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GENE PRICE MOTORSPORTS LATE MODEL RIVER SERIES TO DEBUT AT HAVASU 95 SPEEDWAY SATURDAY BY DAVE GRAYSON The Havasu 95 Speedway will open their gates Saturday night for the second weekend of their current 2009-2010 winter racing series. The most scenic quarter mile asphalt track in the southwest, located in Lake Havasu City-Arizona. will be treating their fans to a full evening of ASA sanctioned racing from their ASA street stock, factory stock and factory stock powder puff divisions. The speedway will also be presenting the debut of the Gene Price Motorsports, (GPM), Late Model River Series Saturday night. The series will run a eight race points championship schedule divided equally between the Havasu 95 Speedway and the Lucas Oil I 10 Speedway in Blythe-California. Their feature races will be 50 laps with the lone exception being a 75 lap event, $1,000 to win, to be held in Blythe on November 14th. In the ASA street stock series 69 year old Ralph Adams is planning to pick up where he left off following the Havasu 95 Speedway's season opener back on September 26th. The Oak Hills-California driver took his younger counterparts to racing school and led every lap of the division's feature race. However Adams, and his hot running Chevrolet Camaro, can expect some of these younger drivers to step up their game Saturday and come after him. In the early stages of the division's points profile, drivers such as Phillip Waterman, Ricky Maddox Jr and Nathan Hovdal are still very close to Adams. The fan favorite factory stocks are a large reason why the Havasu 95 Speedway's grand stands are so packed on Saturday nights. With his brightly painted John Deere Tractor green and yellow stock car with triple X's representing his #30, "Jumbo" John Thorpe will be gunning for his second main event Saturday night. But it's likely that Brady Juve, Shawn Dietch, Robert Berwick and Chris Blackwell will be looking to upstage those plans. The lady, or powder puff, factory drivers will be running their first separate main event of the season Saturday night. Don't read between the lines here. These girls frequently race with their male counterparts and, on more than one occasion, have proven that they can hold their own with the boys on any given race night. The Late Model River Series received a real shot in the arm in late August with the announcement that Gene Price Motorsports was going to be the new presenting sponsor. Their participation includes contributions to both the race purse as well as the end of the season points championship fund. Based in Parker-Arizona, GPM is a full service race shop that in is the racing parts business as well as the racing business. Their new venture with the Late Model River Series is the next phase of a very busy and gratifying racing season. GPM fielded a car in the NASCAR Camping World West Series this year with driver Greg Pursley behind the wheel. In the series' 13 starts GPM collected one win, eight top five finishes, 11 top tens with a healthy average finish ratio of 6.3. Now they're turning their attention to supporting late model teams, during the winter racing series, in a variety of different ways. One of those ways is the availability of an on site parts trailer that can provide for literally any need a late model racing team might be faced with at the tracks. Commenting on this rolling parts house Gene Price, from a recent GPM press release, said "the parts business is a big deal. When you come all this way to race you need to have a back up and we can provide that peace of mind at the track as well as a whole range of support services back at the shop." Series promoters Bill Rozhon, Havasu 95 Speedway, and Greg Scheidecker. Lucas Oil I 10 Speedway, were also extremely pleased to announce that MAC Tools is also providing sponsorship to the Late Model River Series. Headquartered in Westerville-Ohio, the company's prestigious history began in 1938 as the Mechanic Tool and Forge Company. In the early sixties the company's name was changed to MAC Tools. Since that time the company has enjoyed decades of prosperity and now produces over 8,000 different types of tools as well as custom tool boxes. Havasu 95 Speedway promoter Bill Rozhon is extremely excited about the prospect of the Gene Price Motorsports Late Model River Series coming to his track Saturday night. "The Gene Price Motorsports deal, along with MAC Tools stepping up to help our late model division is huge and it looks like we're going to have a strong field of late models this year. Gene Price Motorsports has already proven that they're a class act with their Camping World West Series operation which finished third in the points. They're really good people and they're coming into this with both barrels loaded. Their presence is a huge help for Greg at the I 10 Speedway as well as myself here at Havasu. The participation of MAC Tools is also a very big deal for us. They're also involved in the SuperClean Modified Racing Series as well," Rozhon said. With a big smile on his face he added "I think our second show of the season is going to be just as strong as our opening night." The Havasu 95 Speedway race weekend actually begins on Friday night with a test and tune practice session for the race teams from 6 to 9 pm. The test and tune is free to spectators and a concession stand will be available. On Saturday race day the spectator gates will open at 5 pm with racing beginning at 7 pm. General admission tickets are $12 for Saturday night and $10 for seniors 55 plus, active duty military and the handicapped. Kids tickets, for ages 6 to 16, are $6 while kids five and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult. The speedway offers a family package for $25 which admits two adults and two kids. Race fans can also enjoy the amenities of the speedway's VIP section, featuring the best seats in the house, for $25. For out of town race teams and fans, the Days Inn Motel is the official inn of the Havasu 95 Speedway. They offer beautiful and spacious rooms at very affordable rates. Reservations can be made either on line or by calling toll free at 1-800-835-2410. |