Hoosier Park Racing & Casino will be hitting all cylinders Saturday, April 24 with the first annual Hoosierdega Nights, bringing a NASCAR feel to the 14-race program. A total of $492,000 in purse money will be distributed throughout the card, featuring 11 divisions of Indiana Sires Stakes action for sophomore pacers and trotters.
Included in the lineup of Indiana’s finest are returning divisional champs Msnaughtybynature and Iron Claw. Msnaughtybynature, the state’s top two-year-old trotting filly, will start from Post 1 in the ninth race, while Iron Claw, Indiana’s top two-year-old pacing colt, will start from Post 2 in the 10th race.
Owned by Melanie Wrenn and The Kales Company, Msnaughtybynature won nine of 12 starts last year. She earned a total of more than $225,000, winning both Indiana Sires Stakes finals at Indiana Downs. The Scramble Ranger filly is trained and driven by Peter Wrenn, Hoosier Park’s leading driver.
Iron Claw was a winner in 12 of 17 starts last season for trainer-driver Charlie Conrad. The son of Conrad’s former standout Speak gathered nearly $200,000 in earnings for owners Don and Roselea Conrad along with Charlie’s wife, Sarah. Iron Claw earned his quickest time in 1:54.1 and has already scored a win this year in a time of 1:55.1, prepping well for his return to the Indiana Sires Stakes series.
In addition to the horsepower on the track, several other activities will be highlighted throughout the evening. Special food and drink will be offered in The Yard, including the Pit Stop BBQ Hut. Special Back of the Track tours will be available at 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on the south end of the grandstand on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, Trackside Sports Zone will be offered for racing fans of all ages in The Yard, including a football toss, obstacle course, and NASCAR driving simulator. A special VIP Party will take place in the Paddock area along with drawings throughout the racing program. The band, Mix Factory, will entertain racing fans with tunes from the '60s to current hits from 5:00 until 9:00 p.m.
The Fab Five and challenger will be working hard to raise money for their respective charities with two exhibition competitions. The drivers will compete in a Go Kart race, aired on the in-house television system following race four. Fans can vote for their favourite driver by placing their entry blank from Club Centaur into their selected driver’s entry box, located across from Club Centaur Rewards Center in the Terrace. One winner will be drawn from the winning driver’s box for a premium giveaway.
Also, the Fab Five and challenger will race against one another in a special $5,000 charity race following the sixth race, giving fans the opportunity to win a premium item again by pulling a name from the winning driver’s entry box. The $5,000 purse money will be on the line for the charities of the Fab Five and the challenger.
The Fab Five, along with their selected charity, includes Trace Tetrick (DARE), Mike Peterson (Shriner’s Hospital for Children), Joe Putnam (Outfitters, Inc.), Jason Dillander (American Cancer Society) and Ricky Macomber (Indiana School for the Deaf). The Challenger, Peter 'The Wolf' Wrenn, will also be competing for his charity, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The evening will conclude with a car giveaway. All Club Centaur Rewards members can enter to win a brand new 2010 Dodge Charger along with $2,500 in cash to go along with the new car. The winner will be drawn at approximately 10:15 p.m. at the main entrance to the casino. The Fab Five and Wrenn will be on hand to present the keys to the lucky winner.
For more information on Hoosier Park Racing & Casino, log onto www.hoosierpark.com.
(Hoosier)