Super Chevy Show Weekend Complete At Palm Beach International Raceway

JUPITER, April 11, 2011: The first stop of the Super Chevy Show Series presented by GM Performance Division and presented locally by Schumacher Chevrolet is in the books. The three-day Bowtie festival featured thousands of attendees welcoming the annual show back to Palm Beach International Raceway (PBIR).

For the weekend, the southern portion of the PBIR road course was transformed into a vendor midway as dozens of series and event sponsors showcased some of the latest automotive products and accessories available to owners of all Chevy-powered vehicles.

Once fans completed their walk-through of the vendor midway, they were greeted by more than 20 classes of car show participants. Hundreds of classic, custom and new model Chevys lined the PBIR road course backstretch. Pit lane was filled with swap meet participants as Harry “The Hat” LaPlatte hosted the do-it-yourselfer segment of the Super Chevy Show.

“We were thrilled to host the first stop of the Super Chevy Show Series at Palm Beach International Raceway,” said Jason Rittenberry, President and CEO, PBIR. “One of the best things about the Super Chevy is that there was something for everyone - from the car show, autocross and swap meet on the road course, to side-by-side and exhibition racing on the drag strip. This weekend was successful because of the PBIR racers and fans. We’re looking forward to working with Super Chevy Show again next year.”

One of the highlights of the weekend included a special appearance by Darrell Gwynn, racing legend and Super Chevy Show Grand Marshal. Gwynn addressed attendees during the pre-race ceremonies and thanked PBIR fans for attending the event.

Chalmer Stauffer of Royal Palm Beach, FL, was the winner of the WFLX Fox 29’s Super Chevy Show Fantasy Prize. Stauffer’s prize for the weekend included a meet and greet with the five-time NHRA Champion and race against the legend in identical Chevrolet Camaro. Stauffer had lane choice over Amato during the exhibition run presented by Schumacher Chevrolet. Stauffer had a quicker reaction time, but Amato caught him at the 330-foot marker and reached the finish line first. Despite his lost to the racing legend, Stauffer was still smiling when he climbed out of the Camaro.

“I was watching the news on Fox 29 and saw the ad about PBIR and the Super Chevy Show and entered the online contest,” said Stauffer. “I thought I just won tickets to the event but then they told me I was going to meet Joe Amato and drag race against him, I couldn’t believe it. This was my first time to PBIR since they made all the changes and everything is great. Thank you PBIR and Fox 29 for a great time at the Super Chevy Show on Sunday.”

On the drag strip, more than 200 racers took to the lanes for final eliminations. Local racers and fan favorites came from all over Florida to participate in various classes of drag racing.

Sunday race winners include:

Matthew Buck – Pro Mod (Lantana, FL) Randy Weber – DriveDuracell.com Bracket 1 (Loxahatchee, FL) Manny Sousa – Bracket 2 (Bradenton, FL) Brien Radley – Stock/Super Stock (Belleview, FL) Derek Putnam – DOT (Gainesville, FL)

Palm Beach International Raceway was the launch city for the 2011 Super Chevy Show Series. The Series heads west to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the second stop on the tour. For the latest information on the Super Chevy Show Series presented by GM Performance Division, visit www.superchevyshow.com

WEEKEND RESULTS

Results for the Super Chevy Show race at Palm Beach International Raceway, first of 12 events in the 31st Annual Super Chevy Show Series race.

FINALS

Pro Mod – Matthew Buck (1996 Haas, Lantana, FL) 4.454 at 164.39mph def Keith Russell (1999 Camaro, Jupiter, FL) 5.065 at 115.96mph

Sunday DriveDuracell.com Class (Bracket 1) – Randy Weber (1997 Undercover, Loxahatchee, FL) 8.033 at 157.43 def Warren Sharpe (1984 Z 28, Hobe Sound, FL) 10.437 at 128.86 mph.

Sunday Bracket 2 (Pro) – Manny Sousa (1966 Chevy II, Bradenton, FL) 18.267 at 57.47 def Brien Radley (1965 Nova, Belleview, FL) 17.793 at 47.45 mph.

Stock/Super Stock – Brien Radley (1987 Firebird, Belleview, FL) 10.524 at 125.47mph def Anthony Puleo (1985 Camaro, Palm Beach Gardens, FL) 11.542 at 113.53 mph.

DOT - Derek Putnam (1970 Nova, Gainesville, FL) 11.304 at 110.83mph def Sonny Freeland (1973 Chevy, Davie, FL) 17.112 at 78.70mph.

Quick 16 Dragster – Steve Dweck (1997 Horton, Hollywood, FL) 7.401 at 176.60 mph def Mike Lago (1997 Mullis, Lantana, FL) 7.204 at 187.83 mph.

Quick 16 Door Car – Joe Puleo (1981 Corvette, Royal Palm Beach, FL) 5.715 at 120.62 mph def. Johnny Casquilla (1988 Camaro, Lake Worth, FL) 5.461 at 125.40 mph.

Saturday DriveDuracell.com Class (Super Pro) Bonus Race – Steve Dweck (1997 Horton, Hollywood, FL) 7.538 at 160.48 mph def Claude DeBonis (2008 Worthy, Ft. Lauderdale, FL) 7.274 at 173.72 mph.

Saturday Bracket 2 (Pro) Bonus Race – AJ Issman (1973 Nova, Deerfield Beach, FL) 10.891 at 102.01 mph def Manny Sousa (1966 Chevy II, Bradenton, FL) foul.

True Street – 1. Mark Dixon (Stuart, FL, 1982 Camaro). 2. Derek Pitnum (Gainesville, FL, 1970 Chevy). 3. Stephen Symmes (Lake Worth, FL, 1966 Chevy). 4. Matthew Boettcher (Ft. Pierce, FL, 1980 Monte Carlo). 5. Chris Neely (Palm City, FL, 1985 Caballero).

5th Gen Camaro Shootout – Stephen Vignon (2010 Camaro SS, Miami, FL) 11.917 at 118.59 mph def. Kelly Fromm (St. Augustine, FL, 2010 Camaro) 15.119 at 104.35 mph.