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Mike Maresca, Gary Simpson Join Forces for 2021 STSS Sunshine Swing & South Region

OCALA, FL History will be made when the Bob
Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) Fueled By Sunoco hits the
track at Bubba Raceway Park in late January.

North Country
driver Mike Maresca and Delaware car owner Gary Simpson will be part of it together.

Maresca will make his debut in Simpson™s No. 12K at Bubba Raceway Park during the Jan. 26-30 Sunshine Swing™ launching a partnership that is expected to continue throughout the 2021 STSS Velocita-USA South Region presented by Design for Vision and Sunglass Central.

The Harrington,
Del.-based Simpson team has partnered with Maresca for the STSS series of South
Region events in 2021. The new combination will get in some pre-season™ racing
on Florida soil in Ocala in the first-time appearance by the Modifieds at Bubba
Raceway Park.

Following a
practice on Tuesday (Jan. 26), four nights of racing are planned, starting at
$4,000 and increasing to $8,000 to win from Wednesday to Saturday.

A brand-new
DKM mount is under construction at the Hagaman, N.Y.-based chassis shop. A
freshened Pro Power engine will be installed between the frame rails for the
upcoming season.

œThe car will
be built, engine put in, lettered and finished up at DKM,? Simpson said of Maresca™s
ride. œWe™ll pick it up from there and head to Florida.?

The next-generation™
No. 12K will be outfitted with a four-link suspension to match Simpson™s other
DKM mount, which was recently driven to a runner-up finish by Anthony Perrego
in the Georgetown (Del.) Speedway Gobbler™ event.

œWe™re building
another four-link,? Simpson said. œMike is familiar with the Late Models (which
utilize a similar suspension). Our car was right there at the end of the year.

œWe like
being different.?

First State star Ricky Elliott, who has stepped away from regular driving duties, has been instrumental to Simpson™s efforts in the last year and brings his knowledge of four-link technology to the operation.

Potsdam, N.Y.™s
Maresca completed a solid ™20 season despite COVID-19 regulations that
disrupted racing in his home state. He earned the Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway Sunoco
Modified championship by just two points over Stewart Friesen. At his Friday home
Can-Am Speedway in LaFargeville, N.Y. Maresca also took the point title in
the 358-Modified division.

At the end of
the season, Maresca picked up wins outside his home turf on back-to-back November
weekends at Bridgeport (N.J.) Motorsports Park and BAPS Motor Speedway in
Newberrytown, Pa.

The
arrangement allows Maresca the opportunity to compete in STSS South Region
races held six hours or more away from his residence.

Simpson has
lined up significant sponsorship for the effort including Taylor & Messick,
Blue Hen Construction, Golf Cart Services, Quarry Products, Quality Exteriors,
Stafford Farm, Golf Cart Sales & Service LLC, Perfect Finish Powdercoating,
Dana and J.V. Wells RE/MAX Realtors and Penske Racing Shocks.

The Sunshine
Swing™ at Bubba Raceway Park kicks off on Tuesday, Jan. 26 with an Open Practice
session.

The first
night of racing takes place on Wednesday, Jan. 27 with the STSS Modifieds
racing 30 laps for a $4,000 top prize and Crate 602 Sportsman battling 25 laps
with $1,250 up for grabs.

Thursday
night (Jan. 28) features a 35-lap STSS Modified main with $5,000 going to the
winner and another 25-lap, $1,250-to-win STSS Crate 602 Sportsman event.

On Friday
(Jan. 29) the ante gets upped to 40 laps and $6,000 to win for the STSS
Modifieds and 30 laps, with $1,500 to win for the STSS Crate 602 Sportsman.

Saturday™s
(Jan. 30) final night of action includes a 50-lap, $8,000-to-win STSS Modified
main and another 30-lap, $1,500-to-win STSS Crate 602 Sportsman program.

Sunshine
Swing™ champions will again be crowned after the completion of racing.

The entire
Sunshine Swing™ will be streamed live on Dirt Track Digest TV (www.dirttrackdigest.tv) with single-day and weeklong
packages available.

Camping will
be permitted on-site throughout the swing free of charge (no hook-ups).

Bubba Raceway Park is a three-eighths-mile facility with a history of racing dating back to 1952 as both a pavement and dirt track. The speedway was converted back to a clay surface in 2008 and an overhaul was completed to include MUSCO lighting, a new sound system, modern restrooms, and a reworked pit area.

The speedway
was resurfaced with 60 loads of clay in preparation for the upcoming Speedweek
events.

Bubba Raceway
Park is located at 9050 N.W. Gainesville Road Ocala, FL 34482. Contact the
track by phone at 352.622.9400 or visit the official website at www.bubbaracewaypark.com. œLike? Bubba Raceway Park on
Facebook.

To learn more about the Short Track Super Series Fueled By
Sunoco, visit www.shorttracksuperseries.com,
e-mail bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com,  check
out Short Track Super Series™ on Facebook or @ShortTrackSS on Twitter or Instagram.

The Short Track Super Series is presented by American Racer/Lias Tire, Sunoco
Race Fuel, Insinger Performance, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, Hurlock Auto &
Speed, Velocita-USA, Design for Vision/Sunglass Central, Behrent™s Performance
Warehouse, Beyea Custom Headers, Bicknell Racing Products, Dirt Track Digest,
EIBACH Springs, Fast Axle, Fox Racing Shocks, Henry™s Exhaust, Hig Fab,
HyperCo, Kirkey Racing Fabrication, K&N, Precision Hydraulic & Oil,
QA1, Racing Optics, Superior Remodeling, Teo-Pro Car, VAHLCO, Velocita, WELD
Racing & Wilwood.

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