Inside Line Promotions – TULSA, Okla. (May 15) – The Steve King Memorial is more than just a weekend of racing.
It’s a significant event for a pair of communities – the sprint car society and the tiny town of Jetmore, Kan., which hosts the two races.
With a population of less than 1,000 people, Jetmore schedules its events around the two-day TBJ Promotions’ event – held at The Great American Dirt Track at Jetmore Motorplex on the Saturday and Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend.
In fact, the small town where King grew up virtually shuts down while the sprint car community shows up to pay homage to the late Steve King.
“Steve King was like an idol,” TBJ Promotions Founder Tony Bruce Jr. said. “Basically, Steve King is the Dale Earnhardt of Jetmore.
“When I first started racing, my first eight to 10 times in a sprint car were at Jetmore. It was my home track and with Steve being there, we hung out and were friends. I’m thankful for the memories we had together at the track.”
King died at the age of 33 after a 2006 crash at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa, where he was closing in on a dream of advancing to the prestigious Knoxville Nationals.
This year is the 3rd annual Steve King Memorial presented by The Oil Medics, which pays $3,000 to win each feature on May 28-29.
Additionally, TBJ Promotions is offering a $2,000 bonus to the overall winner. The points – based on the ASCS format – will be tallied from the heat races and feature on both nights.
“A lot of the times you are the fastest guy there all weekend, but you don’t win a feature,” Bruce Jr. said. “I want to reward people for racing hard every single time they touch the race track.”
The driver with the most overall points earns the extra money and a unique trophy – a pedal car designed like a John Deere tractor.
“Every time I called Steve, he was out on the tractor,” Bruce Jr. said. “So I think this is pretty fitting.”
The pits are scheduled to open at 4 p.m. each day with the grandstands opening at 5:30 p.m. Racing starts at 7:30 p.m. both nights.
However, there are additional festivities away from the track.
The celebration begins the night before racing when the town’s 100-year anniversary for its high school gives reason for a party and dance downtown. The next morning – May 28 – the festivities continue downtown with a hamburger feed, family games and a car show featuring various sprint car teams before the annual parade to the track at approximately 2 p.m.
“It’s an awesome event,” Bruce Jr. said. “There’s not many places that shut their main street down and their courthouse, put sprint cars on their yards and then parade to the race track.”
There will also be a raffle with various prizes, including a unique quilt.
For discounted tickets and more information, visit www.tbjpromotions.com.
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – The Oil Medics
Located in Fort Worth Texas, The Oil Medics services diesel trucks and distributes racing oil for sprint car engines and rear ends. For more information, visit www.theoilmedics.com.
“Bill and the entire Jewell family has been more than just a great sponsor, but also great friends,” Bruce Jr. said. “They specialize in truck maintenance and fuel economy, which has saved us hundreds of dollars the past two years in diesel fuel.”
- Admin Account on May 16, 2011
- Article Date: 5/16/2011 by Shawn Miller