More than 110 entries for 50th Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic as heats scrapped from final night

Premier Speedway general manager Michael Parry said the club had broken with tradition, scrapping heats for the third-night finale.

It will instead run gold, silver and bronze scrambles featuring the best qualifiers from nights one and two to determine the starting line-up for the 40-lap A-Main on Sunday, January 29.

The final night of racing will also feature six other races - an F-Main (if required), E-Main, D-Main, C-Main and two B-Mains - to help finalise the 24-car field for the feature race.

Parry said the two qualifying nights remained unchanged in format and would include hot laps, qualifying laps, two heats per car and C, B and A-Mains.

He said the changes meant the top-three placegetters on January 27 and January 28 would earn direct passage to the gold scramble.

"The Friday and Saturday will become more true qualifying nights and cars will be able to lock themselves into the A-Main following their qualifying nights," Parry said.

"Then outside of that drivers will be competing in (lower mains) to progress themselves if they weren't one of the lucky ones to lock in."

Parry said there were a number of reasons for the alterations.

"It was taking into consideration the tyre supply scenario and it was rewarding guys from their qualifying night rather than penalising them again (with heats) on the last night," he said.

"Being the 50^th it (the format) gives a bit more time to celebrate, honour previous winners too."

The first-year general manager said it was "a bold" move to change the format but he was hopeful it would prove a strong mix.

"It was a bold move on my behalf to present that but like everything I research, you talk to drivers before you come up with what the end result is and I am quite happy," he said.

"At the end of the day it's giving fans a prelude of all the top drivers on track in one race before the classic A-Main.

"Traditionally the crowd wouldn't get to see the best of the best (together) until the very end whereas with this format they're getting two races (the gold scramble and A-Main) with the best of the best."

Parry said it would give spectators a clearer picture of what to expect.

"On the prelim nights, whoever finishes one, two and three they can walk away and know 'hey, those cars are in the classic A-Main'," he said.

"You're not waiting for points to be calculated. They can barrack for their driver and know if he's in the top-three, he's locked into that gold dash on Sunday night."

Classic entries close on January 9.

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