(Savannah, GA)  The 10^th Annual Summer Sizzler weekend at Oglethorpe Speedway Park will once again be the first visit from the very popular National Late Model Series.  But this year’s show will have a new twist for the weekly NASCAR divisions competing.  Track promoter Ted Austad hopes it will create a buzz for the drivers that run at the track every Friday night and give them something different for this annual summer special on June 16, 17 and 18.

            “We have added extra purse money to the show,” said Austad.  “The drivers always appreciate that in a special event.  But, we wanted to create something a little different for the drivers and how they qualify for Saturday’s main events.”

            The National Late Models will qualify for Saturday’s $5000 to win Cindy McCurry Memorial 100 in their traditional format of two-lap qualifying, heat races and a last chance run on Saturday prior to the main event.  There will be no change to their procedures.

            The Love’s Seafood Street Stocks and Southern Racing Supplies Pure Stocks will follow a new format for this year’s Summer Sizzler weekend.  The eight-cylinder stock car divisions will compete against the clock in one lap qualifying on Friday night.  This will determine the line-ups for a set of heat races in which each division will run two complete sets of heat races on Friday night awarding double points.  Drivers will be lined up in a first round of heat races awarding points and then a second round inverted from the first round starting order awarding another set of points.  The total points awarded to drivers on Friday night will determine the line-up for Saturday night’s feature races which will also award double points to any driver that competed on Friday night.

            “This will give some drivers an opportunity to cash in on some points along with challenging themselves against one another in qualifying time trials,” added Austad.

            Drivers will be awarded 100 points for the best qualifying effort with each position less awarded three points less.  The heat races will each be worth double points allowing a driver to accumulate as much as 200 points on Friday night.

            “I think it will be fun to qualify the cars,” said current Pure Stock points leader Terron Roberts.  “I know I usually run faster when I am chasing another car on the race track.  This will be interesting to see how I stack up when I am not chasing the rabbit.”

            The features on Saturday night will also be double points events for the Love’s Seafood Street Stocks and Southern Racing Supplies Pure Stocks.  Friday night’s Sunset Novelties Mini Stock heat races and feature event will also award double points for each race.  The Queen Bees and Four Star Security 440’s will compete at the Summer Sizzler but will run for their weekly points only.

            The Summer Sizzler weekend opens on Thursday, June 16 with an open practice for all divisions.  Grandstand admission is free on Thursday night along with free test drives coordinated by Chatham Parkway Toyota of various models through OSP’s quarter-mile off road course.  Friday night’s show includes the National Late Models, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, Mini Stocks and Queen Bees while Saturday night’s racing card has the Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, 440’s and the Cindy McCurry Memorial 100 for the National Late Model Series.

            Tickets and additional information on Oglethorpe Speedway Park’s Summer Sizzler weekend are available by calling 912-964-8200 or by visiting www.ospracing.net.