Arena Racing’s All-Star Shootout Sat. in Hampton
Published 8:33 pm Friday, January 30, 2009
It’ll be Hampton Roads vs. Grand Rapids vs. Charlotte this Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Hampton Coliseum as drivers from all three of Arena Racing USA’s franchises gather under the same roof for the first time for an All-Star Shootout, the featured event of Make-A-Wish Night.
Tim Phillips, points leader of the fledgling Grand Rapids series, will lead a five-car contingent from Michigan, while Josh Turner, the 2007-08 Charlotte, N.C., series champ, will head up a three-car delegation from stock car racing’s hub. Defending Hampton Roads titlist Scott Prillaman captains the five-car home team.
With eight visiting drivers slated to be on hand, it’s likely that Saturday’s lineup will include A, B, C and D Mains — 50 laps each. The top six finishers from the A Main, the top three from the B and C Mains and the top two from the D Main will advance to the 50-lap Top Dog race. The 50-lap all-star battle royal will round out the evening’s activities.
Doors open at 6 p.m. and racing gets underway at 7. Drivers will be available to meet and greet fans before and after the program.
Adult tickets are $10 and include one free kids (3-12) ticket. Additional kids tickets are $5 each. Tickets for military personnel, senior citizens and students (13-18) are $7. Kids under 3 are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.
Despite a tough outing last Friday night, Adam Florian has retained the top spot in the latest Hampton Roads standings. He is 15 points ahead of Derek Miller. Patrick Morgan is third (-23), followed by Charlie Green, last week’s Top Dog winner, and Jordan Wood. Green and Wood are both 26 points down to Florian.
Scott Prillaman was absent from last Friday’s meet and slipped from second place to sixth in the series rankings, 35 behind the leader. He had more important business to tend to, though, as he and wife Amy welcomed their new son, Ashton Paul Prillaman, on Jan. 19. Ashton checked in at 8 pounds and 19.5” long.
While it may have been abbreviated, last week’s match race between Joe Gibbs and Norm Miller certainly created quite a sensation, even earning a prominent mention on NASCAR.com. To view footage from the event, surf over to the series’ Web site — www.ArenaRacingUSA.com.
The “Race Fan Bailout” returns when Arena Racing USA action continues at the Hampton Coliseum on Saturday, Feb. 7. Doors open and the pre-race pit party gets under way at 6 p.m. and racing begins at 7 p.m. All tickets are just $5.