Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (Nov. 3, 2014) – Greg Burgess spent several years in the sprint car industry in Washington before he started promoting at Cocopah Speedway.
The relationships he built in the Northwest are evident as a half-dozen drivers from Oregon and Washington have committed to hauling to the inaugural Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown, which will be held Jan. 2-3, Jan. 6 and Jan. 9-10.
“Greg has put together a really good deal for five nights to make it worth the drive down there,” Washington native Henry Van Dam said. “It’s the first type of thing since I’ve been racing to give us a chance to race in January. Hopefully that keeps us in the game a little bit more for next season.”
Van Dam has made the approximate 24-hour drive – each way – the past couple of seasons to compete in 360ci events at the 3/8-mile oval.
“It’s a really fun track to race,” he said. “The track is wide and racy from the beginning to end. I’m excited to see what 410s will do there.”
Oregon resident and Northwest multi-time champion Roger Crockett will also be making the trip in January.
“The biggest thing is being able to run five events in the course of nine days,” he said. “It’s not really against (other events) where a lot of cars can come compete. The weather should be good. I’m really excited they put something together like that.”
Austen Wheatley, who hails from Lake Stevens, Wash., will make his debut at Cocopah Speedway during the Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown, which pays $12,000 to win and $1,000 to start during each of the four weekend races and $5,000 to win the midweek show.
“I think it’s cool because you get to race for a lot of money early in the year,” he said. “It’s also almost like a test session because after that you have two months off until Las Vegas (with the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series). We get to try stuff earlier than normal and I get to get in the seat earlier.”
Washingtonians Seth Bergman, Jason Solwold and Tayler Malsam, who has spent the past couple of seasons racing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in addition to select sprint car events, are also committed to racing.
“There are a lot of talented drivers from the Northwest and I’m excited that some of them will be joining us in January,” Burgess said.
Tickets are available for sale online by visiting http://www.CocopahSpeedway.com. Additionally, anyone who purchases a ticket by Dec. 1, 2014, will receive a free fan pit pass from 2-5 p.m. on that race date.
WINTER HEAT SPRINT CAR SHOWDOWN –
Dates: Jan. 2-3, 6, 9-10, 2015
Track: Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz.
Prize: $12,000-to-win, $1,000-to-start each night (Jan. 2-3, 9-10); $5,000-to-win (Jan. 6); approximately $250,000 total prize money
Type: 410ci sprint cars
TICKETS –
Fans can purchase tickets by clicking https://secure.pivotalracing.com/venues/cocopah-speedway. Anyone who purchases by Dec. 1, 2014, will receive a free fan pass to the pits from 2-5 p.m. on that race date.
PAY-PER-VIEW –
SPEED SPORT Productions will be broadcasting live Pay-Per-View video of the Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown. Details on how to order will be released in the near future. The event will also be taped for a pair of one-hour delayed television broadcasts via MAVTV.
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.CocopahSpeedway.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CocopahShowdown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WinterHeatSprintCarShowdown
THE EVENT –
The inaugural Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown will showcase the top sprint car drivers in the world in sunny Southwest Arizona during the first two weekends of January in 2015. The four weekend races pay $12,000 to the winner and at least $1,000 to every driver who advances to the main event with the midweek show paying $5,000 to win.
COCOPAH SPEEDWAY –
Cocopah Speedway is a semi-banked, 3/8-mile dirt track located in Somerton, Ariz. It has a concrete wall perimeter, television-quality lighting and the pits are located outside turns three and four. There is also dry camping free of charge on the property. For more information, visit http://www.CocopahSpeedway.com.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program and to join Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or InsideLinePromotions@gmail.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.