SUPRS Harvest of Speed at LaPorte Speedway Kicks Off Historic 15th Supermodified Sim Racing Season
September 25, 2018 – Goshen, IN…For the fifteenth consecutive year, Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), begins with the Harvest of Speed on October 2, 2018 at LaPorte Speedway using the NASCAR Heat sim racing platform.
Harvest Rooted in History
Throughout the history of the Harvest of Speed, the NASCAR Heat sim racing platform has always been used. While SUPRS has stayed true to their roots, using the same game platform, several different changes of the game have seen action, with the first being the Mike Jackson built “PSTM” mod. After that, all the mods used were built “in-house” for SUPRS all the way up to the latest SUPRS W v6.0 which is now available publicly.
LaPorte Speedway is one of the first NASCAR Heat tracks built by the NASCAR Heat community outside of the original tracks for the HASBRO Interactive game released 18 years ago. As such, it’s the perfect place to host the first race of SUPRS 14 event NASCAR Heat Supermodified Challenge which is open to the public ,with the only requirement being that a driver register his intent to compete as a Silver Crest division driver using the SUPRS join form. One driver, Jeff “Grumpy” Bivens, a former SUPRS member in 2016, has already filled out that form and has indicated his intent to return to supermodified competition for the Harvest.
Original and Still Unique
The ‘in-house’ SUPRS W v6.0 mod built by Quesnell Designs was originally released in 2010. The unique and original mod was the first in the sim racing world not only to feature multiple supermodified chassis in one game, but also articulating top wings. The mod, which is now considered very old by some in the sim racing community, is now considered new again by others NASCAR Heat community thanks to the SUPRS sanctioned public release by The Mod Squad.
Reaping Victory Not Easy at LaPorte
LaPorte Speedway is a fictional, tight, high-banked 3/8th mile track in Northern Indiana has hosted the Harvest of Speed since the beginning of SUPRS and is second only to Oswego Speedway for the amount of races contested. But even with that many races run, to win on the challenging, old track at LaPorte is one of the greatest challenges the SUPRS racers will face in all the season.
Since the first Harvest of Speed in 2004, just seven drivers have ever won it. Many of the 13 different drivers that have managed to see the checkered flag first at LaPorte have never won a second race there. But there are several exceptions to that rule, including defending winner Bob Gangwer who looks to join the ranks of Ray Sand, Jr. and Myles Maxon as drivers that have at least three Harvest of Speed victories.
Sandman, Might Myles and SFJ LaPorte Masters
Seven-Time SUPRS Gold Crest Wing Supermodified Champion Ray “The Sandman” Sand, Jr. has a total of six feature wins at LaPorte including the 2011 and 2013 Harvest of Speed races and only “Mighty” Myles Maxon and John “SFJ” Davidson have more total wins at LaPorte. Maxon’s four Harvest of Speed victories at LaPorte make up the bulk of his seven total wins here . Three of those wins came in a row from 2007-2009. Davidson made an incredible run of eight straight checkered flags at LaPorte from February 2005 to April 2006, with one of those being the very first Harvest of Speed.
Sean O’Kane (2006), Gary Waldron (2010), and Chris Meyers (2012) are the only other drivers to have won the Harvest of Speed. Steve Callahan, Jim Crannell, Josh Crannell, Doug Heveron, and Jesse Kennedy have also etched their names into the SUPRS record book as one-time LaPorte Speedway race winners, although none of them brought in the Harvest.
Indyana Supermod Challenges Starts with Harvest
The 2018 Harvest of Speed is, again, the first race of the Indyana Supermod Challenge, (ISC), which is a season-long, multi-race regional tour through the state of Indiana. This tour pays bonus points to the overall points man and includes a double-header at Indianapolis Raceway Park, as well as a thirty lap race at Anderson Speedway. The overall Indyana Supermod Challenge Champion receives a five-pound bag of award-winning Yoder’s Indiana Popcorn.
Open the Season with SUPRS
SUPRS 15th Anniversary season of supermodified sim racing begins with the Harvest of Speed at LaPorte Speedway on October 2, 2018. Practice begins at 8:00pm, with the Drivers Meeting taking place at 8:30. Time Trials follow at 8:45pm and Racing begins with the Fast Car Dash at 9:05pm. The full race format and schedule of events is available on the SUPRS schedule page.
Watch the Harvest of Speed Live
Follow your favorite SUPRS racers while you view timing, scoring, and live streaming video of all the NASCAR Heat sim racing from the SUPRS 15th Annual Harvest of Speed at LaPorte Speedway “Live @ 9pm est via the SUPRS LIVE! page.
The SUPRS LIVE! experience includes in-car camera views as well as the main video screen and it’s a great place to spend the first Tuesday evening in October while learning more about supermodifieds and the original supermodified sim racing sanction.
Learn More
Online sim racers, gamers, and supermodified racing fans can all learn more about the original supermodified sim racing sanction by visiting www.SUPRS.net, “Liking” SUPRS on Facebook, Circling SUPRS on Google+, Following @SUPRSOnline on Twitter, and Viewing SUPRS videos on YouTube. We’re also on Instagram @suprs_online, and don’t forget to check out our live streaming video at select races throughout the season via our SUPRS LIVE! page and Twitch.
SUPRS – “Supermodified Sim Racing for the Right Reasons” since 2004
Harvest of Speed Season Opener- Wing – LaPorte Speedway
- 2005 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: John Davidson
- 2006 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Sean O’Kane
- 2007 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Myles Maxon
- 2008 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Myles Maxon
- 2009 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Myles Maxon
- 2010 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Gary Waldron
- 2011 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2012 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Chris Meyers
- 2013 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2014 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Myles Maxon
- 2015 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2016 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Bob Gangwer
- 2017 Harvest of Speed Season Opener Winner: Bob Gangwer