Rochester Hills, MI — (June 12, 2015) — The Allstar Performance Michigan Dirt Cup Modified Tour Presented by Lane Automotive has been on a well deserved break since their last event at Cherry Raceway back on June 12th. Now it’s time to get back into action with the traditional halfway point of the racing season; the Fourth of July Holiday Weekend. The wicked fast 1/2 (0.500) mile semi-banked dirt oval of Hartford Motor Speedway, located west of Kalamazoo in Hartford, Michigan will serve as hosts of the Independence Day Shootout Presented by Lane Automotive.
The Michigan Dirt Cup Modified Tour has visited the ultra fast Southwest Michigan facility on three occasions and it’s been Two-Time MDC Modified Tour Champion, Jacob Poel visiting victory lane in all three races. Poel won the first ever event at Hartford in 2011 to clinch the inaugural tour championship. Then, after a three-year absence, the MDC cars and stars returned twice in 2014 with Poel taking both of those victories as well.
Going into the Independence Day Weekend Shootout Presented by Lane Automotive, David Mielke has been the man to beat in 2015 with four victories in five starts. However, that one race he didn’t win, at Mt. Pleasant Speedway, is the reason why he is in a dogfight for the 2015 championship. Defending Tour Champion, Travis Stemler leads Aaron Morey, the only other winner in 2015, which came at Mt. Pleasant, by just a single point with 2013 titlist, Mielke just three points back of Morey in a very tight race for the Fifth Anniversary championship within the tour.
With Mielke’s four wins in 2015, he has moved up to second all-time in career victories in the Michigan Dirt Cup Modified Tour with seven total trips to victory lane. He is one triumph behind Two-Time Tour Champion, Jacob Poel, who has eight wins. Morey, Collin Thirlby and Andy Sprague are in a three-way tie for third all-time as all three drivers have three victories apiece. There have been 33 races all-time in the five-year history of the Michigan Dirt Cup Modified Tour with three of those events being conducted at Hartford.
The Michigan Dirt Cup Modified Tour will take on a strong contingent of weekly UMP DIRTcar Modifieds that race at Hartford on Friday nights. Led by veteran Bob Baldwin, a former winner in MDC, as well as veteran Curt Spalding, the Hartford regulars will also be led by young rising star, Dylan Woodling, a stout contender in the Midwest Indoor Racing Series. Former Pavement standout, Bobby Stremme, the younger brother of former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor, David Stremme will be another driver looking to hold back the MDC regulars.
Steven Pena and Ryan Flagel are two drivers that are having good seasons as well at Hartford while veterans Frank Marshall and Todd Sherman will also play a role in the outcome of the A Main. Joining the MDC Modified Tour in celebration of the Fourth of July Holiday Weekend will be the UMP DIRTcar Late Models as well as UMP Stock Cars and Cyber Stocks will also be in action. The Pits and Grandstand Gates open at 5:00p.m., with Practice starting at 6:30p.m., and Racing begins at 8:00p.m.
To learn more about the Allstar Performance Michigan Dirt Cup Modified Tour Presented by Lane Automotive, go to the Tour website at: www.michigandirtcup.com. You can also follow MDC all season long on Facebook and Twitter at: www.facebook.com/midirtcup and www.twitter.com/michigandirtcup. For further information, email Michigan Dirt Cup, Director of Operations Scott Menlen at smenlen@michigandirtcup.com. Finally, for more information about Cherry Raceway, the host track for the sixth race of the fifth anniversary 2015 racing season, log onto website located at: www.hartfordmotorspeedway.com.