USAC’s 2011 Mopar D1 Midget Series schedule, announced today, includes 26 races at 11 venues, 15 on pavement and 11 on dirt. Competitors in this series, formerly known as the USAC Regional Midget series, will be racing on the approved National Midget tires in the Mopar D1 Midget series this year.

This move negates the need for a series-specific tire, part of USAC’s continuing efforts to better facilitate multiple racing series interchange for participants. In concert, the newly-formed STARS (Short Track Auto Racing Series) has also approved this tire as its tire of choice for the 2011 racing season.

"We at STARS are extremely excited to have an agreement with both USAC and the Hoosier Tire Company for our inaugural season, and look forward to a long relationship with both organizations,” says Mike Guglielmucci of the newly formed sanctioning body. “This move addresses just what our competitors have been asking for."

“The racers have spoken and we have responded,” says USAC Developmental Racing Director James Spink in making the announcement. “We are looking forward to working with the STARS Midget group who will be competing at Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Ill. and to creating a cooperative atmosphere conducive to increasing the competitive nature of these series.”

The 2011 USAC Mopar D1 Midget Series includes eight races at the Bryant Heating and Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome, five at Montpelier (Ind.) Motor Speedway, four at Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisc., two at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway and single races at Indiana’s Salem (short track) and Plymouth Speedways, Michigan’s Kalamazoo Speedway and Berlin Raceway in Marne, plus Ohio’s Toledo Speedway, Columbus Motor Speedway and Kil-Kare Raceway in Xenia.

The series opens April 16 at Montpelier and concludes October 15 at Toledo. The defending USAC Mopar D1 Midget Series Champion is Dalton Armstrong of New Castle, Ind.

A driver’s best 12 finishes during the 26-race season will count toward the championship.



The 2011 USAC Mopar D1 Midget Series Schedule:

Date – Location/Track

4/16 - Montpelier, IN/Montpelier Motor Speedway
5/15 – Salem, IN/Salem Speedway (Short Track)
5/25 - Indianapolis, IN/Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome
5/29 – Sun Prairie, WI/Angell Park Speedway
6/1 - Indianapolis, IN/Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome
6/10 - Xenia, OH/Kil-Kare Raceway
6/15 - Indianapolis, IN/Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome
6/19 – Sun Prairie, WI/Angell Park Speedway
6/22 - Indianapolis, IN/Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome
6/25 - Montpelier, IN/Montpelier Motor Speedway
6/29 - Indianapolis, IN/Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome
7/6 - Indianapolis, IN/Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome
7/10 – Sun Prairie, WI/Angell Park Speedway
7/12 - Indianapolis, IN/Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome
7/17 – Sun Prairie, WI/Angell Park Speedway
7/20 - Indianapolis, IN/Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome
7/31 – Kokomo, IN/Kokomo Speedway
8/4 - Plymouth, IN/Plymouth Speedway
8/13 - Montpelier, IN/Montpelier Motor Speedway
8/20 - Kalamazoo, MI/Kalamazoo Speedway
9/3 – Marne, MI/Berlin Raceway
9/10 - Montpelier, IN/Montpelier Motor Speedway
9/17 - Columbus, OH/Columbus Motor Speedway
10/1 - Montpelier, IN/Montpelier Motor Speedway
10/14 – Kokomo, IN, Kokomo Speedway
10/15 – Toledo, OH, Toledo Speedway

Speaking of tires, pavement. How much, how soft, how small and how many per night?? Seems like a big change from last year, jumping right into over 10 dirt races. Hope it works out, be interesting to see, will try to support.

I dont want to cause confusion, but Carl Short from the Dirt Track World Championship has had the STARS name since 1981

http://dirttrackworldchampionship.net/ you can see the logo as well on there. Did they acquire the rights to the name from Carl?

Chris:

I know your the resident late model guy so I wanted to ask. Hasn't the STARS sanction named been dormant for a few years except for the DTWC? I know they used to be pretty big but I thought with all the other late models series, they sort of vanished.

Carl has kept the trademark for the DTWC and the Hillbilly 100, and has sanctioned a few more races with it. Carl has also granted the rights to the series name to another series in Tennessee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STARS returns to Late Model racing

SOMERSET, KY (December 7, 2010)—Starting in 2011, the Short Track Auto Racing Series (S.T.A.R.S.) name will once again appear in Late Model racing.

Hall of Fame promoter Carl Short will again lend his legendary STARS name, this time to Chris Tilley to form the STARS Midwest Dirt Racing League (MDRL), which will be presented by Arizona Sport Shirts. In addition to the STARS Midwest Dirt Racing League, the STARS name will also be on the title for the Volunteer Racing Series and Arizona Sport Shirts will also become the official souvenir vendor for both tours beginning in 2011.

The new tour will have a 10-15 race schedule in the Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana with a promoter and driver friendly $3,000 to win/$300 to start purse. The series will be identical to the Volunteer Racing Series (VRS) tour in Tennessee that Tilley already co-owns and promotes.

'I want to thank Carl (Short) for his continued guidance and all of his help in allowing his STARS name to be used for this series and to Gerald Newton of Arizona Sport Shirts for stepping up in a major way in becoming the series' presenting sponsor,' stated Tilley. 'They are two good names in dirt track racing to have behind you,' said Tilley again.

'This series is something that's been needed for the last few years, the promoters have to benefit from our deal and the drivers need some $3,000 to win events in this area and some year end points money to compete for,' Tilley went on to say.

Ten race dates have already been booked and promoters have been contacted, the full schedule will be released upon completion.

Dirt Track World Championship promoter/STARS founder Carl Short has also announced that the 2011 STARS Midwest Dirt Racing League will have a guaranteed starting spot in the 31st Annual Dirt Track World Championship main event to be held the third weekend of October 2011.

Both the STARS Volunteer Racing Series and the STARS Midwest Dirt Racing League will feature the exact same rules package and race procedures with the exception of the race night format, there will even be several co-sanctioned events taking place throughout the season.

A new website is forthcoming and details on rules, points fund and schedule information will be released in the near future.

The STARS Midwest Dirt Racing League is planning an organizational meeting for the winter months and details will follow shortly on the time and place of this meeting.

Further information on the STARS MDRL presented by Arizona Sport Shirts or STARS VRS presented by Arizona Sport Shirts can be obtained by calling the series office at
(606) 219-1723 or you can e-mail at tilleyracing@hotmail.com .

This is why I asked if I had missed something and the naming rights were sold off or whatnot. Doesnt matter to me really, its nice to see midget racing trying to bloom again.

This should be a really neat series, as long as USAC and the tracks stick with it and allow it the room to grow.

STARS, like USAC, is an acronym and not a name.

So, how does the D1 purse compare to the "national" pay-out? Sounds like tires and other expenses are the same???

Jason Dull
815 494 6002
jdull99@hotmail.com
jasondull.com (For all the Racing News)

Was wondering the same, Jason. Running the same expensive tires with probably a fraction of the national purse???

Don,

Not trying to highjack this post, but I, along with others, have been pushing the idea to the powers at STARS to implement a 2 NEW tire per night rule. I hope this tire rule will atleast allow the middle of the road budget guys to run a few more races rather than be broke buying tires by the mid point of the season.

First and foremost, car owners need to be protected from themselves.... the more they are allowed to spend, the more they will spent.

Something needs to be done and this might be the start of something big.

Jim Anderson