News Director 
Story By: BRETT DEYO / GEORGETOWN SPEEDWAY – GEORGETOWN, DE – Stewart Friesen has a full slate of NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racing on his plate in 2017. But that doesn’t mean he will leave the dirt tracks behind.
Friesen plans his first Northeast dirt track start on Saturday, March 11 at Georgetown Speedway in the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial race. The 33-year-old Sprakers, N.Y., driver will tackle the Sussex County half-mile oval in the Halmar International-backed No. 44.
A year ago, Friesen competed at Georgetown on three occasions and won twice: the Deron Rust Memorial small-block special in March and later, in August, the ‘Blast at the Beach’ following an epic side-by-side battle with Ryan Watt for the lead.
The March 11 Melvin L. Joseph Memorial is the first Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By VP Velocita South Region event of the ’17 season. Friesen is the defending champion of the STSS South circuit.
“We had a lot of fun racing at Georgetown last year,” Friesen said. “It’s a long tow, but it’s a cool, historic place. It’s one of the fastest tracks we race on.”
Friesen has followed off-season improvements at the facility over the winter months and is anxious to check out the new clay, increased banking and renovations first-hand in a few weeks.
“All the work going down there looks awesome from the pictures I’ve seen online,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting out there and racing on it.”
Friesen is a full-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series racer this season. While the Truck is a priority, he will chase a busy Modified schedule of approximately 40-50 races; many of which are on the STSS schedule.
“The Truck races are mainly on the weekends,” he said. “We’ll hit a lot of the STSS races that are mid-week. It fits our schedule well.”
More than $27,000 in posted purse money is on the line for Modified racers at the Georgetown opener: $4,900-plus to win, $1,000 for 10th and $490 to take the green flag for 49 laps of racing.
Joining the STSS Modifieds on the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial program are the L&J Sheet Metal Crate 602 Sportsman paying $1,000 to win and $100 to start plus Southern Delaware Vintage Stock Cars, Little Lincolns, Delmarva Chargers and Delaware Super Trucks.
On March 11, pit gates will open at noon. Grandstand gates will be unlocked at 1 p.m. Hot laps get underway at 3 p.m., with racing at 4 p.m.
Adult grandstand admission is $20. Seniors (ages 65 and up) and Students (ages 13-17) pay $16. Kids 9-12 pay $10 and Children eight and under are FREE. Pit admission is $35 (ages 13 and up), $10 (ages 6-12) and $2 (five and under).
A rain date of Sunday, March 12 is in place for the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial.
Two practice sessions will precede this event. The first is set for Saturday, March 4. The second takes place on Friday night, March 10.
Overnight camping will be permitted on site and teams may leave their haulers in the pit area from Friday to Saturday.
The recently remodeled Quality Inn (formerly Comfort Inn) just north of the speedway on Route 113 in Georgetown, is offering the following discounted rates for the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial on both Friday and Saturday nights: $98.10 for Double Beds; $89.10 for a King Size bed; $107.10 for a Suite. Call the Quality Inn directly at 302.854.9400 and mention Georgetown Speedway to receive the discount.
Georgetown Speedway, originally constructed by Melvin L. Joseph in 1949, is located at the intersection of Route 113 and Speedway Road in Georgetown, Del., just miles from the Delaware beaches and less than a 40-minute drive from Ocean City, Md.
A website is live for the speedway at www.thegeorgetownspeedway.com. Like Georgetown Speedway on Facebook, follow @thegtownspdwy on Twitter, e-mail georgetownspeedway@gmail.com or contact Brett Deyo at 845.728.2781 during business hours for more information.
To learn more about the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP or BD Motorsports Media LLC, visit www.shorttracksuperseries.com or www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com, call 845.728.2781 during business hours, e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, “like” Short Track Super Series on Facebook or follow @ShortTrackSS on Twitter.
