PORTAGE, Wis. (March 30, 2013) – Officials from the TUNDRA Super Late Model Series and LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway announed today plans for a mid-summer Super Late Model event at the 5/8th mile paved oval on Wednesday, July 3rd.

Every October, drivers flock to compete and fans flock to see some of the upper midwest’s best drivers at the Oktoberfest Race Weekend, but this year they’ll get a preview of that action in July.

“The challenge that the LaCrosse track brings to Super Late Models as a competitor is always exciting and that comes out at ‘Fest,” said LFS General Manager Chuck Deery. “Having a 40 lapper in the middle of summer gives the guys a little taste of that event. Ultimately we’re in the fun business and we want the fans to be able to see something new and different.”

While trying to decide what event to bring in for a mid-summer special, Deery said there were a couple options on the table. Ultimately, it came down to what made most sense.

“The TUNDRA opportunity came up and we thought that it would be a good fit,” he said. “That style of car only comes once a year, so adding it to our July 3rd event just seemed like something the fans would enjoy.”

TUNDRA driver representatives are excited about this addition to their event schedule as well. “Tom Lichtfeld, TUNDRA Series Director, doesn’t usually get too excited about these sorts of things, but he was pumped,” said TUNDRA representative Matt Panure. “This is a great chance to build an event for the 2013 season and beyond. We’re confident that the drivers are also looking forward to this event, as it seems they really enjoy racing at LaCrosse. We hope this builds into something big for both groups,” commented Lichtfeld.

Deery, like other promoters in the area, had been keeping an eye on TUNDRA racing over the past two seasons. “We knew the Dells had run the TUNDRA events, and good things happened down there. We thought this would be a good opportunity to get those cars up here,” he added.

Along with a strong supporting cast of racers, TUNDRA also works toward lowering the risk for the track in hosting a high quality Super Late Model event.

“It relieves certain pressures from both the competitor and the promoter,” Deery said. “By relieving that pressure it raises the level of opportunity to have more fun. Our goal is to have the competitors to come out here, run their races, and have both fans and competitors head home with memories of a fun event.”

“We talk a lot about working together with promoters and drivers to help each other out. While that is very important to TUNDRA, we also have to stress that our main goal is to put on the most entertaining race program we can,” Panure said. “Fans who have seen our events in the past know that we’ve got a few methods to keep things exciting.”

One of those is the Leo’s Upper Dells Bar Gong Show. Instead of a run-of-the-mill last chance races, the Gong Show pits six cars up against an inversion with only six to ten laps to vie for two transfer spots.

“Those were wild last year. We had one Gong Show that had the top four side-by-side for the entire race,” Panure said. “It really keeps the fan wondering what could possibly happen next. It’s just one of a few things we can’t wait to present to the LaCrosse crowd.”

TUNDRA Super Late Models will be joined by LaCrosse’s Sportsmen and Thunderstox divisions. Qualifying will start at 6:15 and the first race will begin at 7:30.

For more information on LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway visit www.lacrossespeedway.com.

For more information on TUNDRA including news, past results and standings, the 2013 schedule and more visit www.tundrasuperlates.com. Also, interact with the series on Facebook (facebook.com/TundraSuperLateModels) or Twitter (@TUNDRAslms).