Special from Boyne at Berlin

Boyne at Berlin to officially end the 2008 racing season in Michigan

By Matt Prieur - M.P.H. Promotions

Ovid, Michigan (Tuesday, October 14, 2008): Race fans in Michigan are in for a rare treat and, ironically enough, "Thanks" to Mother Nature, fans in the area will get a second chance at witnessing a rarity at one of the premiere tracks in the state.

The rescheduled Boyne at Berlin is reset for Friday and Saturday, October 17-18, 2008 at the famed Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. Originally scheduled for September 12-13, weather played a role in the outcome of Day Two after a very exciting night of racing on Day One.

Nowhere in Michigan will any fan in the state get the unique opportunity to see both the Outlaw Bodied Super Late Models AND the Template Bodied Super Late Models on the same card on the same day! It's NEVER happened in this state.

Not only will the CRA Super Series make a rare Michigan appearance in the Boyne Machine 125, but this event will also decide both the 2008 CRA Super Series Championship and Rookie of the Year titles as the 125-lap Feature also serves as Season Championships for the Indiana based series.

Heading into this weekends Winchester 400 at the famed high-banks of Winchester Speedway, Scott Hantz leads fellow Indiana veteran, Rick Turner, and Illinois standout Boris Jurkovic in the chase for the 2008 title.

Hantz already has the 2000 and 2006 CRA Super Series titles under his belt and the Angola, Indiana veteran will look to become the first three-time champion in series history and in the process, snap the tie of two titles apiece with another Indiana veteran, Brian Ross.

The CRA Rookie of the Year battle looks to come down to the wire as well at Berlin as Phoenix, Arizona freshman, Aaron Pierce, a graduate of the USAC Sprint Car ranks holds a slim lead over Hartsville, Tennessee pilot, Zach Taylor.

Berlin offers a great opportunity for the drivers who normally run the ASA Late Model Series and/or Crate Engines in general. Several ASALMS legal cars were on hand in September including 16-year-old Chad Finley from near-by, De Witt, Michigan who qualified an impressive ninth quick out of the 35 teams in attendance in September.

Momentum is the key to getting around the famed 7/16s mile progressively banked paved fairgrounds oval in Western Michigan! Columbus, Ohio veteran, Robbie Pyle, also in an ASALMS legal car, qualified fourth! The Crate Engine cars can run very competitively with the high horsepower CRA machines at Berlin!

Plus, any teams that didn't participate in the September show before it was postponed are in luck. Boyne At Berlin Promoter Mike Blackmer has added Two (2) more starting spots to the already massive 28-car field for those that either didn't make the show out of the Last Chance Race in September or those who didn't make the trip the first time bringing the possible starting field to 30 cars.

The Outlaw Super Late Models will also race in the Boyne Machine 100- pitting the Berlin regulars against all other Outlaw Bodied Super Late Models. Same as the CRA Super Series, any teams that didn't make the trip in September can qualify on Saturday and race in the Last Chance Race in an attempt to be added to the back of the field.

Only five "non-regulars" made the trip in September including Finley, who was pulling double-duty. Also Hantz raced both cars as well and was the highest finishing Non-Berlin regular in the 40-lap Feature held in September that set the field for the 100-lap Main Event. He finished eighth as Terry Senneker was the winner.

In addition to Finley and Hantz, Kalamazoo regular, Phil Bozell was in attendance as well as Middleville, Michigan veteran, Dave Sensiba, a former competitor in the old ASA National Tour, and John Long who also brought his USA Modified. Back in June, Long from Niles, Michigan won the USA Mods Feature at Toledo Speedway.

Already a stellar show with two different sets of Super Late Models, the O'Reilly Auto PartsUSA Modifieds Series will also return for their second day as part of the Boyne at Berlin. Back on September 12^th, they were able to get in a full show.

In one of the few features that was completed in September, 2008 Kalamazoo Speedway Track Champion, Brian Bergakker held off 2008 Whittemore Speedway Champion, Travis Eddy and former Berlin regular, Jake "The Snake" Meyerink in a very thrilling 40-lap feature that started 29 cars!

Also like the CRA Super Series, the USA Modifieds Series will also be conducting their 2008 Season Championships as well as they crown both their 2008 Champion and Rookie of the Year in their 50-lap Feature.

Prior to this weekends running of the Run for the Gun 50 also at Winchester Speedway, Fort Wayne, Indiana veteran, Scott Coe is the current points leading heading into Winchester and is in search of his first career series championship.

Coe, despite not winning a feature in 2008 heading into this weekend at Winchester, leads Two-Time Feature Winner, Kyle Jones in the chase for the 2008 USA Modifieds Series Championship.

Jones, who makes the trip to each USA Mods event from just outside of Dayton in Shawnee, Ohio is also leading the 2008 Rookie of the Year title chase by a wide margin over John Long and should wrap up the rookie title this weekend in Winchester.

Expect more teams to come out and partake in Day Two as it will be a complete show for the Modifieds with Qualifying, Last Chance Race(s) and the 50-lap Season Championship Feature!

In addition to those three premiere divisions, the Berlin Raceway support divisions of Super Stocks, Pro Stocks, and Sportsmen will also complete their portions of the Boyne at Berlin with their Features. Finally the Berlin Four-Cylinders will also return for a complete show as they also got in a full program on that Friday night in September.

Full fields each in the Berlin Super Stocks, Pro Stocks, and Sportsmen will start their respective Features while an expected field of 40-plus Four-Cylinders will complete the weekend, the true final race of the 2008 racing season in Michigan!

For the tailgaters, Friday, October 17^th is a Practice Day with Race Day on Saturday. Gates Open at Noon with Practice to follow. Qualifying for the Four-Cylinders and USA Modifieds will begin at 3:00p.m., and will be followed by "Late Arrival" Qualifying for the CRA Super Series and Outlaw Super Late Models.

Racing starts at 5:00p.m., with any and all Last Chance Races and those will be followed by Seven (7) Big Features and to wrap up the year, Berlin is bringing back the School Busses for one more fling around Marne, Michigan.

The end of the season in Michigan is here, so take advantage and attend that one more show and what better way to end the year then at one of the most historic facilities in the great state of Michigan.