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Remembering' Drivin’ Ivan on 6-1 at Merrittville Speedway

THOROLD, ONTARIO (February 5, 2024) … Merrittville Speedway will be honoring and remembering CAA Wall of Famer and DIRTcar NE Hall of Famer “Drivin’ Ivan' ', Ivan Little on Saturday, June 1. The date 6-1, the same numbers as Ivan’s iconic race car, will be headlined by a 61-lap event for the 358 Modifieds, paying $6,100 to win. That night will also feature the DIRTcar Sportsman in a Western Region event paying $4,000 to win and the Hoosier Stocks Duel on the Dirt Home Track Event #2 paying $2,000 to win.

Each division will be time trialing to set their qualifying heat lineups. The fastest qualifiers in the 358 Modifieds will get $500, $300, $150. Sportsman racers' top times will get $300, $200, and $100. Hoosier Stock time trials will get $150, $100, $50. The top three in each qualifying heat will also be receiving extra money. While the Hoosier Stocks and Sportsman will have a redraw to set the feature lineup, the 358 Modifieds will run a pole dash to get their starting lineup. There will be four provisional spots that will be opened for the feature following qualifying and the last chance qualifiers to get to the starting field in each class.

The 358 Modifieds will race for $6100 to win, $3500 for 2nd, $2500 for 3rd, $2000 for 4th, and $1500 for fifth. The DIRTcar Sportsman will race for $4000 to win, $2000 for 2nd, $1500 for 3rd, $1000 for 4th, and $950 for fifth place. The 30-lap Hoosier Stock feature will pay $2,000 to win, $1000 for 2nd, $850 for third, $700 for fourth, and $600 for 5th.

In memory and remembrance of Nancy Little each spouse of the racers racing that night will be allowed into the grandstands for free admission. Nancy passed away in September 2023. When Ivan was racing, Nancy only missed one race, the night that son James was born. James recalls the story that his parents shared, “I was born at 5:15pm and my dad was there racing that night with a large “IT’S A BOY” sign on his car. Ivan had WNY legend Merv Treichler on standby if I was any more stubborn and had waited much longer to arrive.”

Racing for over three decades, Drivin’ Ivan Little was a force to be reckoned with on the track. The black and flamed #61 would show up with the chrome polished and not a speck of dirt on the car. He may have regularly been one of the last cars to arrive, he was just as regularly the first car to the finish line. As early as 1972, Ivan Little would also compete on the famed Syracuse Mile. He retired from racing in 1986 with an estimated 200+ wins to his credit. Ivan Little was the 1966 and 1983 track champion at Merrittville, as well as the 1970 divisional champion at Humberstone, and the 1971 Modified champion at Ransomville Speedway. A career highlight for Ivan was his 1970 Southern Tier Open win at Five Mile Point Speedway. He was inducted into the Northeast Dirt Modified Hall of Fame in 1996 and was inducted into the Friends of Auto Racing (FOAR SCORE) Hall of Fame in 1989.

“Dizzy” Dean Murray, longtime track announcer at both Cayuga and Speedway Park said on the PA system, “now the real racing can begin, Ivan Little has arrived”.

Follow Merrittville on social media including Facebook (facebook.com/MerrittvilleSpeedway), Twitter (@Merrittville), and now on Instagram (@merrittvillespeedway). For results, point standings, and more, check out www.merrittvillespeedway.com

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