By kyohnson 
WHITE LAKE, NY – The 2017 season’s most opulent event for dirt-track Sportsman in the entire Northeast is set to be part of the Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By VP schedule. And incredibly, it’s going to take place on pavement!
Bethel Motor Speedway, the quarter-mile paved oval snugly situated in the Catskill Mountains of New York State, is about to shine in the Northeast spotlight on Sunday, August 6, with the inaugural ‘Summer of 69’ for dirt-track Sportsman. The Bethel location is highly convenient for competitors coming from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
This 69-lap event is going to offer a whopping $6,900 – yes, you heard it right, $6,900 – to the winner from an impressively large posted purse. Not only will this be the most profitable event in the speedway’s history, but it will also stand as the highest-paying race at any venue for the Sportsman division. A field of 24 cars will get the green flag, with $150 set aside for the last-place finisher.
The race is exclusively reserved for dirt cars. Dirt tires will be utilized. Open and Crate engine combinations will be eligible to participate, with staggered weights for each. All competitors entering this event will earn 60 points towards the STSS Sportsman championship battle; thus, the ‘Summer of 69’ is open to any driver eager to compete.
In recent seasons, Bethel Motor Speedway has made its weekly Saturday programs shine with dirt-track Sportsman. The Bethel layout has proved to be fast-paced for the division, with multi-groove racing being the norm.
The ‘Summer of 69’ crafts a truly spectacular program for the facility that is bound to stir up interest from all over the area. The speedway is just a few miles away from the original site of Woodstock and will be styled as a nostalgic throwback to the renowned festival held in the summer of 1969.
“We were on the lookout to do something to put the track on the map,” said Jeff Lefcourt, the speedway owner. “By hosting this show, I believe it will make the Northeast racing community take notice of our facility. It’s going to draw in new fans and get us attention we’ve never had before from racers, the media, and sponsors.”
STSS organizer Brett Deyo will not only sanction the event but also handle its marketing and promotion.
“This is such a distinctive, unconventional idea that it really caught my attention,” he said. “The Sportsman division has never witnessed anything quite like this before. Neither has the speedway.
“My first chance in racing was covering races at Bethel for Area Auto Racing News when I was 15 years old. I’ve always had an interest in the track, and being a part of something like this is an honor for me.”
Complete rules and additional information about the event will be unveiled in the coming weeks.
Support divisions will also be included in the program. Street Stocks will vie for a $1,069 winner’s share in the ‘Woodstocker’ and will be joined by FWD Four Cylinders ($669 to win) in the ‘Hippie Bowl’ and Slingshots ‘Drum Beat Heat’ ($369 to win).
A rain date of August 13 has been set in case of bad weather.
The event promotional team will hunt for more bonus award sponsors, lap money, and contingency/product bonuses. For marketing details, contact BD Motorsports Media LLC by email at bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com or by phone at 845.728.2781.