11/23/2009
DONNY LIA,
TED CHRISTOPHER AND ROWAN PENNICK HEAD
ENTRIES FOR THIS WEEKEND’S WALL STADIUM TURKEY DERBY |
Three of the top drivers on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour have entered
this weekend’s 36th annual “Turkey Derby” stock car classic at Wall Stadium.
The 2009 NASCAR Modified champion, Donny Lia, will be at the wheel of the
Blewett Motorsports No. 1, a car that Lia sold to the New Jersey based team
after experiencing much success in it. Ted Christopher, who finished third
in the 2009 NASCAR point race, will be in the field as will the fourth place
tour point earner Rowan Pennink. Pennink will be at the wheel of his
familiar No. 93, while Christopher is slated to drive a Pennink team car
numbered 13.
This trio of top drivers will have plenty of competition in
Saturday’s tour type Modified 100-lapper. Among the most recent entries are
Connecticut speedsters Les Hinckley and Woody Pitkat, while New York will be
represented by the recent entries of Ken Darch, Tony Ferrante, Jr. and
Justin Bonsignore. Pennsylvania drivers have also been mailing in entries
recently as Earl Paules, Matt Hirschman and John Markovic join the recent
tour type Modified entries. Local favorite Tim Arre has also filed a last
minute entry.
Entries for the companion Red Bank Sleep Shoppe Modified 100-lapper
have also grown recently. Local racers Chris Hamilton, Chris Lane , Rob
Schultz, Marc Nappi, David Reinhardt and Ron Frees have all penned entries
in the last week and will be joined by invaders Patrick Emerling and Eric
Goodale, both of New York, and Zane Zeiner of Pennsylvania .
Friday’s Late Model stock car 75-lapper has also attracted a lot of
last minute entries. Among the entry forms received in the last week are
Pennsylvania drivers Travis Fisher, Mike Sweeney, and Lorin Arthofer, while
New Yorkers Kenny Matlach, David Macomber and Artie Pedersen have also sent
entries in recent days.
Promoter Jim Morton has announced the time schedule for the 36th
annual running of the “Turkey Derby” season ending stock car classic. As has
been the case since the outset, Turkey Derby competition is always held
during the daylight hours and is presented on Friday and Saturday (Nov. 27
and 28) of Thanksgiving weekend. This year, Sunday afternoon action has been
added featuring Enduro style racing.
On Friday, November 27, pit gates will open at 7:00 a.m., with pre
purchased ticket holders’ grandstand gates opening at 9:30 a.m. and
grandstand seating opening at 10:00 a.m. On the track, all eight divisions
that will see competition on the weekend will practice on Friday morning
starting at 8:30 a.m. The Garden State Vintage Stock Car Club vehicles will
then go 15-laps at 12:15 p.m., before qualifying begins at 12:30 p.m.
Friday’s qualifying will consist of time trials for the Red Bank Sleep
Shoppe Modifieds and the Late Model stock cars, along with heat races and
consolation races as needed for the Calabreeze Pools Sportsman cars,
Flanagan Retail Development Factory Stocks, I.N.E.X. Legend Cars, Street
Stocks and the RBSS Modifieds.
Friday main events are set to start at 2:30 p.m. with the Legend
Cars in a 25-lapper, the Late Models in a 75 lapper and the Factory Stocks
rounding out Friday’s action in a 30-lap feature.
On Saturday, November 28, pit gates will again open at 7:00 a.m.,
with pre purchased ticket holders’ grandstand gates opening at 9:30 a.m. and
grandstand seating opening at 10:00 a.m. On the track, Street Stock, TQ
Midget, Calabreeze Pools Sportsman, RBSS Modified and tour type Modified
practice will start at 8:30 a.m., while a mandatory drivers’ meeting is set
for 9:10 a.m. Qualifying, which will consist of tour type Modified time
trials and a “B” main and TQ Midget heat races will be next up at 11:00 a.m.
Saturday’s opening ceremonies will be presented at 12:35 p.m.,
before the Saturday main events of Turkey Derby XXXVI take the green flag at
1:00 p.m. The Sportsman 30-lapper will be first up, followed by the tour
type Modified 100-lapper, Street Stock 30-lapper, RBSS Modified 100-lapper
and the TQ Midget 25-lap main event.
For the first time ever, late-November racing action will be
carried over to Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend as the shore speedway
presents another of it’s popular “$5 Family fun Days.” Heading the Sunday
card will be the popular NEETS Enduro Series and the INEX Legend Cars. All
gates will open at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, with Legends practice at noon and
main event action set for 1:00 p.m.
In the event of a Friday rainout on Turkey Derby weekend, Friday’s
three main events will be added to Saturday’s card with qualifying kept to a
minimum for only the divisions that absolutely need it. In the event of a
Saturday rainout, Turkey Derby Day 2 action will be rescheduled to Saturday,
December 5. If Sunday is rained out, that days events will be contested on
Sunday, December 6.
Wall Stadium is located on Route 34 in Wall Township , N.J. , just
one mile north of Garden State Parkway exit 98 and Interstate 195 exit 35B.
The speedway office is open from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Monday through
Friday. Information and Turkey Derby entry forms are available by calling
732-681-6400 and at
www.wallspeedway.com.
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Source: Jeff Gravatt / Wall
Stadium
Posted: November
23, 2009 |
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