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| USA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY HOSTS HOOTERS PROCUP AND SARA LATE MODELS | 
This Saturday evening USA International Speedway will host the first race of the USAR Hooters ProCup 2000 season. The green flag will wave at 7:00 PM on the 3/4 mile high
banked speedway, home track of the four year old series, and the scene of four of this year's twenty race ProCup schedule. This is the fourth season for the fast growing racing series that competes with Busch Grand National style cars and sports some of the best late model talent in the United States.
A perfect venue for the highly competitive Hooters ProCup series, USA International Speedway is one of the most modern facilities in the southern US with plush VIP sky box
suites, reserved aluminum grandstand seats and Musco TV Lighting. The entire track can be seen easily from any of the grandstand seating either on the back straight or the main grandstands on the front straight, and of course the fans can circle all the way around turns three and four for a real up close experience.
Last year USA International hosted the final ProCup race of the season, and though veteran short track star Bobby Gill had already put the 1999 championship away two weeks earlier, the race was as good a short track race as you will see. Seven cars qualified faster than 1997 ProCup Champion Mario Gosselin's track record of 21.94 seconds, setting the stage for a blistering pace for the grueling event. Lakeland's hometown favorite ProCup driver Derrick Kelley gave one of the best performances of his career and certainly one the most exciting in USAR Hooters ProCup history. The 300 lap Alan Kulwicki Memorial race saw Kelley overcome both a 26th starting position and going two laps down after running out of fuel just short of the halfway point. The race saw seven leaders, among them Ricky Hendrick and Lyndon Amick.
This year the ProCup will have a huge rookie field, along with the return of many seasoned veterans, which is certain to raise the bar of competition even further. The intense competition is one the reasons the fans have taken to the ProCup. In any race there are at least 15 drivers who are a serious threat to dominate the field. Among the rookies for 2000 are Jon Wood (grandson of NASCAR legend Glen Wood), B.J. McLeod, a sixteen year old phenom from Wauchula, Florida, and Eddie Pearson, son of David Pearson. ProCup returners Steve Christian, Andy Thurman, Karen Shulz, Mardy Lindley, and Jonny Rumbley expect to run up front this year on a consistent basis. One big surprise may be David L. Pletcher who is also competing for Rookie of the Year honors, since the Mulbire Motorsports team showed they were ready for the ProCup with an excellent 4th place finish at USA International in November.
Those who are new to the USAR sanctioned ProCup racing are amazed to discover the cars are 3400 pound machines identical to Busch cars, the only significant difference being the tires. At USA International speeds are in excess of 140 mph, pit stop performance is crucial to winning races, and as are all ProCup races: there's a lot of 'rubbin. Fans are also pleasantly surprised to find the drivers accessible and fan friendly, and ticket prices are very reasonable for the caliber of racing the ProCup drivers bring to the tracks.
It all gets started Saturday at 8:00 AM with the opening of the pits, and fans will begin arriving at Noon when the main gates open. The support race for the event is the Southern Automobile Racing Association (SARA) Late Models, and practice will be held from 1:30 until 3:00 PM for these lightning fast machines. The USAR Hooters ProCup drivers will get their first shot at winning at a pole in 2000 beginning at 3:30 PM, then will mingle with the fans for an autograph session, with the green flag flying at 7:00 PM. The SARA Late Models will race 50 laps after the ProCup race.
Last year the SARA Late Model series had some wild racing for the fans and it will be no different this year. If you like speed, that's what you'll get as these sportsman type cars can really get going on the high banked USA track. Look for some new faces out to challenge Dwayne Dempsey and Wayne Morris for the championship this year.
USA International Speedway is located just off I-4, from Orlando or Tampa take exit 20, then north 1/2 mile on State Road 33, and you will find the speedway on the left. Plenty of signs for the track will ensure you find it quickly.
-Jack Smith
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