unity25

Champions of all kinds look for gold and glory at June 13 DNK Select 250

Unity, ME � A variety of racing champions will vie for supremacy and the $25,000 top prize this Sunday afternoon at Unity Raceway�s inaugural DNK Select 250. The richest race in Maine this season goes to post at 1:00 p.m. June 13 with a series of qualifying races to set the 34-car starting grid for this $160,000 event.
     There is no shortage of championship-caliber contenders from Maine on the DNK Select 250 entry list, with three of the state�s 2003 track champions already entered in the rich classic. Reigning Unity Raceway champion Matt Lee of Albion looks for home track familiarity to aid his quest to claim the top prize, while Oxford Plains king Ricky Rolfe of Stoneham and Wiscasset Raceway�s two-time top dog Peter Oakes of Boothbay are also aiming high this weekend.
      The list of former Maine track champions entered is even more impressive; with eight-time Oxford champion Jeff Taylor and seven-time Oxford king Mike Rowe topping that list. Rowe, the all-time leader in feature wins in the top class at Oxford, also has a pair of touring series championships on his resume, with the old ACT Pro Stock series and with NEPSA. Other proven Maine Pro Stock champions entered in the DNK Select 250 include five-time Wiscasset champion Scott Chubbuck (Unity Raceway�s current point leader), John Phippen of Bar Harbor, Duane Seekins of Stockton Springs, Al Hammond of South Paris and Kenny Wright of Woolwich, to name a few.
      Current NASCAR Busch North Series king Andy Santerre will use a weekend away from the Aubuchon Hardware team to tackle the DNK Select 250, joining former Busch North champions Dale Shaw and Dick McCabe in the field. Two-time and defending PASS champion Ben Rowe is sure to be on hand, along with the driver he succeeded as top man on the regional Pro Stock circuit, Sud�n Sam Sessions.
      Halifax, Nova Scotia�s John Flemming, two-time defending champion of the Maritime Pro Stock Tour, leads a contingent of Canadian competitors headed west to Unity. And the champions are coming to Maine from other directions, as well, seeking the DNK Select 250 crown.
       Former NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series National Champion Ted Christopher of Plainville, Connecticut will steer the potent Northeast Recycling Pro Stock at Unity. Christopher has a pair of regional NASCAR titles to his credit, along with nine NASCAR track championships split between the three racetracks in his home state, as well as eight Busch North Series wins and a dozen or so on the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Series.
      �Radical� Rick Martin has almost as many track titles as Christopher, with most coming at Seekonk Speedway. The Westport, Massachusetts driver also has a crown at Thompson, and has been to victory lane in Busch North Series competition.
       Still, the favorite might well be Racin� Ralph Nason, the hometown Unity hero. The three-time Oxford 250 titlist won the best-paying race at Unity last year, and at age 64 he still can show the kids how to get around the short tracks.
        The list of potential winners goes on, led by current PASS points leader Johnny Clark. Tracy Gordon, Stan Meserve, Larry Gelinas, Jeff Burgess and Jimmy McCallum are among the sixty-eight entrants signed up for the DNK Select 250 by June 5.
          DNK Select 250 weekend kicks off with Pro Stock practice Friday beginning at 10:00 a.m. That practice session will continue until 4:00 p.m., when Unity Raceway�s Thursday Thrillers series takes over Maine�s Toughest Racing oval for a special Friday night appearance, with practice at 5:00 p.m., and racing starting at 7:00 p.m.
         A full day and night of action is set for Saturday, June 12, with Pro Stock practice running from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. Unity�s weekly racing series divisions take over the track beginning at 3:30 p.m. with practice for all regular divisions, with racing action set to start at 6:30 p.m. Racing action will be followed by a Happy Hour session for all DNK Select 250 entrants.
         Sunday, June 13 is the date of the inaugural DNK Select 250 Pro All Stars Series event. The pit gate swings open at 8:00 a.m. for the biggest event in Unity Raceway history, and the most lucrative payoff in all of Maine racing this season. Practice sessions kick off at 10:30 a.m., with heat races to qualify for the rich 250-lapper beginning at 1:00 p.m. Allison Legacy cars will run a race between the heat and consolation event for the DNK Pro Stocks, with NELCAR Legends filling the gap between the Pro Stock consis and the 250-lap main event, which should go to post at approximately 6:00 p.m. with what promises to be the most talented field of racers in track history.
         The DNK Select 250 at Unity Raceway is sanctioned by the Pro All Stars Series. For rules, purse or ticket information, check out www.proallstarsseries.com, www.dnkselect.com, or www.unityraceway.net. For advanced reserved seating or spectator information call (207) 465-7266 or DNK at (888) 582-3465. Major credit cards will be accepted for both reserved grandstand tickets and competitor entry fees.
         A full three programs of racing are planned for the June 11-13 weekend, with a full card of Unity Raceway action presented on both Friday and Saturday nights. Plenty of free parking is available. Unity Raceway is located on Route 139 in Unity, Maine. Free self-contained camping is available at the Speedway throughout the DNK Select 250 weekend, June 11-13, with all necessary amenities available within easy walking distance.