Auto Racers for Kids “Sprint Car Shootout” Invades Mercer Raceway Park on June 16

Sprint cars vie for $3,000-to-win; all divisions race for increased purse** * * * Erie, PA (June 12, 2012) – This Saturday, June 16, Auto Racers for Kids Charities will return to Mercer Raceway Park for the organization’s annual sprint car event. The Auto Racers for Kids Sprint Car Shootout will feature a 30-lap, $3,000-to-win sprint car show. The night’s events will include all Mercer Raceway Park weekly divisions, who will also compete for a raised purse. For the first time, the Sprint Car Shootout will be supported by the Patriot Sprint Tour, a 360 sprint car series out of New York. Participants from the Patriot Sprint Tour will be eligible for a 360 Bonus Program. Fans can anticipate packed stands and a packed pit area, with the Sprint Car Shootout averaging nearly 35 cars, vying for 24 starting spots, per event. The Sprint Car Shootout is open to both 410 and 360 sprint cars. 360 sprint cars will be required to follow Patriot Series rules, including tire rules. An open tire rule will be in effect for the 410 sprints, although cars running four Goodyear Tires will still be eligible for the weekly Goodyear Tire Certificate program. Past winners of the Auto Racers for Kids Sprint Car Shootout include Brian Ellenberger (2011), Daryn Pittman (2010), Danny Mumaw (2010), and Jack Sodeman Jr. (2010). Proceeds from the Auto Racers for Kids Sprint Car Shootout will go to Auto Racers for Kids Charities, which will support Erie County CASA and St. Martin’s Center in Erie, PA in 2012. Grandstands and pit gates will open at 4:00pm with hot laps beginning at 6:15pm and the green flag dropping at 7:00pm. No registration fees will be required. Pit passes are $30. *About Auto Racers for Kids Charities: *Since its formation in 2007, Auto Racers for Kids Charities has united the racing community with local charities in order to benefit local children and youth. In the past four years, Auto Racers for Kids Charities has distributed over $100,000 to non-profits in the Erie region. For more information about Auto Racers for Kids Charities, visit www.autoracersforkids.org or contact Kristin Swartzlander at kswartzlander@gmail.com or 724-448-5120