Speedway, Ind. — Racing fans won’t have long to wait for auto racing to begin in 2007 with a signature open-wheel extravaganza staged in February as Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix is scheduled to host an inaugural USAC Tripleheader in Memory of Roger McCluskey the weekend of Feb. 9-10.
Showcasing USAC’s Silver Crown Championship Cars, National and Western Midgets and USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, the two-night program will mark the debut of Silver Crown racing presented by K & N Engineering at the 1/2-mile oval while giving race fans a winter-time destination event.
Honoring the memory of one of Arizona’s and America’s greatest drivers, this event signifies not only a continuance of a great winter-time tradition, but the beginning of a new chapter in American motorsports, with preliminary heat races on Friday night and semi-features and features on Saturday. A total of 156 laps of racing are on tap Saturday, including a 30-lap Midget, 40-lap Sprint and 50-lap Silver Crown race.
Race organizer Dennis Wood, who organized the original Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway in 1978, expects this event to contain much of the pomp and circumstance associated with previous February races in the Arizona capital.
“Being able to salute the memory of Roger McCluskey is a tribute to one of America’s all-time greats with the kind of competition he liked the most—open-wheel racing on the dirt,” Wood said.
The race will mark the ‘07 debut of USAC’s Silver Crown, National and Western Midget racing series, while the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars, originally scheduled at Perris, Calif. on Feb. 10, will open their ‘07 campaign at The Parris Auto Speedway, Feb. 3.
“Dennis’ innovative ideas have been a great asset to the racing industry and we look forward with great anticipation to this spectacular showcase event,” added USAC President/CEO Rollie Helmling.
“It’s a great time for our fans and participants to go west and we expect great car counts and fantastic competition on what is regarded as one of this country’s most competitive dirt tracks.”
Contributed by USAC News Bureau
