Little Rock, Arkansas (02/04/12) – The COMP Cams Super Dirt Series (CCSDS) Super Late Model hosted their 2011 Night of Champions Banquet on Saturday, February 4th, 2012 at the Holiday Inn Conference Center.
A large contingent of drivers, crew members, fans, and series’ staff were on hand to honor the top performers from the CCSDS tour during the 2011 season. 2010 Kuntz & Co. Rookie of the Year, Brandon Smith from Floral, Arkansas, was honored as the CCSDS Champion.
During his acceptance speech Smith was quick to give a great deal of the credit to his family, crew, and sponsors. He noted, “This Championship really belongs to my Dad, my Brother, my crew, and all of my great sponsors. These guys work hard to keep my race car ready each night, and without them I would’ve never won this event.” He also recognized 2010 CCSDS Champion, Bill Frye, who was on hand. Smith commented, “Bill (Frye) gave me my first chance to drive a Super Late Model a few years ago. If he had never given me that chance, I would’ve never got hooked, and I probably wouldn’t be standing here today.”
Smith’s fellow competitors were also recognized for their achievements including the top ten finishers in the final series’ standings, which included runner-up, Kyle Beard, Jon Mitchell, Jon Kirby, Curtis Cook, Johnny Virden, Shane Harris, Ian Samuals, Dewaine Hottinger, and Keith Lawson.
Vilonia, Arkansas’ driver, Curtis Cook, was honored as the 2011 Kuntz & Co. Rookie of the Year, while Shane Harris and Ian Samuals were honored for finishing second and third, respectively, in the battle.
An array of superlative awards were also presented during the course of the event. Brandon Smith was recognized for winning the RiceTec Summer Series. Jim Kuntz with Kuntz & Co. Racing Engines was recognized as the Engine Builder of the Year, while Joe Garrison accepted the Manufacturer of the Year Award for GRT Race Cars. Jon Kirby won the Rocket Chassis Award for being the top performer on the tour in a Rocket Chassis.
Kyle Beard was the recipient of the Larry Shaw Race Cars Hard Charger Award after passing more cars than any other driver during the course of the 2011 season.
Brandon Smith received the JFR Graphics Pole Award for earning the most pole starting positions for feature events during the 2011 campaign.
Lance Landers with the Mark Martin Auto Group was recognized for his support of the tour, while Harold Mahoney with Beebe Speedway (Beebe, Arkansas) received the Promoter of the Year Award. Donnie Moore was recognized for his continuing support and sponsorship of the CCSDS event at Riverside International Speedway (West Memphis, Arkansas).
Series director, Chris Ellis, made several announcements during the course of the night regarding news and changes for the 2012 season. With Hoosier amending production of the Spec 1600 compound, there will be minor tire rule changes for the tour in 2012. Ellis indicated that drivers would be allowed to run Spec 1600 tires until the end of July 2012 and that complete tire rule modifications would be forthcoming in the next few weeks. He also indicated that Greenbrier, Arkansas’ GRT Race Cars would be the sponsor of Heat Race #1 each night, while NEA Supergas and Killer Coatings have signed on as the sponsors for Heat Race #2. The tour is currently looking for a sponsor for Heat Race #3. It was also announced that GRT Race Cars will present nightly 15% off discounts toward product purchases to drivers, who enter CCSDS events in GRT Race Cars.
The COMP Cams Super Dirt Series will open its 2012 season with a doubleheader on March 23rd-24th. On Friday, March 23rd the 2012 campaign will open with a $2,000-to-win/$300-to-start event at USA Speedway (Sterlington, Louisiana) before moving onto I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, Arkansas) on Saturday night, March 24th for a $2,000-to-win/$400-to-start event.
The CCSDS has also announced modifications to the exiting schedule to avoid conflicts with other area events. The event originally slated for October 6th at I-30 Speedway (Little Rock, Arkansas) has been moved to September 22nd. In addition, the Midsouth Dirt Track Championship at Riverside International Speedway has been moved from Saturday, October 13th to Saturday, October 20th. The full slate of events for 2012 can be found at www.COMPDirt.com .
The COMP Cams Super Dirt Series is sponsored by and would like to thank all of their sponsors including- COMP Cams, Hoosier Racing Tires, Kuntz & Company, RacingJunk.com, Larry Shaw Race Cars, Quarter Master, GRT Race Cars, Rocket Chassis, Woodco, Inc., JFR Graphics, RiceTec, ROCKHARD Powdercoat, Inc., Mark Martin Auto Group , NEA Supergas, Killer Coatings, MSR Mafia.com Marketing Services, Tobacco Town Inc., Racing Head Service, Boomland, BSB Manufacturing, Five Star Bodies, Boston’s Restaurant and Sports Bar Pizza, speedliquidators.com, Schoenfeld Headers, Powerhouse Products, and FSR Racing Products.
For the latest information on the COMP Cams Super Dirt Series, please visit www.COMPDirt.com .
Thanks!
Ben Shelton, Owner
MSR Mafia – www.MSRMafia.com
The Midsouth Racing Scene – www.MidSouthRacing.com