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Anticipation Building For Inaugural 'Commonwealth 100' On April 16-17

Fans & Race Teams Still Have Time To Take Advantage Of Advance-Ticket, Early-Entry Offers

JAMAICA, VA - March 11, 2010 - The sun has begun to shine. The temperatures have started rising. The snow has melted.

Spring Fever is beginning to build -- and so is the anticipation for the biggest early-season dirt Late Model event on the East Coast.

Fans and race teams are scurrying to take advantage of special advance-ticket and early-entry offers for the inaugural Commonwealth 100, a $25,000-to-win World of Outlaws Late Model Series spectacular scheduled for April 16-17 at Bill Sawyer's Virginia Motor Speedway.

"The phones are really starting to ring here in the office," said Dave Seay, the director of Marketing, Sales and Public Relations at VMS. "Ticket sales have been brisk and entries have been rolling in, so we're getting really excited about the biggest weekend in the history of Virginia Motor Speedway."

Seay said staffers at the showplace half-mile oval in Virginia's Tidewater Region have already processed ticket orders from 12 states and the Canadian province of Ontario, and the number of drivers who have indicated plans to compete in the blockbuster show is pushing 60. The huge weekend is certainly shaping up as a red-circle date on the calendars of everyone in the dirt Late Model industry.

"We want to build the Commonwealth 100 into one of the marquee events on the dirt Late Model schedule every year," track owner Bill Sawyer said while promoting the race during an off-season trade show. "The interest we've had in the event since it was announced has been great and we plan to put on a show that showcases our facility to more fans and race teams than ever before."

Fans still have until April 1 to grab one of the best deals in dirt Late Model racing -- a two-day advance ticket for just $35 (adults) or $10 (children 6-12). Purchasing the tickets early provides a weekend savings of $15 per adult and $10 per child admission and also includes a free pit pass for the racing program on Fri., April 16, and early entrance to the driver autograph session that will be held underneath the grandstand prior to the start of racing on Sat., April 17.

All tickets are general admission. No reserved seats will be sold for the event.

Drivers, meanwhile, can also save by entering the Commonwealth 100 prior to the early-entry deadline of April 1. The $150 early-entry fee not only saves racers $50 off the regular $200 entry fee but also includes a two-day driver pit pass worth $50.

The Commonwealth 100 weekend kicks off on Fri., April 16, with WoO LMS time trials and heat races, while B-Mains, a 30-lap Non-Qualifiers' Race and the headline 100-lapper take center stage on Sat., April 17. A raindate of Sun., April 18, has been established for the event.

Boasting the third-largest first-place check of the season on the WoO LMS, the Commonwealth 100 offers $2,000 just to take the green flag. Add in the Non-Qualifiers' Race that pays $3,000 to win from a purse of nearly $16,000, and the weekend's payout will be in the neighborhood of $125,000.

The Commonwealth 100 winner will also receive a unique prize in addition to the $25,000 booty and race trophy: a Civil War general's hat. The headgear will be put on the victor in Victory Lane by a group of costumed Civil War reenactors, who will recall the area's rich history by participating in pre- and post-race activities that include multiple ear-splitting cannon and pistol shots.

A staple track on the WoO LMS, VMS has presented at least one tour event each season since 2005. The Commonwealth 100 will bring together all the WoO LMS stars -- including defending champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., and 2010 Rookie of the Year candidate (and former VMS titlist) Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del. -- to battle dozens of national and regional talents.

Fans can purchase tickets by visiting www.vamotorspeedway.com, downloading the advance ticket order form and sending it to the track with a money order or cashier's check (no personal checks), or by calling the speedway office at 804-758-1867 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and using a Mastercard, Visa or Discover card.

Free camping (no hookups) will be available in designated areas on the speedway grounds for the Commonwealth 100 weekend. The track is also working with several campgrounds in the area to offer full-service camping at a reduced cost.

For complete information on the Commonwealth 100, log on to www.vamotorspeedway.com.

Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by visiting www.worldofoutlaws.com.

Press release written by: Kevin Kovac - World of Outlaws Late Model PR

Commonwealth 100 Expected Drivers List (drivers who have pre-entered, listed the event on their Web site schedules or made verbal commitments as of 3/11):

Walker Arthur
Shannon Babb
Booper Bare
Bryan Bernhiesel
Jim Bernhiesel
Brian Birkhoffer
Jordan Bland
John Blankenship
Rick 'Boom' Briggs
Eddie Carrier Jr.
Shane Clanton
Vic Coffey
Jason Covert
Jonathan Davenport
Ronnie DeHaven Jr.
Austin Dillon
Tim Dohm
Rick Eckert
Ricky Elliott
Stephen Evans
Jason Feger
Chris Ferguson
Steve Francis
Chub Frank
Tim Fuller
Jill George
Chuck Harper
Darryl Hills
Dale Hollidge
Doug Horton
Austin Hubbard
Rick Hulson
Keith Jackson
Eric Jacobsen
Russell King
Tony Knowles
Darrell Lanigan
Jamie Lathroum
Matt Lux
Chris Madden
Jimmy Mars
Tim McCreadie
Dale McDowell
Jeremy Miller
Dustin Mitchell
D.J. Myers
Brad Neat
Jimmy Owens
Earl Pearson Jr.
Jeff Pilkerton
Tyler Reddick
Josh Richards
Brent Robinson
Greg Satterlee
Steve Shaver
Brady Smith
Clint Smith
Dan Stone
Ray Tucker
David Zona

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