Spotlight On Sportsman In Lake-To-Lake Challenge At Canandaigua On Saturday

Canandaigua, NY – July 30, 2022 – Tom Skibinski, Canandaigua Speedway PR Director

The inaugural Leaf Racewear Lake-to-Lake Challenge for DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds debuts this weekend with Canandaigua Speedway hosting its first of two events to kick off the new month on August 4.

The ground-pounding DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds return to action Saturday at the ‘Land of Legends’ joining a full program of Sportsman, UMP/DIRTcar Street Stocks and PureStox with Kids free and an Ice Cream Toss highlighting Coca-Cola Kids Rule Night at the Ontario County Fairgrounds. Qualifying races begin at 7 p.m. sharp, pit gates unlock at 4 o’clock and grandstand gates swing open at 5 p.m.

“This Sportsman mini-series was something Jack (Deery, Canandaigua GM) and I discussed during the winter months to help out both tracks, create some new rivalries and give fans another chance to see their favorite drivers compete close to home,” said Alex Hoag, General Manager of Black Rock Speedway, which will lead off the first-ever Lake-to-Lake Challenge on Aug. 3. The second LTL doubleheader is slated for Fri. Aug.17 & Sat. Aug. 18. “There’s very little travel involved with the tracks being less than an hour apart and a lot of the drivers already have experience running both places.”

Traditional feature race distances, standard track purses and an open draw will be the fare for all four races while no less than a $1,000 fund will be divided among the top-five point earners at season’s end. In addition, series sponsor Leaf Racewear has included a fire suit that will be given out in a draw to a driver that has run all four scheduled events.

Early favorites are Canandaigua Sportsman points leader Paul Guererri (1 win) and weekly foes Dan Wiesner (3), Loren Lincoln (1), Tim Currier (1) and Eric Giguere. Brady Fultz (1), Justin Wright (1), Daryl Hilkert, Lincoln and Mike Entwistle (1) fill out the front-five on Black Rock’s points chart entering August.

All-time Canandaigua points champion Steve Paine will be back behind the wheel of his Tallmadge Tire/Troyer machine looking to increase his Big-Block Modified points lead with victory number five on the season. His biggest hurdles remain ’07 winners Chuck Bower, Charlie Donk (2) and Derrick Podsiadlo, with Big-Block rookie Russ Hefti, Dave Rauscher, Chad Homan and Mike Johnson waiting in the wings.

On the heels of his biggest career triumph in the Mr. DIRTcar Super Series showdown to cap off the recent Ontario Co. Fair, three-time track UMP/DIRTcar Street Stock champion Mike Welch (5 wins) has opened up his biggest points lead of the season. Weekly contenders for the coveted Canandaigua crown remain Blane Smith (2) and Scott Smith (1), also two of the top runners in the overall Mr. DIRTcar points chase.

Rookie Marc Minutolo continues to top the PureStox division points chart with just one more month left, holding a healthy advantage over Corey Hunt and George LaVare Jr. in the entry-level full-fender class.

Days are numbered to take advantage of the special 5-PAK ticket packages available for all regular events at Canandaigua and sister track Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y. 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 regular show admission is just $12 for adults (15-64 yrs.), $10 for Seniors (65 yrs. & older) and $5 for youths (10-14 yrs.) while children 9 yrs. & under are free.

Canandaigua Speedway on the Ontario County Fairgrounds is located just east of the city, with the track being easily accessible by using either Exit 44 (traveling east) or Exit 43 (traveling west) of the New York State Thruway. Additional information can be obtained by calling 585/394-0691 on raceday, during the week by dialing the DIRTcar Racing NorthEast office at 315/834-6606 and logging in anytime to canandaiguaspeedway.com.