Special from DuroByte Motorsports: (August 17, 2017) – DuroByte Motorsports and 14 year old driver Michael Clancy Jr. are looking forward to racing again close to home as the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour will be back in action Friday at Birch Run Speedway, located in Birch Run, Michigan. New owners purchased the former Dixie Motor Speedway just prior to the 2017 season and are running a special event schedule for the 2017 season and have already completed several improvements to the facility, with more planned for the 2018 season.
Friday’s Dixie 100 at Birch Run Speedway will be Clancy Jr.’s first ever race at the 4/10 mile progressively banked oval, after last season’s event was canceled because of rain.
“Local tracks close to my home town are always fun, lots friends and family come out watch,” remarked Clancy Jr. “I’m also looking forward to some of my sponsors making it to this race, without sponsors, I couldn’t be chasing this dream of mine! I have to thank Dalton Industries, Made In Detroit, and Ilmor Engineering for all of their support this season!”
“I always look forward to running at Dixie, now the newly named Birch Run Speedway,” remarked crew chief Jimmy D Smith. “I’ve had a few wins there in the past and would love to grab Michael’s first JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour win there also!”
Past series winners at Birch Run Speedway include Eddie Hoffman in 2011, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Daniel Hemric in 2012, two time series Champion Cody Coughlin in 2013 and 2014 series Champion Dan Leeck in 2015.
The DuroByte Motorsports and Clancy Jr. got their third straight top ten finish in the series last event at Auto City Speedway on August 5th, where local racer Kyle Hayden got the win. Those finishes include a sixth place finish at Kil-Kare Raceway on July 9th, a 10th place finish at Berlin Raceway on July 15th and a 10th place finish at Auto City. Clancy Jr. had to battle back from going to the tail after being involved in an early caution, but managed to work his way back to tenth in a very competitive race.
Clancy Jr. participated in the series on track autograph session at Auto City with a large group of fans coming by to meet the teenage racer and getting a signed autograph card. This Friday’s event will also have an on track autograph session with all the events racers prior to the running of the Dixie 100.
Friday’s event will be the series last event before it begins it’s first ever new Championship Chase format at Winchester Speedway on September 3rd. Series winners Carson Hocevar and Jack Smith are currently locked in the Chase already with one win apiece, Clancy Jr. is fourth in series Championship points heading into Friday’s race and has no pressure of getting into the Chase at Birch Run, he has enough points to date that he is locked into the Chase as one of the eight teams that will battle for the series Championship over the last four series races of the 2017 season, no matter the outcome on Friday.
DuroByte Motorsports will campaign Howe Racing Chassis Ford’s again in 2017 with Ford engines by Ilmor. The team will have sponsorship for the 2017 season from Made In Detroit and Dalton Industries along with Ilmor Engineering and Nalett Trucking.
At 13 years old during the 2016 racing season, Clancy Jr. was the youngest regular competitor with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour. Clancy Jr. went on to get three top ten finishes during the season, with a top finish of sixth twice, once on the High Banks of Salem Speedway and at the tough quarter mile of Anderson Speedway. Clancy Jr. finished 7th in final series Driver Points and was second in VanDoorn Racing Development Rookie of the Year points.
DuroByte Motorsports, owned by Murray Van Wieringen and spear headed by crew chief Jimmy D Smith, has a proud history of fielding competitive racecars with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour and ARCA/CRA Super Series since the 2013 season. More information on DuroByte Motorsports is available at www. durobytemotorsports.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/durobytemotorsports. DuroByte Motorsports is excited to announce that they are now featuring a new line of fan apparel which is available to order on their website.
More information on Michael Clancy Jr. is available at www.michaelclancyracing.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Michael-Clancy-Racing.
