News Director 
Story By: RACE OF CHAMPIONS – ELMA, NY – Race of Champions, Lake Erie Speedway and the Erie Sports Commission Officials are to announce that the 2017 Race of Champions Weekend will take place at the Lake Erie Speedway Thursday, September 28 through Saturday, September 30.
The culmination of the traditional weekend will see the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series compete for 250 laps in the 67th Annual Race of Champions.
“This is a very positive move for the event and short track racing in general,” stated Joe Skotnicki, Race of Champions steward. “We took a different approach to this and it has proven very affective. After meeting with the Track Management and the Erie Sports Commission we knew this was the direction this event needed. The involvement from the surrounding community and the opportunity to have a marquee track like Lake Erie host such an event is a great way to enhance and carry on the great tradition that is the Race of Champions.”
Matt Hirschman won the 2016 edition of the Race of Champions at Oswego, the fourth victory of his career.
It also marks the first time the race returns to Pennsylvania since 1991 when Donald ‘Satch’ Worley won on the 3/4-mile Pocono Raceway. The race had previously run at the legendary Langhorne Speedway, where Hully Bunn won the first ever event in 1951. Since that first event, the race has been 35 times in Pennsylvania between Langhorne and Pocono.
“Teams will be faced with different challenges at Erie, but it will be an exciting race,” explained Skotnicki. “They will also be welcome within the community at hotels and restaurants and we are looking forward to that. The schedule will mirror last year with practice beginning on Thursday. Racing for the Sportsman Modifieds and Race of Champions Super Stocks on Friday along with the addition of the Lancaster type Street Stocks and Race of Champions Late Models on Saturday in addition to the 250 for the Modifieds. It is all building up to be an exciting event and we are looking forward to putting the pieces in place to give everyone an event they are proud to see, participate in and proud to have.”
Thursday, September 28, will allot teams an open practice day, while Friday, September 29, will see a Race of Champions Sportsman Modified special along with a championship event for the Race of Champions Super Stocks. Saturday, September 30 will see the running of the 67th Annual Race of Champions the Race of Champions Late Models and Lancaster National Speedway Street Stock division will fill out the days events. More information will be forthcoming and details will be made available in the coming months on the Race of Champions website.
This weekend, along with the Saturday, July 8 date at Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway and Sunday, September 24 date at Lancaster (N.Y.) National Speedway as part of the 29th Annual U.S. Open will make up the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series “triple crown” with further details coming in regard to these three premiere asphalt modified racing dates.
The Race of Champions is a sanctioning body presenting Modified and Stock Car racing on asphalt and dirt surfaces throughout the Northeast, with events in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The 67th annual Race of Champions weekend will take place in 2017 and is the second longest consecutive auto-racing event in North America, second only to the Indianapolis 500.
