ESS: Empire Super Sprints to Appear at Albany-Saratoga and Canandaigua

Empire Super Sprints Resumes Tour 2000 With Stops at Albany-Saratoga and Canandaigua.

by Dean Reynolds

Syracuse, N.Y. - On May 12 and 13 the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) begins a stretch of four consecutive two-race weekends with events at the Albany-Saratoga and Canandaigua Speedways. The Friday and Saturday night events are stops two and three on the record half a million dollar Tour 2000.

The Richards Family have promoted the fast 1/3rd mile oval located near N.Y.'s Capital District for many seasons and like years past, they will role out the red carpet for the winged warriors. May 12 will mark the first of two visits to the Malta, N.Y. oval and geared up for the assault will be Syracuse, N.Y.'s Dan Kaszubinski.

"DK" was the winner of the tour's opening race at Black Rock and he did what no other ESS driver has ever done...pass five-time ESS champion Mike Woodring on the last lap. Albany-Saratoga has also proved a "home away from home" for Kaszubinski has he held the checkered flag there during the last two seasons. The "Cricket" Craig Keel has a slew of victories at A/S as well and will be out to improve on is third place finish in the 2000 opening event. Connecticut's Scott Holcomb and Altamont, N.Y.'s Dick Spadaro will be looking for that "home field advantage" in hopes for their first checkered flags of the new year.

It will be an exciting night as the ESS super sprinters will be joined by the very potent CVRA modifieds, sportsman and other support divisions.

On Saturday the ESS traveling road show will head West on the N.Y. State Thruway to the Ontario County Fairgrounds in Canandaigua, N.Y. The "Land of Legends" as it's known will also perform two stops by the ESS Tour 2000 with the first on May 13. New to the fold at Glenn Donnelly's Saturday night DIRT stop is Gary Montgomery at the helm as race director. Montgomery is not only a dedicated supporter of 1/2 mile but he is also a "fan" and has brought in new blood to the historic oval.

Opening night on April 29 brought rave reviews on the newly prepared track surface by the regular DIRT modified pilots and fans can expect record speeds by the alcohol breathing sprinters. Last year Lance Yonge, a former DIRT mod pilot at Canandaigua, won the only show in front of a packed hometown crowd. Yonge will be one of many top drivers on hand including local stars and former ESS rookie's of the year Rob Dietrick (1998), Bill Coffey ('97) and Mike Stelter ('95).

Each night fans will get to see 30 plus sprinters performing in three Brodix Cylinder Head heat events, the KSE Racing Products B-Main as well as the four lap Walt's Hobby Dash Series event. All that will lead up to the 20 lap, $1150 to win A-main battle royale. It's a weekend that will not be forgotten, Albany-Saratoga, Canandaigua, ESS...ah, sit back and let the sprinters throw mud in your eye!!!