Heat 2: 1. Billy Pauch 2. Matt Sheppard 3. David Van Horn 4. Eric Kormann 5. Andrew Krause
Heat 3: 1. Stewart Friesen 2. Jimmy Horton 3. Sammy Piazza 4. Larry Wight 5. Ron John Koczon
Heat 4: 1. Jimmy Blewett 2. Dan Creeden 3. Ryan Godown 4. Craig Von Dohren 5. John Stangle
Consi: 1. Danny Johnson 2. Neal Williams 3. Mike Mahaney 4. Rocco Infante
Provisionals: Jimmy Phelps, Pat Ward, Mel Schrufer.
DNQ: Dave Hunt, Duane Howard, Richie Pratt Jr., John Packenham, Dominick Buffalino, Kevin Hirthler.

SPORTSMAN Feature (30 Laps): 1. Ken Hammond 2. DJ Ruppert 3. Eddie White 4. Jim Housworth 5. Clay Butler 6. Alan Barker 7. Kyle Borror 8. Claude Hutchings 9. Mike Howardson 10. Rich Rutski 11. Joe Funk 12. Brian White 13. Rusty Smith 14. Kevin Jordan 15. Chuck Steuer 16. Anthony Perrego 17. Bob Lineman Jr. 18. Jared Umbenhauer 19. Kevin Beach 20. Mike Lyons 21. Brian Roemer 22. Randy Green 23. Mike Butler 24. Ryan Simmons 25. Johnny Cornell III 26. Danny Tyler 27. Kevin Vaclavicek 28. Marc Herman DNS: Jerry Tonti, Butch Green

Heat 1: 1. Brian Roemer 2. Jim Housworth 3. Johnny Cornell III 4. Mike Butler 5. Kevin Jordan
Heat 2: 1. Bob Lineman Jr. 2. Kevin Beach 3. Danny Tyler 4.Anthony Perrego 5. Alan Barker
Heat 3: 1. Eddie White 2. Jared Umbenhauer 3. Joe Funk 4. Chuck Steuer 5. Ryan Simmons
Heat 4: 1. DJ Ruppert 2. Ken Hammond 3. Kevin Vaclavicek 4. Mike Lyon 5. Brian White
consi 1: 1. Rusty Smith 2. Clay Butler
Consi 2: 1. Kyle Borror 2. Mike Howardson
Provisionals: Randy Green, Jerry Tonti, Claude Hutchings, Butch Green, Marc Herman, Rich Rutski.
DNQ: Charlie Hendrickson, Bill Liedtka, Kevin Belmont, John Aumick, Dion Naples.

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2013 Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour Officially Finalized

Selinsgrove Ice Breaker VI Weekend to Jump Start a Busy Month of March.

BINGHAMTON, NY…The 2013 Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour schedule has been finalized for the upcoming season.  The thirteen race series has a number of big highlights once again this season.  A busy month of March will get underway on March 15th and 16th at the Selinsgrove Speedway with the running of the Ice Breaker VI Weekend.

The month of March will see four events slated once again this year starting with the Blaise Alexander Family Dealerships Ice Breaker VI Weekend at the Selinsgrove Speedway on March 15th and 16th.  The RoC Dirt Modified stars will then move to the New Egypt Speedway the following weekend for the annual “Cabin Fever 60” for both the RoC Modifieds and RoC Sportsman on Saturday, March 23rd.  The month will wrap up with a very special event at the Bridgeport Speedway which will honor the late Doug Hoffman.  “The 60 Over” special will start the 2013 Bridgeport Speedway season in what will be an event every Modified driver will want to win. That event will take place on Saturday, March 30th. 

One event will dot the schedule in the month of April.  The Spring Breaker 55 at Five Mile Point Speedway will be the first of three appearances by the RoC Dirt Modified Tour at the popular quarter mile oval.  The size of the track combined with the location of the facility always makes for some of the most diversified fields in Modified racing.  The Spring Breaker 55 will pay $4,000 to win but a sizeable $400 to take the green.

The month of May will also see one event as teams settle down at their weekly home tracks for their pursuit of the lucrative American Racer Cup Championship for Modifieds.  The Utica Rome Speedway will host the annual “Victoria” event for the RoC Modifieds on Monday, May 27th with a 100 lapper paying a whopping $10,000 to the winner. 

A southern tier swing will take place during the month of June with Penn Can Speedway hosting the “Clash at the Can” on Tuesday 11th and the I-88 Speedway hosting the RoC Modifieds on Wednesday, June 26th.  Both facilities provide fantastic short track racing and these will again certainly be must see events.  The “Clash at the Can” will pay a minimal $5,000 to win, $4,000 for second and $500 to take the green in the 60 lapper.  Additional contingencies and bonus money will also be up for grabs.  The I-88 Speedway hosted their first RoC Dirt Modified tour event last season and it was Mike Mahaney collecting his first RoC victory. He will certainly be looking to carry that momentum in to the 2013 tour. 

Two races in July will take center stage on the RoC Dirt Modified Tour with Five Mile Point Speedway hosting the 63rd Anniversary “Night of Qualifiers” on Tuesday, July 16th.  That 60 lap event will pay a minimum of $6,000 to win.  The race will also see the top ten feature finishers locking in guaranteed starting berths to all of the season ending northeast Modified events.  The month will wrap up with the “Traffic Jam” 60 at the Grandview Speedway.  Last year Danny Johnson vaulted his overall RoC Championship chances with a victory in that event at Grandview.  Local hot shoe Duane Howard came from last place to run down Johnson in the late stages.  This should be another stellar event in 2013.

One race in August will certainly stand out as the Utica Rome Speedway will have their annual anniversary event at the historic speedway.  This year Twin 50 lap events will be held for the RoC Dirt Modified teams.  Each will pay a cool $5,000 to win and teams will see only their best finish of the night count toward the RoC overall point standings.  A team that may have bad luck in one of the two events will not see their chances in the RoC points greatly diminished.

Two championship events will once again be held to determine the 2013 championship.  The Accord Speedway will host the “King of the Catskills” on Friday, September 20th and Five Mile Point Speedway will wrap of the tour with the annual Southern Tier 100 on Saturday, November 2nd.

Andrew Harpell, owner of the Race of Champions commented, “We have put together a very friendly schedule for the teams that follow our series.  The 13 race schedule is not too many events and is also spaced out to give teams an opportunity to re-group in between races.”  “We are extremely excited about the feedback we are receiving entering the upcoming season.”  “Once again our races should present a great battle right down to the last event of the tour championship.”

All of the excitement of the 2013 Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour will get underway in just a couple of weeks at the Selinsgrove Speedway for the annual Ice Breaker VI Weekend on March 15th and 16th.  The Friday night Small Block Modified event will see the winner earning $2,500 for the victory with the Saturday event paying $5,000 to the winner.  A large number of cash bonuses and contingencies will be up for grabs again this year on both days.  The top three finishers from the Friday night Small Block race will all be eligible for a $1,000 bonus should one of the three win the Saturday race as well.

The RoC Dirt Sportsman and Street Stock schedules are being finalized and will be released this week.  The RoC teams are gearing up for a busy month of March with the annual Awards Dinner on Friday, March 2nd followed up by the Icebreaker Weekend at Selinsgrove on March 15th and 16th.

For more information please contact the Race of Champions offices at 607-775-5555 or by emailing the office at rocdirt@aol.com.  The official RoC Dirt website can be found at www.rocdirt.com.

2013 Race of Champions Dirt Modified Schedule.
Date                           Site                            Laps
Fri. March 15th *      Selinsgrove Speedway     25 

Sat. March 16th *     Selinsgrove Speedway   40

Sat. March 23rd       New Egypt Speedway   60 

Sat. March 30th        Bridgeport Speedway   60

Sun. April 14th         Five Mile Point Speedway   55

Mon. May 27th      Utica Rome Speedway  100

Tues. June 11th      Penn Can Speedway    60

Wed. June 26th     I – 88 Speedway   60

Tues. July 16th     Five Mile Point Speedway   60

Tues. July 30th      Grandview Speedway 60

Wed. Aug. 21st**   Utica Rome Speedway    Twin 50’s

Fri. Sept. 20th     Accord Speedway  100 (combo race)

Sat. Nov. 2nd     Five Mile Point Speedway  100 (combo race)

* March Selinsgrove events will see single best finish from either day count toward the overall points.

** August Utica Rome Twin 50’s will also see a driver’s single best finish count toward the overall points.

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Selinsgrove Ice Breaker VI Once Again To Serve As RoC Dirt Opener

BINGHAMTON, NY…The Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour will once again open the season at the Selinsgrove Speedway (PA) with the sixth running of the Ice Breaker Weekend on March 15th and 16th. The two day event has been a must see over the past five years as the northeast Modified season officially kicks off. On Saturday, March 2nd teams will be getting prepped for the season with the Annual RoC Awards Dinner in Binghamton, NY. Danny Johnson will be honored as the 2012 overall tour champion with just under $100,000 being distributed at the combined banquet during the course of the evening.

The Selinsgrove Speedway RoC Ice Breaker has already established a great history in the relatively short existence of the event. Track Operator Charlie Paige and event coordinator Joe Kaminski have down an outstanding job to make this the must see early season event each March.

Once again this year the two day event will feature the RoC Dirt Modifieds in a 358 small block event on Friday evening and on Saturday the RoC Dirt Modified big blocks will take center stage. Racing on Friday begins at 7:30 p.m. with the Saturday program getting underway at 4:00 p.m.

Last year Duane Howard emerged the winner in the Friday night small block Modified event with Billy Pauch taking the top honors in the big block Modified event on Saturday. All of the top Modified stars were on hand last year and this year will be no different. The two day Ice Breaker event has always boasted large Modified fields on both days.

Currently final touches are being put on the Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour schedule for the upcoming 2013 season. The full schedule will be released the week leading up to the Len Sammons Motorsports Show on January 18, 19 and 20th in Oaks, PA.

For additional information on the Race of Champions Dirt Tours please contact the speedway offices at 607-775-5555 or log on to www.rocdirt.com for more.

Past Selinsgrove Speedway RoC Ice Breaker Weekend Winners.
2008 Rick Laubach
2009 Danny Johnson (Big Block) – Pat Ward (Small Block)
2010 Matt Sheppard (Big Block) – Pat Ward (Small Block)
2011 Danny Johnson (Big Block) – Jeff Strunk (Small Block)
2012 Billy Pauch (Big Block) – Duane Howard (Small Block)

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