‘Hurricane’ Warnings Span Two Speedways Across Two Counties In 2022

Weedsport, NY – April 19, 2022 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing PR Director

For the first time in 10 years, Steve Paine will call Cayuga County Fair Speedway home on Sunday during the DIRTcar Racing season. Paine Motorsports entries have been a weekly fixture at nearby Canandaigua Speedway on the Ontario County Fairgrounds for a quarter-century and 2022 marks the return of his familiar yellowbird Big-Block Modifieds to DIRTcar NorthEast’s flagship track for the first season since 1997.

“I looked at this as a way to get a little more seat time and generate some additional income,” said Paine, 46, who began his 26^th season of open-wheel competition with an 8^th-place finish in the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series lead-off event at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on March 31. Steering his familiar no. 7x Tallmadge Tire-Terrell’s Potato Chips-Swarthout Recycling-Pabst/TEO entry, the Waterloo warrior followed up last weekend with a 358-Modified win in Black Rock Speedway’s lid-lifter.

“I’ve been running decent, not real good, just okay but not where you need to be following the tour nowadays. For a short time I really dreaded running every week, that happens when you’re not finishing up front too much. After some success I concluded I still like being in racing and right now I can’t wait to get going again. We’re finally on the right track and that’s enough motivation,” added Paine, who owns point championships at Cayuga County in both Big-Block (1991 & ’93) and Small-Block (1995-97) Modified divisions while a title at Canandaigua this season will set a new DIRTcar NE record with eight straight at a single track.

Paine is anxious to return to the weekend wars with Sunoco Race Fuels sponsoring Fan Foto & Autograph Nights at both speedways. Canandaigua’s season kick-off on Saturday, April 21 features the ground-pounding DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds along with a full show of Sportsman Modified, Street Stock and PureStox action. Cayuga County follows up on Sunday, April 22 with a complete card of Modified, Sportsman, Street Stock and Enduro racing. Start time is 5 p.m. sharp with pit gates swinging open at 2 p.m. for each show with $12 the adult general admission ticket price, $10 for Seniors (65 yrs. plus) and $5 for children (10-14 yrs.) while fans 9 years and under are always free. Throughout the season unique 5-PAK ticket packages will be available for all regular events at Canandaigua and Cayuga County. Providing a great deal for fans, each 5-PAK of tickets can be purchased for $48.00 which results in the receipt of (1) free ticket.

The winds of change have certainly driven the ‘Hurricane’ since his last weekly jaunt to the Cayuga County Fairgrounds. During the past decade Paine married and along with his wife Stacy they have since been raising a family that today includes oldest son Billy (5 yrs.), Tommy (3) and Joey, the newest addition born last November.

“(Family life) has taken some time to get used to but it’s the only thing better than racing. This year I’d like to run a little better and enjoy it a little more, so getting a few more wins would take care of a lot. Consistency has always been my top priority. Half of racing is being fast, the other half is mechanical and that comes down to preparation most of the time. If you break or wreck that costs money. I’ve been able to avoid both pretty much and I expect to be around another 10 years if things stay that way,” figured Paine, who ranks sixth all-time on DIRTcar’s Big-Block Modified win (163) list with 74 checkered flags taken at Canandaigua and 10 more collected at Cayuga County.

In 2022, Paine will have to stave off the challenges of weekly rivals Gary Tomkins, Vic Coffey, Chuck Bower and Charlie Donk at Canandaigua’s ‘Land of Legends’ with a mix of seasoned veterans and talented young guns continuing to offer stiff competition each Sunday on the high-banked Weedsport oval.

For additional information about Steve Paine, log into his homepage at http://stevepaine.painemotorsports.com or e-mail . Please contact the DIRTcar NorthEast Office (315/834-6606) during normal business hours or log into www.superdirtcarseries.com anytime to find out more about the DIRTcar circuit. Complete schedules are also posted on the individual track websites at www.cayugacountyfairspeedway.com and canandaiguaspeedway.com.

The DIRTcar Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., F.X. Caprara Car Companies and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company and Wrisco Industries.