Blind Date Night Kicks off Empire State Super Series

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2016-17 Empire State Super Series Tour Blind Date Night Supermodified Sim Race This Week

January 15, 2017 – Goshen, IN…The Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), Empire State Super Series Regional Tour begins on Tuesday January 17 with Blind Date Night.

SUPRS 2017 ESS Blind Date Night Poster

We’ve never met an event poster we didn’t like when BreezeGraphics.com sets up the blind date!

The Empire State Super Series, (ESS), is composed of anywhere between three to six races and run over the course of one year and two SUPRS Gold Crest Seasons. The tour includes only those tracks that are in the state of New York.

The SUPRS Blind Date Night has been a tradition since the very start of the sanction when it ran four races in one night on New Year’s Eve known as the New Year’s Eve 4-n-1 Bash.

After the SUPRS Members decided they’d rather spend time with their family and friends on NYE, the tradition of drawing one out of a potential three tracks continued on for the ESS Tour.

Now with SUPRS running rFactor and NASCAR Heat, a new option opened up where the race could be run using either sim racing platform! 

Rob Warren, who has run very well in his home state of NY in the past, is on a string of four wins in a row and is just coming from a huge win at the 9th Annual Terry Gibson Memorial 100.

If he wins this week, a SUPRS Bounty will be placed on the current point leader’s head where some of those championship points could be lost to the driver the ends his winning streak. With Keith Powell and Joe Achzet chomping at his rear tires in the SUPRS Gold Crest Wing Championship XIII, you can bet he won’t slow down, so keep an eye on the driver of the #35 First to Finish Race Servers ride.

Powell and Achzet have been swapping second and third place in the standings back and forth at nearly every race, yet it’s uncertain how they will fair on Blind Date Night.

ESS Format

Both have completely different styles of driving with Powell being the smooth, calm and calculating racer, while Joe “The Rabbit” Achzet lives up to his nickname every time he’s on the track and is always hammer down from the drop of the green flag.

In addition, neither has competed regularly on ANY of the ESS tracks that could be drawn, or has run many NASCAR Heat races in the last five years, so they may be struggling to keep their championship hopes alive.

2013-14 Empire State Super Series Champion Steve Callahan has just one win this season, but usually starts to pick up momentum around this part of the season. if his fourth place run at the Terry Gibson Memorial last week is any indication he may be on target to pick up his second checkered flag of the season.

Callahan is joined by defending ESS Champion Bob Gangwer as the only other former champion expected to compete. Both are in the top five in points and always run well in New York.

Practice gets under way at 8:00pm with Time Trials at 8:30pm and Racing at 9:00pm.

Fun for Fans

Fans can learn more about the original and oldest online supermodified sim sanction, the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, when they visit 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.


Empire State Super Series Champion-Wing:

  • 2005-06 Empire State Super Series Champion: Sean Gibbs-ONT
  • 2006-07 Empire State Super Series Champion: Myles Maxon-NY
  • 2007-08 Empire State Super Series Champion: John Davidson-NY
  • 2008-09 Empire State Super Series Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.-NY
  • 2009-10 Empire State Super Series Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.-NY
  • 2010-11 Empire State Super Series Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.-NY
  • 2011-12 Empire State Super Series Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.-NY
  • 2012-13 Empire State Super Series Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.-NY
  • 2013-14 Empire State Super Series Champion: Steve Callahan-OH
  • 2015-16 Empire State Super Series Champion: Bob Gangwer-IN

Visit the SUPRS Points Archives Page to see final standings of ESS Championship through the years

-SUPRS-

“Supermodified Sim Racing for the Right Reasons”

since 2004

Cautions Claim Many, Warren Wins Crazy Canuck

SUPRS 2017 Crazy Canuck Snowball Derby poster by BreezeGraphics.com
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Rob Warren Wins Caution Plagued Crazy Canuck Snowball Derby Bowmanville, Ontario, CAN – January 3, 2017…In a race that saw the caution flag waved as much as the green silk flew, Rob Warren of Pulaski, NY outlasted his fellow  Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), competitors to claim the 13th Annual Crazy Canuck Snowball Derby Tuesday night at Mosport Speedway. Disturbed Motorsports Teammates Derrick Backus and Kyle Clark were second and third. Warren  and Dave… Keep Reading

Chaos at Christmas Special, Warren Wins

2016 SUPRS Christmas Special promotional poster by BreezeGraphics.com
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Rob Warren Takes Caution Filled Christmas Special for Third Year in a Row December 13, 2016 – Franklin, MI…Rob Warren of Pulaski, NY survived a night of mayhem to win the 13th Annual Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), Christmas Special Tuesday at Mopar Speedway. For just the second time in the history of the race, the 25 lap, year-end event, was held somewhere other than Bracket Hill Raceway and the new venue was just… Keep Reading

SUPRS Christmas Special, New Track, New Qualifying Format

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December 13, 2016 – Goshen, IN…The Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), will finish off 2016 with the 13th Annual Christmas Special 25 and for the first time since 2005, Bracket Hill Raceway in New Hampshire won’t be the track it’s contested on.

2016 SUPRS Christmas Special promotional poster by BreezeGraphics.com

Whether you’ve been naughty or nice, BreezeGraphics.com can give you the present of great looking promotional posters like this!

With a continued shift towards more rFactor supermodified sim racing events, Mopar Speedway in Michigan will play host to the race, and while most of the format will stay the same as it’s been in the previous 12 editions of this fun race, there will be one small twist to the qualifying format.

The sanction has decided to use a ‘group qualifying’ format. Each group will consist of several cars at a time and will get six laps to try to make it into the Elite 8 fastest qualifiers.

The six lap Reindeer Dash sets the starting positions for the Elite 8 qualifiers based on their finish.

Everyone else will go to heat races to be lined up based on their season won points handicaps. The way they finish the heat race is the way they will start the 25 lap feature behind the Reindeer Dash drivers.

Rob Warren Breaks a Christmas Special Record

From the year the race began in 2004, up until last year, there had never been a repeat winner of the Christmas Special. Rob Warren of Pulaski, NY broke that record he held off 2008 winner Ray Sand, Jr. for the second year in a row.

Rob Warren in Christmas Special victory laneThen, in the true spirit of the Christmas season, after accepting the accolades and awards for his win, including a Burgers’ Smokehouse Christmas Ham, he promptly asked that the ham be sent to Jeff Russell, a supermodified racer that continues to recover from Traumatic Brain Injury suffered at Las Vegas Bullring in 2010.

Possible 2-Time Winners, Host of Potential New Winners

Former winners Steve Callahan and Bob Gangwer will challenge Warren for the win and hope to add their names to the multi-time winner list, but Domenic Gioia is coming off perhaps his biggest win ever, the Dion Parish Memorial last week, and will be riding an avalanche of confidence that could produce his first Christmas Special win even though he has only run three Christmas Specials to date.

Similarly, Joe Achzet and Keith Powell have never won the Christmas Special but are having a spectacular season so far as they battle Warren for the top spot in the SUPRS Gold Crest Wing Championship.

Achzet has three wins so far and three track records, while Powell has two and has only been out of the top five finishers just once since the season started in October so both  are strong threats to pick up their very first Christmas Special win.

Christmas Gift Awaits

Whomever takes the checkered flag first on Tuesday, he’ll take home a Burgers’ Smokehouse Christmas Ham for his accomplishment.

Burgers' Smokehouse hamThe fine folks at Burgers’ Ozark Country Hams have been providing simple traditions since 1952 when they built their first “ham house” on their farm in Missouri.

With complete attention to quality and customer service, this family owned company continues to do things the old-fashioned way taking great care in the time-honored traditions of curing, aging, and smoking superior quality products.

Unwrap the Action

The SUPRS Christmas Special takes place December 13, 2016 beginning with practice which starts at 8:00pm. Group Qualifying will follow at 8:30pm and Racing gets underway at 9:00pm with the Reindeer Dash.

Just like kids and adults can track Santa on Christmas Eve, you can ‘track’ your favorite SUPRS race with timing, scoring and instant track telemetry via the SUPRS LIVE! page.

Learn more about this race on the SUPRS schedule page.  Regular season updates as well as real supermodified and sim racing news are popular features on the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series Facebook page and @SUPRSOnline.


SUPRS Christmas Special History:

Year Winner Track Laps
2004 Chris Nicastro Derry Raceway Park 25
2005 Sean O’Kane Bracket Hill Raceway 25
2006 Kris Heveron Bracket Hill Raceway 25
2007 Tom Heveron Bracket Hill Raceway 25
2008 Ray Sand, Jr. Bracket Hill Raceway 50
2009 Dave Biro III Bracket Hill Raceway 25
2010 Steve Callahan Bracket Hill Raceway 50
2011 John Davidson Bracket Hill Raceway 50
2012 Bobby Gangwer Bracket Hill Raceway 50
2013 Gary Waldron Bracket Hill Raceway 25
2014 Rob Warren Bracket Hill Raceway 25
2015 Rob Warren Bracket Hill Raceway 25
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