EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The 2008 UMP DIRTcar Racing Summernationals will once again be a supreme test of man and machine.
A total of 27 race nights over a 31-day period from June 12-July 12 are listed on the current slate of the ‘Hell Tour,’ which has only two dates still in negotiation.
The 27 scheduled events put the 2008 Summernationals in line to match the single-season record for the most races run in the history of the tour, which has become an annual Midwestern staple since its launch in 1988. There were 27 events completed in both 2002 and 2005.
“We’re trying to make the tour as racer-friendly as we can and still visit as many of the tracks that want an event as possible,” said UMP DIRTcar Racing Director Sam Driggers, noting that the popularity of the Summernationals remains so high that there aren’t enough available dates to fit in all the speedways desiring events. “We have to take into account that the teams are working and racing every day in 100-degree heat so they need some time off to rest and regroup, and this year we’ve been able to give them Mondays off.”
The schedule:
June 12, Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway, Calvert City, Ky.; June 13, Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway; June 14, Kamp Motor Speedway, Boswell, Ind.; June 15, Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, Ind.; June 17, Highland (Ill.) Speedway; June 18, Belle Clair Speedway, Belleville, Ill.; June 19, Jefferson Co. Speedway, Mt. Vernon, Ill.; June 20, Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway; June 21, I-55 Raceway, Pevely, Mo.; June 22, Vermilion Co. Speedway, Danville, Ill.; June 24, Sedalia (Mo.) State Fair Speedway; June 25, Lake Ozark Speedway, Eldon, Mo.; June 26, Paducah (Ky.) Int’l Raceway; June 27, Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway; June 28, Clarksville (Tenn.) Speedway; June 29, Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway; July 1, Peoria (Ill.) Speedway; July 2, Morgan Co. Speedway, Jacksonville, Ill.; July 3, Macon (Ill.) Speedway; July 4, Tri-City Speedway, Pontoon Beach, Ill.; July 5, Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway; July 6, Quad City Raceway, East Moline, Ill.; July 8, TBA; July 9, Spoon River Speedway, Canton, Ill.; July 10, La Salle (Ill.) Speedway; July 11, TBA; July 12, Oakshade Raceway, Wauseon, Ohio.