3/30/2016
United Racing Club
The 69th Season of URC is Set to Kick Off on Sunday April 10th at Bridgeport Speedway
In a little over a week the United Racing Club is set to kick off their 69th season of racing. This will be the 2nd season since the return of the United Racing Club and the 2nd season that the United Racing Club will be opening up at Bridgeport Speedway. The Sunday April 10th opener again is being sponsored by Bob Lilick and BRB Contractors, where the drivers will compete for the $2,000.00 to win top prize. Last year saw Curt Michael take the win on opening night with Josh Weller, and Troy Betts following closely. That was Curt’s first of 6 wins on the 2015 year, leading all URC drivers.
For the 2016 racing season, the United Racing Club has been hard at work during the off season. Curt Michael has booked 24 points shows along with non-points shows at Selinsgrove, Brewerton, Fonda, Outlaw Speedway, Utica Rome, and Thunder Mountain Speedways. The non-point shows will be run in conjunction with the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) who field some of the best 360 sprint talent in the Northeast. Look for the continuation of the Kramer Cup, Jack Gunn Memorial, 360 National Open and the Turnpike 25 with Brett Deyo.
This year will also feature what is being called the weekend of Money. It all begins on Friday July 29th at Williams Grove Speedway and the 360 National Open, on Saturday July 30th the venue then shifts to Selinsgrove for the 360 Mach 1 Nationals paying $10,000 to win, and it all concludes in New York at the Utica Rome Speedway on Sunday July 31st for the $10,000 to win Cole Cup.
Many of the top contenders of the United Racing Club will be returning along with the return of a few veterans and of course a new rookie crop. Curt Michael will be looking for his 10th URC title in the Bill Gallagher owned 5G. The Burlington NJ native Robbie Stillwaggon will be looking to improve 1 position in the points for his 2nd URC Championship. Stillwaggon returns to the familiar family owned Quality Auto Body 89 car. Also look for the F5 Mark Bitner, 22B Troy Betts, 17j Jonathan Swanson, 16 Justin Hoffman, 56 Randy West to all follow the URC trail. Josh Weller reports he will run URC on a limited basis in his own 63 sprint car. The retirement of Ken Eldreth left Weller ride less for the 2016 season, so Weller has opted to bring out his own 63 car. Also look for some old faces returning to URC for the 2016 season. Davey Sammons will be running some select 360 races including the season opener at Bridgeport Speedway, Ed Aikin will be driving the 21 Scott McClaren backed car, Nate Snyder returns to URC, this time in the 39 owned by Tim Hogue and Brian Carber will be returning to the URC fold in 2016 as well.
The United Racing Club will have a few rookie contenders for the 2016 season. Ryan Stillwaggon, the younger brother and crew chief of Robbie Stillwaggon will be competing in a limited number of events during the 2016 season. Justin Whittall will be making the jump up from 600 micro sprints for 2016; the family has already purchased multiple XXX’s chassis and will be ready for Sunday’s opener. Brett Michalski will be retuning with the family owned 73B. Brett is still eligible for the Rookie of the Year honors because he only a handful of races last year. Both Brett’s and Justin’s cars were present in the URC booth during the PPB Motorsports Show in January.
Being a member of the URC also entitles you to some great incentives. Some benefits are URC drivers will be eligible for points Provisionals, discounted admission to some tracks, and eligible for certificates and product giveaways. Additionally, if a URC member elects to sign up for the Stida insurance they will receive 10% off any package.
Finally, the 2016 board was elected just before the banquet last year. Bill Gallagher will continue as president, Robbie Stillwaggon will continue as Vice President, Curt Michael Chairman of Board, and Mark Bitner, Rick Weller, Howard Swanson, Tim Moran, Dave Betts, and Billy Gallagher were all voted in as board members. WRT Speedwerx will continue to be the official photographers of the United Racing Club. Their photos can be viewed at www.wrtspeedwerx.com. 2016 is gearing up the be an exciting year and it all starts Sunday April 10th at Bridgeport Speedway.
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Tim Moran
www.wrtspeedwerx.com
WRT Speedwerx Photos
Official Photographer of United Racing Club
Article Credit: Tim Moran
