November 1, 2020 – Goshen, IN…This week the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), will celebrate 17 continuous years of sanctioning supermodified sim racing with the SUPRS 17th Anniversary Special at South Carolina Speedway.
Slow, Steady Growth
SUPRS started out small. With slow, steady growth and a dedication to consistency, accountability, and fair, but fun virtual racing, what initially began as a few guys getting together to race NASCAR Heat on one track, with one type of car, using 56k dial-up internet, and taking turns hosting on race night on the same rig they raced on in 2004, has grown into one of the longest continuously operating sim racing leagues in the country.
When Bob Gangwer and John Davidson took over the reigns of a foundering sim racing league in November of 2004, there was no regular schedule. They immediately released an ambitious 38 race schedule even though there were less than a half-dozen regulars.
By the time the end of the first season rolled around, SUPRS had their first in-house mod builder, had their first dedicated race server, and released an updated version of the Mike Jackson PSTM “supermodified” they were racing.
When the last race of that first season ended, dealing with warp, corrupted files, and lag was still something they had to deal with, but the community had grown to 36 different drivers, including the first real supermodified racer to join SUPRS ranks, Joey Payne, Jr., and the first ground-up, in-house built mod, (NHSM) by Shaker Designs, featuring two different types of supermodifieds had been released.
The team quickly realized that there were many opportunities available with the online racing platform that would provide a way to give back to the teams, tracks, sponsors and fans of the division. With this thought in mind, and using a suggestion from a member, SFJ and Bobby G.,(as Davidson and Gangwer are known respectively), SUPRS went to a “donations to play” format soon after the formation of the league.
By asking members to donate to the newly created Dion Parish Memorial Benevolent Fund for Supermodifieds in order to compete online, SUPRS started accumulating funds that allowed the sanction to donate cash to injured drivers and their families when they needed it the most. Unlike many other leagues or gaming “clans”, SUPRS uses the donations, not for server costs or personal use, but to help those in need.
Nod to the Beginning
In a nod to the beginning of SUPRS in 2004, SUPRS will use the NASCAR Heat sim racing game and race their first ground-up, “in-house” built modification for the platform, named “NHSM” which stands for NASCAR Heat SuperModified. This modification was built for SUPRS by Kevin Marine of Shaker Designs with help from real supermodified car builders and drivers and was released in February of 2006. In keeping with respecting the roots of SUPRS, South Carolina Speedway will be the track of choice this year. The track was built by Mike Jackson of the DSES/DRT leagues around 2006. Jackson was an integral part of helping get SUPRS rolling, lending sim racing knowledge and expertise to the fledgling sanction.
17th Anniversary Special Details
SUPRS 17th Anniversary Special takes place on Election Day, November 3, 2020. Practice for this NASCAR Heat supermodified sim race begins at 8:30pm, with the Drivers Meeting taking place at 8:45. There are no preliminary events scheduled before the feature which is set to start at 9:10pm. The feature race will use a special format to set the starting line-up based on the original join date of each SUPRS member in attendance. The driver in attendance with the oldest original join date will start on the pole position. The full race format and schedule of events is available on the SUPRS schedule page.
The race is part of the SUPRS/HeatFinder.net Supermodified Challenge and is open to the public for anyone that has registered at SUPRS.net, filled out a Join Form, and has the mod and track prior to race time.
Watch SUPRS 17th Anniversary Special Live
SUPRS first broadcast dates back to 2006 with a radio call of the Randy Witkum Memorial. The tradition of bringing live supermodified sim racing action to the fans continues with the 17th Anniversary Special on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Follow your favorite SUPRS racers while you view timing, scoring, and live streaming video of all the supermodified sim races on Election Day from South Carolina Speedway @ 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 you evening after voting where you can learn more about supermodifieds and the original supermodified sim racing sanction.
SUPRS is Social
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, 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 throughout the season via our SUPRS LIVE! page and Twitch.
SUPRS 17 Year Statistics
- Number of Races Sanctioned: While it’s not an exact count, to the best knowledge currently available, SUPRS has sanctioned 926 confirmed races as of November 1, 2020. With six complete years of Silver Crest, and one non-wing season of Gold Crest data missing, and a handful of NASCAR Tour-type modified races thrown in, the figure is most likely over 1,050 events.
- Total Amount of Drivers Receiving SUPRS Points: 164-again based on data available
- States Represented by SUPRS Drivers: AL, AZ, CA, CT, DE, GA, FL, IL, IN, KY, ME, MO, MA, MI, MN, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NV, NY, OH, PA, SC, TX, WA, WI
- Canadian Provinces Represented by SUPRS Drivers: ONT, QUE
- SUPRS Youngest Winner: Stephen Ritskes-age 16
- SUPRS Oldest Winner: Carl Becker-age 76
- SUPRS Driver with longest continuous, uninterupted membership: Steve Callahan-Original Join Date of March 6, 2005.
- Current SUPRS Driver with oldest Original Join Date: Gary Waldron-January 5, 2004
“Supermodified Sim Racing for the Right Reasons” since 2004
