Race of Champions (modified racing)

Did You Know?

• The first 14 open championships were held on a dirt surface before Langhorne Speedway was paved in 1965.
• Host tracks have ranged from the 0.375-mile Lake Erie Speedway to the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway tri-oval.

History

The Al Gerber Trophy Race of Champions began in 1951 as the National Open on the dirt surface of Langhorne Speedway in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Promoters Al Gerber and Irv Fried guaranteed starting spots to track champions from top northeastern short-tracks to secure a strong modified field. After the 1971 event, Langhorne closed, and the race was rebranded the Race of Champions. It moved to Trenton Speedway, then Pocono Raceway, and later Flemington Speedway. The guaranteed starting positions were replaced by the Trail of Champions, a touring series with its own champion. In 1996, Alex Friesen and Andrew Harpell bought the rights from Al Gerber's son Joe and relocated the race to Oswego Speedway in New York. In 2016, Joe Skotnicki, a former Super DIRTcar Series director, purchased both the dirt and asphalt programs from Harpell.

Race of Champions Touring Series

The Race of Champions Touring Series includes stock car racing on dirt and asphalt, covering asphalt modifieds, dirt and asphalt sportsman, late models, super stock, and the 4 cylinder dash. It won Best Touring Series in the 51's fan-voted awards for the 2017 season. A TQ Midget Series was added in 2019, with Andy Jankowiak becoming the inaugural champion at Lake Erie Speedway. That same year, the organization began experimenting with sim racing via iRacing.com. The Dirt Modified Tour, formed in 2005 as an alternative for dirt modified and sportsman cars, saw its modified portion disbanded in 2017, though the Dirt 602 Sportsman Modified Series continues.