Craftsman Night at San Antonio Speedway

[debwill]

For Immediate Release

Contact: Debbie Williams, (210) 685-0400

San Antonio Speedway Public Relations

Terry Barden, (210) 628-1499

San Antonio Speedway Office

 

Craftsman Night at the Races -

Last Chance for May Madness Bonus Cash

 

San Antonio, TX (May 18, 2005) - Two different NASCAR Late Model drives have already won the $1,000 award during San Antonio Speedway’s “May Madness,” and several others are lining up this weekend for their share of the extra cash. Sears Craftsman brand will be hosting Craftsman Night at the Races at San Antonio Speedway this Saturday night, May 21, starting at 7:15 p.m.

 

"The drivers, crew members and fans of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series are some of the best Craftsman customers," said Toure¢ Claiborne, Sears Motorsports Marketing Manager. "We appreciate seeing them in our Sears stores all week long, so it's a pleasure for Craftsman to be represented at the track on Craftsman Night at the Races. We also appreciate our relationships with the grassroots racers in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series." As part of their sponsorship, Sears associates will be presenting the trophy to this week's NASCAR Late Model May Madness winner, along with recognizing the winners from the NASCAR Sportsman, Road Runner and Women on Wheels classes.

 

Following the May Madness announcement earlier in the month, Joe Aramendia claimed his second victory of the season on May 7. His closest competitor, Robert Barker, won the NASCAR Late Model feature event this past Saturday night and took home the $1000 award. Barker has already won three feature races this season, and he is currently in the NASCAR Late Model points lead. Aramendia is trailing Barker by 32 points, and Donny Horelka is following closely behind.

 

Adding to the excitement in the NASCAR Late Model class are Larry Bendele (2003 and 2004 NASCAR Late Model Champion) and Lloyd Alexander. All of these drivers finished in the Top Five last weekend, and they will be racing hard this Saturday to claim the extra cash.

 

“We were excited to see the increase in the Late Model car count last weekend, and we hope more drivers will come out this Saturday to compete for the $1000 we’re paying to the winner,” commented Terry Dickerson, president of the USRA Track Management Group. “And don’t forget, we’re paying $125 just to start the race. It’s a good time to bring your cars out and have some fun at San Antonio Speedway!”

 

The NASCAR Nextel race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will also be held this Saturday night. To make it more convenient for the fans, San Antonio Speedway is providing live broadcast of the Nextel races via satellite under the grandstands. Fans can check on the Cup races while they’re watching the racing action at San Antonio Speedway.

 

Also visiting San Antonio Speedway on Saturday night will be Kevin Nevalainen, who is Senior Account Executive with NASCAR. Nevalainen handles several major sponsors for the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series (NDWS), and he is helping to oversee NDWS tracks and activities.

 

Nevalainen’s visit will be focused on a number of different areas. First of all, he wants to meet the new owner and manager of the USRA Track Management Group that assumed responsibility for San Antonio Speedway on March 24, 2005. Secondly, Nevalainen wants talk with the SAS competitors to discuss all the positives of being involved at a NASCAR-Sanctioned track.

 

Grandstand gates will open at 5:00 p.m., opening ceremonies begin at 7:15 p.m., and the first green flag will wave promptly at 7:30 p.m. San Antonio Speedway will not be open on Saturday, May 28, due to the Memorial holiday weekend.

 

San Antonio Speedway is a half-mile NASCAR-sanctioned oval asphalt track that is located at 14901 State Highway 16 South (Poteet Highway), about 3.5 miles south (outside) of Loop 410. The speedway can be accessed easily by taking IH 35 South and exiting on Highway 16 South (left exit), just past South Park Mall. The race hotline number is (210) 628-1867, and the speedway's website can be found at http://www.sanantoniospeedway.com.

 

For More Information, Contact:

 

Debbie Williams, San Antonio Speedway Public Relations, (210) 685-0400, debwill@sanantoniospeedway.com, or Terry Barden, San Antonio Speedway Office, (210) 628-1499, terlinbarden@yahoo.com.