(Savannah, GA)  Now that the USHRA Monster Jam Summer Heat program has moved out of the historic half mile facility, facility crews are busy getting the pit area and speedway ready for this Friday night’s NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series “Mid-Season Championships” presented by Savannah Dodge and the Southeastern Dodge Dealers.  The Coca-Cola Late Models, Love’s Seafood Street Stocks, Sunset Novelties Mini Stocks and Southern Racing Supplies Pure Stocks will compete in twin features to help celebrate the holiday.  The night will finish up with a huge display of fireworks over the back stretch.

            “It is hard to believe that our late model division has only run five races this season and now we are having the NASCAR Mid-Season Championships,” said track general manager Ted Austad.  “The high-powered late models have not had a points race since May 13^th when we last ran a double feature format.”

            Donnie Bazemore continues to lead the points in the Coca-Cola Late Model division.  Bazemore was also ranked third in Division IV of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series after the last races were completed nearly two months ago.  He has since dropped to thirteenth out of fourteen positions.

            “Donnie will have to dig a little to catch Teddy Christopher (CT) and Donnie Reuvers (MN),” said Austad.  “We have a bunch of races to make up between now and mid-September when our season ends.  It’s a good thing that a driver can only count his best sixteen starts.  Donnie can catch him.”

            The two-time track champion, Donnie Bazemore, may need to watch his mirror in the local standings at OSP closely as well.  Twenty-year-old hot shoe Robert Diekemper has closed the gap on the points lead and is the only driver at OSP with more than a single win this season.  Diekemper clean swept the racing action on May 13^th and was poised to make a good run on Bazemore during completion of the first half.

            “Our car was just getting right when all this rain and stuff came,” said Diekemper.  “We still have a fight on our hands.  The competition is tough at OSP.  But, we think we are one of the cars to beat week in and week out.”

            In the Love’s Seafood Street Stocks, Chris Litchfield’s points lead has been trimmed to only four points after the qualifying night completion at the Summer Sizzler.  Donald Norby closed the gap to four after notching the fast timer award along with good finishes in each of the Summer Sizzler weekend heat races.  Litchfield’s struggles that weekend have tightened the points race for the Streets.  Only twenty-seven points separate the top three.

            The same is true in the Sunset Novelties Mini Stocks.  Chris Johnson was victorious in the Summer Sizzler while current points leader Charles Swann struggled and had only his second DNF of the season.  The combination left Swann with a sixteen point lead over Johnson and forty points ahead of Mark Susen in third place.  Friday night’s double features could create a points swap in the Mini Stocks division.

            The Coca-Cola Late Models will compete in a pair of 20-lap features this Friday night, July 1.  The Love’s Seafood Street Stocks will compete in two 15-lap main events while the Southern Racing Supplies Pure Stocks and Sunset Novelties Mini Stocks will run in two 12-lap features each.  Rounding out the racing program will be the Four Star Security 440 cars competing in a 15-lap main.  The gates open at 6pm with racing set to go green at 8pm.

            For more information, contact the speedway at 912-964-8200 or visit www.ospracing.net.