AUTO VALUE SUPER SPRINTS RELEASE 2002 SCHEDULE

by Mike Strevel

The Auto Value/ Bumper to Bumper Super Sprints have released their 2002 National Championship schedule. The season will consist of 24 events with 23 of them booked already and one final event to be signed within weeks. The popular winged 410-asphalt sprintcar group will race in MI, IN, OH, WI and Ontario this year.

The many highlights for the chase to the 2002 championship include several debuts by the fastest short track group on pavement in the country. The Madison International Speedway in Madison WI will host the sprints on Friday June 7 in what is sure to be the fastest laps in the history of this fine facility. The next evening is the only TBA on the schedule with an AVSS event planned for another Dairy state appearance. The other new tracks on this schedule include the Saturday July 6 showing at Flamboro Speedway in Freelton Ontario Canada. This race will conclude the two-day Canadian swing that starts with Delaware Speedway on Friday the 5 of July. The races at Delaware last season were a huge hit with the Ontario audience and this weekend will be very popular with two of the AVSS best racers Mike Ling and Sean Stafford both of who are from nearby Ontario cities.

The other new events on the 2002 schedule include an August 17 show at the legendary Anderson Speedway in Anderson IN. The home of the famous Little 500 will see many of the same drivers who compete in this event put the wings on and try to break that tracks existing track record. The AVSS will make five other showings in the Hoosier state with three of them being at Fort Wayne's Baer Field Speedway, one at Angola Motor Speedway and the season championship race at the ultra fast Salem Speedway on September 28.

The season kicks off at Baer Field on Saturday April 20 as part of the Marc Times Dealer's Choice races at the fast ½ mile oval. The group will return on June 1 and July 27. The second event on the schedule is Saturday May 4 at Auto City Speedway in Mt Morris MI for the first of five events at the tricky 7/16-speed plant. The May 11 races at Owosso Speedway will be the first of two showings at this track that was witness to standing room only crowds in the one appearance last season at this track celebrating 60 years of racing excellence. The May 18 date at Kalamazoo Speedway is the first of two races at the high banked 3/8 mile NASCAR sanctioned short track. The other being August 10.

The fastest show in the country will happen again this year when AVSS returns to the newly repaved Toledo Speedway. The races last year were witnessed by the largest crowd of the year at this high-banked ½ mile. The amazing thing is the track was resurfaced after Gary Fedewa set the world record time of 13.57 last June. The question will be how low can the AVSS go? The ISMA supermodifieds will once again be apart of this fastest show in the country. The first of two events at the beautiful Berlin Raceway in Marne MI will happen on June 29. The second will be September 1 as part of Labor Day celebrations at the tricky 7/16-mile oval. The June 29 show will also include NASCAR Winston Cup driver Johnny Benson competing in a stock car event in what is sure to be a sold out evening.

The final new event for the 2002 season will be AVSS's first ever appearance at Kinross International Speedway in the Wolverine state's Upper Peninsula. This race on Friday July 19 is sure to set world record times. This will be a sure sell out at the nice ¼ mile facility. The only showing of the year at the Spartan Speedway in Lansing MI is Sunday August 4. This is always a popular date with many special events planned on this traditional date at the very much improved ¼ mile oval.

The complete schedule can be viewed at the official website of the AVSS at (supersprints.com). The defending champion of AVSS is Gary Fedewa and he will attempt to make history this season by capturing his fourth consecutive national championship. The AVSS averaged over 28 cars per event in 2001 and set six track records. The car counts look as good if not better and the cars continue to get faster and faster. It all kicks off on April 20 for the chase to the 2002 title.


http://www.supersprints.com/