@BrightonSpdwy • Brighton, ON (May 27, 2015)- Trenton, Ont. native Kyle Sopaz won his first career Pro Late Model event in RUSH action at Brighton Speedway on Saturday night. The 2015 season marks Sopaz’s fifth season in the division after making the leap up from the track’s four-cylinder division in 2011.
“It was unbelievable. It felt like Comp 4 days all over again,” Sopaz said of the victory.
Sopaz held off a hard-charging Corey Earl for the victory after the field sat through two red flags on a chilly night.
“As soon as I saw (Earl) on the scoreboard in fifth, I started trying some things. When I was out front all by myself, I was trying the bottom, I was trying the middle,” Sopaz explained. “I knew I needed to control the track or he was just going to eat me up off the bottom.”
The win also came on his father Rick’s birthday. Sopaz had joked earlier in the day with his mother that he was going to get his dad a feature win as a birthday present since he hadn’t gotten him anything else.
The 28-year-old is your typical Saturday racer who maintains he’s in it for fun with a little competition mixed throughout.
“The biggest thing for me, is at the end of every night if I can’t sit down and have a couple beer and smile and come back the next week and do it again, it’s not worth doing anymore. I’m there because I just like to have fun.”
The former Comp 4 track champion runs on a small budget compared to the top names in Pro Late Model racing. The car is towed to the track in an open trailer (who doesn’t like an open trailer?) by the family pickup. His racecar is 15-years-old, a Rocket Chassis built in 2000. As much as he would like to upgrade, his first priority is to make sure his girlfriend, Stephanie, and 10-month-old daughter, Addison, are looked after.
“I race within my means. If I can’t afford to put food on the table or pay my bills and stay race, I’m going to sit a week out. That’s just me,” Sopaz said.
That’s not to say Sopaz will sit at home. He plans to race as often as he can at Brighton and follow the Go Nuclear! Late Model tour.
“If we’ve got an engine in the car and a truck to pull it, we’ll be at every Go Nuclear! race. I wouldn’t miss it,” Sopaz said. “They’re a great group to race with and they’re all down to earth, good people.”
It’s Sopaz’s down to earth personality himself that makes him a likable figure in the pits. After five long years, the hard work finally paid off. Kyle Sopaz is the Brighton Speedway Campbellford Chrysler Driver of the Week for May 23. Sopaz will be back in action this Saturday night for Dibbits Excavating and 95.5 Hits FM Fan Appreciation night.
Kyle Sopaz’s 2015 season is presented by Bellvue Fabricating, Free Flow Petroleum, The Coach’s Moustache, KD Transmission, Lots and Lines, Mayhew Graphics, Montgomery Fleet Services and SWE Auto Glass.
About Dibbits Excavating: Dibbits Excavating is an excavating contractor located in the Quinte Region. Dibbits offers a full range of excavating services and a wide variety of soil products. Dibbits has continuously expanded since its inception in 1970. Visit them at 132 Country Road 40 in Trenton. Dibbits is a proud sponsor of Brighton Speedway and several racers, including Late Model driver Caley Weese. Dibbits Excavating is also the title sponsor of the World of Outlaws Late Models Series Mud Slinger 50 at Brighton Speedway on June 20, 2015.
About 95.5 Hits FM: 95.5 Hits FM is one of Belleville’s Best radio stations, playing the best hits from the 80s, 90s and Now! Tune in to 95.5 Hits FM from 5am-10am weekdays for Mark and Ingrid in the Morning. 95.5 Hits FM is CJOJ-FM, a part of Starboard Communications Ltd. For more information or to listen live, visit www.955hitsfm.ca.
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About RUSH Late Model Racing: The RUSH Dirt Late Model Series sanctions weekly crate late model racing at 14 dirt tracks in five U.S. states (Maryland, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) and one Canadian province (Ontario). The weekly series boasts a points fund of over $27,000. The Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC RUSH Late Model Touring Series boasts two separate tours, north and south, that compete from April to October. The two touring series will combine for 24 events across the Northeast in 2015 with an annual points fund in excess of $30,000.
RUSH Late Model marketing partners include: Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, Pace Performance, Hoosier Tire, Bilstein Shocks, Sunoco Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, Bazell Race Fuels, MSD Ignition, Maxima Racing Oil, Jones Racing Products, Alternative Power Sources, Precise Racing Products, ARbodies, The Brake Man, K&N Filters, Lincoln Electric, TurboStart, Beyea Headers, FK Rod Ends, Bobby Lake Motorsports, Crate Innovations Inc., Velocita-USA, High Gear Speed Shop, CrateInsider.com, B.R.A.K.E.S., RockAuto.com, and Valley Fashions.
Brighton Speedway’s 2015 season is proudly supported by the following corporate sponsors: ABC Taxi, Adecco, AeCON, Bay Marine, Belleville Bulls, Bellevue Fabricating Ltd., Benson Auto Parts, Bill’s Johns, Breeze 107.9, Brighton Automotive, Brighton Recycling, Campbellford Chrysler, Canadian National Autism Foundation, Coca-Cola, Comfort Zone Heating & Air Conditioning, Cool 100, Deerhaven Farm and Garden, Dibbits Excavating, Electro Cables, Excel Tower Service, Extreme Rush Adventures, Gord’s Water, Greig Truck & Trailer, Humber Nurseries, Hotch’s Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire, ImageFactor.ca Motorsport Designs, Investor’s Group, John’s Equipment, JJ Stewart Motors, Kellogg Belleville, Lange & Fetter Ford, Lucas Oil, McDougall Insurance and Financial, Monster Energy, Mystical Distributing, NOCO Fuels, OilGARD Anti-Rust, Owasco RV, Part Source, Quinte Septic, Rapid Rad, Rock 107, Rona Trenton, Sanderson Tire and Automotive, Small Engine Fuels, Star 93.3, Stoneridge Specialty Insurance, Town and Country Liquidation, TRS Communications, 95.5 Hits FM, UCB Radio Canada, Ultramar CST, Workman’s OK Tire, Vanderlaan Building Products. VanZuylen Tire, and VP Racing Fuels.
About Brighton Speedway: Brighton Speedway is a 1/3-mile clay stock car racing oval located on the shores of Lake Ontario in Brighton, Ont. The speedway hosts five weekly stock car divisions on Saturday nights from May to September. The weekly Pro Late Model division competes under RUSH Late Model Series sanctioning.
Brighton Speedway mailing address: 775 County Road 64, Brighton, ON, K0K 1H0.
Media Contact: Clayton Johns
claytonjohns@brightonspeedway.com
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