SAVANNAH, Ga. -- The Championship Modified Tour (CMT) opened its inaugural season this weekend at Oglethorpe Speedway Park under the sanctioning of the National Dirt Racing Association (NDRA) and a pair of young talents swept through the southeast and into victory lane in the first two events of the upstart Open Wheel Modified racing series. With weather obstacles to overcome and a huge field of cars gathered at the historic half-mile speedway in the coastal Georgia city, the CMT drivers were able to compete in a pair of feature events on Sunday afternoon with an exclamation point to the start of the new touring circuit. Forty-four drivers were entered into the CMT action for the weekend at Savannah, Ga.

Canadian Steve Arpin Makes History Scoring First Championship Modified Tour (CMT) Win

Steve Arpin from Fort Frances (Ont.), Canada stormed to victory in the running of the first-ever Championship Modified Tour (CMT) in first of two daytime main events Sunday afternoon at Oglethorpe Speedway Park. Arpin went wire-to-wire in the impressive victory on the half-mile oval holding off Julie McDermid to take the checkered flag. The race was originally slated for Saturday night, but the storm front, which had moved through the coastal Georgia region during the weekend, delayed the start of the CMT season until Sunday.

“We came down to race hard and be a part of this special young guns weekend. To win the first CMT race is something special of its own,” beamed the elated Canadian driver in the winner’s circle. “Everyone has been so great to work with and race with, it makes winning that much more enjoyable.”

Prior to winning the CMT season-opener at Oglethorpe Speedway Park, Arpin had taken an earlier win during the day claiming the checkers in an IMCA Modified feature. On Wednesday night, Arpin won his first of three total wins for the week further south in Brunswick, Ga. prior to topping off his trek south from Canada with the first-ever CMT victory. The battle for the checkered flag was no cakewalk for the young talent as McDermid, the talented young lady from Oconto Falls, Wisconsin kept pursuit throughout the main event before winding up in second place. Third through fifth in the finishing order were Tommy Weder, Craig Shuffield and Ricky Boahn.

Forty-four Open Wheel Modified drivers were entered into the weekend’s CMT events, prior to rain interrupting the scheduled Friday and Saturday racing programs and forcing feature completions on Sunday.

As a result, several drivers scratched from the action on the make-up Sunday afternoon.

Championship Modified Feature Results, Event # 1 of 2006:

Oglethorpe Speedway Park (Savannah, GA) Sunday, February 5, 2006. Winner-Steve Arpin, (Fort Frances, Ontario Canada) 2. Julie McDermid (Oconto Falls, Wi) 3. Tommy Weder (Woodward, OK) 4. Craig Shuffield (Fayetteville, NC) 5. Ricky Boahn (Puppy Creek, NC) 6. Jim Shuffield (Fayetteville, NC) 7. Dave Hess Jr. (Waterford, PA) 8. Brent Glastetter (Mooresville, NC) 9. Nick Neville (Mackinaw, IL) 10. Derrick Francis (Fayetteville, NC) 11. Aaron Higgins (Piketon, OH) 12. Stoney Jackson (Bowman, SC) 13. Porter Smith (Aztec, NM) 14. Lance Dieters (Mooresville, NC) 15. Mackey Cox (Raeford, NC) 16. Derrick Grisby 17. Zack VanDerbeek (New Sharon, IA) 18. Jeremy Russell (Jonesboro, AR) Entries: 39

Dave Hess Jr. Scores Open Wheel Modified Win on Championship Modified Tour in Savannah Georgia

Dave Hess, Jr. of Waterford, Pennsylvania etched his name in the Championship Modified Tour (CMT) record books Sunday afternoon at Oglethorpe Speedway Park taking the win in Open Wheel Modified action. Hess drove his winning entry deep into turn one on a restart to slip past Brent Glastetter for the lead and never looked back. The winning effort for the young charger from Pennsylvania was hard fought as Steve Arpin and Nick Neville put the pressure on in the closing laps, but Hess prevailed to become to second-ever winner on the CMT series. Arpin and Neville picked up the second and third positions, respectively, and were followed to the checkered flag by Derrick Francis in fourth and Brent Glastetter in fifth.

The next stop on the CMT calendar will be at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, North Carolina when the tour roars back into action on March 11th. The CMT is sanctioned by the National Dirt Racing Association (NDRA) and is a sister series to the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series under the NDRA sanctioning body. For additional event information on the CMT, visit the tour’s official website at www.champmodtour.com

CHAMPIONSHIP MODIFIED TOUR (CMT) Event #2 of 2006:

Oglethorpe Speedway Park (Savannah, GA) Sunday, February 5, 2006. Winner- Dave Hess Jr. (Waterford, PA) 2. Steve Arpin, (Fort Frances, Ontario Canada) 3. Nick Neville (Mackinaw, IL) 4. Derrick Francis (Fayetteville, NC) 5. Brent Glastetter (Mooresville, NC) 6. Aaron Higgins (Piketon, OH) 7. Troy Gimmell 8. Stoney Jackson (Bowman, SC) 9. Craig Shuffield (Fayetteville, NC) 10. Mackey Cox (Raeford, NC) 11. Lance Dieters (Mooresville, NC) 12. Mike Spatola (Manhattan, NY) 13. Alan Mondus (Lakeville, ME) 14. Ricky Boahn (Puppy Creek, NC) 15. Jim Shuffield (Fayetteville, NC) 16. Julie McDermid (Oconto Falls, Wi) 17. Zack VanDerbeek (New Sharon, IA) 18. Derrick Grisby 19. Tommy Weder (Woodward, OK) 20. Porter Smith (Aztec, NM) 21. Jeremy Russell (Jonesboro, AR).

Entries: 44