November 5, 2007

MARNE, MI -- Five points-earning local racing divisions, eight different traveling series and three marquis annual events highlight Berlin Raceway's 2008 season schedule, which opens on Saturday, April 12 and runs through Saturday, October 11.

A new racing division will compete for points and prize money and will crown its first champion in 2008. The 4-Cylinder division will race 12 times for points, plus a season-ending non-points Enduro race. The 4-Cylinder class raced a handful of times in 2007 as a non-points experiment, growing from 14 cars in April to 37 cars in September. The increasing popularity in the 4-Cylinder division was due to the exciting race action on the track all season long (proving racing really is a contact sport) and the inexpensive costs of purchasing and maintaining a 4-Cylinder. A 4-Cylinder race car is a standard street model with a few safety additions such as five-point seat belts and roll bars. Models raced in 2007 include Pontiac Grand Ams and Sunbirds, Dodge Neons, Chevrolet Cavaliers and Toyota Corollas, among others. The purchase and modification of a 4-Cylinder race car costs less than $1,000. The addition of this class gives racers a true entry level class at Berlin Raceway.

With the 4-Cylinders becoming the fifth division at Berlin, joining the Coors Light Late Model, Engine Pro Super Stock, De-Jay Slick Truck Pro Stock and Instant Cash Advance Sportsman divisions, gone are the days of a standard weekly show with all point divisions racing every Saturday night. Only once (Championship Night, September 20) are all five divisions racing on the same night. Each division has several nights of racing off from the time-consuming and expensive sport of racing, allowing race teams some personal time away from the track during the six month season. But each race night is packed with excitement for the fans; in addition to Berlin's regular divisions, traveling series including Auto Value Super Sprints (three times), ARCA, ASA, Short Track Trucks, Wolverine Outlaw Midgets (twice), Vintage Racing Organization, USPro Series and ISMA Supermodifieds are all on the 2008 schedule. Entertainment such as the ever-popular School Bus Races (which have drawn the largest crowds of the season for each of the past several years), Trash Can Bowling and Spectator Drags pack the itinerary on nights when less than four of the divisions race.

The premier Coors Light Late Model division, which has seen smaller car counts in recent years due to the expense of the high-tech cars, the economy and the number of tracks eliminating the division completely in favor of template car divisions or traveling series, will return with 15 races on the schedule. The reduction from 19 Late Model races completed last season to 15 scheduled for 2008 is a popular one among race teams and one that Berlin Raceway officials hope will resurrect the division and bring back drivers who have stayed away due to the cost of running all the races to chase points.

Berlin Director of Race Operations Mike Strevel said the reduction of the Late Model schedule is seen as a positive and popular decision.

"The decision to run 15 races instead of 19 or 20 was made after receiving input from the Late Model drivers, who, to a man, support the change," Strevel said. "It's really hard for me to watch the Late Model field get smaller and to watch other tracks eliminate the division completely. We wanted to keep this class alive and strong, and we feel we can do that by running less races for more prize money and allow the racers to to buy four new tires every week again. This is a very expensive sport, and the cost to maintain a race car and engine, even without crashing, is staggering. Giving these teams some time off will help them remain financially viable, and hopefully will encourage some of the racers who have hung up their helmets to get behind the wheel again."

Some of the popular shows returning in 2008 are the Boyne Machine Weekend (September 12-13), a two-day race that includes a 150-lap Late Model feature on the loaded itinerary; the unique and popular Open Wheel Extravaganza, which unites all the top open-wheel series in the country at Berlin Raceway for one exciting night (September 27); and "The Chet," Berlin Raceway's signature event in memory of track founder Chet Mysliwiec (August 9). The Chet has been moved from its traditional Wednesday night to a Saturday, while the traditional Wednesday night show in June has been dropped from the schedule.

"Attending three races in an eight-day period is tough on our fans in these difficult economic times," Strevel said. "We made a decision based on what the fans said. The Chet race is our signature event, and we were able to slot that into a Saturday night and keep that tradition alive. This schedule sticks strictly to Saturday night racing, with the exception of Fair Week and the addition of Friday night racing during Boyne Machine Weekend. It's easier on the fans and on the racers who have to repair their cars to not attempt three races in eight days."

Ticket prices will be added to the schedule upon finalization.

View the complete schedule here.