(Photo by Malcolm White Photography)
Inside Line Promotions – SOMERTON, Ariz. (Sept. 16, 2015) – Tommie Estes Jr. made a name for himself as a gritty, tough competitor on the track. He has only added to that reputation since replacing his helmet with a headset.
Estes Jr., who earned approximately 350 career sprint car feature victories during his 20-plus seasons as a racer, has developed into arguably the premier competition director in the country.
The Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown welcomes him back into the booth for the second edition of the marquee 410ci sprint car event, which will be held at Cocopah Speedway on Jan. 1-2, Jan. 5 and Jan. 8-9, 2016.
“Tommie did an outstanding job as the Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown competition director last year and we’re very excited to have him back on board,” Cocopah Speedway Director of Operations Greg Burgess said. “Tommie adds credibility, stability and professionalism to the event, which will be even better in 2016 following a successful debut.”
The duo met in 2008. Estes Jr. served as competitor director for the American Sprint Car Series, a position he held from 1999-2011, and Burgess had co-created the ASCS Northwest Region that year. The ASCS National Tour made its debut in the Northwest the following year.
“We had a good working relationship and when Greg asked if I’d like to be involved in the Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown I jumped on it,” Estes Jr. said. “Greg came up with an excellent thing and I got lucky enough they wanted me to be a part of it. I’m glad they are doing something like this. It was a great success the first year and it will get bigger and better next year.”
Estes Jr. said the structure of the event will remain the same, but there might be a couple of minor changes.
“I don’t see us tweaking it a whole lot,” he said. “I think it’s one of the best formats out there. Fans get to see the drivers on the track another race. I like the way it is. It’s hard to argue with what we had last year. We had five different race winners in five races and the point championship came down to a tie.”
Currently, drivers will start each night by drawing a random pill, which will determine the lineups for the heat races. Passing points will be calculated based on the results of the heats. There will then be qualifiers, which will have an inversion determined by the car count. The combined points earned through the heat races and qualifiers will set the feature lineups.
The purse of approximately $250,000 remains the same as the inaugural event. The four weekend races pay $12,000 to win and $1,000 to start with the midweek race providing $5,000 to the winner.
Tickets, which include a free fan pit pass, are on sale at http://www.CocopahWinterHeat.com.
2016 WINTER HEAT SPRINT CAR SHOWDOWN –
Dates: Jan. 1-2, Jan. 5 and Jan. 8-9, 2016
Track: Cocopah Speedway in Somerton, Ariz.
Prize: $12,000-to-win, $1,000-to-start each night (Jan. 1-2, 8-9); $5,000-to-win (Jan. 5); approximately $250,000 total prize money
Type: 410ci sprint cars
MEDIA LINKS –
Website: http://www.CocopahWinterHeat.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CocopahShowdown
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WinterHeatSprintCarShowdown
TICKETS –
General admission tickets for the event are on sale by visiting http://www.CocopahWinterHeat.com. Kids 12 and under get in free. There is a discount for military members and senior citizens.
THE EVENT –
The 2nd annual Winter Heat Sprint Car Showdown will showcase the top sprint car drivers in the world in sunny Southwest Arizona during the first two weeks of January in 2016. 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.
COMETIC GASKET –
Cometic Gasket, Inc., is a leading worldwide supplier of shelf stock, custom and short-run gaskets for the performance aftermarket, original equipment and motor sports industries. The company, which is located in Concord, Ohio, was created in 1989 and ships out more than 5,000 types of gaskets to customers worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.Cometic.com.
JE PISTONS –
JE Pistons is the leader in high performance forged pistons. Based in Irvine, Calif., the company has more than 60 years of experience and has a history of manufacturing the highest quality pistons and components that professional engine builders, race teams and high-performance enthusiasts trust and rely on. For more information, visit http://www.JEPistons.com.
K1 TECHNOLOGIES –
K1 Technologies, which is located in Mentor, Ohio, has many years in the field of designing, engineering and manufacturing connecting rods and crankshafts. For more information, visit http://www.K1Technologies.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 by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.