Super Dirt Week is a
modified racing
Modified stock car racing, also known as modified racing and modified, is a type of auto racing that involves purpose-built cars simultaneously racing against each other on oval tracks. First established in the United States after World War II, ...
event held annually on
Columbus Day
Columbus Day is a national holiday in many countries of the Americas and elsewhere, and a federal holiday in the United States, which officially celebrates the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492.
...
weekend in
Central New York
Central New York is the central region of New York State, including the following counties and cities:
With a population of about 773,606 (2009) and an area of , the region includes the Syracuse metropolitan area.
Definitions
The New York ...
state.
History
The first event was scheduled over three days, from September 29, through October 1, 1972 at the
New York State Fairgrounds
The New York State Fair, also known as the Great New York State Fair, is a 13-day showcase of agriculture, entertainment, education, and technology. With midway rides, concessionaires, exhibits, and concerts, it has become New York's largest an ...
. Inspection and qualifying races were conducted on Friday and Saturday, and the Championship race was held on Sunday.
In 1976 a fourth day was added to the schedule, and a 100 mile race the
USAC Champ Car
From 1956 to 1978, USAC Championship Car seasons featured the top teams and drivers in U.S. open-wheel racing. Until 1971, the Championship contained road courses, ovals, dirt courses, and, on occasion, a hill climb. Thereafter, the schedul ...
s was held on Saturday October 2. The date of the event was eventually changed to Columbus Day weekend, and expanded to 6 days and championships for 5 car classes. The
Syracuse Mile remained the featured race track until 2015, and companion races were added over the week at the nearby race tracks in Elbridge, Weedsport, and Brewerton.
After the 2015 event the grandstands at the Syracuse Mile were torn down, with
Oswego Speedway
The Oswego Speedway is a 5/8 mile race track in Oswego, New York. It was built in 1951 and was paved with asphalt since the 1952. The track has held dates on several national tours - the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour, ASA National Tour, and USAC ...
hosting the primary races.
Media coverage
The event was first televised live on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
in 1980. During the next 35 years, broadcast rights went to
TNN, the Empire Sports Net,
SPEED
In everyday use and in kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude
Magnitude may refer to:
Mathematics
*Euclidean vector, a quantity defined by both its magnitude and its direction
*Magnitude (ma ...
, and most recently, to
CBS Sports Network
CBS Sports Network (a.k.a. CBSSN) is an American pay television network owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. When it launched in 2002 as the National College Sports Network (later College Sports Television also known a ...
.
References
{{reflist
External links
Super Dirt Week
Motorsport competitions in New York (state)
1972 establishments in New York (state)
Dirt track racing in the United States
Recurring sporting events established in 1972
Annual sporting events in the United States
Stock car racing