News

The S.M.A.R.T series is proud to introduce the King of the Steelblocks (TM) to be unveiled at the Xtreme 100 (TM) on October 17th at Winchester Speedway. This concept is a shootout race open to ALL competitors. 16 cars will start the 20 lap event and the winner will receive $1,000 and be crowned the King of the Steelblocks (TM). The format will be run in this fashion; All entries will go into a hat to be picked at random. The Xtreme 8 will be guaranteed a starting position once entered. The other 8 participants will be drawn at random. 16 lucky fans will draw a competitor from the hat, then draw a starting position for that competitor. Each fan will be paired up with the driver they have drawn. If that driver wins the race, that fan will receive $100 in cash!

All competitors that were not picked for a starting position will have their entry fee returned to them. Positions 2-16 will also receive their entry money back. The fee to enter this event will be $100.

Look for this to be major part of the Xtreme 100 (TM) the first night! This should be an all out war for the crown.

Negotiations for a S.M.A.R.T series return to Eastside Speedway has reached an impassable crossroad. The series will not return to Eastside Speedway this year. Current track investor Jeff Thomas has decided to put on a oval track race of his own on October 11th at Eastside Speedway. THIS EVENT WILL NOT BE ENDORSED OR HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE S.M.A.R.T SERIES.

We apologize to all of our fans and competitors that have been asking for us to return. Negotiations are still ongoing for the 11th of October at another track. As soon as we have more details we will post them. Don'r forget the Xtreme 100 is set to go at Winchester Speedway October 17th and 18th. This should be a huge event, so mark your calendars! Those details are just about finished and will be posted in a few days.

The S.M.A.R.T series will roll into Fork Mountain Raceway (formerly Oak Level) on October 24th and 25th for a big 2 day show. Local classes will be running both days as well. 2 day tickets will be available for a savings over daily admission. We are looking forward to these events!

Tire Rule for Potomac Speedway

S.M.A.R.T series tire rule in affect.

Amendment to tire rule; Right rear D28 Spec compound will be allowed. Left rear D11 Spec and D28 Spec will be allowed. Tire impound for this event will not be in effect.

If you choose to run another tire other than these 2 compounds, it must be a 48 or harder on the durometer as written in the rule book.

Amendment is for Potomac Speedway ONLY. Winchester will be enforced as written in the series rule book.

In addition, S.M.A.R.T WILL Award an additional 25 points for attending and registering at Potomac Speedway to all S.M.A.R.T members.

Potomac & Winchester Speedways - Double Header Weekend!

For Immediate Release

Steelblock Mid-Atlantic Racing Tour

August 19, 2008

The Wait Is Over, S.M.A.R.T Series To Run At Potomac Speedway

The buzz is in the air. The wait is over. The S.M.A.R.T series will invade Potomac Speedway in Budds Creek Maryland, August 29^th, 2008 as part of a double header weekend. The talk about Potomac Speedway has been explosive as of late. Denise Hollidge at Potomac Speedway has been instrumental in the arrival of the Steelblock Mid-Atlantic Racing Tour. “We have been getting a lot of calls from fans and drivers about bringing the series to Potomac”. Hollidge also added, “ We have some great sponsor additions that have stepped up to make this possible”. The sponsors for this event are Vera's Beach Club Restaurant and Marina, Cameron Construction and 3 Mules Welding Supply.

The S.M.A.R.T series Director, Chris Hammer has been working feverishly to pull this whole thing together. “The S.M.A.R.T Series and Potomac Speedway in my opinion have always seemed like it would be a perfect fit. Now as part of the double header weekend with Winchester Speedway, this will be a can't miss show.” The series is also working to bring in additional sponsors for this event to make it more friendly for the drivers and fans alike. “With this being a first time stop to Potomac, we have agreed to help the track and go with a set purse for this event. It is still a great purse for the steel block cars at $1500 to win. We will continue to work on adding to the purse as well.” said Hammer. In addition to the set purse there has been an agreement between the track and the series on tires. The series tire rule will be in effect with the exception of a D28 spec on the right rear is allowed and a D11 spec is allowed on the left rear. These are the only tires allowed outside of the series rules for this race only. If it is not a D28spec or D11 Spec tire then it must be a 48 or harder on the durometer. This will be a one race only change to the rule. As per the tire ruling Hammer stated, “I don't really see much of a difference compared to what we already have in place. I'm sure you'll see guys trying harder compounds as well and making them work for 40 laps. This is just a way to help the guys there that already have those tires. Now they won't need to buy harder tires that they normally won't use.” Working with the tracks is what the S.M.A.R.T series is all about. The series rules have been structured to allow all different combinations of various track rules to be competitive. This has been evident as out of the last four races, three have been won by home track competitors.

Series regulars have already committed to competing at Potomac Speedway. Series point leader Allen Brannon is awaiting a fresh motor as they ran into valve train problems a few weeks ago. Brannon has assured us that he will be there to defend his points lead. Second place in points Jared Almarode has been one of those looking forward to Potomac Speedway. Look for the number 19 to be a strong contender for the win. Also glad to see the event coming to his home track is Derrick Quade. Quade has logged miles with the series and now gets the chance to have home town advantage for a change. Aside from these competitors, in action will be Gerald Davis, Spencer Liggon, Louis Timberlake, Petie Coffey, Greg Roberson, Kristian Looney, Ronnie Boykin. Aside from those committed to competing at Potomac, some of the drivers that have made appearances on the tour could be Walker Aurther, Buck Roadcap, Joe Leavell, Jon Painter, Brian Buckler, Lou Littlepage and more. This could be a huge night for the series and Potomac Speedway. The last two races of the series has garnered an average of 30 cars. Could this be the night the series breaks that record?

Gates and S.M.A.R.T registration open at 5pm – Hot Laps 7:30pm Meet & Greet 5pm-6pm

www.smartracingseries.com www.potomacspeedway.com

S.M.A.R.T would like to thank the following supporters:

American Racer Tire, Bernhiezel Race Cars, Lazer Chassis, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, PMZ Group, Steel Block Mania Forum, Stephens Lawn Service, Eagle Rider Motorcycle Rental, Extreme Grafix,

The steel block warriors of the S.M.A.R.T series return to Winchester Speedway for explosive racing action August 30, 2008. If the July 5^th event is any indication of what will happen this time, the track should be standing room only. Winchester regulars Gerald Davis and current S.M.A.R.T series point leader Allen Brannon took the racing to each other as they battled side by side for 30 laps of the 40 lap event. Defending event winner, Gerald Davis will be in action as well as the rest of the S.M.A.R.T series regulars. Can Allen Brannon make it to victory lane this time? Can Jared Almarode prove once and for all he is a legitimate contender? Can Derick Quade and Louis Timberlake shake off the bad night they had last time and make it a dog fight to the finish? This could be the night that an outsider shows up to take home the gold.

The action is fast and exciting in the S.M.A.R.T series. The drivers and fans have made this one of the most talked about and competitive series on the east coast. The last trip to Winchester Speedway showed 28 cars on the time sheets. The following weekend the series arrived at Eastside Speedway to a field of 32 cars. The S.M.A.R.T series continues to grow and is the place to race.

The S.M.A.R.T series would like to announce the addition of Eagle Rider Motorcycle Rental located in Winchester for the August 30^th event. Carol Hutchins at Eagle Rider has come on board to make this event a guaranteed starting pay of $150 per car! If we can get the 31 cars registered, this race will be a phenominal $2000 to win and $150 to start. Eagle Rider is located inside Grove's Harley Davidson in Winchester Virginia. They have rates for the day or week. Plan your next getaway with Eagle Rider Motorcycle Rental. Carol and the crew can be reached at (540) 662-9292 or www.eagleriderwinchester.com and be sure to say thank you for supporting the S.M.A.R.T series.

Winchester will also be running the Virginia Sprint Series along with the Late Model, 4 cylinder and Pure Stock divisions. Gates open at 4:30pm. The S.M.A.R.T Series Meet & Greet will be at 4:30pm at the front side grandstand area. Meet the drivers of the series and see the cars up close. Look for upcoming series dates added to the schedule and announcements coming soon!

S.M.A.R.T Series 2008 sponsors: American Racer Tire, Bernhiezel Race Cars, Lazer Chassis, PMZ Group, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, Stephens Lawn Service, Steel Block Mania Forum, Extreme Graphics and Eagle Rider Motorcycle Rentals.

I wanted to take this time to personnaly thank EVERYONE involved in making our races a success. The drivers and car counts have been above expectation for the first year of this series. The fans have been coming to our shows in amazing numbers and support. These are by far some of the best fans I have been associated with in a very long time. For this, I thank each and every one of you for your support!

Now, for the behind the scenes information. The Feathers family at Elkins Speedway has postponed the August 29th date due to a scheduling conflict with Tyler County. When we signed this date with Elkinis, Tyler County had not posted their schedule yet. Of course as fate would have it, that is the weekend of the Hillbilly 100 at Tyler County. Wayne Feathers and I have both agreed that it would be in the best interest of the track to postpone the date and try and schedule something for September. Hopefully we can work a date into the schedule that works for all of us involved. On another note, there has been a huge interest from drivers and fans for us to go to Potomac Speedway. I have been in contact with the speedway and will work hard to make this happen. We are also interested in a possible North Carolina swing again in September. At this time, we are undecided on eastern or western Carolina. Eastside Speedway has approached me to discuss a possible return before the year is out as well as Natural Bridge Speedway. We will work on this also as to the possibilities of scheduling. Our next Scheduled event will be Winchester Speedway on August 30th unless we can secure something for the 29th. We are discussing additional sponsorship and awards for our Winchester event as well.

Plans are starting to get into full swing for the Xtreme 100 on October 17th and 18th at Winchester Speedway. We are looking forward to a FULL weekend of racing both nights. Look for some "xtreme" additions to the weekend.

It has also been brought to my attention that we had a new addition to our membership during the Eastside Speedway race. Greg Roberson had become a member and the paperwork had not been turned in to me for the points. After I had released the points already I feel like it would not be fair to go back and alter everyones points after that event. What I have decided to do is keep all current positions at their amounts and give the 73 car his points also. By finishing second in that race, Greg would be awarded 200 points as our top finishing member. I will update the points as soon as possible. I apologize to Greg Roberson for the confusion and everyone else for not updating the website as frequently as I like to.

Jul 13th, 2008
by Russell Schmidt

Waynesboro - With a near record crowd watching on a beautiful warm summer night, Joe “The Hammer” Leavell patiently worked his way into the lead with a handful of laps remaining to capture the top spot in the Steelblock Mid-Atlantic Racing Tour (S.M.A.R.T.) Late Model feature on Saturday at Eastside Speedway.

“I wasn’t sure I could get around Allan (Brannon),” Leavell said. “I knew it was gonna be a dog fight between me and Greg (Roberson)… he’s a heck of a driver and I just knew if I could get up there and show him a fender, it would be a dog fight from there. Once I got to the bottom, I thought I could get him from there.”

Earlier in the night’s Pepsi sponsored program, S.M.A.R.T. series regular Brannon nailed the CINTAS/ Stephens Lawn Service Quik Trip qualifying award with a super fast time of 18.111 in front of Greg “Rocketman” Roberson’s 18.358 and Leavell’s 18.379.

Four 8-lap heats set the lineup for the big 50-lap show with Brannon, Roberson, Leavell and Gerald Davis taking the checkers in each.

With five drivers coming out of each heat, six more spots were decided from a last chance 10-lap consolation race. David Keith made a bonsai move from third on the opening lap to grab the lead as the pack entered turn 1. Keith went on to take the win in front of Lewis Timberlake, Jared Powell and Junior Humphreys.

As the green flag flew to start the S.M.A.R.T. main event, Roberson and Brannon went door-to-door before Roberson pulled ahead as the field quickly spread out. Brannon tried several times to get the measure of Roberson, but between the pressure from Leavell and a strong leader rolling off quick times, Brannon had all he could handle to maintain his runner-up position.

Lap after lap, Leavell of Waynesboro looked for a way around Brannon. The opportunity finally presented itself on the 42nd circuit as Brannon drifted high in turn 2, opening the bottom for Leavell to zip on by.

Leavell then set his sights on the top spot, as Roberson’s car seem to back up just a bit. Despite the heavy traffic, Leavell made his move with four to go off turn 3, getting under Roberson for the lead.

Leavell quickly distanced himself from Roberson with an open track, going on to claim the $1,500 winner’s share of the large S.M.A.R.T. purse. Capping off the top five included Roberson, Brannon, Gerald Davis and Kristian Looney.

“We got beat on tires tonight,” said Roberson. “Some guys started on new tires…we didn’t. I felt the car start to go away with about 10 to go. He (Leavell) was on a rail.”

Third place finisher Brannon of Winchester said, “It was the cautions hurting us. We ran a little harder tire on the rear right and needed more green flag time to put things together.”

The S.M.A.R.T Series; Homecoming Havoc - Eastside Speedway

A late last minute addition to the schedule will bring the touring series to Eastside Speedway this Saturday night July 12th. The competition at Eastside Speedway in Waynesboro, Virginia has proved to be tough this season and looks to be a tough race for the series combatants. A couple of the series regulars, current hot shoe Jared Almarode and Petie Coffey get to show their stuff at their home track.
This race will be a S.M.A.R.T sanctioned event and will be run by the series officials. There will be an entry fee for the competitors as per the series rules.

We will be updating the website with more awards and prize money as they become available.
Come join us this weekend at Eastside Speedway for the most talked about series in the Mid-Atlantic!

The S.M.A.R.T Series would like to invite ALL Steel Block competitors to join us July 5th at Winchester Speedway. The competition is strong and the racing is exciting with the S.M.A.R.T Series! S.M.A.R.T and Winchester management are working to secure sponsorship to make this race $150 or more to start regardless of car count. Watch for announcements to confirm this.

Also announced, the S.M.A.R.T Series will award 25 bonus "show up" points for July 5th. Any current member of S.M.A.R.T will be awarded these bonus points for registering for this event. New members will be eligible for the bonus points if they join at the Winchester event. It's not too late to join the battle!

S.M.A.R.T would like to thank Steel Block Mania for their support of the series. Please check them out on the links page!

Just Announced! Stephens Lawn Service is posting the Fast Qualifier Bonus of $100 on July 5th! Thanks to Stephens Lawn Service for your support of the series!

Next Up.... Winchester Speedway July 5th!!!!!!!!!!

The S.M.A.R.T series invades Winchester for the first time this season on July 5th for an Explosive July 4th weekend. The S.M.A.R.T series will be joining the ARDC midgets as well as the VSS Sprints for what is sure to be an exciting show!
Officials are meeting this week to work out the details of this event. Hopefully some surprises will be announced this week!

County Line Purse Announced!
June 14th, 2008
County Line Raceway - Elm City, NC.

$1500 to Win - $200 To Start

1. 1500
2. 800
3. 700
4. 600
5. 500
6. 400
7. 375
8. 350
9. 325
10. 300
11. 275
12. 250
13. 225
14. 200
15. 200
16. 200
17. 200
18. 200
19. 200
20. 200

Track has the option of starting 20-24 cars. This will be announced at the track depending on car counts.
This is a set purse being paid by County Line Raceway!
With fuel prices the way they are, look for S.M.A.R.T to try and pay $200 tow money for most of our events.

Remember, you must be a member of S.M.A.R.T to receive points towards the championship paying $3,000 to the champion, a $10,000 points fund! With only 1 race in the books, it is still anybody's game to win!
You also DO NOT HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF S.M.A.R.T TO RACE WITH US! Members and non-members race for the same amount of money each night!

CURRENT POINTS GOING INTO COUNTY LINE RACEWAY:
1. #11A Allen Brannon         200
2. #74    Derrick Quade         180
3. #C4    Freddy Carpenter 170
4. #88    Chad Green             150
5. #19    Jared Almarode      120
6. #101 Louis Timberlake   110
7. #V1    Spencer Liggon       100
8. #F13 Jimmy Richards      90
9. #95    Mitch Miller              80
10. #11N Bubby Dillman      70
11. #28 Gerald Davis           0
With 200 points to the winner and bonus points awarded for fast time, heat winners and qualifying attempts, anyone can still jump right into the point battle and be a contender!

Rule Amendments
Effective 6/4/08

The Rules Section Has Been Updated to reflect these changes.

The tire rules will change to read:

BOTH REAR TIRES MUST PUNCH 48 OR HARDER COLD REGARDLESS OF COMPOUND USED! NO EXCEPTIONS
COLD MEANS BEFORE QUALIFYING, HEATS AND FEATURES.
NO TIRE SOFTENERS ALLOWED. TIRES WILL BE DISMOUNTED AND CHECKED.

Cross Grooving will be allowed.
Front tires are open brand and open compound.

All cars will run the tires they qualify on in the feature. If we run heats or time trials, you must start the feature on the tires you ran in the heats or time trials. Tires will be marked upon leaving the track surface. Spare tires will need to be checked and marked prior to them being used. S.M.A.R.T officials must be notified and will give final say on changes made prior to the start of the feature.

S.M.A.R.T officials have decided this is the best and most fair way to handle the tire situation as we see it. This will help more teams to compete by allowing teams to use their current tires without having to purchase tires specifically for the S.M.A.R.T series. Tires will still be monitored closely and softeners will not be tolerated.

Add an additional 25# for each of the following: Roller Cam, Dry sump. Can Be anywhere on the car.

Aluminum head under 365 cu.in. Add 25# additional in front of the motor plate.

S.M.A.R.T Series officials will strive to keep competition close while taking the cost of racing in the series a determining factor. S.M.A.R.T does not take rule changes lightly and will not randomly change the rules without just cause and research. We appreciate the support we have received and look forward to strong competitive racing for the rest of 2008.

THE XTREME 8 ANNOUNCED FOR ELKINS!

S.M.A.R.T Series Officials Have Announced the Xtreme 8 for Elkins Motor Speedway May 30th!

There were many hard choices to make for the Extreme 8 going into the first race at Elkins Motor Speedway, but officials have narrowed it down to 8.
The Xtreme 8 will be:
Allen Brannon - Gerald Davis - Spencer Liggon - Louie Littlepage - Joe Leavell - Petie Coffey - Mitch Miller - Jerod Almarode.

Petie Coffey has reinjured his shoulder in an early lap incident at Eastside Speedway this past weekend. We will be keeping an eye on his progress and will announce an alternate if needed for him.

This looks to be an exciting field of newcomers as well as experienced veterans to take the green at Elkins Motor Speedway on May 30th. It will be interesting to see if these 8 drivers will also be the Xtreme 8 going into Winchester Speedway the following night on the 31st. After Elkins the points dictate the Xtreme 8!

S.M.A.R.T officials have been recieving calls from competitors as far as 6 hours from Elkins to compete in the Steelblock Mid-Atlantic Racing Tour. We look to have a full field of cars coming to Elkins as well as an overflowing number of cars for Winchester. This starting weekend should be an explosive way to kick off the S.M.A.R.T Series!
We at S.M.A.R.T look forward to welcoming all competitors and fans alike!

(Stuarts Draft, Virginia) The S.M.A.R.T. Racing Series is proud to announce that Lazer Chassis/Bernheisel Race Cars will be a major sponsor for the series for the 2008 season.

Lazer Chassis/Bernheisel Race cars will offer not only a chassis deal for the series champion, other incentives for the top five finishers in the season long championship competition.

The series champion will receive a free Lazer Chassis with bumpers body brackets contingent upon the purchase of a steering kit, front suspension kit, rear-end kit and rear suspension kit. The total cost will be $5,995. The winner of the chassis must race the car 10 times in the 2009 season and have Lazer decals on both sides of the car.

The free chassis with the contingencies will reflect a total savings of $12,000 on the Lazer Chassis/Bernheisel Racecar.

The second through fifth place finishers in points will receive gift certificates for B.R.C. Aero Products between $100 for second to $25 for fifth place.

All competitors must run Bernheisel Race Components decals on both sides of their racecars to be eligible.

“I feel like the Lazer Chassis has come a long way over the last couple of years,” Series Director Chris Hammer said. “Lazer Chassis is fast becoming a major competitor on the Dirt Late Model scene and we are glad to have them be a part of the S.M.A.R.T. Series in 2008.”

Hammer also indicated he is in negotiations to make more exciting announcements in the coming days.

“Things are coming together strong for the S.M.A.R.T. Series. With Assassin Video Productions, American Racer Tire and now Lazer Chassis/ Bernheisel Race Cars, we are building momentum going into the season opener at Elkins Speedway May 30^th. With more interest from the racing industry and tracks coming in, we will continue to grow throughout the entire 2008 season,” Hammer added.

For Immediate Release
March 29, 2008

SMART Racing Tour Announces Television Coverage For
All 2008 Series Races; American Racer Tires On Board

(Stuarts Draft, VA) All 2008 Steel Block Mid-Atlantic Racing Tour events will be televised on the Internet by Wettv0.com it was announced by Tour Director Chris Hammer yesterday.

“SMART is happy to announce our agreement with Wettv0.com to televise all our races this year. All of the details have not been worked out as of yet but we will have a crew on hand to capture the action at each event,” Hammer said.

Assassin Video Productions of Wytheville, Virginia operates Wettv0.com which is presently home to The Dirt Track Racing Show that shows highlights of dirt races throughout Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. The show airs on Thursday nights.

According to Wettv0.com operator James Bartlett, Assassin Productions is in process of procuring additional cameras and other equipment to assure racing action is captured from all angles. In car cameras will also be utilized to get the drivers view on the track.

“Plans are to cover the races with a professional flare,” Bartlett said. “We will cover driver interviews, pit news and Victory Lane festivities as well as the racing action.”

In addition to taping the action on the tracks SMART will visit, there will be in depth tech segments and interviews with drivers, crews, fans and track and series officials.

Assassin Productions will also produce DVDs for sale to the public at each event. The company will also produce the SMART Internet commercials.

According to various sources, the Internet has become a major player in the entertainment industry. Some Internet television shows actually have more viewers than shows on the major networks.

“We feel Wettv0.com gains the SMART Racing Tour a niche in the national markets,” Hammer said. “Not only will it give our drivers, tracks and sponsors the possibility of huge exposure, but it will showcase dirt track racing to an unprecedented audience.”

Hammer also announced that American Racer Tires has come on board as a SMART Point Fund sponsor. The SMART open brand tire rule attracted American Racer tire.

“Their support is valuable to SMART as well as to the racers.” Hammer said and added, “look for more great things to come for SMART.”

Rules and up to date information about the series are at smartracingseries.com.