CRA: Mt. Lawn Speedway to host memorial weekend event

First annual Memorial weekend race festival comes to Mt. Lawn Speedway.

Salem, Ind. (January 30, 2003) - Officials of Champion Racing Association and Mt. Lawn Speedway announced plans today for a huge racing event at Mt. Lawn Speedway on the Sunday, May 25th and Monday, May 26th of Memorial Day Weekend. That weekend the flat .3-mile egg-shaped oval located five miles west of New Castle, Indiana, will have the richest event ever in its storied history. Over $40,000 will be awarded in purses to competitors in four different divisions that weekend.

Headlining the racing activities for the weekend will be the first ever appearance of the CRA Sunoco Super Series at Mt. Lawn Speedway. This top touring late model series is the same series that will run the historic Winchester 400 and Anderson 400 during the 2003 season. For the Mt. Lawn event the Sunoco Super Series teams will headline activities in a 150-lap feature event on Monday, May 26th after fans are treated to a preview the night prior with a 25-lap Shoot-Out event on Sunday, May 25th. Sunoco Super Series veterans Jeff Lane, Jim Crabtree, Bull Baker, Brian Rievley and Kenny Tweedy return to a sight of their past racing roots to battle for the glory of being the first Sunoco Super Series winner at Mt. Lawn Speedway.

Also competing in the First Annual Memorial Day Weekend Race Festival will be Mt. Lawn's own Late Model division in a 50 lap special event. Also on the schedule of events will be a $1,500 to win 100-lap Thunder Car event that is sure to attract the best competitors from all over central Indiana. In addition fans will see a 50-lap Mini Thunder Car event that will pay an unprecedented of $300 to win! This event will combine regional Front Wheel and Rear Wheel Compacts in a guaranteed action packed race.

All four-feature events on Monday, May 26th will receive television coverage on a delayed broadcast on the Insight Cable Network. The Sunoco Super Series 150 lap event will be shown in its entirety with highlights of the other three feature events also included in the broadcast.

"We are very pleased to be working with Champion Racing Association and the Sunoco Super Series for this historic event," remarked Rick Sweigart, Promoter of Mt. Lawn Speedway. "This is always a huge weekend of racing in the state of Indiana, now New Castle and Henry County will be a big part of that great racing weekend tradition!"

Sunday's events will include practice for all divisions, time trials for the Sunoco Super Series and the Mt. Lawn Late Models. Racing action that night will come from the exciting qualifying races for Thunder Cars and Mini Thunder Cars as driver's battle their way into both divisions big paying features on Monday afternoon. Also on Sunday evening, fans will get a chance to see the Sunoco Super Series stars compete in a special 25 lap Shoot-Out event.

"Champion Racing Association and the Sunoco Super Series are really looking forward to this awesome weekend of racing," said R.J. Scott, Managing Partner of Champion Racing Association and the Sunoco Super Series. "New Castle is were I grew up and go home to see family, so it's great to be able to help bring this kind of racing event to Mt. Lawn Speedway and the people of Henry County. This historic racetrack is what helped get me started in racing, and I'm proud to make Champion Racing Association and the Sunoco Super Series part of that history!"

The late George W. Sweigart built Mt. Lawn Speedway in 1934. Clara Sweigart, the current owner of Mt. Lawn Speedway since the death of her husband George A. Sweigart in October of 1999, makes Mt. Lawn the oldest family owned racetrack in Indiana and possibly the United States. Mt. Lawn began as a dirt track, built on a former baseball field. The track had a concrete surface in the early 40's before having its first asphalt race in the late 40's after World War II. Mt. Lawn's most notable feature is it's famous short turn at "home plate", where cars of all types must get heavy on the brakes after coming out of the sweeping big turn at the north end of the track, down a long backstretch, which is the fastest part of the racetrack. Some of the notable drivers who have competed at Mt. Lawn Speedway include open wheel legends Jim Rathman, Dick Rathman and Pat O'Connor. The late Kenny Irwin and 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Champion Tony Stewart raced midgets at Mt. Lawn in the 1990's. For more information on Mt. Lawn Speedway including an aerial picture of the track, go to www.mtlawn.com.

For more information about the Sunoco Super Series or the Memorial Weekend Race Festival at Mt. Lawn Speedway, interested parties can call 812-883-0455 or visit www.sunocosuperseries.com.

-cra-