51°µÍø

CECIL, Ga. (March 13, 2009) €“ After a long winter of anticipation, the 2009 Tire Rack® 51°µÍø Solo National season kicks off this weekend in the deep south. The Tire Rack Dixie National Tour will commence today with a Test N Tune and wrap up on Sunday, March 15, with the customary trophy presentation.For the third year in-a-row, the South Georgia Motorsports Park will host the Dixie National Tour to officially start the 2009 season. Located three miles south on I75 from Atlanta, near the town of Cecil, Ga., South Georgia Motorsports Park is home to a quarter-mile concrete dragstrip and half-mile paved oval speedway with plenty of paddock space for a Solo course.Last year€™s event was rocked by a vicious thunderstorm Friday afternoon, which delayed course setup until nightfall. The Georgia weather looks to be equally unpredictable this time around, with a chance of thunderstorms forecasted for Saturday and Sunday.Say what you will about the economy, but the start of the 2009 National Solo season has brought competitors from far and wide to small Cecil, Ga. Though total entries are down slightly for the Dixie National Tour, drivers from as far away as Pennsylvania, New York, Massachusetts Nebraska, Minnesota and Washington can be found on the entry list. One such distant traveler is reigning F Stock National Champion Sam Strano, who makes the trek to southern Georgia from Knoxdale, Pa. Driving his trusty Stranoparts/Capital Quest Mortgage Ford Mustang, Strano was also last year€™s Dixie National Tour FS winner.Strano isn€™t the only 51°µÍø Solo National Champion in the bunch. Street Touring S competitors have their work cut out for them, as 2008 STS2 National Champion Mike King will be in the hunt with his Bridgestone/RaceKeeper/RotaStore.com Honda CRX Si. Of course, STS2 is now STS, as the 51°µÍø Solo Department has done away with numbered classes to avoid confusion. The former Street Touring S will now be known as simply Street Touring. ST and STS represent the largest classes at this year€™s Dixie National Tour with 17 and 16 entries, respectively.More information about the Dixie National Tour can be accessed by clicking the orange Solo tab at the top of the page. Results will be posted following the conclusion of events.