(Press Release from The North-South Shootout)
A tradition is returning to Concord Speedway this November when the ground-pounding Modifieds hit the North Carolina tri-oval in the North-South Shootout for the first time since 2011.
Another tradition that was a staple of North-South Shootouts of old at Concord, the SK Modified division, will be returning as well. Thanks to the support from Mr. Rooter and its Connecticut-based franchise owner Vin Beedle, the SK’s will join their big-brother Tour-Type Modifieds for a $5,000-to-win North-South Shootout feature on November 7.
Beedle, who owns an SK Modified piloted by former NASCAR National Champion Keith Rocco as well as other cars for racers that compete at tracks in Connecticut and beyond, has pledged his support to ensure the return of the SK Modifieds to the most prolific late-season open Modified event of them all.
“Keith loves that track and he loves that race,” said Beedle. “But he heard the SK portion of the race maybe wasn’t going to happen due to the lack of sponsorship availability. I was looking for an opportunity to put the Mr. Rooter name out there. While it may not necessarily benefit me directly because I’m located in Connecticut, there are local distributors and if they see it, I hope they grab on to it and continue the support for years to come.”
SK Modifieds, which are the premiere race division at tracks such as Connecticut’s New London-Waterford Speedbowl, Stafford Motor Speedway and Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, competed as part of the North-South Shootout from 2006 to 2013 between its original home at Concord and onto its more recent location, Caraway Speedway. This year, with the event back at Concord, drivers from New England and beyond will be out to add their names to an impressive Shootout SK winners’ list that includes Modified standouts Ted Christopher, Matt Hirschman, Woody Pitkat and Ron Silk.
“The SK Modifieds are extremely popular back in New England and there have been racers wanting to come down to this year’s Shootout now that it’s back at Concord. Thanks to Vin Beedle and Mr. Rooter, we’re able to make that race happen with a big $5,000-to-win payday,” said North-South Shootout promoter Darren Hackett. “We’ve already heard a lot of buzz from the Tour-Type Modified teams about the return of the race to its roots at Concord, but now the SK Modified teams can make their plans to compete in this prestigious event once again as well.”
SK Modifieds provide the same open-wheel, nerf bar-to-nerf bar action of the North-South Shootout’s headline division, the Tour-Type Modifieds. It’s that excitement that led Beedle to add his support to the SK portion of the event.
“The sound and the ground-pounding just makes SK Modified racing some of the best in the country,” added Beedle. “I have multiple SK’s in the field that I own with a lot of drivers. It’s what I support, but I support a lot of forms of racing, from Trucks to fendered cars. But there’s just something about Modifieds; the sound, the racing, the closeness, the speed – you just can’t beat it.
“While I’ve never been to a North-South Shootout before, the (Rocco) team tells me I’m going to have a blast and it’s one race that you’re going to remember long after the event.”
The Mr. Rooter SK Modified event will be a part of the 13th Annual North-South Shootout at Concord, North Carolina’s Concord Speedway November 5-7. Entry forms for the SK Modified event, as well as the $10,000-to-win John Blewett III Tour-Type Modified North-South Shootout event, are currently available by visiting www.northsouthshootout.net.
Practice day kicks off the 13th Annual North-South Shootout on Thursday, November 5. Additional practice and qualifying will take place on Friday, November 6, with the North-South Shootout main events taking the green flag on Saturday, November 7.
For more on the 13th Annual North-South Shootout, visit www.northsouthshootout.net.
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