Let's get something straight. Most all of us know that there's a certain mystique to the legendary events in our sport. Every division on dirt has a super bowl which has been a prized destination for fans for many years. The sprints have Knoxville, the super lates have Eldora, and the big block modifieds have super dirt week in Syracuse.
What we're about to witness in Charlotte this weekend, hasn't been around for a fraction of the years of the aforementioned events. There's no legendary cup or trophy to enshrine a winner's name in the history books for all time. But there's still a great deal of intrigue. And the trophies are unique actually.
There's no six digit paychecks for any of the feature winners, but somehow the best of the best are all assembled. They come from Canada, Australia, and all four corners of the US.
The pit parties, ah yes those great campfire laden, alcohol fueled, pit bashes featured as part of the fun and camaraderie of all the "crown jewels" is only slightly present at Charlotte. This weekend is for racers, and the fans, not just for one last race before winter hits, you did that at your weekly home track, but to see the best of the best surrounded by more than 14,000 of the best fans in the world.
This weekend is as special to the complete dirt racing fan, as Knoxville, Eldora, or Syracuse are individually. And to be more accurate, it's probably even more special.
So whether you have your tickets in hand, still deciding whether you should make the trip, or can't make it but will be checking out the goings on via pay-per-view, we've put together a helpful capsule for you, our guide to the World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte.
General Information
Tickets
There are some 3 day tickets still available for $99, beyond that, you're paying $49 apiece for either Friday or Saturday. Better get yours as soon as you read this if you've not purchased them already, you can find them here.
WeatherAs of right now, weather for Friday and Saturday look great! It'll be a little bit chilly, but not too bad and those who have been there before know exactly what we're talking about. Bring some long johns, coveralls, maybe some gloves and of course a hoody! (This event basically features the entire crowd walking around in a hoody of some sort)
Thursday's weather, now that's a different story. Looks like there's a good chance of showers early, but. The Dirt Track at Charlotte has all manner of packing vehicles, and heavy duty equipment. Whatever does fall, can be dealt with, probably as well as any dirt track in the nation. So barring a total washout, they should be able to get time trials and modified heats in. Here's the weather link for the Charlotte Area. Weather
Schedule/Protocol
Basically, Thursday amounts to time trials and SDS modified heats. It's a good time to wander in the pits, check out where your favorite eats and drinks are (plenty to choose from), and just get familiar with the place. On Friday and Saturday, it'll be a lot of action and it'll be run off very efficiently. Be prepared for at least one complete dig/water/pack sessions midway through the racing. Sprints run last on Friday, Late Models last on Saturday, Modifieds start the program both nights.
To see the complete schedule for all three days, click here
Ways to Follow
So, you can't make it down you say? Not to worry, there's great pay per view opportunities, reasonably priced.
You can check it out via Dirtvision here:
OR
You can watch via DirtOnDirt.com here:
You can also follow the action via twitter for updates and announcements:
@World_Finals https://twitter.com/World_Finals
What To Expect:
For the Super DIRTcar Series modifieds, you can expect the only close season points battle in the entire weekend. Coming into the final shows, Matt Sheppard leads Billy Decker by one single point, while back in third place resides Brett Hearn. He's 52 points behind, but remember, these are 150 point shows. The difference between first and second is 10 points, and five points back for each subsequent position until sixth, then they go down by two.
Hearn is still right there in the mix, given the fact that he's a frequent winner at Charlotte. But other than that, this weekend will draw some drivers from outside the SDS point standings looking to take home an $8,000 paycheck.
The pack is led by Stew Friesen, last year's Saturday night winner, Tim McCreadie, and also a few other top invaders. Ryan Godown, Billy Pauch, Duane Howard and others would love to score the big win in front of the huge crowd. Expect about 45-50 cars and a few big names in the bmains.
In essence, this is a sprint for these guys, who normally run 100 laps. The championship will come down to who time trials well, starts up front in the heats, and gets a redraw spot. With cautions, it's possible to win this one from 10th or so in 40 laps, but probably not much further back than that.
For the World of Outlaw sprints, this amounts to a great chance to end the season on a high note, or for the outlaws themselves, get one spot higher in the standings for a little better fund payout. Currently Kerry Madsen and Joey Saldana will be doing battle for fourth place and are separated by a mere 69 points.
It's not exactly Knoxville, but this weekend will draw cars from central PA, Ohio, the Midwest, and even a few California guys (Rico Abreu among them). Expect about 55 cars or so and virtually everyone attempting to make the show is capable of winning. In fact, it might be the toughest field outside of Knoxville in terms of consistent talent throughout.
Schatz, Blaney, McMahan are always good bets, but there'll be some motivated guys looking to make an impression going into next year, or basically on tryout for some lucky owner for the upcoming season.
And then of course, you can expect an emotional ceremony for one Steve Kinser, competing in his final events in his final touring season with the Outlaws. Save your ticket stubs folks, you're going to witness history!
Darrell Lanigan may have wrapped up the season title, in August basically, but what you'll be seeing here is basically a World 100 field minus a few of the guys who know they'll never make it and basically showed up to party and race a little.
Expect 60-70 late models and 90% of the heaviest hitters in the business will be there. Will Scott Bloomquist continue his hot streak? Will Jonathan Davenport treat the crowd on hand to another dominating performance? Will Jimmy Owens sweep the weekend? Will Josh Richards score an emotional victory after an injury plagued campaign in 2014? Hear us now and believe us later, but outside of Eldora, you'll never see this deep a field of top drivers anywhere else.
The talent on hand this weekend, for the price you pay makes this the best value in dirt racing, and it's not even close, not by a longshot. It's the fan's choice "Crown Jewel", for the fans that love em all!
No comments:
Post a Comment