DELAWARE SPEEDWAY 2010 SEASON OPENS SATURDAY!

"The weapon of choice is a sledgehammer and a big roll of duct tape"

April 28, 2010 (London, Ontario): "For a first-timer it's like stepping onto the surface of the moon!" Delaware Speedway's John Houghton is talking about the Transmission Direct Enduro division. It's stock- car racing, to be sure, but there are enough twists in the rule books to take the experience up to warp speed. One of the main elements that sets Enduro apart from the other racing divisions is the sheer number of cars on the track.

"There are usually 60-80 cars out there", explains Houghton. "There is no cap on how many cars can be out at the same time. We believe it's the largest V-8 Enduro race in Canada. "

And after the green flag, Houghton says it's survival of the fittest in the 150 lap main event on May first.

"A lot of them burn out in the first 30 laps or so due to mechanical failures. There are no yellow caution flags. If there's a wreck, and as long as the driver isn't in danger, it's a judgment call that the race continues. Sometimes the car stays on the track as an obstacle, depending on where it is. If a driver's door is open or something and it's dangerous, they'll call a red flag and stop the race completely until it's cleaned up."

The operative word in Enduro is "endurance". Later in the season there will be 200 lap races. Saturday's 150 lap feature will be preceded by two heats of 50 laps each earlier in the day. With so many cars on the 1/2 mile track, Houghton has some advice for spectators who are trying to keep them all straight.

"Bring an FM receiver and headphones to listen to the PA/announcer feed on 89.1 FM. Sometimes the drivers are separated by well over a lap - sometimes a lot of laps - and there's racing going on anywhere on the track. We're keeping on top of all of that in the tower. Binoculars are important too because there's action on the track and in the infield. If a driver pulls into the pits and they're undergoing repairs they don't have a lot of time to do it. So the weapon of choice is a sledgehammer and a big roll of duct tape. It can get pretty entertaining when they just want to get back out there and finish in the money!"

As for whom to keep an eye on, Houghton suggests picking three or four guys or gals and making them your focus. "Number 64, Steve Book out of Brantford has an orange roof. He's easy to spot and he's very successful. Some of these guys, it's as if the traffic parts to let them through, they're so good at it."

Last season the top four spots in the Transmission Direct Enduro class were taken up by two sets of brothers; David and Don Goertz from Arkona and David and Derek McCullough out of Glencoe. The family rivalries are all part of the fun.

After Saturday's opening with both Transmission Direct Enduro and the Ultimate Sandblasting & Coating Chaos Cars, Delaware's Friday-night schedule kicks off May 7th with NASCAR Late Models, Super Stocks and Demar Aggregates Trucks. The season has been a long time coming and Houghton says for the first-timer, Transmission Direct Enduro packs a lot of action.

"There's so much to see! And with Enduro, you see what you want to see!"

Lisa Brandt Publicity 226.448.7227