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5/28/08:

Update from the The BCS Board Meeting 5/28/08:

First, we would like everyone to know that the Speedway is not closed, nor do we anticipate the closing of the Speedway.

The last Friday that we were open, the Late Model Class was told they would be given one more night to bring a full field of cars, they were informed that 15 cars would be considered a full field for their next Friday race for full payout, we also stressed to the Late Model Drivers that if the field was less than 15, the payout would be cut and their class would be considered for elimination from the program.

After much discussion concerning the Late Model Class, Paul Ramer and the Board have decided that should their not be a field of 15 this coming Friday May 30th, the class will be eliminated.

We would like to stress here, that the Late Model Class has not yet been eliminated, we are standing by our word and giving this one more night for the Late Model Class.

We would also like to thank everyone who attended and gave their opinions concerning the track.

www.bureaucountyspeedway.org

Engines Roar for 2008 Opener
Story by Kathy Costerisan- Bureau County Republican Correspondent

May 2, 2008 Princeton Illinois:

Opening night of the 2008 racing season at Bureau County Speedway was windy and cold. That didn’t stop the hardy race fans in the stands. They had waited through an extremely long winter to hear the sounds of race cars fill the air again.

Richie Bell picked up the first checkered flag of the season in the opening heat race for UMP Modifieds. Bell started their feature on the pole, and Chad Osterhoff of Kankakee tucked right in behind him. Marty Thompson flattened a tire and brought out their first caution with seven laps in. Other front end problems kept him from rejoining the race.

Nathan Balensiefen passed Osterhoff and set his sights on Bell. With seven laps to go, Balensiefen was running side-by-side with Bell. Balensiefen took over the lead only to have to drop back to second when Jason Anderson spun on the front chute. Bell, again, took over the lead, while Balensiefen stuck right with him.

With one lap to go, sparks flew under Bell’s modified as it suffered a blown rear end gear. As Bell pulled into the pits, Balensiefen took the checkered flag for his first UMP Modified win of the season. Vince Cooper passed Osterhoff to finish second. Kewanee’s Ray Bollinger finished fourth.

Marty Gradert led the first two laps of the Street Stock feature. Their only caution came out when Keith Lucas flattened a tire on the third lap. When the race returned to green, Justin Rutledge passed Gradert and took the lead. Rutledge would pull away and lead the remaining laps to take the first Street Stock feature win of the year. Gradert finished second, Randy Lucas third and Tim Provenzano fourth.

Before the racing program began, the drivers were told that their payouts would be cut due to the limited number of cars in attendance. Jeff Larson decided to pull out instead of racing, so this left only five late models to start their feature.

On the first lap, both Jason Jaggers and Mike Provenzano broke front end suspension parts, ending their nights. This left a three-car race between Richie Bell, Bryan Moon and Jerry Pitts. Bell had better luck this time and kept this car together to take the UMP Late Model feature win. Moon finished second and Pitts, third.

The “B” Modified class had their first run at Bureau County Speedway during last fall’s season championship. Jordan Schram won that feature and started out this season by winning their first feature of the year. Schram held off veteran driver Chuck Turner of Sterling and led every lap on his way to the win. Clint Shepard Jr., finished third.

Dave Roggy was the season champion last year in the Hornet division. He grabbed the lead from J.R. Brown on the first lap and managed to hold him off to take his first feature win of the season. Brown placed second ahead of Rob Hammitt and Jeff Seitz.

• Racing will resume this Friday night.

The first Saturday special race will be held May 24 to kick off the Memorial Day weekend. Racing that night will be Mid America Outlaw Winged Springs, IRS Midgets, Dwarfs, Sprints, IMRA TQ Midgets, Midwest Jalopies vintage cars, Street Stocks and Hornets, some classes that have never run at Bureau County Speedway.

A side note from the Speedway:

This Friday May 9th starts the drawings for free tickets.

Each week one ticket will be drawn from the Grandstands for a fan to win a free pass for the next week of racing.

Each week one driver name will be drawn from the pit entries for a driver to win a free pit pass to the next week of racing.

Coming soon..... The "Where's Paulie" Contest..... fans will have a chance to win free tickets, concession items and prizes.

04-02-08
Bureau County Speedway will be having a very special race this season.

This race is more than about winning a trophy and payout.........

This is a race to help find a cure for Breast Cancer.

50 to 75% of the profits from this race will be donated to this very worthy cause.

On June 27, 2008 Payouts will doubled for all classes on this very special night.

Late Models will race for $1600 to win, Modifieds $800, B Mods and Street Stocks will race for $400 to win and the Hornets will be racing for $150 to win.

During this special race night, we will recognize and congratulate all that have survived this devastating disease, we will honor those that have passed because of it, we will offer hope and encouragement to those currently fighting it and to bring awareness to the community.

This special night of racing involves more than 1 or 2 Sponsors, and we are still looking for Sponsors for this event. All Sponsors will be recognized on front stretch signs at the Speedway, yes ALL Sponsors, even if we have 200 Sponsors... they will be recognized.

All Fans, Drivers and Crews will be asked to sign in on this night, as each and everyone that attends this night will have their name sent in along with the donation to help find a cure for Breast Cancer.

Please click here to see the complete payout, entry fees and gate fees list.

Sponsorships start at just $40.

To see the current list of Sponsors or if you would like information on Sponsoring this event please click here.

See us on the web!
www.bureaucountyspeedway.org

Although the calendar says that Winter is over, Mother Nature has apparently decided that it is not.

The weather outlook for the next 15 to 30 days is not that good to say the least.

We are expecting mild temps during the day but to slip back into the freezing range on a nightly basis.

The Speedway Board along with Ramer Race Promotions have gone over the current and expected weather patterns

along with the current state of the track and the planned changes to the surface.

At this time, we are seeing a thin layer of "muck", below that the track is still completely frozen.

We do not feel that we will have the track in racing condition by our original scheduled opening date,

therefore we have made the decision to revise our 2008 season schedule.

This was not a decision that was taken lightly nor was this decision made in haste as we did not want to shorten the BCS season.

If we were to begin track preparations with the frozen ground, we are risking damaging the

equipment to the point of not being able to complete track prep at all, possibly leaving us

with a cancelled 2008 season. Or risking having a track surface that would not be in good enough

or safe enough conditions to race on. This is not a decision that any of us are happy about, however; it was one that had to be made.

The Board and Ramer Race Promotions are continuing to work with our Sponsors, we are in the final stages

of event planning. All events will be announced on the 2008 race dates page when finalized.

Opening night will now be May 2nd. We are eager to get the track ready and to start the 2008 season,

we hope that all involved can understand the decision we had to make was in the best interest of the track and all involved.

If anyone has any questions, would like to help out in getting the track ready,

or would like to work or help out at the track this season, please email us

or call the track phone (815) 872-0538, messages are checked nightly and we will return your call as soon as possible.

Thank you all for your patience!

The BCS Board of Directors
Ramer Race Promotions

For immediate release 2/24/08:

Ramer Race Promotions and The Bureau County Speedway Board of Directors would like to thank everyone who came out to the 2008 Swap Meet,

we feel it was a success for the Speedway as well as the vendors that attended.

We would also like to thank The Illini Racing Series and the IMRA TQ series who brought in their cars, information and race videos; they had quite a few people on hand to answer questions concerning their series. These are just 2 of the classes that will be racing the Saturday specials at BCS during the 2008 season. These types of cars have not raced in Princeton in well over 10 years.

We all feel that this will be something that will be considered new and different for the area, this is a completely different type of racing than the Friday night action we have become accustomed to. Once all details are ironed out for the Saturday Specials we will make further announcements.

Following the swap meet Paul Ramer held a Driver, Owner, Crew meeting.

During this meeting Paul announced that the Modified Class will also be UMP sanctioned for the 2008 Season. It was also announced that the Pit Fee for Modifieds would increase by $5, to cover the cost of sanctioning fees for this class. We are working to obtain full sponsorship of UMP fees for the Modifieds. If we do receive full sponsorship, the pit gate fee that was talked about for the Modifieds will not be increased.

With having both the Late Models and the Modifieds sanctioned with UMP, we look forward to drivers that have not raced here in a while returning as well as drivers that have never raced here to attend. The quality of the shows and competition level at the track should be at a higher level this year, something that the Drivers, Fans and the Speedway can appreciate.

With the talented we have seen in some of these Modified drivers and now having 3 tracks in close proximity to each other, (racing Friday, Saturday and Sunday); it is very possible that a Modified driver from this area chasing UMP points could take a regional or State championship.

Several other issues were discussed at this meeting concerning rules and race nights, among these were mufflers, Paul had informed everyone that the muffler rule will be strictly enforced this year, including on practice day.

A main concern we heard from Drivers throughout the day was decibel level; the mufflers do not have to comply with any certain level. Another concern brought up at the meeting is time trials and starting positions. We have been using the draw system, we will be looking into the systems for time trails, again this is something that can be quite expensive, we will look into the cost of it as well as the possibility of obtaining sponsorship to cover that cost.

It's been a long, hard winter for all involved with the track.

We are all looking forward to the 2008 season.

Practice day is Saturday April 12, opening night is scheduled for Friday April 18th.

See us on the web!
www.bureaucountyspeedway.org

For immediate release 2/22/08:

Ramer Race Promotions and The Bureau County Speedway Board of Directors are pleased to announce that we will be

sanctioning the Late Model Class with UMP for the 2008 season. We had put an opinion poll on the site for

Late Models as well as Modifieds.

The opinions were very differing but overall the drivers wanted to do this.

We would like to let our Drivers, Crews and Fans know that this is not an out of pocket expense for the Speedway,

the sanctioning fees have been sponsored, the sponsors; a group that wishes to remain anonymous all have common goals,

they would like to see more drivers and crews in our pits and a higher level of competition in the Late Model class,

in turn bringing more fans to the grandstands. We are very thankful that these people have decided to help the track

have a successful 2008 season.

We have not made a firm decision concerning the Modified Class at this time.

We are currently looking for a sponsor or group of sponsors for this class as well.

More information concerning both classes and the UMP sanctioning will be available at the

Driver, Owner, Crew meeting with Paul Ramer on Saturday 2/23/08 at 2pm.

For immediate release 2/19/08:

Ramer Race Promotions and The Bureau County Speedway Board of Directors are excited to introduce Mike Sunken to the Bureau County Speedway Fans, Drivers and Crews. Mike will be announcing the Friday night racing action during the 2008 season at BCS.

Mike started announcing in 2005 at RCTV Mediacom channel 19; announcing the racing action from both East Moline and Davenport Speedways, Mike did this for 2005 as well as 2006.

In 2007 Mike began announcing at Quad City raceway. This year he has also taken on announcing The Rock Island Rocks Basketball games for WAXR 88.1 FM. He will be announcing at Quad City Raceway and another local dirt track as well as here at Bureau County Speedway in 2008.

We are very happy and excited that Mike has decided to accept our offer, not only will BCS have a great announcer personality, but with Mike’s 2008 track schedules, he will be able to get to know the Drivers in no time. We are confident that Mike will develop a good relationship with the Drivers and Crews and keep the fans informed and entertained.

We are also pleased to announce that Mike will be at Bureau County Speedway’s annual Swap Meet, where the Drivers, Crews and Fans can get to know him a little bit prior to opening night on Friday April 18th.

For immediate release: 2/8/08

Paul Ramer of Ramer Race Promotions announced today the addition of the B Mod Class to Bureau County Speedway's 2008 race program.

The rules for BMODS at Bureau County Speedway will be the same as Freeport's rules except that: Drivers may use any IMCA, UMP, or NASCAR legal tire, no open tires and we will not have an engine claim.

The rules will be posted just as soon as possible, for now Drivers can find them on our website under Freeport BMod rules.

We are in the process of determining and putting together a payout for this class, once that is completed it will be announced, we are hoping to have this ready within the next day or two

For Immediate release: 2/8/08

Paul Ramer of Ramer Race Promotions would like to extend a personal invitation to all Modified Drivers to come to the meeting on February 23, 2008 at 2pm.

Paul would like to speak with each and every Modified Driver available.

This includes Modified Drivers that currently plan race in Princeton, have raced here in the past, have never raced here, and Drivers that are considering racing here.

Racing Agreement Reached

After a meeting on several aspects of stock car racing, the City of Princeton and representatives of the Bureau County Speedway Committee have reached common ground. Princeton Mayor Keith Cain met with Paul Ramer and Gena Lucas of the Speedway Committee to air the specific needs of each group. Mutual agreement on the terms for racing in Princeton was easily reached.

The agreement includes no racing on Sundays. In addition, races on Friday nights with the street stock, modifieds, etc. will continue, as in the past. The Speedway will also conduct races of special class cars up to seven (7) Saturdays, one of which will be a practice race. The special class cars have substantially less horsepower and will not be as loud. However, when there is a Friday race, there will be no Saturday race. If there is a Saturday race, there will not have been a Friday race.

Other elements of the agreement include a strict enforcement of a stop-time of 10:30 p.m. for all racing on any day. The Speedway will also strictly enforce the use of mufflers on all race cars for all races on any day.

The Bureau County Speedway Committee then met with the Bureau County Fair Board to seek approval of the terms of the agreement with the City of Princeton. The Fair Board approved the request and the Speedway membership will be approached to review the plan. Firm scheduling will begin thereafter. All parties are grateful for this sensible resolution.

Due to the decisions of this City Official, Bureau County Speedway is facing immediate and permanent closure.

All members as well as any other interested parties are urged to attend this meeting.

*Members of Bureau County Speedway will receive this notice in the mail as well as seeing it here.

New for 2008, Bureau County Speedway will be promoted and operated by Ramer Race Promotions.

The Bureau County Speedway is located at the fairgrounds in Princeton, Illinois. The Speedway is a not for profit organization headed up by a member elected Board of Directors. For the 2008 season the Board of Directors has contracted with Paul Ramer of Ramer Race Promotions for the track operations. In a joint statement the board and Ramer had these points to make:

"Over the years it has become more than clear that this track cannot be completely operated by a volunteer board of directors. The speedway has been set up to be operated by the board, however the majority of board members are drivers, owners or their families. This is just not working anymore; Bureau County Speedway needs people experienced in the race industry. We need people who have more than just the love of racing and a day to spare."

"Paul Ramer has been in the business for over 15 years; we are confident in his abilities. One thing that needs to be made very clear to our drivers and crews is that Ramer Race Promotions will have complete control over the track. (All decisions made on race nights, track prep, maintenance, rules and the like). "

"The Board of Directors will continue to run the business end of it such as the pit shack, concessions, front gate etc. Ramer Race Promotions running the inner areas, the board running the outer areas. If problems arise with any 'track' issue, Paul and his crew will be the people to go to. We do have some changes in mind for the track itself, however these need to be approved by the Fairboard before going forward with any alterations to the property; as the track is a leased facility."

Concerning rumors the board has stated:
"The public should know: any and all official announcements will be made on our website. If it is not on the site, it is not true or just rumor. At this time the website is undergoing a complete redesign, we ask that everyone please check back often for updated content and announcements. "

"The board is looking forward to working with Ramer Race Promotions to make the 2008 season a success."