Story by: Corey Latham ~ corey@RACE22.com

Rockingham, NC(December 30, 2009) -- As another year passes, a new tradition just gets stronger. 2009 is coming to an end and that means a few things, first, we survived Christmas, second, we're all a year older and the biggest party in the racing world will take place this New Years Eve at Rockingham Speedway ...

Once again, Matt Dilner and Mike Herman Jr. will have their second annual "Polar Bear New Years Bash" right inside turn 3 of the famous Rockingham infield. That tradition starts the weekend off, and then on Friday the Frank Kimmel Street Stock series will take to the track for 150 laps, another new tradition that is as wild as they come.

As he did last year, former Concord Speedway LMSC champion and Hooters Pro Cup driver turned spotter extraordinaire, Mike Herman Jr. will have his race hauler in the infield of turn 3 as the "base station". This is where the party will be, as he once again will have the induction of three more drivers into the "Short Track Hall Of Fame", following in the footsteps of last years inaugural class of Pee-Wee Jones, Hayward Plyler and T. Taylor Warren.

Also this year at the base camp, enjoy the heated ultralounge or the arena, where famed NASCAR columnist and musician Monte Dutton will be cranking out the tunes and old-time racing stories all night long. Also, while Monte plays, the World Beer Pong Championships will be held, and that event is a as fun to watch as to participate in.

And yes, there will be food. Speed51.com's Matt Dilner will be manning the grills, as the cooker will be going full blast, courtesy of Locklear Farms and K&L Chrome Shop. Last year the food was incredible, and now with the addition of the cooker, my mouth is watering already.

Last year was something to see, but this years blast looks to be five times as big. You'll have music, food, racing personalities, stories, and the occasional Mason jar floating by, a good time will be had by all. And when you wake up you can see 150 laps of racing with 70+ cars going 4-wide into turn 3, can you beat that? We'll have the story on the race next week, but I promise, the night before is a secret, hope to see you all there.