Elkin, North Carolina – The Friendship Motor Speedway is a 4/10th mile clay oval nestled off I-77 in the “Tarheel State” of Elkin, North Carolina. It’s seen its great share of racing throughout the decades whether it was an asphalt track or now currently the famous dirt clay oval everyone has come to enjoy. This previous weekend the FASTRAK Racing Series better known in the Southeast/Mideast Region as the FASTRAK City Chevrolet Touring Division competed for Round #3 in the Southeast/Mideast 2013 Points Championship hunt. The $2,000 to win event was a reunion for Les Wooten with Friendship Motor Speedway and FASTRAK Companies International. The last time FASTRAK was there was in October of 2010 in a race event in the Grand Nationals series.
Over 30 drivers convened to the 4/10th mile track on a beautiful “spring” Saturday afternoon. “The crowd turnout was the biggest it’s ever been in 2 years for an event after Les Wooten did financial tallies on the weekend, FASTRAK at Friendship was a huge success.” stated Jerry Farley – Race Director/Announcer at Friendship on FASTRAK Weekly LIVE National radio show Tuesday night to the public viewers. The racing was “fast, furious and exciting” to boot. The race conditions of running in the daytime are completely different animal but the hard work by the track crew paid off and everyone put forth a great effort to have a quickly ran show as all racing took the checkers by 9:30pm.
When the preliminaries we’re complete the 24 car field was set. The “FASTRAK Universe” witnessed a barn-burner spectacle like none other. The racing was some of the best many fans testified in chat boards, racing forums etc. and by word of mouth exiting the main concourse area leaving Friendship Motor Speedway going home near or far. The fans we’re in “shock and awe” be sighed their self in a wild 40 lap feature. There we’re some crazy moves, spins, crashes and some scares during the course of the race at Friendship.
One of the highlights that could be used as FASTRAK Decade of Speed Highlight of the Year for 2013 was the restart on lap 10 when #15 Chase McCormick stuck in down deep on the cushion on leader and eventual winner #93 Rocket of Donald Bradsher. This forced Bradsher to check up and protect the bottom. This then allowed in the process #44b Brandon Umberger to leech up on the topside challenging for the lead thus making Bradsher block the top and bottom at the same time. The “Friendship Faithful” went bonkers with excitement until the caution fell. That was just one of the exciting things that took place at the 4/10th mile return of FASTRAK Racing Series at Friendship Motor Speedway.
The #93 of Burlington, North Carolina Donald Bradsher would be the overall winner when the “wild” 40 lapper concluded. It was the first career victory for the veteran dirt late model racer. He’s had a great racing career but never broke through in Hoosier Race Tires Victory Lane until Saturday night with the $2,000 to win payday. It was also Bradsher and his wife’s 25th Wedding Anniversary celebration earlier in the week. The race at Friendship in closing was an overall success. The sister series to FASTRAK the Ultimate Super Late Model Series will be debuting at Friendship Motor Speedway for the first time on Saturday night May 11th for a $4,000 to win show. Tentatively the FASTRAK City Chevrolet Touring Division will be back at Elkin, North Carolina on Saturday August 24th. We are looking forward to putting on another great show when the “summer” months arrive and we get closer to crowning the FASTRAK “Decade of Speed Tour” Champion.
The next stop on the road through the 2013 FASTRAK “Decade of Speed Tour” will be a Double Header weekend on Friday and Saturday May 10th and 11th. Friday night May 10th we battle it out again at Beckley Motorsports Park in Prosperity, West Virginia for a $2,000 to win FASTRAK City Chevrolet Touring Division race. This is the first stop back in 2013 at Beckley after the successful 2012 FASTRAK $250,000 World Championships, which drew 186 entrants in the weekend spectacular. Then Saturday night May 11th we will return to the West Virginia Motor Speedway in Mineral Wells, West Virginia for the first time since being a part of the 30th Annual Dirt Track World Championships in 2010. This will be a FASTRAK National Event paying $5,000 to the winner.