When the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series and the DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds take to Weedsport Speedway for the Empire State Challenge Sunday, May 17, Stewart Friesen will appear in the fields of both races.
The three-time Syracuse 200 winner is slated to compete in the No. 33 Doug Emery Motorsports entry in the sprint car feature and then drive Tom Cullen’s No. 1 Westmoreland Golf Course big-block modified.
The Canadian racer, now of Sprakers, N.Y., is no stranger to pulling double duty, as he said he did it previously at Utica-Rome Speedway at the New Egypt Speedway Super DIRTcar Series event.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Friesen said. “I’ve done it a couple of times. It takes two good teams to be able to do it.”
With Syracuse 200 wins in 2010, 2011 and 2014, Friesen is now running the full Super DIRTcar Series season in 2015 for the first time. After a 13th-place finish in the season opener at Fulton Speedway, he said the Weedsport race provides “a good tune-up” for the rest of the year in the No. 5* Siri Racing/Superior Crushing car.
He noted the combined sprint car and big-block modified event also provides a good tune-up for the track that has undergone a renovation process and continues to see improvements.
“They definitely did a great job with the remodeling and stuff,” Friesen said. “I know they’re still not 100 percent happy with it, but they’ve worked hard on that place the past couple of years.”
He also said he will compete with the World of Outlaws for the first time since 2013, when he ran at Rolling Wheels Raceway.
He competed in – and won a few – 360 sprint car races for Emery in the past, and Friesen said his sprint car owner purchased a 410 motor to be able to step up the experience for the racer.
“We’ve got a couple of 360 wins under our belt,” Friesen said. “We’ll see how it goes. Hopefully, the track slicks up a little bit and plays into our favor.”
While some of the World of Outlaws competitors will race at Weedsport for the first time – the series hasn’t visited the track since 1993 – Jessica Zemken said she raced there before in a 360 sprint car and even won a feature in 2010.
Like her husband, Friesen, she also looks forward to seeing the renovations performed at Weedsport since the last time she went to the track.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve been there. I’m looking forward to going back. It’s going to be a great race,” she said. “With the new surface and the changes they made, hopefully everything they’ve done and the hard work they put in will improve the facility.”
A successful sprint car racer in a few different series, Zemken said she competes in a handful of World of Outlaws races each year when the series appears in Canada and New York.
She has a best finish of third at Fulton Speedway to her credit.
“To run with them a couple of times a year and be competitive is a pretty cool experience,” Zemken said.
And when she does compete with the World of Outlaws, she noted she has gotten to race alongside some of her heroes – Steve Kinser, Donny Schatz, Darryn Pitman, to name a few.
“These are guys I grew up watching race when I was little,” she said. “To run side-by-side with them is pretty cool.”
The Empire State Challenge is scheduled to take place this Sunday, May 17 with pit gates opening at 3 p.m. and grandstands opening at 5 p.m. Hot laps will start at 6 p.m. followed by qualifying at 6:40 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 7 p.m.
Tickets cost $39 for general admission reserved seating and $35 for general admission, while children 10 years old and under are free. Tickets can be purchased online at dirtcar.ticketforce.com.
Weedsport Speedway is located at 1 Speedway Drive in Weedsport, N.Y. For more information, contact (315) 834-3067 or visit weedsportspeedway.com.