"Delaware puts itself on NASCAR map

Four local drivers sit in top 50 of Whelen All-American Series
By JIM CRESSMAN (London Free Press, Saturday, August 29, 2009)

Delaware Speedway is holding its own in competing with the good old boys from down south.

Four local drivers -- Steve Robblee of Dorchester, Ron Sheridan of Mt. Brydges, Jonathon Urlin of London and Steven Mathews of New Liskeard -- sit in the top 50 of the NASCAR Whelen All-Amercian Series points.

And this is a series that involves thousands of drivers at 58 tracks across North America.

"Two of them are in 11th and 12th, if I'm not mistaken, and quite honestly I was impressed with the drivers and the facility when I was up there (Aug. 14)," George Silbermann, NASCAR's managing director of racing operations, said yesterday from Daytona Beach, Fla.

"Clearly the race track itself is a real driver's track, a very racey track and it's obvious it takes a lot of skill and determination to do well there. And what makes it even tougher on the drivers there is you've got such strong competition from a lot of drivers, from the up-and-coming newer drivers to the ones that have been racing there for a lot of years.

"So to do well there is quite an accomplishment."

Robblee is the leading All-American Series driver in Ontario (Barrie Speedway is the other track, with $4,000 to win) and 11th overall,. He's 143 points behind two-time champion Phillip Morris of Ruckersville, Va., who races at Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va.

Sheridan is 12th, Urlin 41st and Mathews 49th. Urlin is the top rookie in Ontario ($1,000) and is third overall.

"I'm impressed with how we're doing," Delaware race director Jeff Wilcox said as last night's program was cancelled because of rain.

"We went with the All-American Series because we knew it would be a good program for our drivers to get recognition and it puts Delaware Speedway on the map with a lot of people in the racing industry.

"If we're not up there and showcasing our race track in front of all of the North American audience, we're just another sideshow hole in the ground somewhere that not a lot of people know about."

This year marked Delaware's return to NASCAR. Delaware was Canada's first track to affiliate in 2004, but cut its ties after two years.

The return also brought the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series to Delaware in June. Wilcox hopes to have two races in 2010.

Delaware and Merritville Speedway in Thorold are the oldest tracks in Canada (58 years). The grandaddy of all NASCAR short tracks is Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C., city-owned with a concrete horseshoe-shaped grandstand that holds 17,000. The Stadium has been around for 61 years.

"As far as the (Delware) facility itself, I was impressed as well," Silbermann said. "I had the opportunity to visit a few years ago, and a lot of the improvements they've made were the right ones; everything in the right direction.

"The whole facility really struck me as very fan friendly and family oriented, so it has all the right ingredients."

The Whelen All-American Series and its "home tracks" are the foundation of NASCAR.

"We're very fortunate in NASCAR that we have the complete infrastructure, from an entry level into the sport to the pinnacle of the sport," Silbermann said. "Much of the talent people see when they tune into a Sprint Cup race, a lot of those folks got their start at local short tracks just like Delaware."

And it's not only the drivers, but race team members. There are at least a dozen people involved with NASCAR Sprint Cup teams who had their baptism at Delaware.

jim.cressman@sunmedia.ca

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GREAT CANADIAN RACE WEEKEND

When: Sept. 4-6

Where: Delaware Speedway

What: Season-ending championship events for APC late models, Powerade modifieds, Demar Aggregates trucks and Delaware super stocks, plus the Total APC 300 for late models and the Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup touring series.

Schedule: Sept. 4-modifieds, super stocks, enduro all-star race, king of the hill nationals, 8 p.m.; Sept. 5-Lucas Oil Sportsman Cup McColl Racing 100 (twin 50-lap features), trucks, chaos cars, 8 p.m.; Sept. 6-Total APC 300 Great Canadian Race (twin 25-lap features for Delaware late models, 25-lap invader open, 25-lap consolation, 200-lap main), 2 p.m.

Information and tickets: Call 519-652-5068, or online at www.delawarespeedway.com

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