Litchfield resident Jason Blonde is a five-time champion in the Auto Value Super Sprint Series. Blonde will be competing in the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series, which will make its debut at Auto City Speedway on June 26
“Right now, it’s hard for the average driver to go racing,” Blonde said. “It takes everything you have. You definitely need some sponsors to keep you going.”
Help appears to be on its way to Auto City Speedway this summer, in the form of the Must See Racing Xtreme Sprint Series.
The nationally televised event will make its debut at the Vienna Township-based facility June 26. The half-mile oval will open its 56th season Saturday.
Blonde said the added attention MSR will give the sprint cars should help its drivers find a few more sponsors.
“This is what us little guys need because we don’t get much publicity,” Blonde said. “(Sponsors) will see what you need and how much it takes to go racing. It’s going to be so much better for the sport.”
MSR began in cyberspace in 2008 before expanding to television and satellite broadcasts — DIRECTV and Dish Network — last year.
The networks that will carry the tape-delayed broadcast are Comcast in Michigan, Comcast SportsNet in Chicago and HomeTown Sports of Indianapolis.
The event is expected to reach 60 million households. MSR will soon have a function on its Web site — mustseeracing.com — where a person can put in their ZIP code and they will be directed to the provider and channel where the broadcast can be seen in their viewing area.
“I think we’re bringing great entertainment and the best car racing this area has ever seen,” MSR president and Holly resident Jim Hanks said. “We’re not about a Saturday night race. We’re about an event.”
MSR is expected to lure some of the country’s top sprint-car drivers to the Flint area.
MSR has 34 drivers under contract and it is expecting a field of 30-40 cars at Auto City. Blonde is a five-time champion of the Auto Value Super Sprints Series — four times on pavement — including the last three titles.
His car, which is owned by Don and Suellen Wilshe, will be the first sprint car to have a Roush-Yates Ford 410cc motor.
MSR is currently the highest paying sprint-car series.
The Auto City show has a purse of $18,300, with $2,000 going to the winner. There will also be bonus money.
“It’s going to be (NASCAR) Sprint Cup for sprint cars,” Blonde said. “When you get the perfect car it’s hard to beat you, but now there will be six to eight perfect cars. Drivers will have to step it up and be more aggressive.”
The show will consist of heat races, a B-main and two 20-lap features. Each race team will be given over $2,000 in sponsor-product certificates and a lucky fan will win a drawing for a certificate to the Dirt Track Racing School at Carolina Speedway in Gastonia, N.C.
This is the fourth season that MSR will be broadcasting sprint-car races, the first year it has had its own series.
“I had no doubt this thing would wind up being a good series, but I am surprised how fast it’s gotten to where it is,” Hanks said. “Our whole series is about three things — safety, level playing field and the best entertainment we can put on a race track.”
Auto City Speedway: The track will open its 56th season on Saturday with a full slate of races in the Auto City Super Stocks, modifieds, street stocks, pure stocks and figure eights classes. Pits will open at 2 p.m. and grandstands at 4 p.m. Racing will begin at 6:30 p.m.
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Written by Dave Argabright | 
