Story By: RYAN DELPH / SOUTHERN NATIONAL SERIES – BRASSTOWN, NC – Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals Series action heats back up in a big way on April 15-16 with a lucrative doubleheader in the states of Virginia and Tennessee.
Round three of the miniseries will take place this Friday night at the picturesque Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, Virginia.
After Mother Nature nixed last year’s scheduled program at the 1/2-mile speedplant, Fred Brown’s facility will play host to its first-ever Spring Nationals show on Friday and a strong field of competitors have expressed their intentions of vying for the $10,053 winner’s check.
A trip to the Volunteer State will then be in store for the cars and stars racing with the Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals Series on Saturday evening, as the 2nd edition of the ‘Lil Bill Corum Memorial’ will take center stage at the bad-fast Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, Tennessee. Co-sanctioned with the Iron-Man Late Model Series, the single-day throwdown at “The Taz” boasts a whopping $21,000 windfall. Jonathan Davenport secured the triumph in last year’s inaugural version of the ‘Lil Bill Corum Memorial’ over a top five that included runner-up Kyle Larson, Tyler Erb, Dale McDowell, and Donald McIntosh.
There is also a $2,100 Fast Time Award up for grabs at Tazewell Speedway for pre-registered drivers – courtesy of Toyota Knoxville. The drivers that pre-entered for the contest and are eligible for the extra cash include: Ross Bailes, Scott Bloomquist, Stacy Boles, Kyle Bronson, Michael Chilton, Jonathan Davenport, Aaron Guinn, Christian Hanger, Vic Hill, Dakotah Knuckles, John Llewellyn, Chris Madden, Dale McDowell, Austin Neely, Brandon Overton, Garrett Smith, Steve Smith, Kyle Strickler, Ricky Weiss, and Mark Whitener.
At Wythe Raceway on Friday, the pit gates will open at 3:00pm, while the grandstands will start to allow fans into the venue at 5:00pm. Hot laps are scheduled for approximately 7:00pm with racing action to closely follow. Grandstand admission is $35.00 for adults, $32.00 for seniors and military, and $5.00 for youth ages 7-12. Kids 6 and under will be admitted into the stands for FREE, while pit admission for all is $45.00.
Along with the Super Late Models at Wythe, other classes in competition will be the Super Street, Modified, Pro Mini, UCAR, and KCAR divisions. Wythe Raceway is located at 164 Race Track Road in Rural Retreat, Virginia 24368.
On Saturday at Tazewell Speedway, the pit gates will swing open at 2:00pm and the hillside grandstands will start to fill up at 4:00pm. The Drivers Meeting is slated for 6:00pm, while hot laps will take to the track at 6:30pm. Adult grandstand admission for the ‘Lil Bill Corum Memorial’ will be $30.00 and adult pit admission will be $45.00. Kids 9 and under will be allowed into the stands for FREE, while kids 12 and under will be admitted into the pit area for only $35.00. There are also a limited number of camping spots (first come, first serve) available on the grounds for $20.00 nightly.
In addition to the ground-pounding Super Late Models, the Sportsman Late Model ($1,021 to win), Classic Car ($521 to win), and Street Stock ($521 to win) classes will also be on the racing card. Tazewell Speedway is located at 1400 Bacchus Road in Tazewell, Tennessee 37879.
The third and fourth rounds of the Schaeffer’s Oil Spring Nationals tour will feature a complete show of FK Rod Ends qualifying, heat races, consolation events, and main events. The headliner at Wythe Raceway will be 53 laps in length, while the ‘Lil Bill Corum Memorial’ at Tazewell Speedway will be 75 laps. The Super Late Model tire rule will be Hoosier 1350 or 1600 on all four corners; American Racer 48 or 56 on all four corners. Body rules and the Droop Rule will be the same as those agreed on by both the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series – among many others. The entry fee will be $100.00 and transponders will be available to rent. Any driver not advancing into the feature field will receive $75.00 in tow money.