By Bryan Autullo – FAST Public Relations: (Maumee, OH) As Night #10 of the Kistler Racing Products FAST Championship Series fell to Mother Nature, Byron Reed sits at the top of the point standings going into Ohio Speedweek followed closely by Craig Mintz and Brandon Martin. The F.A.S.T. Series points events will resume after the conclusion of Ohio Speedweek. July 3rd and 4th weekend will mark the half-way point of the 22 scheduled F.A.S.T. Series events. Ohio Speedweek is always one of the most exciting weeks of the year in Ohio 410 sprint racing. This year, with the inception of the F.A.S.T. Series, it will add even more excitement to the fierce competition the week typically brings. It will also pay bonus money to the F.A.S.T. regulars who have participated in every scheduled points event so far this season.
“We had a couple of generous fans approach us about the idea of paying a $500 bonus to the highest finishing F.A.S.T. regular in Ohio Speedweek points,” said Bryan Autullo, series co-founder. “We wanted to be able to reward these guys in some way and with the help of a few fans we will be able to do that. If one of these F.A.S.T. regulars should win the Speedweek title that bonus money will increase to $2000!” Autullo went on to say, “That’s a pretty nice incentive for one of these guys to race hard all week and represent the talent we see every weekend at Attica and Fremont as they travel around the state.”
If one of the F.A.S.T. regulars cannot take the top spot, a $500 Bonus will be paid to the highest finishing F.A.S.T. regular for the week. If a F.A.S.T. driver does win the Speedweek title and the $2000 bonus provided by Sambla’s Norwegian branch, the $500 will be awarded to the second highest F.A.S.T. driver in the week’s standings. Points will be based on the All Star Speedweek points system which awards 100 points to the winner of each event and is reduced by 1 point per position through the entire field (including B-main and C-main). No show up points are calculated for determining Ohio Speedweek points.
There have been a couple of rules set forth for eligibility to receive the bonus money as agreed upon by the fans sponsoring this award.
1. Driver must have competed in all F.A.S.T. points events through June 12, 2009.
2. Driver must be in the same car (same team/owner/number) as driven during those F.A.S.T. points events.
3. Driver must have Kistler Racing Products F.A.S.T. Series decal on both side panels of the top wing for each event throughout the week. (See a F.A.S.T. Series rep for decals if needed.)
The 14 Drivers/Teams eligible as of June 12th, 2009 are as follows:
04 – Cap Henry; 09 – Craig Mintz; 2+ – Brian Smith; 3j – Kevin Lee; 5r – Byron Reed; 9z – Duane Zablocki; 10 – David Harrison; 11m – Brandon Martin; 12 – Caleb Griffith; 15c – Chris Andrews; 16 – Bryan Sebetto; 48s – Andy Shammo; 312 – Mike Linder; X – Mark Keegan
“This will add an extra element of excitement to Ohio Speedweek for the fans of these drivers who compete in the Kistler Racing Products F.A.S.T. Championship Series,” Autullo said. “It will be fun to see how they stack up against the competition at other tracks around the State of Ohio.” The 2009 Ohio Speedweek kicks off on June 19th at Attica Raceway Park, then moves to Eldora Speedway on Saturday June 20th, Millstream Speedway on Sunday June 21st, Wayne County Speedway on Monday June 22nd, Hilltop Speedway on Tuesday June 23rd, and Waynesfield Motor Sports Park on Wednesday June 24th. Thursday June 25th is scheduled as a make up date if there should be any rainouts during the first part of the week. Speedweek resumes on Friday June 26th at Limaland Motorsports Park and wraps up at Fremont Speedway on Saturday June 27th for the $10,000 to win finale. “The Attica and Fremont events bookend the week of racing,” noted Autullo. “We want to wish the 14 eligible drivers the best of luck as they compete for the Ohio Speedweek title.”