Author Topic: SUNOCO RACE OF CHAMPIONS MODIFIED 200 NEXT SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4TH AT CHEMUNG  (Read 1519 times)

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RE:  2015 RoC Lap Fund



 
SUNOCO RACE OF CHAMPIONS MODIFIED 200 NEXT SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4TH AT THE CHEMUNG SPEEDROME.  MODIFIED WINNER TO EARN $10,000 PLUS OVER $18,000 IN ADDITIONAL LAP MONEY NOW POSTED.

BINGHAMTON, NY…The second oldest consecutively run auto racing event in the United States will take place this Sunday, October 4th at the Chemung Speedrome.  The Sunoco Race of Champions Modified 200 will see over $18,000 in bonus lap money on top of the nearly $50,000 payout.  The race winner will earn a minimum of $10,000 for the victory in the traditional 200 lapper.  This year will mark the 65th consecutive running of the event, second only to the Indianapolis 500.  The race is being held in the southern tier region of New York for the first time ever with the Chemung Speedrome set to host the prestigious event.
 
Race of Champions Hall of Famers Marilyn and Don Toal have once again done an outstanding job of raising the bonus lap money for the Modified 200.  This year’s total is an impressive $18,340 and all of the money collected will go directly to the Modified teams competing in the 200 lap event.  The total is even more impressive as the announcement of the race changing venues from Oswego Speedway to the Chemung Speedrome only occurred in July.  This certainly did not leave a lot of time for the lap money raising efforts.  The Toal family has had a huge impact on the event over the years and in 2014 Marilyn and Don were awarded the Eastern Motorsports Press Association Junie Donleavy Spirit of Racing Award.
 
Marilyn Toal was also awarded the Gater Racing News Dirtcar Hall of Fame Outstanding Woman Award in 2008.  Both Marilyn and Don are also Race of Champions Hall of Fame Members and were inducted in 1998.  They are looking forward to many more years of fund raising efforts for the race teams.
 
Race of Champions owner Andrew Harpell commented on the annual lap fund, “Marilyn and Don are such an important part of the event.  Their contributions over the years have spanned all of the venues the race has been held at and the drivers have benefited immensely from their efforts.”  “Being able to raise what they have for this year’s event is remarkable especially with our venue change.”  Harpell added, “This year to honor both Marilyn and Don the Race of Champions staff worked with our race teams to do our own fund raising effort to present to them at Chemung.”  Fellow RoC Hall of Fame Member Jim Burleigh helped to spearhead the effort.
 
The top three drivers in the running order on each of the 200 laps will randomly earn the bonus lap money posted for that lap.  This change was made a few years ago and has given many more drivers the opportunity at bonus lap money.  Along with the top three bonuses a number of other contingency bonuses will be in place.
 
A number of special bonus awards have been posted in additional to the lap sponsor fund. Once again this year Harpell will pay a bonus to the leader of lap 68 in Memory of Alex Friesen.  Friesen and Harpell purchased the event from Joe Gerber in 1996 and moved the race to the location that has proven to be the longest tenure of the race – Oswego Speedway.  The energy and vision that Alex Friesen brought to the event lives with the traditional lap 68 bonus award each year.  The leader of that lap will receive $500.  Harpell will close out his involvement with the event with the 65th edition as the rights to the race have been purchased by Joe Skotnicki and officially change hands in January.
 
Tommy Baldwin has posted an additional $500 for the “Tiger Tom Baldwin” Hard Charger Award from Baldwin Automotive, Inc. in East Patchogue, NY.  That bonus will award the driver that advances the most positions in the 200 lapper.  E.J.M Energy Services/Ed McGuire will award $100 bonuses to the following:  the leader of lap 100, the 10th place runner on lap 100, the winner at lap 200 and the last car to take the checkered flag on lap 200.  The first car out of the race will receive a $100 bonus from Chuck Boos and the last car to cross the finish line on the lead lap will also earn $100 courtesy of Frank & Dave Varecka.  Other $50 contingency bonuses have been posted by John Markovic, Tom Fecteau and Ed & Chrissy Simon.
 
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