ARDC (American Racing Drivers Club) schedule

For more information: Linda Mansfield, 75534.2635@CompuServe.com

ARDC CARQUEST Midget Schedule Finalized

BRODHEADSVILLE, Pa., March 12 - The American Racing Drivers Club (ARDC) CARQUEST Midget Series' slogan this year is "ARDC: We're revvin' in '97!" Fans won't want to miss any of the action, and the final 1997 schedule has just been released. It contains a couple changes from the tentative schedule which was released in January.

The May 16 show has had a change in location. The event will now be held at Dixieland Speedway in Elizabeth City, N.C., a three-eighths mile clay oval. ARDC CARQUEST Midget Series business manager Mike Roselli Sr. may also add one other Southern race to that weekend. If that comes to pass, that event will be announced later.

A second weekend of Southern races has been arranged, and these two races will be on paved tracks. The ARDC CARQUEST Midget Series will compete at Southampton Speedway in Capron, Va., on Friday, June 13. The following evening, a special Flag Day show will be held at Langley Raceway in Hampton, Va. (These two events would be perfect additions to vacations for Southern fans heading home from the Poconos after attending the NASCAR Winston Cup race at Pocono [Pa.] Int'l Raceway on Sunday, June 8.)

A total of 18 point events and two special non-point events are on the updated schedule. The first of the latter is a Saturday, Aug. 30 special show at Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway. The second is the "First Feature" program for drivers who have never won an ARDC feature event. It will be held on Sunday, Aug. 31 at Flemington (N.J.) Speedway.

The season gets off to a great start at Silver Spring (Pa.) Speedway on Saturday, April 5. The first of four shows at Lincoln (Pa.) Speedway will be held on Saturday, April 19.

Open-wheel fans from across the country who are in Pennsylvania to attend the CART PPG World Series race at Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway on Sunday, April 27 will want to add the Williams Grove (Pa.) ARDC CARQUEST Midget Series show to their plans on Friday night, April 25. The following night it's a short trip across the border to share in the return of the ARDC CARQUEST midgets to Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on Saturday night, April 26. Those who appreciate racing history will want to stop in at the Latimore Valley Fairgrounds in York Springs, Pa., after Williams Grove and before Hagerstown to see the ARDC CARQUEST Midget display from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26.

A Mini-Indy point race featuring a three-abreast start and a race distance of 33 laps will be held at Flemington on Saturday, June 21. Prior to that, fans gearing up to watch the Indy 500 telecast on May 25 will want to take in ARDC's version of the "Night Before the 500" at Flemington on Saturday, May 24. ARDC also has a regular show slated for Saturday, July 26 at Flemington.

A visit to upstate New York occurs on Friday night, May 30, when ARDC appears at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway. The circuit travels west for a show at the ultra-fast Jennerstown Speedway in western Pennsylvania on Saturday, June 28 before sharing in the Independence Day celebration at Lincoln (Pa.) Speedway on Saturday night, July 5. Then it's off to Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway for a big show on Saturday, July 19 and back to Flemington a week later. (If they hustle, race fans can take in the ARCA stock car race at Pocono Saturday afternoon, July 19, dash up to see the ARDC CARQUEST midgets at Oswego that night, and then make it back down to Pocono for the NASCAR Winston Cup race that Sunday afternoon.)

The following weekend it's off to Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway on Aug. 9 and then on to the Erie County Fair Speedway in Hamburg, N.Y., on Aug. 16. Another trip to Lincoln and the non-point races at Oswego and Flemington Aug. 30-31 set up the season finale on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Lincoln.

Of the 18 point races and two special events on the final schedule, 11 will be clay-track shows and nine will be paved-track events, so whoever wins the ARDC CARQUEST championship will have proven his prowess on both types of surfaces. The entire circuit stretches from upstate New York to North Carolina.

The schedule: ARDC CARQUEST Midget Series' 1997 Point Races

1. Sat., April 5 Silver Spring Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pa. three-eighths mile clay Pit gate opens at 5 p.m.; warm-ups at 6:30 p.m. For more information: 717-624-2755

2. Sat., April 19 Lincoln Speedway, New Oxford, Pa. three-eighths mile clay Pit gate opens at 5 p.m.; warm-ups at 6:30 p.m. For more information: 717-624-2755

3. Fri.., April 25 Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, Pa. half-mile clay Pit gate opens at 6 p.m.; warm-ups at 7:30 p.m. For more information: 717-766-4778

4. Sat., April 26 Hagerstown Speedway, Hagerstown, Md. half-mile clay Pit gate opens at 5 p.m.; warm-ups at 6:30 p.m. For more information: 301-582-0643

5. Fri., May 16 Dixieland Speedway, Elizabeth City, N.C. three-eighths mile dirt Pit gate opens at 2 p.m. For more information: 919-771-5151

6. Sat., May 24 Flemington Speedway, Flemington, N.J. five-eighths mile paved Pit gate opens at 3 p.m.; warm-ups at 5 p.m. For more information: 908-782-2413

7. Fri., May 30 Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Malta, N.Y. two-fifths mile clay Pit gate opens at 5 p.m.; warm-ups at 6:30 p.m. For more information: 518-587-0220

8. Fri., June 13 Southampton Speedway, Capron, Va. three-eighths mile paved Pit gate opens at 3 p.m. For more information: 804-658-7223

9. Sat., June 14 Langley Raceway, Hampton, Va. two-fifths mile paved Pit gate opens at 3 p.m. For more information: 804-865-1992

10. Sat., June 21 Flemington Speedway, Flemington, N.J. five-eighths mile paved Pit gate opens at 3 p.m.; warm-ups at 5 p.m. Mini-Indy (33 laps; three-abreast start) For more information: 908-782-2413

11. Sat., June 28 Jennerstown Speedway, Jennerstown, Pa. half-mile paved Pit gate opens at 2 p.m.; warm-ups at 4 p.m. For more information: 814-629-6677

12. Sat., July 5 Lincoln Speedway, New Oxford, Pa. three-eighths mile clay Pit gate opens at 5 p.m.; warm-ups at 7 p.m. For more information: 717-624-2755

13. Sat., July 19 Oswego Speedway, Oswego, N.Y. five-eighths mile paved Pit gate opens at 2 p.m.; warm-ups at 3 p.m. For more information: 315-342-0646

14. Sat., July 26 Flemington Speedway, Flemington, N.J. five-eighths mile paved Pit gate opens at 3 p.m.; warm-ups at 5 p.m. For more information: 908-782-2413

15. Sat., Aug. 9 Port Royal Speedway, Port Royal, Pa. half-mile clay Pit gate opens at 3 p.m.; warm-ups at 5:30 p.m. For more information: 717-527-2303

16. Sat., Aug. 16 Erie County Fairgrounds, Hamburg, N.Y. half-mile clay Pit gate opens at 2 p.m.; warm-ups at 5 p.m. For more information: 716-649-3900

17. Sat., Aug. 23 Lincoln Speedway, New Oxford, Pa. three-eighths mile clay Pit gate opens at 5 p.m.; warm-ups at 7 p.m. For more information: 717-624-2755

18. Sat., Sept. 13 Lincoln Speedway, New Oxford, Pa. three-eighths mile clay Pit gate opens at 5 p.m.; warm-ups at 7 p.m. For more information: 717-624-2755

ARDC CARQUEST Midget Series' 1997 Special Events

Sat., March 29 Media Day and Roast Lobitz Catering Hall, Hazleton, Pa.

Sat., April 26 Eastern Museum of Motor Racing Car Display Latimore Valley Fairgrounds, York Springs, Pa. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Wed., Aug. 6 ARDC Celebrity Night Phoenix Quarter Midget Raceway, Phoenixville, Pa. 6 p.m. For more information: 610-917-9161

Sun., Aug. 17 Eastern Museum of Motor Racing Exhibition Latimore Valley Fairgrounds, York Springs, Pa. For more information: 717-528-8279

Sat., Aug. 30 Oswego Speedway, Oswego, N.Y. five-eighths mile paved Pit gate opens at 11 a.m.; warm-ups at noon. For more information: 315-342-0646 Special non-point race (Rain date is Monday, Sept. 1)

Sun., Aug. 31 Flemington Speedway, Flemington, N.J. five-eighths mile paved Pit gate opens at 11 a.m.; warm-ups at 1 p.m. For more information: 908-782-2413 "First Feature" for non-feature winners non-points race

Sat., Nov. 29 Annual Awards Banquet Lobitz Catering Hall, Hazleton, Pa.

Jack Durbin indy500@freenet.tlh.fl.us Motorsport News International jackd@motorsport.com (Moderators for "rec.autos.sport.info") Homepage http://www.freenet.tlh.fl.us/users/indy500/index.html