Tag: Florida

SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Championship Tough to Win

Goshen, IN – February 4, 2016…The Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series heads to the Sunshine State this week to test man and supermodified sim racing machine in the challenging SUPRS Florida Speedweeks.The SUPRS racers will showcase their talents as they compete over the course of five grueling nights at five unique and challenging tracks.

Promotional posters like this are as comforting as a Florida breeze with BreezeGraphics.com

Each track varies in size, grip level and configuration. The drivers will time trial each night, then the Elite 8 qualifiers will be handicapped into the top eight starting places of the feature making for unpredictable finishes each night.

Through the years there have been many memorable happenings during the Florida Speedweeks. In all there have been nine different tracks to host SUPRS Florida Speedweeks races and 20 different drivers have sat in victory lane through the years. Nine drivers have multiple wins. Of those Ray Sand, Jr. has the most Speedweeks wins overall with six. John Davidson has five, then Myles Maxon four.

Kris Heveron and Bob Gangwer have three wins total, while Sean O’Kane, Chris Myers, Dave Biro III and Steve Callahan each have two apiece. Of the multiple winners, only Davidson has won more than two features during a five night swing, picking up three the first year of SUPRS Florida Speedweeks in 2005.

The 2007 version of Speedweeks is remembered by some as the best racing ever and featured 25 drivers hailing from NH, NY, NJ, IN, MI, OH, MO, AL, PA, FL, and Canada, two first time winners, five new track records, and exceptionally tough contests over the course of five nights.

JP Curry(33), “Mighty” Myles Maxon(79), and Larry Russell(04) go three wide at Orlando during Florida Speedweeks. It looks like Tommy Goudge(76) in the RaceChasers.com car follows.

JP Curry of Otisville, PA was as hot as the Florida sun. He had two wins, one second and one-third and set four of the five new track records.  He was simply the class of the field every night except one and a DNF at Sunrise Raceway kept him from winning the Florida Oranges while Ray Sand, Jr. used his consistent top five finishes to win his first Florida Speedweeks Championship.

There was a three year break to Speedweeks but when it returned in 2014, the racing was nothing short of fantastic with five different winners, (including first time feature winner Kevin Timmins), broken track records, and a battle for the overall Florida Speedweeks Championship that went right down the last night with only 15 points separating the top three racers.

Ray  “The Sandman” Sand, Jr. is the only currently active SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Champion and he’ll be seeking his third overall Speedweeks championship this year. A feat that will tie him with last year’s champion, Myles Maxon.

The action is always intense at Orlando Speedworld.

Orlando Speedworld is a 3/8ths mile high banked track, built by Doug “Flash” Forgue, will be the site of the first race of Speedweeks. Steve Callahan is the defending race winner. The four times that Orlando has been run during Speedweeks, dating back to 2005 there has never been a repeat winner.

Night two will be held at the big 3/4 mile of Black Creek Raceway. This is one of two tracks that has hosted a race every year of Speedweeks. In those eight earlier shows, only Bob Gangwer has been a repeat winner doing it back to back in 2010, then in 2014 when Speedweeks picked back up. Myles Maxon is the defending Black Creek winner.

The SUPRS racers move on to New Smyrna Speedway on Wednesday for night three of the swing. Doug “Flash” Forgue also built this track for NASCAR Heat. New Smyrna has hosted just two SUPRS Florida Speedweeks races and Dave Brigandi is the defending winner there.

Steve Callahan has a rough day at Sunrise Raceway. Steve lost control and climbed the sand hill in the backstretch ending a great run in 2014.

Night four finds SUPRS pulling into Sunrise Raceway. This slick 4/10ths mile egg-shaped oval has hosted six Speedweeks races and has also seen it’s fair share of drivers hit and launch off of the sand mounds in the backstretch. Rob Warren used finesse and good luck to win here last year.

The last night of racing takes place at another big 3/4 mile track where good brakes are as important as top speed. Along with Black Creek Raceway, USA International Speedway has hosted a race all eight years that SUPRS has run the Florida Speedweeks. Ray Sand, Jr. is the only driver besides Myles Maxon to have won here more than once, and will be looking for his third victory in a row.

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 will receive a five pound bag of Florida Oranges.

Fans of supermodified racing and online sim racers alike can learn more about the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series by visiting www.SUPRS.net, “Liking” SUPRS on Facebook, Circling SUPRS on Google+, Following @SUPRSOnline on Twitter, and Viewing SUPRS videos on YouTube

Monday 02/08/2016

SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Race 1

• Orlando Speedworld-50 laps 3/8 Mile
• 8:00pm Practice
• 8:15pm Drivers Meeting
• 8:30pm Time Trials
• 9:00pm Racing
• Current Track Record: Orlando Speedworld: Ray Sand, Jr.; 11.582 sec.; Set: 02/24/2014-Defending Race Winner:Steve Callahan

————————————————————

Tuesday 02/09/2016

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: Black Creek Raceway: Ray Sand, Jr.; 17.016 sec. Set: 02/10/2009-Defending Race Winner: Myles Maxon

————————————————————–

Wednesday 02/10/2016

SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Race 3

• New Smyrna Speedway -50 Laps-½ Mile
• 8:00pm Practice
• 8:15pm Drivers Meeting
• 8:30pm Time Trials
• 9:00pm Racing
• Current Track Record: New Smyrna Speedway: Myles Maxon; 14.042; Set: 02/11/15-Defending Race Winner: Dave Brigandi

————————————————————–

Thursday 02/11/2016

SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Race 4

• Sunrise Raceway-50 laps-4/10 Mile
• 8:00pm Practice
• 8:15pm Drivers Meeting
• 8:30pm Time Trials
• 9:00pm Racing
• Current Track Record: Sunrise Raceway: Ray Sand, Jr; 11.355 sec. Set: 02/11/2008-Defending Race Winner: Rob Warren

————————————————————–

Friday 02/12/2016

SUPRS Florida Speedweeks Race 5

• 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: USA International Speedway: Myles Maxon; 19.397 sec. Set: 02/13/2015-Defending Race Winner: Ray Sand, Jr.