NASCAR stars Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Kenny Wallace, Scott Riggs & Johnny Sauter visited the Great Northeast tonite, and they were a hit with the Fans. Kyle Petty, originally scheduled to appear, missed the opportunity due to a broken hand suffered earlier this week.....Johnny Sauter filled the vacancy.

At a scheduled press conference prior to racing, all of the drivers spoke about how important it was to support local tracks such as Lake Erie Speedway and also rated the facility as one of the best in the United States. The 3/8 Mile asphalt track, located in North East PA near the NY State Border & Lake Erie, is truly a wonderful place for race fans of all ages.

Earnhardt and Truex talked about their chances for making the Chase for the Nextel Cup with Truex stating that it might come down to a fight between the two teammates for the final spot in the Chase. NASCAR, this year, expanded the original 10 Driver Chase to the top 12 in points at the end of the first 26 races. Those drivers will then duke it out for the Championship over the final 10 races of the 2007 season.

Kenny Wallace, poking fun at Tony Stewart and last weeks post race interview, said that he feels like he's been chasing his A** for the last few seasons, but looked forward to watching his pals Earnhardt & Truex do battle. Both Scott Riggs and Johnny Sauter felt that their chase was to to either get into or remain in the top 35.

In the featured NASCAR Race of Champions, featuring the five drivers, the finishing order was Martin Truex, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kenny Wallace, Johnny Sauter & Scott Riggs. The race featured two 8 lap heats playing to a nearly sold out house. The crowd went WILD as Earnhardt, driving a Tiger Themed DOUBLE 0 car pulled to the front of the grandstand and hit the rev limiter. A virtual sea of red rose to their feet and it was nearly impossible to navigate the crowd.

Lake Erie Speedway will wrap up it's 2007 season on September 15th.