Pure Stock News Changing Things Up for 2013

Steven Bradley - Winnipeg, Manitoba (May 18) Hello Pure Stock fans. With the season right around the corner, I thought I would give you all some insight on some changes we are making this year.



We will not be recording and publishing video or doing driver interviews this season. After 3 years of using video and podcasts as a big tactic to spread news for the Pure Stock classes, Big Day Media has stepped up and filled what had been a “missing void” that all classes of racing had been missing. We are glad someone is giving dirt track racing the attention it deserves and feel that there is no need to duplicate the coverage. We would like to thank our loyal viewers and listeners who supported us over the past 3 years when there was no video coming out of RRCS. We look for Big Day Media to continue covering all classes equally.



The biggest change for us this year is that we will not be traveling to ALH Motor Speedway. We invite news from all classes at ALH and we will gladly post their articles on our news sites with credit given to writers and photographers.



As most of our readers probably know, last year we started reporting on all RRCS classes and submitted those article to All the Dirt - a race publication out of the USA that covers WISSOTA sanctioned facilities. We plan to continue this coverage, but what about all the people who don’t subscribe to ATD? We’ve got a solution! We will also be submitting the articles we write to a local race news source - The Dirt Report.



The Dirt Report (www.thedirtreport.com) is a new site that covers all racing news from all classes in the local area. From 4 Cylinder Pure Stocks right up to Late Models and special events, The Dirt Report will be southern Manitoba’s main source of dirt track race news - all in one place. We have posted all articles written last year at RRCS and we will continue to work on the site to make it even bigger and better. Pure Stock News will still function independently and be updated on a regular basis with Pure Stock specific news.



The Dirt Report would like to invite all other tracks in the area to send us their news and photos for publication. Credit will be given to writers and photographers. This site will carry the same interactive features that Pure Stock News does incorporating comments and discussion under each article. We anticipate The Dirt Report will draw huge traffic and we also invite advertisers to use this forum as a way to get their corporate messages in front of their audience. Advertising rates are found on the site and offers many types of packages that will fit your ad budgets.



We would like to thank all of our loyal Pure Sock News followers for visiting over the last 3 years and we look forward to writing for both Pure Stock News and The Dirt Report in the future.

Racing in Southern Manitoba About to Go Green

Kaz Grafix Photo

Steven Bradley - Winnipeg, MB (May 16) Racers and race fans are getting ready to get their “adrenaline fix” shortly as dirt track racing in southern Manitoba is about to go green for the 2013 season. The long, cool thaw that slowly transferred winter into spring probably eased flood concerns at the local dirt tracks. The expected flood waters from the Red River were way lower than expected and it looks like we are close to getting the season started.

Red River Co-op Speedway
The season opener is now scheduled to take place on Thursday, May 30 with the launch of the Thursday Night Thunder Pro Race Series. If Mother Nature co-operates and this date holds, it will be a week ahead of last year’s opener. The Monday Night Racing Series will open their season on Monday, June 3. A practice date has been scheduled for Sunday, May 26th between 12PM and 5PM. For $50 per car, racers can get some valuable track time in before point racing starts.

This season marks the 40th anniversary of the facility in their current location. This milestone year will see 2 full nights of racing weekly with 4 classes running each program. The biggest shake up of the year features the relocation of the Lightning Sprint class from Thursday nights to Monday nights. This move will help bring even more life into the Monday night program and shorten the Thursday night program to a reasonable length. The Thursday night program will run 4 classes with the 5th class on rotation.

With both Monday and Thursday night shows at a preferred length, this will give the promoters a better chance to make time for victory lane interviews, intermission commentary and some extra promotional items that the crowd loves. RRCS has hired media personality Carolyne Braid to help in some of the event commentary.

RRCS will once again be bringing is some big shows that include the NOSA Sprint cars on Thursday, June 13th as well as the World of Outlaw Late Models taking place on Thursday, July 11th. Last year these shows packed the facility and the fans were treated to great wheel to wheel racing.

A few more items that were announced at the annual drivers meeting included the announcement of a new race director. The new director will assist Dale McEwin on the Thursday night shows and will eventually be in charge of running the Monday night shows. Many see this as a long term move to be ready when Dale hangs up his headset. RRCS also announced a new webmaster that is bringing their online presence up to a current state. The new site was launched Tuesday, featuring social media integration and the functionality to keep their news section up to date.

Another big change for the 2013 season is the annual banquet. The Delaine family has handed the reigns of this popular event back to the track. This year the banquet will happen a bit earlier and be moved to the Gates on Roblin and take place on a Friday in late October.

There are a ton of drivers swapping classes and a huge increase in B-Mod cars this year. Make sure to check out the action on Monday and Thursday nights at Red River Co-op Speedway!

ALH Motor Speedway
Racing in the Morden area will start the year off beginning May long weekend on Sunday, May 19th. Unfortunately, rain is in the forecast for the opener so be sure to check out their website of Facebook fan page for race status. Start times this year at ALH have been delayed 1 hour and will start at 4PM. This extra hour later will help with race day track prep and dry track conditions that the staff always seems to fight with. The short ALH season will last just 3 months and is scheduled to wrap up on Morden Corn and Apple weekend August 24th and 25th.

ALH has renewed their WISSOTA license and will run 6 classes on a 5 class rotation. Late Models are not on the event schedule for this year. A year end banquet has not been scheduled yet, however, after a successful event last year I’m sure it is being considered.

Be sure to make the trip down to Morden and take in a race at ALH Motor Speedway this summer and check out the extreme action this high banked quarter mile has to offer.

Monday Night Program at RRCS Expands with Addition of Lightning Sprint Class

Kaz Grafix Photo

Steven Bradley, Winnipeg, Manitoba (March 17, 2013) Fans that attend the Monday night racing program at Red River Co-op Speedway will get more bang for their buck in 2013. The facility has shuffled the classes around - adding the Northern Lightning Sprints and making the show a 4 class event.

2013 will mark the third year for the Monday night program which has been primarily a Pure Stock event. However, the creation of the Mid-West Modified class 2 years ago has sparked some life into weekly show and gradually the fan base is growing. I can easily expect to see over 20 Mid-West Mods on a regular basis. Now, add the Northern Lightning Sprints and the fans are in for a full night of racing.

I predicted a change in classes early last season when I saw how successful the Mid-West Modified class was. Originally, I thought we would see the Lightning Sprints and Super Trucks come to Mondays and send the Mid-West Mods to Thursdays to make the Pro Series and "All WISSOTA" show. Close, but not exact.

I see the Lightning Sprints as another good boost to the Monday night program, however, not everyone feels that way. I have witnessed conversations online and heard first hand about inquiries as some Lightning Sprint drivers looking to sell their cars - directly related to moving to Monday nights.

I contacted current Lightning Spring class president, Chris Unrau and asked his personal opinion on the change, from a racer's point of view. "There are numerous really good, practical reasons why it will be good for me personally - being able to get done racing earlier in the evening helps me get home earlier, being on Monday nights conflicts less with kids weeknight sports, etc.  So for myself, I like it."

I also asked about the response he has received from the drivers in his organization. "I think as far as racing and race format goes, it will be good for us. Having more time and not being rushed in the format will be nice. However, the only real reservations that have any merit would be in regards to sponsorship. There are some members that are concerned about being able to obtain sponsorship if we are racing in front of a smaller crowd. I've heard from numerous fans who upon hearing that the Lightning Sprints were changing nights, immediately responded by saying they would change too. So fan response has been good. Some of our members have voiced some concerns, but to my knowledge haven't lost any cars due to the change to Monday nights. Right now car counts look to be steady if not slightly increasing, and we should most likely see in the range of 15-17 cars per night."

According to Unrau the only concern he is hearing is about pleasing car sponsors. I have a feeling that problem may eventually solve itself and the Monday night crowd will eventually grow to numbers close to Thursdays. So, problem solved? Who knows. It seems both Pure Stock classes as well as the B-Mods have no trouble filling their cars with sponsorships. It all depends on how you promote your space. You could actually put a "premium" on the earlier evenings, and being just 1 of 4 classes instead of 1 of 5, or sometimes 6.

It will be interesting to be at the first driver's meeting of the year and hear all the comments and opinions. We'll let you know when that will take place.

Greenbush Racers, Start Your Engines... Again!

Steven Bradley - Winnipeg, Manitoba (March 9, 2013) The epic saga of Greenbush Race Park continues as news from the facility takes a turn for the good. As many of you have probably heard the news, the track will once again be open for business in 2013.

The Wahl family have been long time owners and over the last number of years have given the reigns to many unsuccessful operators. That is something the new operators will be looking to change. Greenbush Race Park will be leased, run and promoted by Jamie Sovde along with the help of his wife Lynette and 7 year old son Collin.

Greenbush Race Park will reopen the gates Saturday, May 18th hosting V8 Pure Stocks, Lightning Sprints, Street Stocks, Mid-West Modifieds and Modifieds on a regular weekly schedule. Unfortunately the 4 Cylinder Pure Stocks didn't make it into the lineup for this year, leaving many entry level racers from Winnipeg a bit disappointed.

Jamie "Trapper" Sovde issued a statement to us on what his plans are in 2013. "We plan on making this a place to have a good time and all be treated fairly, just like family. Victoria Day weekend we will have the NOSA Outlaw Sprints for our friends to the north to enjoy - Grand Forks will not be running their normal show that Friday. You can come and camp for free with no hook-ups, or camp at the Greenbush Legion Park."

I asked Sovde on the decision process about the classes they chose to run this year. "We decided to run the same classes as in the past because of the cars that are in the area. Pure Stocks will be able to run home track rules for this season. We didn't include the 4 Cylinders because of low car counts in the past - typically 4-5 per event." Although I am personally disappointed to see a Pure Stock class cut, I understand the importance of picking 5 solid classes and utilizing that as a stable foundation to rebuild the Greenbush racing community. It's hard to run a class with anything less than a 10 car turnout.

Payouts are not yet set in stone according to Sovde, but they anticipate they will be slightly lower than they were in 2011. That was the year a spike in payouts was expected to bring in high car counts, however, that didn't run out as planned and the facility closed the following season.

We wish the Sovde family and Greenbush Race Park the best of luck in 2013 and I hope they can turn the recent string of bad luck around for the facility. It will take a good promoter, co-operation with other facilities for scheduling and a loyal car count to make this a successful year for the reopen. I just might take a weekend trip down this year with my own family to check it out!

Red River Co-op Speedway Wraps Up Season with Annual Awards Banquet

The Red River Co-op Speedway season has officially come to an end with the annual awards banquet capping off another great season. Nearly 300 people attended the event held at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg, Manitoba and watched over $21,000 in points money handed to the top teams with over 120 awards given to the top figures in local dirt racing. Here is a recap of the awards presentation.

4 Cylinder Pure Stocks
The top 10 teams participating in the points fund this year were;
10 - Crystal Demchuck
9 - Norm Anderson
8 - Dean Miljure
7 - Terry Burke
6 - Mike Demchuck
5 - Trevor Rambow
4 - Jim Mulholland
3 - Rob Reese
2 - Ryan Higgins
Champion - Doug Krause

Other awards handed out in the class were Jay Olsen winning Rookie of the Year, Jim Mulholland earning Most Improved Driver and Doug Krause collecting the Best 10 Shows.

V8 Pure Stocks
The top 10 teams participating in the points fund this year were;
10 - Rod Delaine
9 - Evan Schroeder
8 - Kyle Pellaers
7 - Greg Hore
6 - Brett Proctor
5 - Crysta-Mae Thomas
4 - Les McRae
3 - Rob Wiens
Champions - Nick Audette/Kevin Delaine

Other awards handed out in the class were Brett Proctor winning Rookie of the Year, Les McRae earning Most Improved Driver and co-champions Nick Audette and Kevin Delaine sharing the Best 10 Shows award.

In addition to the regular top performer awards, there were some specialty awards also presented to some proud recipients.

Jaimie Vernaus was awarded the Top Driver and Crew award for the year as he dominated the class collecting 9 feature wins and drove away with the championship.

The Pete Vernaus award was presented this year to track announcer Pat Mooney for his work promoting local dirt track racing.

And one of the most covenant awards - the Big Al Delaine award was presented to this year’s Street Stock champion Shawn Teunis.

Congratulations to all the winners at the banquet. This sport is very competitive and a lot of work goes into earning a respectable finish at the end of the year. Have a safe off-season and we’ll see you in 2013!

Season Video Sets are Now Available!

It is that time of year again. The Pure Stock season video sets are now available for purchase. If you would like to own the entire season on HD DVD, just email me your request to purestocknews@gmail.com We have season sets for Red River Co-op Speedway as well as ALH Motor Speedway. Each set sells for $50 and is professionally packaged in 1 case.

The Red River Co-op Speedway set contains all the 4 Cylinder and V8 Pure Stock races of the year. That's 16 episodes spread over a 6 disc set. The season set also includes the Top 10 Pure Stock Moments of 2012 video for a total of 17 episodes. That's under $3 an episode!

The ALH Motor Speedway set contains all the 4 Cylinder and V8 Pure Stock races of the year. That is 13 episodes spread over a 4 disc set. The season also includes the Top 10 Pure Stock Moments of 2012 video for a total of 14 episodes. That's under $4 an episode!

This is the perfect gift for the Pure Stock racer and will fit nicely in their stockings. Get yours today!

Top 10 Moments in Pure Stock Racing 2012

Take a closer look at the top 10 moments in Pure Stock racing in 2012. Relive some nail biting situations at Red River Co-op Speedway in Winnipeg and ALH Motor Speedway in Morden. This video will be included on all season sets. Enjoy!