500 Sprint Car Tour Returns to Berlin Raceway for Great Lakes Challenge
This Saturday, August 13th the 500 Sprint Car Tour presented by Auto Value Bumper to Bumper Parts Stores returns to Berlin Raceway with only three races left on the inaugural schedule. The Tour enters the weekend with only two points separating the top two drivers in the championship standings. Dakoda Armstrong (New Castle, Indiana) holds on to a narrow 1,151 to 1,149 point lead over two-time winner Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, California) despite not having a win at this point in the season.
The Great Lakes Challenge at Berlin Raceway will be the second, and final, trip to Michigan for the 500 Sprint Car Tour this season. The event will also be the final Perfect Stop Brake Pad Bonus Event of the year where an additional $5,000 will be added to the total purse. Fans will see some familiar faces in the crowd as five Michigan natives will be competing in this week’s race; three-time Little 500 winner Jeff Bloom (Bangor, Michigan), Nick Marcott (Wayland, Michigan), Jason Blonde (Litchfield, Michigan), Teddy Alberts (Kent City, Michigan), and Taylor Ferns (Shelby Township, Michigan). All five drivers will be ones to watch as they compete on their home racetrack. Blonde will be competing in his first event for the 500 Sprint Car Tour and Alberts has made one previous start with the Tour, finishing 13th in the June 11th trip to Berlin Raceway.
Dakoda Armstrong and Billy Wease (Fisher, Indiana) continue to be the talk of the Paddock as they are currently sitting first and third in the championship with neither one visiting victory lane this season. Wease was leading with one lap to go on August 1st at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park when he was passed in the final turn by Tyler Roahrig (Plymouth, Indiana). The victory was Roahrig’s second of the year as he tries to climb back into championship contention. Wease will look to finish one spot better this Saturday to claim his first victory.
Kody Swanson is currently sitting in second place, only two points behind Armstrong for the championship lead, and will be a car to keep watch on as he looks to take the championship lead for good. Swanson has had back to back podium finishes, taking first place in the Gene Nolen Classic at Anderson Speedway on July 30th and coming home third in the Monday Night Racing event at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on August 1st. Justin Harper (Denver, Indiana) had his best finish of the season when the 500 Sprint Car Tour last visited Berlin Raceway coming home with an 11th place finish. Harper, currently 10th in the standings, will be looking for his first top-ten of the season in his return to Berlin.
Other Notable entries for the Great Lakes Challenge include: Kyle O’Gara (Camby, Indiana), Bobby Santos III (Franklin, Mass.), Derek Bischak (Angola, Indiana), Jake McElfresh (Elwood, Indiana), Tony Main (Farmland, Indiana), Tom Paterson (Argos, Indiana), Travis Welpott (Pendleton, Indiana), and Tom Geren (Montpelier, Ohio).
The Great Lakes Challenge will be the final feature of the night this Saturday and will be a 40-lap race. Three other series will be in action with the Coors Light Sportsman Series, Auto Value 4 Cylinder Series, the Good Humor Mini Wedge series. General Admission gates will open at 4pm and practice for all four series will begin at 4:00pm. 500 Sprint Car Tour qualifying will start at 6pm and the green flag will drop on the first feature at 6:30pm. All of the night’s racing action can be streamed LIVE via MAVTV on Floracing, and coverage will begin during the qualifying sessions.