Written by Chris Moore
GEORGETOWN, DE – The first practice session of the Northeast Modified racing season was completed on Saturday at Georgetown Speedway.
Seventy-three racecars across eight different divisions took part in rounds of practice at the well-manicured Sussex County half-mile.
A large crowd was on hand as well on a cool, cloudy day to see racecars hit the track for the first time in 2022 at the famed southern Delaware facility.
Milford, Del.’s Jordan Watson laid down the fastest time for the Chesapeake Paving Modifieds at an 18.605-second lap. Eighteen Chesapeake Paving Modifieds were on hand attempting to dial in their machines in preparation for next weekend’s ‘Melvin L. Joseph Memorial’ event.
Defending Blue Hen Dispose-All Crate 602 Sportsman champion Joe Toth set the pace in practice for the Sportsman. The Newtown, Pa., native recorded a 20.278-second lap that stood throughout the remainder of practice.
Delmar, Del.’s Ben Scott was the fastest among the First State Chevrolet RUSH Late Models that were on hand for Saturday’s practice. His 19.732-second lap in the second session was good for the quickest time of the day.
Millsboro, Del.’s Donald Lingo Jr. was the only driver on hand with a Super Late Model, however no times were recorded with Lingo going without a transponder.
The Delmarva Chargers and Delaware Super Trucks had a strong turnout as well, taking practice sets together with nearly 20 cars on hand between the two divisions.
Other divisions represented were the Little Lincolns, Southern Delaware Vintage Stock Cars, and one Mid-Atlantic Sprint Series car was on hand taking practice laps.
With practice concluded, attention turns to the ‘Melvin L. Joseph Memorial’ weekend on March 10-12. Another open practice night is scheduled to open the three-day weekend on March 10 (Thursday).
Racing begins on March 11 (Friday) with the PA/NJ Spec Small-Block Modifieds racing 30-laps for a $4,049 payday to the winner. The RUSH Late Models join the Friday program for 20-laps and a $1,049 top prize.
The STSS Modifieds and STSS Crate 602 Sportsman will each get two rounds of practice on Friday night. One of the two rounds will be timed, with the fast timer in each division locking into Saturday’s Beyea Custom Headers Redraw.
The Southern Delaware Vintage Stock Cars, Delaware Super Trucks and Delmarva Chargers are also on the schedule for 12-lap, feature-only events.
STSS Modifieds take center stage on March 12 (Saturday), as the Modifieds race for the largest dirt-track purse in the history of the First State. A purse near $80,000 will be distributed, with a whopping $25,000 reserved for the winner.
The STSS Crate 602 Sportsman race in their points opener to the Belmont’s Garage South Region. The Crate 602 Sportsman battle for 25-laps and a $1,549 top prize to kick off their 2022 Northeast campaign.
The Little Lincolns, Delmarva Chargers, and Delaware Super Trucks join Saturday’s affair for 12-lap feature-only programs.
Sunday, March 13 is reserved as a rain date.
For general information sheets, rules, registration forms, advance pit passes and pay structures, visit: http://www.thegeorgetownspeedway.com/?page_id=125
The entire weekend of racing, along with every STSS race in 2022, will be broadcast LIVE on FloRacing (www.floracing.tv).
To learn more about the Short Track Super Series Fueled By Sunoco, visit www.shorttracksuperseries.com, e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com, check out ‘Short Track Super Series’ on Facebook or @ShortTrackSS on Twitter or Instagram.