• Happy Thanksgiving!

    SUPRS Thanksgiving graphicSUPRS Thanksgiving Break
    November 20, 2024 5pm - December 2, 2024, 8am
    NO RACING-ALL SERVERS CLOSED
    We wish all of the SUPRS Members, sponsors, friends, fans, and supporters in the sim racing and real supermodified world a very Happy Thanksgiving. Please be safe in your travels and celebrations. We'll see you all for the Wing Side Up Twin 25s on December 3, 2024 at The Salem Speedway and Winchester Speedway!

    DON'T DRINK & DRIVE!

Category: SUPRS News

News about the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series including PR, website updates, race preview stories, and more.

Billy Vukovich III Remembered with Supermodified Sim Race

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February 27, 2018 – Fresno, CA…The Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS) will honor the late Billy Vukovich III tonight with the 14th Annual running of the Billy Vukovich III Classic 100 at Mesa Marin Raceway presented by Supermodified Scorecard.

SUPRS 2018 Billy Vukovich III Classic posterLong-Time Sponsorship Continues

SUPRS co-founder John Davidson, of Sacramento, CA,  has sponsored this race since it’s inception through his Supermodified Scorecard business. His support is just as strong now as it ever was for a race that honors a fellow Californian.

“California-based Supermodified Scorecard continues to proudly sponsor the annual SUPRS sanctioned “Billy Vukovich III Classic” to recognize and honor his legacy and contribution to the supermodified division,” said Davidson.

Davidson himself is a three-time winner of the race and is one of four drivers to have won the prestigious event more than once.

About Billy Vukovich III

Billy Vukovich III was a three-time starter of Indianapolis 500 Mile Race, the first third generation racer to compete in the race and like his father and grandfather before him was named the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race Rookie of the Year.

Bob Frey and Billy Vukovich III at Berlin Raceway 1989 by B&G Racing photos

Bob Frey(L) talks things over with Billy Vukovich III at 1989 USAC sprint car show at Berlin Raceway. Photo by B&G Racing Photos

While many in the mainstream motor sports arena will remember Billy III as a rising star of the IndyCar ranks, the supermodified community will always claim him as one of their own. Starting out just like Bill Vukovich and Bill Vukovich II, Billy got his start in midgets in his home state of California and was a champion in that division. He quickly moved through the ranks to the supermodifieds and competed for famed supermodified car builder Jim Belfiore before moving to larger, better funded teams in California’s Central Valley.

1987 Dominated by Vukovich III

During his supermodified tenure, Vukovich III claimed the 1986-87 USAC Supermodified Championship. In 1987 alone he won an incredible 12 of 17 races with a string of seven consecutive victories. He was also a two-time winner of the prestigious Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway and was a threat to win when he competed at Madera Speedway in the Vernon Reitz “Spirit of Madera” machine.

Led Way to Return of Wings at Oswego

Vukovich III was also a part of the storied return of winged supermodified racing to Oswego Speedway, competing there in an exhibition race against Eddie Bellinger, Steve Gioia, Jr. and Bentley Warren. This event was the forerunner of the return of winged supermodified racing to Oswego Speedway with 1992 ISMA wing show and set the stage for ISMA’s 1992 East vs West series and ultimately the 1995 East vs West Shootout at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Other Races and Events Celebrate Vukovich III

Vukovich III was killed at the age of 27 while practicing for a CRA pavement sprint car race at Mesa Marin Speedway on November 25, 1990.

Each year Madera Speedway runs the Vukovich Classic in honor of all three generations of the racing Vukovich family. There is an annual Billy Vukovich III golf tournament held to raise funds for the Billy Vukovich III Scholarship Fund for students of Billy’s high school Yosemite High School where there is also a memorial honoring the 1981 graduate who loved meteorology and amateur weather forecasting.

See the Race Live

For the first time in the history of the SUPRS Billy Vukovich III Classic fans can watch all 100 laps with streaming video via SUPRS LIVE! beginning at 9pm EST. Because it is a NASCAR Heat race, there will be no cautions making for a show that should take under 30 minutes to complete.

Race Schedule

Practice begins at 8:00pm with Time Trials 8:30pm. The Fast Car Dash follows at 8:45pm to set the top four starting places for 14th Annual Billy Vukovich III Classic presented by Supermodified Scorecard 100 lap feature which should take the green flag around 9:10pm.

SEE FULL FORMAT of 14th Annual Billy Vukovich III Classic

 

Get Social with SUPRS

Fans can learn more about the supermodified division and the original supermodified sim sanction, the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, by visiting www.SUPRS.net. Join SUPRS active and vibrant Social Media channels by  “Liking” SUPRS on Facebook, Circling SUPRS on Google+, Following @SUPRSOnline on Twitter, and viewing SUPRS videos on YouTube. See us live and join our chat on Twitch.

SUPRS Billy Vukovich III Classic 100 History

  • 2005 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: Bud Flath
  • 2006 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: John Davidson
  • 2007 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: Devin Gee
  • 2008 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: John Davidson
  • 2009 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: Ray Sand Jr
  • 2010 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: Bobby Gangwer
  • 2011 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: John Davidson
  • 2012 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: Steve Callahan
  • 2013 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: Steve Callahan
  • 2014 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: Rob Warren
  • 2015 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
  • 2016 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: Bobby Gangwer
  • 2017 Billy Vukovich III Classic Champion: Steve Callahan

Copper World Classic Kicks Off Western Swing

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February 10, 2018 – Goshen, IN…After a week in Florida, the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), racers have made their trek across America to begin their “Winter Western Swing” with the SUPRS Copper World Classic XIV presented by Kern Motorsports on Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at Phoenix International Raceway.

SUPRS Copper World Classic XIV Poster

BreezeGraphics.com posters and promotional items won’t leave you felling like you’re stranded in the desert.

 

Similar to Original Copper World Classic
This annual event features wing supermodified, non-wing supermodified, and pavement modified sim racing on the one mile paved oval in Arizona. This event is modeled after the popular Copper World Classic held annually at PIR, (now called ISM Raceway), from 1977-2009.

The supermodifieds were a part of the Copper World Classic from 1984 to 2002 with one year off in 1991. On a couple of occasions the supermodifieds ran without wings, and on others both wing and non-wing supers could be seen on track at the same time. So the SUPRS version tries to give fans the best of both worlds by running both types of cars on the same night.

Davey Hamilton has the most Copper World Classic wins with five and Troy Regier has the record for most wins in a row at three. Doug Saunier was the very first winner and Lonnie Adamson was the last supermodified winner of the Copper World Classic.

Roots in Supermodified Racing Run Deep for Kern

Involved as an official for many years, Curt Kern of Kern Motorsports, has sponsored the SUPRS Copper World Classic since 2007.

In 1987, Kern and Ed Williams started the Northwest Supermodified Racing Association, (NSRA),  after the United States Auto Club, (USAC), unexpectedly pulled out of sanctioning regional racing.

In 1992, Curt Kern formed the Western States Supermodified Tour, separating the supermodifieds from sprint cars, which continued to race under the Northwest Supermodified/Sprintcar Racing Association.

Kern’s Stint at Copper World

Eventually Kern also found himself working in an official capacity during the Copper World Classic. “Some years I was on the ground in the pit area and a couple of years in the tower running race control for the supers,” explained the Washington state native.

“For me, then, it was a pretty stressful position, but I looked forward to the five days in Phoenix every year. I also dreaded it at the same time,” he said.

Supermodified Reunion Organized by Kern

While Kern’s active involvement with the real supermodified division wound down to an end in the late 1990’s, he has stayed involved, albeit from a distance and has never completely walked away from the division. In fact, this year he is organizing a Supermodified Reunion at Meridian Speedway for western states supermodified racers young and old.

“I posted on Facebook about a potential supermodified reunion to be held at Meridian Speedway on May 26, 2018,” began Kern. “The response was pretty good so I decided to take the next step and brought it up to Adam Nelson at Meridian to see if we were on the same page.”

“We’ve lost a lot of supermodified greats since I got out and I thought it was time to remember them and get everyone else back together. Adam was all for it and now we’ve got it scheduled for Memorial Day weekend this year,” stated Kern.

Many States Represented at Reunion

The west coast supermodified sanction list reads like an alphabet soup and stretches from British Columbia through Washington down to California over Idaho and includes Colorado and Utah. With all those states and sanctions represented, this reunion could be one of the largest ever organized for supermodified racing.

A gathering of this size and magnitude deservers to be remembered and a poster and t-shirts are planned as well as an owner/drivers only social gathering. For more information and to be added to the supermodified reunion Facebook Group, former drivers, owners, crew members and fans should contact Curt Kern via email curtkern@yahoo.com or Adam Nelson via the Meridian Speedway contact page.

Kern’s Continued Support of SUPRS

It was only natural for Kern to gravitate to the online version of supermodified racing. After hanging up his sim racing helmet Kern was the SUPRS Race Director for a couple of years and since 2007 Kern Motorsports has been a sponsor of the SUPRS Copper World Classic.

“I’m honored to still be involved with SUPRS and their version of the Copper World Classic and consider Bobby and John both good friends,” he said. “I only wish I could get set up and come back and get in everyone’s way again,” joked Kern. “The event at the time was the supermodified communities version of the Indy 500 and to have SUPRS continue to run that event is pretty cool. Good luck to all and thank you for allowing me to be a part of the show.”

More SUPRS Copper World Details

Practice for the SUPRS Copper World Classic XIV presented by Kern Motorsports begins at 7:30pm with non-wing supermodifieds. The wing supermodifieds will practice runs from  8:45 to 8:oopm before the Drivers Meeting. Time Trials for non-wing are at 8:15pm and wing Time Trials follow at 8:30pm.

Racing on “The Desert Mile”begins with the eight lap wing supermodified heat race  at 9:00pm and the first of two 25 lap features are set to go at 9:05. Points for both feature finishes are added up to determine the overall SUPRS Copper World Classic XIV presented by Kern Motorsports Champion.

Watch Supermodifieds at Phoenix Live

Cheer on your favorite SUPRS racers while you view timing, scoring, track telemetry , stats and live streaming video of all the racing from the SUPRS Copper World Classic XIV presented by Kern Motorsports at Phoenix International Raceway when we go “Live @ 9pm est via the SUPRS LIVE! page.

A revamped page should decrease load times and improve the overall SUPRS LIVE! experience that now includes two in-car camera views as well as the main video screen.

Get Social with SUPRS

Fans can learn more about the supermodified division and the original supermodified sim sanction, the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, by visiting www.SUPRS.net. Join SUPRS active and vibrant Social Media channels by  “Liking” SUPRS on Facebook, Circling SUPRS on Google+, Following @SUPRSOnline on Twitter, and viewing SUPRS videos on YouTube. See us live and join our chat on Twitch.

SUPRS Copper World Classic-Wing Winners/Champions-Phoenix International Raceway

  • 2005 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: JP Curry-PA
  • 2006 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: John Davidson-CA
  • 2007 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: Chuck Russell-MO
  • 2008 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: Kris Heveron-FL
  • 2009 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: Bobby Gangwer-IN
  • 2010 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: Chad Phelps-NY
  • 2011 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: Jeff Weber-IN
  • 2012 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.-NY
  • 2013 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: John Davidson-CA
  • 2014 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.-NY
  • 2015 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: Steve Callahan-OH
  • 2016 SUPRS Copper World Classic Winner: Bobby Gangwer-IN
  • 2017 SUPRS Copper World Classic Winner: Nelson Rodrigues-MA

SUPRS Copper World Classic-Non-Winged Winners – Phoenix International Raceway

  • 2014 SUPRS Copper World Classic Winner: Steve Callahan-OH
  • 2015 SUPRS Copper World Classic Winner: Myles Maxon-NY
  • 2016 SUPRS Copper World Classic Winner: Ray Sand, Jr.-NY
  • 2017 SUPRS Copper World Classic Winner: Joe Achzet-NY

SUPRS Copper World Classic Wing/Non-Wing Combined Champions

  • 2016 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
  • 2017 SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion: Joe Achzet

(Note: Before 2016, the winner of the wing supermodified race was the SUPRS Copper World Classic Champion)

-SUPRS-

“Supermodified Sim Racing for the Right Reasons”

since 2004

Florida Speedweeks, Five Straight Nights of Sim Racing

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Florida Speedweeks Champion to be Crowned after Five Nights of Sim Racing

Goshen, IN – February 3, 2018…The Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), for the SUPRS Florida Speedweeks, offering fans live streaming video of five nights of supermodified sim racing at five different tracks.

SUPRS 2018 Florida Speedweeks Poster

Feel like the Florida Sunshine when you use promotional posters from BreezeGraphics.com

Variety is Spice of Speedweeks

Every track is completely different and the week includes tracks from a 1/3 mile inside a stadium to high-banked 3/4 mile and everything in between. This variation of track sizes, plus two different sim racing platforms always makes for great racing and unpredictable finishes each night. 

Never Predictable

With just time trials and a feature inverted by handicaps every night, the outcome is never predictable. The racing was nothing short of fantastic last year with two first-time SUPRS feature winners and a new Speedweeks champion. So it’s not unlikely that this year will be just as thrilling and may very well produce another new Speedweeks champ.

Five Nights of Action

Practice begins each night at 8pm. Time Trials will take place at 8:30 and the feature race is set to take the green flag at 9pm every night. The winner of the overall Florida Speedweeks Championship receives a five-pound bag of Florida Oranges.

Watch Speedweeks Live

Cheer on your favorite SUPRS racers while you view timing, scoring, and of course our outstanding live streaming video of all five nights of SUPRS Florida Speedweeks when we go “Live @ 9pm est via the SUPRS LIVE! page.

Get Social with SUPRS

Fans can learn more about the original supermodified sim sanction, the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, by visiting www.SUPRS.net. Join SUPRS active and vibrant Social Media channels by  “Liking” SUPRS on Facebook, Circling SUPRS on Google+, Following @SUPRSOnline on Twitter, and viewing SUPRS videos on YouTube. See us live and join our chat on Twitch.

****2018 SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Schedule****

Sunday 02/04/2018

Open Practice All Speedweeks Tracks 8:00pm

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Monday 02/05/2018

SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Race 1

  • New Smyrna Speedway-50 laps ½ Mile
  • 8:15pm Practice
  • 8:30pm Drivers Meeting
  • 8:45pm Time Trials
  • 9:00pm Racing
  • Current Track Record: Myles Maxon; 14.042; Set: 02/11/15(NH)-Defending Race Winner: Chad Phelps
  • rFactor platform SUPRS W v7.3 mod

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Tuesday 02/06/2018

SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Race 2

  • Black Creek Raceway-25 laps-3/4 Mile
  • 8:00pm Practice
  • 8:15pm Drivers Meeting
  • 8:30pm Time Trials
  • 9:00pm Racing
  • Current Track Record: Ray Sand, Jr.; 17.016 sec. Set: 02/10/2009(NH)-Defending Race Winner: Joe Achzet
  • NASCAR Heat platform SUPRS W v6 mod

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Wednesday 02/07/2017

SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Race 3

  • Dodge Raceway Stadium-50 laps-0.375 Miles
  • 8:00pm Practice
  • 8:15pm Drivers Meeting
  • 8:30pm Time Trials
  • 9:00pm Racing
  • Current Track Record: Nelson Rodrigues; 10.854; Set: 02/09/17(rF)-Defending Race Winner: Nelson Rodrigues
  • rFactor platform SUPRS W v7.3 mod

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Thursday 02/08/2017

SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Race 4

  • USA International Speedway-25 laps-3/4 Mile
  • 8:00pm Practice
  • 8:15pm Drivers Meeting
  • 8:30pm Time Trials
  • 9:00pm Racing
  • Current Track Record: Joe Achzet; 14707 sec. Set: 02/10/2016(rF)-Defending Race Winner: Kyle Clark
  • rFactor platform SUPRS W v7.3 mod

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Friday 02/09/2017

SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Race 5

  • 5 Flags Speedway-50 laps-½ Mile
  • 8:00pm Practice
  • 8:15pm Drivers Meeting
  • 8:30pm Time Trials
  • 9:00pm Racing
  • Current Track Record: N/A-Defending Race Winner: N/A
  • rFactor platform SUPRS W v7.3 mod

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Florida Speedweeks History–

  • 2005 Florida Speedweeks Champion: AJ Truax
  • 2006 Florida Speedweeks Champion: Sean O’Kane
  • 2007 Florida Speedweeks Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
  • 2008 Florida Speedweeks Champion: Myles Maxon
  • 2009 Florida Speedweeks Champion: Kris Heveron
  • 2010 Florida Speedweeks Champion: Myles Maxon
  • 2011-2013 Florida Speedweeks Champion: No Races
  • 2014 Florida Speedweeks Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
  • 2015 Florida Speedweeks Champion: Myles Maxon
  • 2016 Florida Speedweeks Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
  • 2017 Florida Speedweeks Champion: Keith Powell

-SUPRS-

“Supermodified Sim Racing for the Right Reasons”

since 2004

Punxsutawney Phil Keeps SUPRS Racers Guessing

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Punxsutwaney Phil Predicts Weather, SUPRS Race Format

January 30, 2018 – Goshen, IN…Letting the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil decide the format for a night of supermodified sim racing may sound a bit odd, but the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), figures if he can predict the weather, he can also predict the Groundhog Day Derby chain of events on February 2 at Lee USA Speedway.

SUPRS 2018 Groundhog Day Derby promo slide

Even Punxsutawney Phil knows that you can predict your marketing future when you use BreezeGraphics.com.

It’s All about Phil

While Phil and his Groundhog Club Inner Circle at Gobbler’s Knob may not know it, his yearly prognostication determines whether the race uses a standard format with time trials, heats and the feature, or a random start. And while doing it this way can prove to be just as vexing to the SUPRS racers as predicting when winter will end, it’s been the course of action since Bud Flath won the first Groundhog Day Derby in 2005.

New Venue for SUPRS is Long-Time venue for Real Supers

The site of this year’s race is Lee USA Speedway in Lee, NH. Lee was once the home of the New England Supermodified Racing Association, (NESMRA). More recently it has played host to the International Supermodified Association, (ISMA), and is the only weekly NASCAR sanctioned supermodified race track in the country.

P&L Motorsports Supermodified

The 21 supermodified owned by Pam and Lee Vinal at Lee USA Spee dway. (Jim Feeney photo)

But while Lee has long been  a hotbed of real supermodified racing, SUPRS has never raced on this historic venue before. Even so, during on pre-race testing, the virtual supermodifieds turned the 3/8 mile in nearly identical lap times as their mighty real world counterparts. So it seems like the 40 lap race could be over faster than Phil can crawl back into his hole.

Only One Repeat Winner

Letting Punxsutawney Phil decide the format for the night may sound a bit odd but SUPRS has done it that way for this race since Bud Flath won the first one in 2005. Most noteworthy, and probably due in part to the nature of the uncertain format, there has been just one repeat winner of this race.

Here’s a look at the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series Groundhog Day Derby History:

  • 2005 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 71jr.-Bud Flath (No TT)
  • 2006 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 2-Sean Gibbs (TT)
  • 2007 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 54j-Mike Jackson (TT)
  • 2008 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 66-Tim Heveron (No TT)
  • 2009 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 79-Myles Maxon (N/A)
  • 2010 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 58-Keith Powell (N/A)
  • 2011 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 37-Dave Biro III (TT)
  • 2012 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 55-Steve Callahan (No TT)
  • 2013 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 23-Chris Meyers (TT)
  • 2014 Groundhog Day Derby Winner:Ray Sand, Jr. (No TT)
  • 2015 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: Ray Sand, Jr. (No TT)
  • 2016 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 35-Rob Warren (TT)
  • 2017 Groundhog Day Derby Winner: 14-Joe Achzet (No TT)

See the Action Live

Watch for Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction in the morning and then get ready to watch the SUPRS racers do battle in the Groundhog Day Derby the evening of February 2, 2018 at Lee USA Speedway with SUPRS LIVE!

Cheer on your favorite SUPRS racers while you view timing, scoring, and of course our outstanding live streaming video of the Groundhog Day Derby when we go “Live @ 9pm est via the SUPRS LIVE! page.

Get Social with SUPRS

Fans can learn more about the original supermodified sim sanction, the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, by visiting www.SUPRS.net. Join SUPRS active and vibrant Social Media channels by  “Liking” SUPRS on Facebook, Circling SUPRS on Google+, Following @SUPRSOnline on Twitter, and viewing SUPRS videos on YouTube. See us live and join our chat on Twitch.

-SUPRS-

“Supermodified Sim Racing for the Right Reasons”

since 2004

  • Real Supermodified Racing Videos


    Our Real Supermodified Racing YouTube Playlist contains over 900 videos like this. Featuring wing, non-wing, 360/350 small-block, and vintage supermodified videos! If you've never seen, or heard a real supermodified, this is a good place to learn more about "The Ultimate Short Track Race Car" and understand why we love them and support them!
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