Bridgeport Speedway postpones weekend action
Cold weather forced a change in racing schedule at Bridgeport, NJ Speedway. With recordbreaking low temperatures (for this time of the year) on the horizon, Bridgeport Speedway decided to postpone last week’s Wildcard Weekend to this weekend (Nov. 17 & 18). A much more favorable forecast is predicted for this weekend thus allowing Bridgeport to utilize their ‘rain date’.
“We hate to pull the plug when it’s not going to rain but this cold weather is not good for the drivers or the fans,” expressed general manager Danny Serrano. “We reached out to roughly 50 teams on short notice, and all but a few were in favor of moving the entire weekend back a week. Friday night’s temperatures had already made up some of the drivers’ minds on not compet-
ing. With better temps in store next weekend, they were in favor to race next week,” Serrano added.
Starting times remain the same for November 1718. All the extracurricular activities planned for the fans will still be in affect on Saturday, including the ‘Party under the Pavilion’ on Friday night. Weekend campers will still be out in full affect along with a ‘weekend combo pass’ for the fans. A stellar field of Big Blocks, Small Blocks, Crate/Sportsman, and Outlaw Stocks will be in action all weekend long fighting for the 811 Dig Safe Poker Series championship. Be sure to visit the track’s official website www.bpspeedway.com for all the latest information.
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Danica Patrick and Chase Elliott are among the top 10 drivers receiving votes for this year’s Most Popular Driver Award.
Just a few days remain for fans to vote for their favorite Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver; voting will close Sunday, Nov., 19 at 11:59 p.m. ET
The MPD award is administered by the National Motorsports Press Association and is the only major NASCAR award to be determined solely by fan vote.
Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, is a 14-time recipient of the MPD Award. He is scheduled to retire from fulltime competition at the conclusion of the 2017 NASCAR season. Many in the industry figure Earnhardt Jr. will win his 15 MPD Award. Contrary to many reports there are possibilities that Dale Jr. will race in the Clash at Daytona in February and is scheduled to drive in a couple of Xfinity races in his own cars as part of sponsorship deals.
Patrick has been competing fulltime in NASCAR’s top level for five years, all with StewartHaas Racing. The driver of the No. 10 Ford has been among the top 10 in voting for the award each year. Patrick has no ride for the 2017 season.
Elliott, 21, finished among the top 10 drivers for the award last season, his first in the MENCS.
The top 10 in voting (listed in alphabetical order) are: Ryan Blaney (Wood Brothers Racing No. 21 Ford), Kyle Busch (Joe Gibbs Racing No. 18 Toyota), Earnhardt Jr., Elliott, Jimmie Johnson (HMS No. 48 Chevrolet), Kasey Kahne (HMS No. 5 Chevrolet), Matt Kenseth (JGR No. 20 Toyota), Kyle Larson (Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet), Patrick and Martin Truex Jr. (Furniture Row Racing No. 78 Toyota).
The recipient of the 2017 NMPA Most Popular Driver Award will be announced Nov. 30 during NASCAR Champion’s Week activities at the Wynn Las Vegas.
Pocono Raceway has announced that the VIP Tailgate packages for the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series weekends are now available for purchase. This announcement comes with limited days remaining for 2017 ticket purchasers to save 20% on select 2018 Sunday tickets as part of ‘The Tricky Triangle’s’ ticket renewal program.
There are two VIP Tailgating packages currently available for the 2018 season. The VIP Tailgate includes a reserved tailgating spot with space for two vehicles and up to eight guests, private portable restrooms and a secured area. The Premium VIP Tailgate includes all of the items that are featured with the VIP Tailgate as well as a tent, an eight foot table with table cover, four tailgating chairs and a cooler filled with ice. For additional information and to purchase, please visit www.poconoraceway.com/ tailgate.
Time is running out on the 2018 Ticket Renewal Program, which ends on November 15, 2017. Those eligible for renewals can save 20 percent on select 2018 Sunday NASCAR and/or INDYCAR tickets, gain automatic entry for a chance to win an Arctic Cat ATV, Side by Side or Snow Machine upon renewing and have the opportunity to be the first fans to upgrade or move their 2018 seats. Visit www.poconoraceway.com/ renewals for more information or call 1-800-722-3929.
John Andretti has completed his chemotherapy treatments.The former IndyCar and NASCAR driver announced in early May that he is fighting Stage 4 colon cancer and used his diagnosis as a platform to encourage others to get checked, creating his #CheckIt4Andretti Twitter hashtag as a rallying point for his cause.
To maintain awareness he has delivered regular updates about his progress via the press and social media. In June he reported that his spleen and gall bladder were cancerfree, and announced in August that he was commencing a new round of chemo: “Same cocktail with an added twist. Only 3 months to go.”
In a recent Tweet, Andretti announced that his three-month countdown is over.
“I am officially off the #chemocoaster for now. Hope I never get to ride it again. Please #CheckIt4Andretti.”
Andretti was a two-time winner in NASCAR’s top tier, with a maiden win at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona in 1997 being backed up by a victory at Martinsville in 1999. He also earned a Champ Car win at Surfer’s Paradise in 1991, and finished fifth at the Indy 500 that same year.
Andretti is one of few racers to compete in the Indy 500 and NASCAR’s Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
In sad news Wanda Kelly, wife of well-known popular area Modified and Sprint racer Dave Kelly, passed away last Sunday. The Kellys have made their home in Ormond Beach, Florida for many years. Kelly was a five time United Racing Club champion and the winner of the last Modified race run at the Reading Fairgrounds.