Berlin Raceway releases 2008 schedule
New racing division added; popular traveling series
return
MARNE, MI -- Five points-earning local racing
divisions, eight different traveling series and three
marquis annual events highlight Berlin Raceway's 2008
season schedule, which opens on Saturday, April 12 and
runs through Saturday, October 11.
A new racing division will compete for points and
prize money and will crown its first champion in 2008.
The 4-Cylinder division will race 12 times for points,
plus a season-ending non-points Enduro race. The
4-Cylinder class raced a handful of times in 2007 as a
non-points experiment, growing from 14 cars in April
to 37 cars in September. The increasing popularity in
the 4-Cylinder division was due to the exciting race
action on the track all season long (proving racing
really is a contact sport) and the inexpensive costs
of purchasing and maintaining a 4-Cylinder. A
4-Cylinder race car is a standard street model with a
few safety additions such as five-point seat belts and
roll bars. Models raced in 2007 include Pontiac Grand
Ams and Sunbirds, Dodge Neons, Chevrolet Cavaliers and
Toyota Corollas, among others. The purchase and
modification of a 4-Cylinder race car costs less than
$1,000. The addition of this class gives racers a true
entry level class at Berlin Raceway.
With the 4-Cylinders becoming the fifth division at
Berlin, joining the Coors Light Late Model, Engine Pro
Super Stock, De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stock and Instant
Cash Advance Sportsman divisions, gone are the days of
a standard weekly show with all point divisions racing
every Saturday night. Only once (Championship Night,
September 20) are all five divisions racing on the
same night. Each division has several nights of racing
off from the time-consuming and expensive sport of
racing, allowing race teams some personal time away
from the track during the six month season. But each
race night is packed with excitement for the fans; in
addition to Berlin's regular divisions, traveling
series including Auto Value Super Sprints (three
times), ARCA, ASA, Short Track Trucks, Wolverine
Outlaw Midgets (twice), Vintage Racing Organization,
USPro Series and ISMA Supermodifieds are all on the
2008 schedule. Entertainment such as the ever-popular
School Bus Races (which have drawn the largest crowds
of the season for each of the past several years),
Trash Can Bowling and Spectator Drags pack the
itinerary on nights when less than four of the
divisions race.
The premier Coors Light Late Model division, which has
seen smaller car counts in recent years due to the
expense of the high-tech cars, the economy and the
number of tracks eliminating the division completely
in favor of template car divisions or traveling
series, will return with 15 races on the schedule. The
reduction from 19 Late Model races completed last
season to 15 scheduled for 2008 is a popular one among
race teams and one that Berlin Raceway officials hope
will resurrect the division and bring back drivers who
have stayed away due to the cost of running all the
races to chase points.
Berlin Director of Race Operations Mike Strevel said
the reduction of the Late Model schedule is seen as a
positive and popular decision.
"The decision to run 15 races instead of 19 or 20 was
made after receiving input from the Late Model
drivers, who, to a man, support the change," Strevel
said. "It's really hard for me to watch the Late Model
field get smaller and to watch other tracks eliminate
the division completely. We wanted to keep this class
alive and strong, and we feel we can do that by
running less races for more prize money and allow the
racers to to buy four new tires every week again. This
is a very expensive sport, and the cost to maintain a
race car and engine, even without crashing, is
staggering. Giving these teams some time off will help
them remain financially viable, and hopefully will
encourage some of the racers who have hung up their
helmets to get behind the wheel again."
Some of the popular shows returning in 2008 are the
Boyne Machine Weekend (September 12-13), a two-day
race that includes a 150-lap Late Model feature on the
loaded itinerary; the unique and popular Open Wheel
Extravaganza, which unites all the top open-wheel
series in the country at Berlin Raceway for one
exciting night (September 27); and "The Chet," Berlin
Raceway's signature event in memory of track founder
Chet Mysliwiec (August 9). The Chet has been moved
from its traditional Wednesday night to a Saturday,
while the traditional Wednesday night show in June has
been dropped from the schedule.
"Attending three races in an eight-day period is tough
on our fans in these difficult economic times,"
Strevel said. "We made a decision based on what the
fans said. The Chet race is our signature event, and
we were able to slot that into a Saturday night and
keep that tradition alive. This schedule sticks
strictly to Saturday night racing, with the exception
of Fair Week and the addition of Friday night racing
during Boyne Machine Weekend. It's easier on the fans
and on the racers who have to repair their cars to not
attempt three races in eight days."
Ticket prices will be added to the schedule upon
finalization.
