9/9/2019
Laird Raceway
Northern Stars Invitational Scheduled for this Weekend at Laird Raceway
UPDATE Saturday Sept 14, 1 pm
Unfortunately we have been forced to cancel the Racing and Demolition Derby that was scheduled due to the weather and wet conditions at LIR. We will not be running Sunday either as this weather is not due to break this weekend!! Bad weather has forced a complete cancellation.
Final Races of the Season are happening at Laird International Raceway this weekend. Laird International Raceway will present it’s Northern Stars Invitational Race Weekend on Friday Sept 13 and Saturday Sept 14th this week, with Sunday set as a rain date if needed. A full night of racing will be held in all divisions, plus we will have School bus races, lawnmower races, and mini wedge races on both nights. The weekend will finish with a Demolition Derby at the end of regular racing on Saturday evening. If there is interest, we will also hold “Spectator Drags” on Saturday, where fans are invited to take their street cars out on track to race one on one with another car.
As of Thursday Sept 12th, Friday Races have now been cancelled.
On Saturday, we begin a bit earlier. Gates will open at 1 pm, qualifying will begin at 4 pm, with opening ceremonies and racing scheduled for 5:15 pm. Saturday night will also feature a two part 73 lap Super Late Model Race.
Season Championships still are up for grabs. The maximum points a driver can be awarded are 33 for each of our race nights this weekend broken down as 3 points for fast qualifier, 10 points for the heat winner, and 20 points for the feature winner with a declining scale. As we enter into this race weekend, there are still some tight points battles to be decided.
In the Super Late Model division, Rob Hiiemaa currently holds the top spot with 250 points accumulated. Second is Dustin Jackson 31 points back with 219, so it is unlikely that Jackson can catch up to Hiiemaa unless he is a no show for some of the races. In third place is Jake Irwin, with 197, 22 behind Jackson and 6 points ahead of Ron Raynor sitting in fourth with 191 points. The battle on the track will likely be between Irwin and Raynor fighting for that third place.
In the Michigan Modified division Mark Laakso sits in first place going into the weekend with 218 points. Roddy Bolduc is in second with 206 points, just 12 points back and within striking distance for the championship. Both will be bringing their A game. Michael Carbone is currently sitting in third place further back, but just 5 points ahead of Dustin Jackson in 4th, so look for those two to be working to get that third place in the division championship.
In the Factory Stock division, Jerry Ross holds 253 points, 45 points ahead of Jamie Fox currently with 208. Ross would have to be a no show for the weekend in order to lose the championship. An engine failure befell Jon Diodati during our last race weekend and he slipped back a bit in the points race to be 20 points behind Fox. If Diodati has the car repaired, and has a good run for the weekend, he might be able to catch Fox.
The Factory Four division currently has rookie Jason Kern on top with 181 points, and another rookie, Kayla Kurnell 17 points back, so Kurnell will be putting the pedal to the metal to catch up. Veteran Jack Lannigan sits in third with just 96 points, and rookie Caleb Foster sits in 4th, 9 points behind Lannigan so there should be a battle between those two as well.
Before coming to the track, check for updates on our website at www.lairdraceway.com or our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lairdraceway for any changes in schedules due to weather or unforeseen circumstances.
Article Credit: Tom Stephenson
Submitted By: Tom Stephenson