Sportsman and Street Stocks Off at Ponderosa Speedway May 20

Ponderosa Speedway
365 Phillips Lane
Junction City, Kentucky 40440

2011 Official Media Release #28 (For Immediate Distribution: May 15, 2011)
Contact- Michael Despain (mgdespain@windstream.net and/or dirttrackracing@hotmail.com)

Ponderosa Speedway Has 16th Annual Pete Abell Memorial $2,000 to win May 20

Junction City, KY- May 15, 2011- Ponderosa Speedway track promoters Donnie Sullivan and family will present the 16th Annual Pete Abell Memorial presented by Bennett’s Car Care and Performance this Friday evening May 20. The event will feature the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Super Late Models in a $2,000 to win event. Also in action will be the Ken Towery’s Auto Tires and Super Service Modifieds, racing for $500 to win.

The May 20 racing program will be highlighted by the 16th Annual Pete Abell Memorial presented by Bennett’s Car Care and Performance for the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Super Late Models, paying $2,000 to win and $200 to start the 40 lap A-Main event. Also in competition at “Kentucky’s Baddest Bullring” on Friday May 20 will be the Ken Towery’s Auto Tires and Super Service Modifieds, racing for $500 to win in a 25 lap A-Main event. Any Pro Late Models that want to come and race will be welcome and can race with the Super Late Models, while the D&D Pallet Recyclers Sportsman, Simple Sign and Decal Street Stocks, and SkyTower Power Race Engines Open Four Cylinders will not be in competition at this event, but racers in those divisions are welcome to bring their cars and get practice laps if they would like, with those drivers admitted free to practice their cars. Both the Super Late Model and Modified divisions will time trial, with both divisions receiving two laps of qualifying. Race fans can bring along their portable radio and headsets and listen to all the action as it is called on the track’s radio frequency of 105.9. Also, there will be spectator drag races after the conclusion of the race program if time permits.

For the Pete Abell Memorial event, the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Super Late Model division will have a $50 entry fee, while the Ken Towery’s Auto Tires and Super Service Modified division will have no entry fee. The payoff for the Good Neighbor Pharmacy Super Late Model Pete Abell Memorial event is as follows: 1st- $2,000, 2nd- $1,000, 3rd- $750, 4th- $500, 5th- $400, 6th- $300, 7th- $275, 8th- $250, 9th- $225, 10th on back- $200 to start (all drivers not transferring into the A-Main event will receive $50 tow money). The Quick Six Dash will return for the Super Late Model division and pay $100 to winner, with those six racers locked into the A-Main, starting the way they finish the dash. The payoff for the Ken Towery’s Auto Tires and Super Service Modified division will be as follows: 1st- $500, 2nd- $300, 3rd- $200, 4th- $150, 5th- $125, 6th- $100, 7th- $90, 8th- $80, 9th- $75, 10th- $70, 11th on back- $65 to start (all drivers not transferring into the A-Main will receive $25 tow money). The Modifieds will also have a Quick Six Dash that will pay $50 to win, with those six racers locked into the A-Main and starting the way they finish the dash.

The May 20 event will also be another fundraiser for Trell Whitis, the young son of track Sportsman racer Logan Whitis of Hustonville, KY to help raise some more money to help defray medical cost for treatment of young Trell’s rare medical condition.

Activities for the May 20 Pete Abell Memorial presented by Bennett’s Car Care and Performance will see the pit area and general admission area open at 4:00 p.m. The drivers meeting will be at 7:00 p.m., followed by practice for all divisions at 7:15 p.m. Time trials will begin at 7:45 p.m., with green flag racing action set to begin at 8:30 p.m. Ticket prices for the May 20 event in the general admission area will be $15 for adults, $5 for young adults ages 11-16, and free to children ages 10 and under. A pit pass will be $35.

The Pete Abell Memorial debuted on the Ponderosa Speedway in 1995 and Darrell Lanigan of Union, KY would claim the inaugural event win, while legendary chassis builder C.J. Rayburn of Whiteland, IN would score the 1996 win, while Lanigan returned to victory lane in the race in 1997. Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN would take the race victory in 1998, while Scott James of Lawrenceburg, IN would win the 1999 version of the race. Timmy Yeager of Harrodsburg, KY would visit victory lane in the 2000 version of the race, while Mike Jewell of Scottsburg, IN would lay claim to the race win in 2001. The race would not be held in 2002, but returned in 2003 and Johnny Wheeler of Campbellsville, KY would be the victor. Mother nature would win the race in 2004, while Steve Hillard of Sadorus, IL would take the checkered flag in 2005, followed by a triumph by Isom, KY native Chris Combs in 2006. Aaron Hatton of Mount Sterling, KY would hit paydirt in the 2007 race, while Victor Lee of Danville, KY took the top spot in 2008. Mike Marlar of Winfield, TN would take the 2009 event win, while Justin Rattliff of Campbellsville, KY would win the 2010 race and is the defending race champion. Lanigan has been the only repeat winner of the previous Pete Abell Memorial event.

Ponderosa Speedway last raced on May 13 and feature event winners included Victor Lee of Danville, KY in Good Neighbor Pharmacy Super Late Models, J.T. Ayers of New Haven, KY in Ken Towery’s Auto Tires and Super Service Modifieds, Dennis Cross of Wilmore, KY in D&D Pallet Recyclers Sportsman, and Austin Taylor of Harrodsburg, KY in SkyTower Power Race Engines Open Four Cylinders.

Ponderosa Speedway is located at 365 Phillips Lane on the Boyle/Lincoln County border, outside of Junction City, KY, just minutes from Danville, KY. Donnie Sullivan and family are the track promoters and will present dirt track sports entertainment on Friday evenings throughout the 2011 race season. For more information about racing activities at Ponderosa Speedway, visit the track’s webpage on the internet at www.ponderosaspeedway.net or phone the Sullivan family at (606) 669-4009 or (606) 365-0402. Partons can phone the track at (859) 854-6808 on raceday.