The last time we posted about Jamestown Stock Car Stampede we had addressed that our group would be running our late model program to invite new or former late model competitors to the Stampede. At that point we called our program the “late model contingency program.” Since then we have renamed it to the Stampede Shake Down. The Shake Down is meant to draw new and familiar faces who haven’t been at the late model portion of the Stampede for a long time.
Last year we got four interested drivers from Canada, Wyoming, and North Dakota. This year our group has opened up the Shake Down just a bit by bumping it up from four drivers to six drivers. Last weekend we stopped out at the Sheyenne Speedway and talked to a lot of crews to try and recruit drivers and we got a warm reception from a lot of the drivers and crews. This week we have been in contact with a few drivers and have had half of the Shake Down field filled.
This year has a very diverse field of drivers already. The first driver to respond is Derek Vesel of Hibbing, Minnesota. Derek has competed at the Stampede in the past but in the super stock division. Derek is in his second year of racing a late model full time and is the Hibbing Speedway track champion. Interesting note about Derek, he had been interested in participating in our Shake Down program last year but couldn’t because he got married on that weekend last year. We are certainly glad that he could partake in the Shake Down this year and look forward to seeing him compete against the Stampede regulars.
The second driver to respond was Dan Dowling. Dan is well known for his NDSU Bison paint schemes and being a scrappy driver who has competed with the NLRA late models this year. Dan has previously raced at the Stampede in his IMCA Northern Sport Mod and this year he raced at Jamestown during the NLRA race in July. Dan plans to run with the NLRA late models next season and will definitely be a person to keep an eye on when the features come around.
The third entry that we have received so far is Virgil Randall from Interior, South Dakota. Virgil has had a limited season so far but has done some traveling this season as he competed at the USA Nationals at the Cedar Lake Speedway. He will be bringing the extremely sharp looking 8R to Jamestown and is looking to be a player in the final outcome.
The Shake Down field is currently half full. There are still drivers who have inquired about the program and still have shown interest in partaking. Remember the Shake Down incentives included covering the driver’s entry fee for the Stampede. The driver receiving a travel stipend and we provided pizza to each of the drivers last year. But wait! That was last year and our group has decided to up the incentives for the drivers participating in the Shake Down Program! New to this year will be that each driver will receive a $25 Speedway gift card. Then if any of drivers win their heat race then they will receive $25 for the heat win. If they are the hard charger for the feature then they will receive $50 and if they win the feature they will win an additional $100 dollars!
The current purse for the late models is $16,775. The winner will take $4,000 and if you start the feature you will receive no less than $325. The entry fee for the late models is $100.
We are very excited to have more drivers join and participate in the Stampede Shake Down! We also would like to cordially invite the limited late models from Alexandria and Fergus Falls to participate in the Stock Car Stampede. We will also offer the same incentives for the limited late models if they register with Shake Down program. If you know any drivers who would be interested in participating have them contact us by sending an email to thedakotadirt@gmail.com .
Remember this is a first come, first served type of program currently. So that means that drivers need to make contact with us immediately as they may miss out on this opportunity. Drivers who are interested in the Stampede Shake Down must have never raced in the late model portion of the Stampede or have raced the late model portion of the Stampede in the past five years.
Contingency Program Incentives
Driver Entrance Fee Covered
Travel Stipend
$25 Speedway gift card
$25 Heat win
$50 hard Charger for the feature
$100 feature win