SCHUMACHER AND DECKER VOTED DRIVERS OF THE YEAR BY EMPA
Six-time National Hot Rod Association Top Fuel champion Tony
Schumacher, winner of 53 top fuel events during his career, was
voted the Al Holbert Memorial Eastern Motorsport Press Association
National Driver of the Year. He will receive his award at the 41ST
annual EMPA Convention being held at the Radisson Hotel & Conference
Center in Trevose, PA, January 23-25, 2009.
Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Modified Champion Billy Decker will be
honored the same weekend as the Richie Evans EMPA Northeast Driver
of the Year. Decker won 25 feature races in his run to the
championship.
Legendary super modified racer Bentley Warren will top a list of
seven well known names in the sport being inducted into the EMPA
Hall of Fame.
Joining Warren will be sprint car and super sportsman racer Smokey
Snellbaker, colorful dirt track modified racer Carl Van Horn, Tony
Ferraiuolo (owner of modifieds that won the Syracuse Super DIRT Week
race three times), C.D. Coville (one of the most exciting racers in
New York stock car racing history), the late Red Kirsch (an
outstanding photographer and one of five founders of the EMPA), and
Warren Ruffner (the famed voice of the Reading Stock Car
Association).
The John Blewett III Young Guns Award presented by New England
Racing Fuels will go to 19-year-old sprint car racing sensation Cody
Darrah.
Veteran sprint car racer Craig Keel will receive the Junie Donlavey
Spirit of the Sport Award while the Art McHugh Memorial Award will
be presented to popular racing photographer Dave Dalesandro.
The winners of the prestigious Frank Blunk Memorial Journalist
Award and the Ace Lane Memorial Photography Award will be announced
at the NASCAR/EMPA Hall of Fame Dinner taking place on Saturday,
January 24th.
The three day EMPA Convention will include a series of press
conferences, driver appearances and other events with more than 100
professional media that cover the sport on a regular basis in
attendance. Winners of a variety of writers and photography contests
will be announced during the weekend.
Support of the annual convention comes from Valvoline, NASCAR,
NHRA, IRL, Pocono Raceway, SPEED, ESPN, World Racing Group, Brice
Auto Supply Inc. and others.
The convention offers great opportunities for speedways,
organizations, sponsors and others to gain exposure in front of the
many media in attendance. It is also a great opportunity for
organizations and speedways to have their promotional materials
distributed to the media.
For information on the convention, telephone organization president
Ernie Saxton at 215.752.7797 or e-mail him at
Esaxton144@aol.com.
THE END