History of the ‘Heritage’

(Peebles, OH) A 13 year old tradition is set to rumble the hills of Adams County, OH Sept. 12th-14th as Brushcreek Motorsports Complex prepares for its American Heritage Classic. As part of the 3 Year old Epic Weekend the American Heritage Classic features Late Models racing for the coveted Harley-Davidson V-Rod! Although the American Heritage Classic is now part of the new concept called the Epic Weekend, the ‘Heritage’ itself has a lot of history in itself.
In the first years of Brushcreek Motorsports Complex, builder, owner and promoter Tom Partin looked to put his new establishment on the ‘Map’ in the dirt racing world. The only way to do this was to host an event that was unheard of. “We thought, what does a driver want that his wife wont let him have?” said Partin when asked about the though process going into the first American Heritage Classic “We thought possibly a Corvette but when the idea of a Harley for a trophy came up, it was perfect”. The first week of August 2001 the first American Heritage Classic was held! The Largest crowd in Brushcreek Motorsports Complex history to-date turned out for the inaugural event. After rain pushed the event back to Sunday, Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN rode home on the NEW Heritage Soft tail Classic motorcycle. In 2002 Brushcreek Motorsports stepped up to the plate again, giving two Harley’s away. One motorcycle would go to the winner while the other would go to a fan who bought a raffle ticket! 2002′s race was won by Grayson, KY’s Jackie Boggs.
The 2003-2006 Era of the race saw only two different winners. The 2003 race was won by Mike Balzano. Jackie Boggs shocked the racing world by winning in 2004, 2005, and 2006. With ‘Four Hogs In the Pen’ as Jackie says, Boggs is the winningest driver of the American Heritage Classic to date. However in 2007 the racing world would be shocked again as Brushcreek Motorsports Complex made an unbelievable announcement.
Two huge moments in the history of Brushcreek Motorsports happened from 2006 to 2007. In the off-season BMC officials announced that the track would be shortened from its ‘Wicked Fast’ 3/8 mile size to a smaller 3/10 mile. This was done to save drivers money by lowering stress on their equipment. In the off-season it was also announced that the American Heritage Classic would be a Modified race! At the time it was the biggest Modified race east of the Mississippi river. The Inaugural Modified winner Steve Arpin of Fort Frances, Ontario. In five years of the race being a Modified event there were five different winners! In 2008 Dave Hess Jr of Pennsylvania rode home on the harley followed by Don Adams in 2009, Chad Kinder in 2010 and Derek Groomer in 2011. The 2011 event was moved back to run the same weekend as Brushcreek Motorsport’s Billy Bob race featuring Late Models paying $15,000 to win. This change enticed new, young promoter Steven Partin to coin the term “One Epic Weekend”. When asked about it Steven Partin, son of track owner Tom Partin, said “It really was ‘Epic’, it should be named accordingly”. In 2012 however the race was turned back into a Late Model show and the Billy Bob race was scrapped to make way for the new American Heritage Classic format.
In 2012 the Epic Weekend became the biggest weekend of racing in Brushcreek Motorsports Complex history with three days of racing action. The American Heritage Classic was split between two segments. The first 50 Lap segment payed the winner $10,000 and the second 50 lap segment allows the winner to choose between $10,000 or the New Harley. Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, GA won the New V-Rod in 2012. The history behind the American Heritage Classic is rich and history continues to be made as Sept. 12th-14th the Epic Weekend is scheduled to take place. The 13th annual American Heritage Classic takes place on Friday Sept. 13th and Saturday Sept. 14th with qualifying and heat races on Friday while B-mains and Feature take place on Saturday. Here is how the rest of the Epic Weekend looks:
Thursday Sept. 12th – Fans will see a full show of Late Models, Modifieds, PF2 Trucking Sport Mods, Ohio Valley Roofers Legend Cars and Crazy Compacts. General Admission tickets will cost $12 for adults and Kids 12 and under are FREE. Pit Passes are $25 All agesPit Admission opens at 4:00 PM, General Admission opens at 5:00 PM and racing starts at 7:00 PM.
Friday Sept. 13th – Fans will see a full show of OVSCA 410 Winged Sprint Cars along with Hot Laps, Qualifying and Heat Races of UMP Late Models for the 13th annual American Heritage Classic. General Admission tickets will cost $15 for adults and Kids 12 and under are FREE. Pit Passes are $30 all ages. Pit Admission opens at 4:00 PM, General Admission opens at 5:00 PM and racing starts at 7:00 PM.
Saturday Sept. 14th – Fans will see a full show of Modifieds and Ohio Valley Roofers Legend Cars as well as B-Main’s and the two segment American Heritage Classic A-Main!
Stay up to date with all that is going on throughout and leading up to the Epic Weekend on Twitter at @BMCupdates! Also find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BrushcreekMotorsports. If you have any questions you can call promoter Steven Partin at 937-515-1353 or email him at stevenpartin@brushcreekmotorsports.com. Do not miss the Epic Weekend Sept. 12th-14th! #EpicWeekend2013