Smith Brothers and Other Tidbits; Ryan Godown Announces Plans

Dirt Track Digest is reporting that Tim Fuller will take over behind the wheel of the Smith Brothers owned #74 big block modified. Fuller drove for the team in the small block portion of Eastern States Weekend this past year, and drove for John Lazore in big and small block competition. Jessica Zemken will take over as Lazore's driver while John Lazore will continue to run small blocks weekly at Mohawk and the Super Dirt Series. The Smith Brothers ran weekly with Brett Hearn last year, and Jeff Heotzler also ran the car in the Eastern States 200. No word on whether or not the story is true.

Ryan Godown has announced that he'll stay behind the wheel of the Johnny Rea #R1 small block modified in 2009, despite rumors that swirled around, including on this board. He'll run weekly at Grandview Speedway, and will also run his own #26 big block in select shows.

Jeremy Wilder will move up to the modified division in 2009. Wilder's been one of the top sportsman drivers the past 2 seasons, and even ran a few modified and 358 shows this season, including the Salute to the Troops 150 during Super Dirt Week.

Merry Christmas To All; Handful of Tidbits

We'd like to wish everyone and their families a very Merry Christmas.

Lebanon Valley sportsman star Kyle Hoffman will be moving up to the 358 modified division in 2009 to run at Lebanon Valley Speedway.

Mahoning Valley to run Dirt Modifieds

Area Auto Racing News reports that Mahoning Valley Speedway will feature dirt modifieds weekly in 2009. Mahoning ran dirt modifieds for one race in 2006, which saw Doug Hoffman take the feature win.

USMOD, Super Dirt Series Updates; Tidbits

Looks as if the USMOD Series could have a race at The Rock or Winchester Speedway during Hagerstown Speedway's season opening events. It's possible, that both tracks could be used on alternate weekends. The USMOD race will run either the night before, or the afternoon after the Hagerstown modified races. Recently, Keizer Wheels and Dart Heads have announced that they will sponsor the USMOD Series.

As for the Super Dirt Series, Virginia Motor Speedway will not return to the schedule in 2009.

Casey Williams will be moving up to the modified division in 2009 at Utica Rome Speedway. Also, Roger Heroux, who's owned winning cars for Stewart Friesen, Mitch Gibbs, Danny Johnson, and Bobby Varin, looks as if he may be coming out of retirement in 2009 with Ronnie Johnson at Utica Rome. Stay tuned for updates.

Handful of Tidbits

Looks as if Saracino Racing will return to running full-time with Club Wago driver and up and comer Dom Buffalino. A Buffalino crew member reported the news to us. The report stated that Buffalino will drive at Big Diamond with the team.

A few more drivers will be making the move up from sportsman this year. Justin Sharpe will be moving up from the sportsman class to run 358 modified weekly at Ransomville Speedway, and Earl Paules will move up from sportsman to 358 modifieds weekly as well at Big Diamond. Also, Kyle Weiss will return to running a full-season in the 358 modified division, after running a part time schedule in small blocks and a full season in sportsman 2008. Current plans for Weiss are a full-season at Big Diamond with some possible stops at Grandview and some RoC races.

A Look Back at 2008

Here's a look back on 2008's modified racing season. Please note that big and small block modified stats are combined here.

First up, here's a list of series champions from 2008
Super Dirt Series champion- Billy Decker
358 Super Dirt Series champion- Pete Bicknell
RoC Dirt Tour champion- Pat Ward
BRP Modified Tour champion- Brian Swartzlander
Lucas Oil Northern Dirt Series champion- David Hebert
Lucas Oil Western Dirt Series champion- Pete Bicknell
T3 All-Star Series champion- Billy Van Pelt
Florida Dirt Tour Champion- Brett Hearn/Billy Pauch
Garden State Dual Track Series Champion- Rick Laubach
STAR Series champion- Jeff Rudalavage
NMX Fonda Mini-Series champion- Brett Hearn
King of the Valley Mini-Series champion- Kenny Tremont

2008 Track Champions
Accord Speedway champion- Andy Bachetti
Airborne Speedway champion- Patrick Dupree
Albany-Saratoga Speedway champion- Kenny Tremont
Big Diamond Raceway champion- Jeff Strunk
Black Rock Speedway champion- Brian Swarthout
Brewerton Speedway champion- Billy Decker
Bridgeport Speedway (Friday night) champion- Richie Pratt
Bridgeport Speedway (Saturday night) champion- Mike Iles
Brockville Ontairio Speedway champion- Danny O'Brien
Can Am Speedway (Big Block) champion- Frankie Caprara
Can Am Speedway (Small Block) champion- Larry Wight
Canandaigua Speedway champion- Steve Paine
Cayuga County Fair Speedway champion- Alan Johnson
Cornwall Speedway champion- Carey Terrance
Delaware International Speedway champion- Jamie Mills
Devils Bowl Speedway champion- Todd Stone
Autodrome Dummondville champion- David Hebert
Autodrome Edelweiss champion- Laurent Ladouceur
Five Mile Point Speedway champion- Brian Weaver
Fonda Speedway champion- Bobby Varin
Fulton Speedway champion- Tommy Sears
Glen Ridge Motorsports Park champion- Jeff Brownell
Autodrome Granby champion- Kayle Robidoux
Grandview Speedway champion- Jeff Strunk
Lebanon Valley Speedway (Big Block) champion- J.R. Heffner/Mark Flach
Lebanon Valley Speedway (Small Block) champion- J.R. Heffner
Lernerville Speedway champion- Brian Swartzlander
Mercer Speedway champion- Frank Guidance
Merrittville Speedway champion- Chad Brachmann
Mohawk International Speedway champion- John Lazore
New Egypt Speedway champion- Billy Pauch
Orange County Fair Speedway (Big Block) champion- David Van Horn
Orange County Fair Speedway (Small Block) champion- Jerry Higbie
Penn Can Speedway champion- Jeff Rudalavage
Ransomville Speedway champion- Pete Bicknell
Redline Raceway champion- Brent Boyer
Sharon Speedway champion- Dave Murdick
Tri-City Speedway champion- Kevin Bolland
Utica Rome Speedway champion- Pat Ward
Woodhull Raceway champion- Billy Van Pelt

High Paying Event Winners
Rite-Aid 200 $50,000- Frank Cozze
Schneider Brothers 200 $25,000- Danny Johnson
Freedom 76er $20,000- Craig Von Dohren
Eastern States 200 $20,000- Danny Johnson
Salute to the Troops 150 $20,000- Billy Decker
Drummondville 150 $15,000- Danny O'Brien
New Yorker 200 $10,000- Bobby Varin
Victoria 200 $10,000- Danny Johnson
Octoberfest (Big Block) $10,000- Brett Hearn
Octoberfest (Small Block) $10,000- Rick Laubach
Coalcracker 100 $10,000- Duane Howard
Paul Sawyer Memorial $10,000- Matt Sheppard
Forrest Rogers Memorial $10,000- Craig Von Dohren
World Series Weekend 200 $10,000- Alan Johnson
Lebanon Valley 200 $10,000- Andy Bachetti

Doug Hoffman In with Hansell; Tidbits...

One of the greatest modified drivers of all-time will be back racing full time in 2009. Chris Budihas broke the news in a press release located on South Jersey Dirt Racing that Doug Hoffman will race for Norm Hansell in 2009. Hoffman will run weekly at Big Diamond and Grandview, and will also run big block specials. Hoffman ran just one race in 2008, the Freedom 76er at Grandview Speedway where he drove for Chad Sinon and finished an amazing second place. The team will debut at Selinsgrove Speedway in March.

In other Big Diamond news, Sean Merkel has been hired to drive the Eastern Rigging Motorsports #11 small block at Big Diamond weekly. The team ran races with Jason Hamilton, John Willman, and Ben Hatt last season.

Richie Pratt and Keith Brightbill News

The 2008 Bridgeport Friday night 358-modified champion, Richie Pratt, will have a new Friday night home in 2009. Pratt will run weekly at the Big Diamond Raceway driving the DiNatale Motorsports #11D. Pratt will continue to drive for Sal DeBruno at Bridgeport Spedway on Saturdays in the big block division and in select specials, and Pratt will also do some extra traveling with his own small block. For more information on Pratt's new ride for 2009, listen to his interview on Doug's Dirt Diary. Also, for Big Diamond in 2009, Keith Brightbill will return to the driver's seat full-time. Brightbill will drive for Rich Stankiwicz in the small block division. Keith has ran specials for Rich over the past few specials.

Dave Axton Returns in 2009: Tidbits

Just a few months after fan favorite Todd Milton returned to the seat of a big block modified, another fan favorite makes his return to the big block ranks for the 2009 season. Club Wago driver and a former feature winner at the Cayuga County Fair Speedway Dave Axton has announced in an interview on Doug's Dirt Diary that he'll be returning to the seat of a big block modified. Current plans for Axton are to race weekly at Cayuga County, with a small bit of traveling to local DIRT Series races.

Bob Lineman Jr is the latest sportsman driver to announce his intentions to move up, at least on a part-time basis. Lineman, who ran in the 358 modified portion of Hagerstown's Octoberfest show in October, will run a part-time schedule in 2009 with his small block modified.

Look for Rocco Infante to move up to the modified division, probably at Bridgeport Speedway.

Pauch Sr. and Jr. News

Well, the hunt for the driver for the Glenn Hyneman #126 car is over. Billy Pauch Sr., the 2008 New Egypt Speedway track champion and Florida Dirt Tour champion, will run a specials-only schedule in 2009 with the Glenn Hyneman team. The schedule that Pauch and Hyneman will run together will be very similar to the one that Pauch and Will Brown ran this past season. Pauch will continue to run for Kevin Bilfulco on a full-time basis weekly at New Egypt Speedway.

Billy Pauch Jr. will jump over to the Will Brown owned #1w big block modified, that his father ran part-time this past season. Pauch Jr. will run the car in specials only all throughout the east coast. Friday night plans include a full season for the first time in a few years at Big Diamond in the Bob Greene #8. Pauch Jr. also will run on the ARDC tour, and when time allows will drive his family-owned #15 at New Egpyt Speedway. No word on whether or not he'll return to the Nick Noll #6n or not.

J.R. Heffner Heading to Asphalt

J.R. Heffner will only be racing one dirt race in 2009, the Rite-Aid 200 in October. Heffner, the 2007 and 2008 big and small block champions at Lebanon Valley Speedway, will be running full-time in the Arca Series. Stay tuned for updates on the Dwyer Motorsports #88 big block team, and the Goodermote Racing #5 small block team.

AJ to team with Thompson?

According to Alan Johnson's interview on Doug's Dirt Diary, he has a verbal agreement with Dave Thompson to run the 2009 Super Dirt Series Tour.

Thompson, who's only been in the sport for a few years, has already been through his share of drivers, none of which drove for Thompson for more than 15 months. Stewart Friesen, Dale Planck, Kyle Jacobs, Danny Johnson, and most recently Frankie Caprara have all driven his cars.

Johnson won the Cayuga County Fair Speedway track championship in 2008, and drove for Wallace Stacey and Randy Sherlock throughout the summer, before ultimately teaming with Jake Spraker and Eric Kingsley for the end of the year.

No word on what will happen with Frankie Caprara, stay tuned.