By DJ JOHNSON For The Bulletin<\/p>\n
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If the third time is a charm, then Latrobe Speedway should benefit from a favorable weather forecast on Saturday for Opening Night-Take Three.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mother Nature wasn\u2019t quite ready for stock car racing to begin at the Unity Township half-mile dirt track.<\/p>\n
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After two Saturdays of rain and cold temperatures, Fast Five Racing featuring the Crate Late Models, is headlining the card on opening night.<\/p>\n
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Also, on opening night will be the Joe\u2019s Body Shop Pure Stocks, the Specialty Metals Modified 4 Cylinders, the Marilungo Disposal LLC Strictly Stock 4 Cylinders, and the IMCA RaceSaver 305 Sprint Cars of the Allegheny Sprint Tour and the Laurel Highlands Sprint Cars.<\/p>\n
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Opening night is critical for many drivers as it starts a new season. As the headlining division, the Crate Late Models are preparing for one of the biggest feature races for the division ever on June 3.<\/p>\n
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The Jesse Sterbutzel Memorial, a $10,000 to-win feature for the Crate Late Models, will surely attract drivers from several states.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI am sure a $10,000-to-win race will attract some bigger teams. They\u2019ll travel for that kind of money,\u201d said former Crate Late Model Champion Troy Shields.<\/p>\n
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Shields believes for him, the 2023 season won\u2019t be much different.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s pretty much business as usual for us. A lot of those guys have raced five or six times this year at different tracks. We\u2019ve been out one plus the practice.\u201d Shields said.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI would like to think that the \u2018home field\u2019 advantage would help, but in reality, good racers are good racers; they adapt very quickly,\u201d Shields explained. \u201cAt the end of the day, the engines in the crate cars are pretty equal; some people just have better cars than others. All that matters is if you hit the right setup that night.<\/p>\n
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\u201cMy hat is off to the track for having a $10,000 to-win feature; it\u2019s awesome to have a chance to win it,\u201d Shields said. \u201cThose opportunities don\u2019t come along that often.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
DJ Johnson can be reached at dj1360rpm@aol.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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