Fans are No.1 at the Frank Sagi Tribute race featuring special guest Tom Peck

Racing fans will be the top priority at the 3rd annual Frank Sagi Tribute Race with special guest Tom Peck coming up on the evening of Sunday, June 23rd, at Hagerstown Speedway.

Fans arriving at the track early will have the opportunity to meet or re-connect with the evening’s special honoree, retired Dirt Late Model and NASCAR Busch Series driving star Tom Peck of McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania. Peck will be available to sign autographs, take photos and chat with race fans behind the grandstands when the gates open at 4:00 until 5:30.

Joining Peck behind the grandstand area will be a large group of his competitors and rival drivers, who will be participating in a unique Meet & Greet session. Over 50 former and present star drivers are expected to be on hand to interact with fans and help to honor the stellar racing career of Tom Peck.

When entering the gates, fans will be presented with their choice of beautiful jumbo art prints being specially drawn for this event by racing artist extraordinaire, Mr. Jeff Lindsay. Each print will have a collage of cars driven by Peck, along with some of the other popular drivers who will be in attendance. These collectible prints will be free of charge to the fans, due to the generosity of sponsors Bonebrake Alignment & Tire of Hagerstown, MD., Miller Steel Fabrication of Littlestown, PA., and the Lindsay Gang in memory of their family patriarch, Bill Lindsay.
Other mystery gifts will also be available to early arriving fans at the grandstand gate entrance. Make it a point to be there early to be one of the lucky recipients of these great donated items.

Gifts will keep on coming to the fans as the race night progresses. Spectators will want to be on their toes all evening as the Father and Son combo of Tim Hottle, owner and promoter of the Outback Motor Speedway slot car track in Winchester, VA., and Brent Hottle of Need-a-Sign? in Winchester, VA., will be coming out onto the front straightaway at different times of the program to shoot racing t-shirts into the stands with custom built cannon-like devices.

A large selection of top quality racing shirts have been sponsored for the event by Arizona Sport Shirts proprietor Gerald Newton of Indianapolis, Ind. Longtime industry-leading manufacturer Arizona Sport Shirts is the official merchandise provider of the traveling Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series and for Scott Bloomquist Racing. Several local race teams have also donated t-shirts to be added to the great collection set to be shot off and be up for grabs.
On-track action will consist of the Super Late Models, Late Model Sportsman and Pure Stocks.  All three divisions will be competing in qualifying heat races and 25, 20 and 15-lap features respectively. Each class will compete for extra bonus purses, boosted by a large group of race sponsors.
A new qualifying format designed to be appealing to both racers and fans alike for the Super Late Model division, they will compete in an exciting timed hot laps session.

Competitors will go onto the track in groups of three cars each, determined in order by the luck of the draw. Drivers will be given five fast laps on the clock, with their quickest recorded lap being used to determine starting positions for heat races. This procedure makes warmups much more important to the racers, and gives each driver an equal chance to earn their starting positions. Fans will be treated to seeing their favorite drivers go “all-out” for five laps in an effort to achieve the fastest times possible. Heat races and the feature event will be lined up in heads-up fashion with no re-draws, making the program easy to follow for everyone. A $200 overall fast time bonus is being offered for the evening’s top qualifier, courtesy of Tire Guy Enterprises of York, Pa.

The Late Model Sportsman and Pure Stock divisions will compete under a more conventional format during the evening. Both of these classes will have standard warmup sessions, followed by qualifying heat races which will be lined up by the luck of the draw. Features will start heads-up according to heat race finishing positions.
These formats are designed to run a fast and efficient show for fans and competitors alike. The goal is to have all racing completed in the 9:00 to 9:30 time frame to have everyone on their way home at a manageable hour to start their new work week.
All three classes will be racing for increased purses, boosted by the generosity of a long list of race sponsors, which will be released in the coming weeks. All 24 feature starters in each division will receive bonus earnings on this night.

This race will also mark the first leg of a new three-race series called the Nininger Challenge, sponsored by Glenn Nininger of Nininger’s Tire & Auto Center of Brunswick, MD.
The Nininger Challenge gives Super Late Model drivers an opportunity to win cash bonuses of $500 and $1,000 if anyone can win two out of three or all three of the designated races at Hagerstown Speedway. Besides the Frank Sagi Tribute Race with Special Guest Tom Peck, the other two races involved in the are the Red Nininger Memorial in July, and the Tex Shaffer Memorial in August. Drivers are required to participate in all three events to be eligible for this extra bonus payout.

In addition to that bonus program, Nininger’s Tire & Auto Center of Brunswick, MD. is also offering another $500 cash bonus to any Super Late Model driver who can sweep the weekend races of June 22nd and 23rd at Winchester and Hagerstown Speedway.

In conjunction with promoter Zachary Crouse, Late Model Sportsman drivers planning to race at Path Valley Speedway in Spring Run, Pennsylvania the night before will have the opportunity to earn a guaranteed spot in the LMS portion of the Frank Sagi Tribute by winning the Steel Block Late Model feature at Path Valley on June 22.

Unique, multi-colored t-shirts will feature multiple versions of the famous “Fireball 40” cars driven over the years by Tom Peck. The shirts are being designed and printed by Kevin Quirk Racewear and Awesome Race Tees of Carlisle, Pa. These top quality shirts will be sold for just $15 each, with the sales of the shirts being handled by the staff of the Auto Racing Club of Hagerstown. Proceeds from the sale of the shirts will be donated to the ARCH Injured Drivers Fund.

Another interesting item that will be available to fans in the grandstand area on the night of the “Frank Sagi Tribute Race with Special Guest Tom Peck” will be a one-of-a-kind drawing being done by racing artist extraordinaire Jeff Lindsay. This extra-size framed drawing will be called “The Legends of Hagerstown”, and will feature images of Hagerstown Speedway’s all-time leading winners Gary Stuhler, Rodney Franklin, Buddy Armel, Denny Bonebrake and Tom Peck. Chances to win this great piece of memorabilia will be for sale on the night of the race for just $1 each. Again, all proceeds from the drawing raffle will go to the ARCH Injured Drivers Fund.

Make your plans now to attend the Frank Sagi Tribute Race with Special Guest Tom Peck on Sunday, June 23rd, at Hagerstown Speedway. Grandstand gates open at 4 p.m. A special meet ‘n greet autograph session with Tom Peck and a large group of assembled former drivers will take place behind the grandstand area between 4:30 until 5:30. On track action begins with hot laps at 6:00, followed by opening ceremonies and qualifying heat races at 6:30.

General admission is $16, students/seniors/military are $12, and kids age 12 and under are free. Pit admission is $30.

For more information, stay tuned to the speedway website, Facebook and Twitter pages for the latest news, or call the speedway office at 301-582-0640.