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| Gas City/I-69 Speedway Hosts 2009 KISS Opener |
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May 5, 2009 – With the Opening Night of the 2009 King of Indiana Sprint Series just two Fridays away, a new race track promoter could feel like he’s got a tiger by the tail. But that isn't the case for Gas City/I-69 Speedway’s LeRoy Battieger. “It is a huge event. The possibilities of that thing could grow. It could get as big as Indiana Sprint Week. It really could,” Battieger says of the KISS series. When Jiggs Thomason, the popular promoter of Gas City I-69 Speedway, announced his retirement last year, many were concerned about the future of the facility. But since Battieger stepped up to run the Speedway over the winter, it has been a smooth transition. And with the exception of some rain, the season has gotten off to a highly successful start. “Right now we’re going strictly as before,” Battieger says. “Not a lot of changes are happening. This is like a transitional year between Jiggs and I. I give Jiggs a lot of credit; he helped me tremendously over the winter because we made the announcement late. He’s been here helping me a lot. We’re kind of going at it as it is this year and see what happens next year.” Gas City opens the gate on the ninth consecutive season of the KISS racing series on Friday, May 15. It will be the first of six KISS events over a five-week span, all at top Indiana sprint car ovals, including Lawrenceburg, Bloomington, Kokomo, Tri-State and Paragon Speedways. Those who were at last year’s Gas City event may recall two things. First, the grandstands were packed and they had to squeeze together to make room for more. And also, it was one of the most competitive and thrilling feature races of the year, as Damion “The Demon” Gardner raced from deep in the pack to battle Jon Stanbrough for the win. Stanbrough held on for his twelfth KISS victory when Gardner touched wheels with a lapped car and flipped spectacularly in the closing laps. Battieger notes that the KISS race is a big opportunity for a new promoter. “As far as Gas City goes, I see it as a huge advantage. It’s an awesome event. People talk about how competitive this business is and how (track promoters) want the business from the other (track promoters). But if you really look at it, you’ve got all of the track promoters in the state of Indiana working together to put on one event, and that makes it special. Everybody is working together to make it a good event.” A businessman whose interests include a Frito-Lay business and the Gas City Victory Lanes bowling center, LeRoy didn't take on the Speedway because he had nothing else to do. “I love the sport,” he says. “I grew up right beside the Indianapolis Speedrome as a child, and the first job I had was working at the Speedrome. I’ve worked at three tracks and at Gas City for 11 years - I volunteered the first three years. I do it for the love of it; I don’t do it for the money. If I did it for the money, I sure wouldn’t be doing it. It’s strictly the love of the sport and giving the best to the fans and the drivers. It’s all about them.” The May 15 racing program at Gas City/I-69 Speedway includes UMP modifieds and thunder cars. Gas City I-69 Speedway opens at 4 pm and racing starts at 7:30. General admission is $15, and pit passes are $30. Directions are available at www.gascityi69speedway.com. All KISS races follow the rules of the host track. Teams need to check with the specific track to answer questions regarding track rules. Two of the area’s top sprint car drivers have claimed victories at Gas City already this year, as Levi Jones captured the USAC event to open the season, and Cole Whitt won a week later. Around the state, other top KISS racers have also been shining. Brady Short and Jones have won at Bloomington, Josh Wise (in another USAC event), Brett Burdette and Robert Ballou at Lawrenceburg, Whitt (again) at Kokomo, and Jon Sciscoe at Paragon. KISS events pay $2,500 to win and $250 to start the feature. The B-Main pays $100 to all starters who do not transfer to the feature. The $3,600 point fund awards the top five point finishers. The 2009 King of Indiana Sprints will also receive a new Simpson helmet with original and unique artwork by Eagle Graphix. 2009 King Of Indiana Sprint Series Schedule Gas City I-69 Speedway Friday, May 15 Lawrenceburg Speedway Saturday, May 23 Bloomington Speedway Friday, May 29 Kokomo Speedway Sunday, May 31 Tri-State Speedway Saturday, June 6 Paragon Speedway Saturday, June 20 The King of Indiana Sprint Series is organized and conducted by the individual Indiana sprint car race track promoters to provide the best sprint car racing. Many thanks to the series sponsors, including Indiana Stone Works for the B-Main, Simpson Performance Products, Sprint Car & Midget Magazine and Eagle Graphix for the champion’s helmet, Elliottbrand Web Designs, in Westport, IN, and Kiva Networking in Bloomington for the KISS website ( www.kissracing.com). |
