WAYCROSS, GA – Officials of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series are pleased to announce that Dart Machinery will return as the title sponsor of the 37th Annual DART Winternationals. The event will be held Feb 10-16th at East Bay Raceway Park in Tampa, FL. For the 8th consecutive year, Dart Machinery will sponsor the famed event and help kick off the 2013 season for the premier national touring series. The stars and cars of the LOLMDS will begin the season with some of the most intense and exciting racing action anywhere. The 37th Annual DART Winternationals is a week-long event with six (6) straight nights of racing, including a complete show of Hot Laps, RED BUCK Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, PRC Strawberry Dash, and a feature event every night.
The 37th Annual DART Winternationals at the famed “Clay by the Bay” will pay out over $200,000 in purse monies during the week. The event gets started on Sunday night Feb 10th with an open practice session. Racing action begins on Monday Feb 11th with the series running a full show, paying $5,000 to win, on both Monday and Tuesday nights. Then on Wednesday and Thursday nights, drivers will compete for $7,000 to win. The final two nights, Friday and Saturday, will pay $10,000 to win respectively. The final two events on Friday and Saturday will be the first two points earning events of the 2013 season.
As the title sponsor of the week-long event, Dart Machinery and the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will post a special cash bonus of $5,000 to the driver that earns the most points for the week. A special DART Winternationals points category will be kept as drivers earn points at each event. For racers to be eligible for this cash bonus they must compete in all six nights of the 37th Annual DART Winternationals. East Bay Raceway Park officials have added a Non-Qualifiers Race for Friday Night Feb 15th and one for Saturday night Feb 16th. Racers that fail to transfer to the feature event on those nights will compete in a Non-Qualifiers race that will pay $1,000 to the winner and $100 to start for each of those two nights.
Dart Machinery is well known for their superior engine blocks and cylinder heads that are used by many engine builders that support open competition engine rules. The Dart engine blocks and cylinder heads proudly handle the “800 plus” horsepower these open competition engines make on dynamometers all around the country. Dart’s investment into open competition racing solidifies engine builders health for many seasons to come. Dart Machinery’s continued relationship is exciting news for professional engine builders participating on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series and the Winternationals at East Bay.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, along with series partners DirtonDirt.com and Performance Rod and Custom (PRC), will also give racers two additional starting spots in the feature event each of the six nights of the 37th Annual DART Winternationals. A total of 26 cars will start the feature each night during the event. Racers will get a chance to make the feature event through an extra provisional starting spot titled the “DirtonDirt.com Fast Time Provisional”. The fastest qualifier that did not earn a starting position in the feature through the Heat Races or B-Mains will start 25th each night.
“I want to thank Dart Machinery for partnering with East Bay Raceway Park and supporting the 37th Annual DART Winternationals again this year. We’re very excited to have DART and the LOLMDS back again. We’re always excited to see the many fans from all across the country attend the event, but if fans can’t make it down this year, we are offering the entire East Bay Winternationals online by Pay Per View atwww.eastbayracewaypark.com,” states EBRP President, Al Varnadore.
The traditional Strawberry Dash will be sponsored by PRC this year and will give the winner of the dash a load of Florida grown strawberries and the 26th and final starting position in the feature event all six nights. No series points provisionals will be added to the starting field on the first four nights of the Winternationals.
“We’re extremely honored and appreciative to have Dart Machinery partner with us and support the DART Winternationals for the 8th year in a row. Dart has been a tremendous partner with the series and vital to the growth and success of both the series and the Winternationals over the past several years. The whole week of racing will be fun and exciting as it is every year. The Dart bonus money, the two extra starting spots in the feature, and the two non-qualifier races just make the whole week at East Bay a great experience for both racers and our great fans,” stated Ritchie Lewis, Director, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series.
The Fairfield Inn & Suites Tampa Brandon and Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Brandon are the Official “Host Hotels” of the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series for the 37th Annual DART Winternationals. These hotels are offering special rates to anyone attending the Winternationals. For anyone looking to make a reservation, ask for the “East Bay Raceway” rate by calling the Fairfield Inn & Suites at 813-661-9719, or the Courtyard by Marriott Tampa Brandon at 813-661-9559. To make a reservation at either of these hotels online, simply clickhttp://cwp.marriott.com/tpabr/eastbayraceway and then click on the name of the hotel to complete the booking process. Both hotels are located just a few minutes from the track, on Palm River Road and are 1 block from many dining and shopping options.
Race fans can purchase tickets online for any of the 6 full nights of racing, simply click the following link:http://pivotalracing.com/events/lucas-oil-late-model-dirt-dart-manufacturing-winternationals.For those looking to pre-purchase special reserved seating, just call East Bay Raceway Park at 1-877-457-5611.
For more information on the 37th Annual “DART Winternationals”, log onto the track’s website atwww.eastbayracewaypark.com.
For the latest breaking news on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, visit the series’ website atwww.lucasdirt.com .
Be sure to visit the series on the social media outlets as well at http://www.facebook.com/lucasdirt andhttp://twitter.com/#!/lucasdirt .
About Dart Machinery- Dart Machinery’s Technology Center in Troy, MI now houses the company’s administrative offices, the R&D headquarters, inspection, machining, and warehouse operations. A separate production facility in nearby Melvindale, MI houses the thundering CNC machining centers that produce heads and blocks from raw castings. Twenty five years ago, it all began with a desk, a telephone and a dream. Today Dart is the acknowledged leader in aftermarket components for racing engines. For more information on Dart, visit their website at www.dartheads.com.
2013 Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series “37th Annual DART Winternationals” Schedule
East Bay Raceway Park-Tampa, FL
Sunday, February 10th – Open Practice Session – 6-9 PM
Monday, February 11th – $5,000 to win
Tuesday, February 12th – $5,000 to win
Wednesday, February 13th – $7,000 to win
Thursday, February 14th – $7,000 to win
Friday, February 15th – $10,000 to win (points event)
Saturday, February 16th – $10,000 to win (points event)
Sunday, February 10th – Open Practice Session – 6-9 PM
Monday, February 11th – $5,000 to win
Tuesday, February 12th – $5,000 to win
Wednesday, February 13th – $7,000 to win
Thursday, February 14th – $7,000 to win
Friday, February 15th – $10,000 to win (points event)
Saturday, February 16th – $10,000 to win (points event)