Little Valley Speedway to Host Double Features on July 12th
Due to the untimely invasion of fog on July 3rd, fans are in for a real treat on Saturday, July 12th, when the Summer Late Model Special, sponsored by Emerling Chevrolet/Ford-Mercury, takes to the track. In addition to the regular program, featuring the Super Late Models, Super Stocks, UEMS E-Mods, and Street Stocks, the ULMS Super Late Models, running for $3,000 to win, will run the postponed race from July 3rd, with the field already set, along with the also delayed Street Stock Feature, a $500 to win race, which is set as well, as all qualifiers were completed on July 3rd before the fog made its appearance.
Importantly, the makeup features will run first, beginning at 6:30 sharp, with hot laps set for 5:30 sharp, with the regular show, with its qualifying and features, to follow. The Super Late Models will run for $3,000 to win, with the Super Stocks racing for a $1,000 first place check, the E-Mods vying for $650 for first place, and the Street Stocks running for a hefty $750 winning check as part of the NY/PA Challenge Series. This will be the final event at the speedway until August 24th, as the Cattaraugus County Fair takes center stage, so don’t miss it.
Adult admission remains at $14 for the night, with those under twelve admitted free. Little Valley Speedway is located at the Cattaraugus County Fairgrounds on Rt. 353 in Little Valley, NY, just north of Salamanca, and eight miles from Ellicottville. The track features a covered grandstand, great food, free parking, and free camping with hookups right on the grounds.
For more information, call the speedway at 716-938-9146 or log on to www.littlevalley speedway.com.
-end-
UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 16: Mars Continues Mastery Of Fairbury American Legion Speedway
FAIRBURY, IL – July 5, 2008 – By Kellen Burns/DIRTcar Racing P.R. –
When the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour visits Fairbury American Legion Speedway, Jimmy Mars is at the top of his game.
The 36-year-old driver from Menomonie, Wis., showed his mastery of the quarter-mile oval once again on Saturday night, racing to victory in the track’s 50-lap Summer Nationals event for the third time in the last four years.
A winner of Fairbury’s Summer Nationals A-Main in 2005 and 2006, this year’s tour date turned out to be no different for Mars.
Mars, who started third, drove by Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill., for second early in the feature. He then set his sights on Chatham, Ill.’s Brian Shirley, the race’s polesitter.
Mars and Shirley waged a great battle for the top spot, with Mars trying low and high to get around. Mars finally found something in the middle groove of turns three and four and overtook Shirley on lap five, but a caution flag for a slowing Jordan Bland of Campbellsville, Ky., negated the move.
Mars instantly applied pressure to Shirley again on the restart. Shirley repelled the bids until lap 11, when Mars drove his No. 28 to the inside of Shirley and gained command for good.
“I had a feeling (the track surface) was going to rubber, so I was trying to get to the front to get the lead as soon as I could,” said Mars. “It worked out – twice!”
Mars was in control for the remainder of the distance, building as much as a full straightaway lead before lapped traffic slowed him. A caution flag on lap 27 gave him clear track and he had no trouble during the race’s second half.
Mars attributed the dominant run in part to how well his machine responded to race conditions.
“The car was excellent, it was flawless,” said Mars, who made his first visit to the Summer Nationals RacingJunk.com Victory Lane in his second tour appearance of 2008. “I could run on the inside of (Shirley) and the outside of him. It was a good race.”
Mars, who earned $10,000 for his seventh career Summer Nationals triumph, was followed to the finish line by Shirley. The driver known as ‘Squirrel’ held off a charging Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., to place second.
After starting from the pole, however, Shirley wasn’t happy with a bridesmaid finish.
“It was a tough one to swallow because you don’t want to lose,” said Shirley. “All and all, it wasn’t a bad night.”
Shirley was strong on the low side of the track early in the event, but he couldn’t find a groove to stay out front of Mars in the end.
“He had a better car,” Shirley said of Mars. “I tried to momentum his line and just couldn’t do it. We’ll take it and we’ll move on.”
The runner-up finish did move Shirley into the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals points lead after 16 events. He unofficially grabbed a four-point edge over defending champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., who lost five positions on the final lap due to engine woes and finished 12th.
Miller, who started fifth, made some moves early but found it difficult to move around late in the race. He settled for third.
“It just rubbered up – a one-lane deal,” said Miller. “I about had Shirley (for second). I got clear up beside him. I would have had to go into one and bang pretty bad (to complete the pass). I’m not really into doing that when it’s rubbered up like that.”
Miller knew, however, that Mars was certainly the class of the field.
“We weren’t near as good as Jim was,” said Miller.
Ryan Dauber of Tonica, Ill., scored an ’08 Summer Nationals-best finish of fourth, while Sheppard completed the top five.
Forty-eight cars entered the event, which saw Erb set fast time in the group qualifying session with a lap of 13.41 seconds.
Heat winners were Shirley, Sheppard, Mars, Miller and Bland. Mark Burgtorf of Quincy, Ill., and Don O'Neal of Martinsville, Ind., captured the C-Mains, and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., topped the B-Main.
The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals continues on Sunday night (July 6) with a $6,000-to-win event at Quad City Raceway in East Moline, Ill.
For more information on the Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com.
UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps)
1. Jimmy Mars
2. Brian Shirley
3. Darren Miller
4. Ryan Dauber
5. Steve Sheppard Jr.
6. Billy Moyer
7. Eric Smith
8. Derek Chandler
9. Ryan Unzicker
10. Will Vaught
11. Wes Steidinger
12. Dennis Erb Jr.
13. Daren Friedman
14. Jeep VanWormer
15. Jordan Bland
16. Joe Harlan
17. Randy Korte
18. Jason Feger
19. Scott Bull
20. Kevin Weaver
21. Brian Birkhofer
B-Main Finish: Billy Moyer, Wes Steidinger, Joe Harlan, Jeep Van Wormer, Jesse Stovall, Kevin Weaver, Tim Lance, Scott Bull, Jimmy Dehm, Mark Burgtorf, Don O'Neal, Jason McBride, Jim Felker Jr., Justin Shaw, Rocky Griffin, Mike Provenzano
2008 UMP DIRTcar Racing Summer Nationals Schedule (Date/Day/Track/Location/To Win/Winner – Car Count):
June 12 – Thurs. - Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway/Calvert City, KY - $7,500 (Brad Neat - 40)
June 13 – Fri. - Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rain – postponed to July 11)
June 14 – Sat. - Kamp Motor Speedway/Boswell, IN - $10,000 (Wes Steidinger - 36)
June 15 – Sun. – Tri-State Speedway/Haubstadt, IN - $6,000 (Dennis Erb Jr. – 39)
June 16 – Mon - OFF
June 17 – Tues. – Highland Speedway/Highland, IL - $6,000 (Terry English – 47)
June 18 – Wed. – Belle Clair Speedway/Belleville, IL - $6,000 (Will Vaught – 41)
June 19 – Thurs. – I-57/I-64 Raceway/Mt. Vernon, IL - $6,000 (Darren Miller – 37)
June 20 – Fri. – Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL - $10,000 (Darren Miller – 50)
June 21 – Sat. – I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO - $10,000 (CANCELED – flooding)
June 22 – Sun. – Vermilion Co. Speedway/Danville, IL - $6,000 (Jeep VanWormer – 43)
June 23 – Mon. - OFF
June 24 – Tue. – Sedalia State Fair Speedway/Sedalia, MO - $6,000 (Brian Shirley – 27)
June 25 – Wed. – Lake Ozark Speedway/Eldon, MO - $6,000 (Billy Moyer – 31)
June 26 – Thurs. – Paducah Int’l Raceway/Paducah, KY - $6,000 (Kevin Claycomb – 35)
June 27 – Fri. – Lawrenceburg Speedway/Lawrenceburg, IN - $10,000 (Dennis Erb Jr. – 36)
June 28 – Sat. – Clarksville Speedway/Clarksville, TN - $10,000 (Rain – postponed to July 19)
June 29 – Sun. – Lincoln Speedway/Lincoln, IL - $6,000 (Brian Shirley – 46)
June 30 – Mon. - OFF
July 1 – Tue. – Peoria Speedway/Peoria, IL - $6,000 (Jeep VanWormer – 40)
July 2 – Wed. – Morgan Co. Speedway/Jacksonville, IL - $6,000 (Rain – postponed to Aug. 15)
July 3 – Thurs. – Macon Speedway/Macon, IL - $6,000 (Rain – postponed to Aug. 16)
July 4 – Fri. – Tri-City Speedway/Pontoon Beach, IL - $10,000 (Billy Moyer – 51)
July 5 – Sat. – Fairbury American Legion Speedway/Fairbury, IL -$10,000 (Jimmy Mars - 48)
July 6 – Sun. – Quad City Raceway/East Moline, IL - $6,000
July 7 – Mon. - OFF
July 8 – Tue. – Quincy (IL) Speedway - $6,000
July 9 – Wed. – Spoon River Speedway/Canton, IL - $6,000
July 10 – Thurs. – La Salle Speedway/La Salle, IL - $6,000
July 11 – Fri. – Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rescheduled date)
July 12 – Sat. – Oakshade Raceway/Wauseon, OH - $10,000
July 19 – Sat. – Clarksville Speedway/Clarksville, TN - $10,000 (Rescheduled date)
Aug. 15 – Fri. – Morgan Co. Speedway/Jacksonville, IL - $6,000 (Rescheduled date)
Aug. 16 – Sat. – Macon Speedway/Macon, IL - $6,000 (Rescheduled date)
-end-
Hackett, Lacki, score wins in “Freedom Classic” at Raceway 7
by Jay Pees
Conneaut, OH, (July 4, 2008): For the fourth time and the third different name, Raceway 7 attempted to beat the weather and run its classic event originally known as the “Fall Classic”. After two rainouts at the end of last season the name was changed to the “Fall into Spring Classic” and scheduled for opening night. After rain again plagued the event, the name was again changed to the “Freedom Classic”, with blue skies, sun, and warm temperatures greeting a large crowd of race fans and a full pit area.
Chris Hackett led the Roberts Trucking Super Late Model 30-lap special for the win. John Lacki took over the lead of the Precision Weld Fab FASTRAK Late Model Regional event on a lap 21 restart and led the rest of the event for his first win of the season. Russ Dunn prevailed in the Applebee Motorsports E-Mod feature after a back and forth early battle with Mike Potosky. Dave Ferringer led flag-to-flag in the Zimmer Service Center Open Street Stock finale. The Challenger “Crack the Whip” event was won by Vince Simms.
Jared Miley and Chris Hackett brought the Roberts Trucking Super Late Model field to the green which lasted one lap until Russell King and Greg Oakes had problems resulting in King sideways on the front straight and Oakes heading to the pits with damage. Dave Tackett also headed to the pits with unknown problems. At the restart Hackett held the lead for another lap before caution again flew for a spin by Alan Dellinger. Hackett, Miley, and Dutch Davies led with Miley trying at every turn to gain the advantage to no avail. After a restart at lap six, Chad Valone was able to get by Davis for third while Hackett and Miley fought over the lead. Valone then got by Miley after a lap eleven restart with Davies following into third. At halfway Hackett was still leading with Valone, Davies, Miley, and Matt Urban filling out the top five. At lap nineteen third-running Miley slapped the fourth-turn wall with a tire down. Following Hackett at this point was still Valone with Matt Urban third and perennial hard luck driver Mickey Wright up to fourth from his sixteenth starting position. Valone and Urban raced side by side for a lap after green at lap twenty before Valone again reestablished himself in second. However, neither Valone nor anyone else was able to get close to Hackett as he went on to the $3000 Freedom Classic Victory. Valone was second with Urban third, David Scott, from 11th on the start, and Wright.
Dave Osterberg led from the pole position for the first lap before caution slowed the Precision Weld Fab FASTRAK regional event. Osterberg continued to lead after green again appeared with Tom Snyder coming to second at lap five, John Lacki third, Alan Dellinger fourth, and Dennis Lunger fifth when caution again came over the raceway at lap eight. At the restart several cars, including fourth-running Dellinger spun in turn one. After green, due to the double-file restart Tom Snyder got by the leader and four laps later Lacki got by for second. Lunger then got by Osterberg for third. Dick Barton came to third at lap twenty, ten a lap later Lunger lost the handle in turn three, looping his mount. The resulting double-file restart erased a half straight lead and gave the second-running Lacki the preferred line allowing him to gain the lead when green again flew. At the finish it was Lacki, Snyder, Bumpy Hedman, Dick Barton, and Alan Dellinger.
Late Models Feature: Chris Hackett, Chad Valone, Matt Urban, David Scott, Mickey Wright, Todd Andrews, Dutch Davies, Mike Knight, Dick Barton, Doug Ricotta, Ron Davies, Rich Gardner, Ryan Scott, Alan Dellinger, Brent Rhebergen, Bumpy Hedman, Jared Miley, Jason Morell, Dan Maxim, Darrell Bossard, Dennis Lunger, Dave Tackett, Greg Oakes, Russell King
FASTRAK Late Models Feature: John Lacki, Tom Snyder, Bumpy Hedman, Dick Barton, Alan Dellinger, Jay Watson, Justin Kann, Greg Oakes, Rusty Moore, Andy Buckley, Dave Osterberg, Max Blair, Bob Diver, Butch Lambert, Jon Law, Kevin Meadows, Steve Hollabaugh, Dan Stives, Dennis Lunger, Tom Copeland, Roger French, Bob Kish, Derek Frank, Bobby Powell
-end-
Pearson Jr. in Victory Lane at "The Gap"
BULLS GAP, TN (July 5, 2008) - Scoring his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win since his victory at Golden Isles back in early April; 3-time and reigning LOLMDS National Champion Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL passed Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN with eight laps remaining as he went on to win the Toyota Tundra 60 on Saturday Night at Volunteer Speedway. Owens then handed over second place to Dale McDowell after Owens and a lapped car got into it, just after Pearson had passed him for the lead. Trailing Pearson and McDowell across the finish line were Chad Ogle of Sevierville, TN, Rick Rogers from Knoxville, TN and Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series regular Bart Hartman of Zanesville, OH.
Rogers and McDowell would start on the front row of the 60 lap main event, with chief starter Kelley Carlton waving the green flag to begin the $10,000 to win race. McDowell would take his Rocket Chassis to the point on the first lap with third-place starter Jimmy Owens edging by Rogers to take second place with one lap in the books.
McDowell, the former World 100 and Hav-A-Tampa Series Champion set sail in the early going as he stretched his lead to six-car lengths by the fourth circuit. The top five with five laps in the books were McDowell, Owens, Rogers, Scott Bloomquist and Chris Madden. With McDowell in control of the race, he would start to encounter some lapped traffic by the ninth lap which would impede him just enough that Owens was able to cut his lead down.
McDowell would maintain a six-to-seven car length advantage despite contending with lapped traffic for four laps until Owens sliced it to three lengths with 14 laps recorded. Owens, then, was all over McDowell as he closed right on his left rear quarter panel a lap later. Owens made a successful pass for the lead overhauling McDowell in heavy traffic on lap 16.
Owens opened up some distance between himself and McDowell as Bloomquist was now putting the pressure on McDowell after Bloomquist had battled with Rogers for the first 17 laps until he was finally able to overtake the veteran driver on the 18th lap.
Bloomquist continued to hound McDowell as Owens continued to show domination out in front. Chris Madden began to make some moves as he passed Rogers for fourth on the 22nd lap as he put himself in contention as he closed quickly on the race on front of him for second between McDowell and Bloomquist.
Bloomquist would move into second around McDowell on lap 24 and then without much hesitation he would rapidly gain ground on Owens, as Owens was entering more lapped traffic as the race was caution-free up until this point. Owens would put two lapped cars between himself and Bloomquist giving him some cushion as the halfway-mark approached.
With 30 laps down Owens still held the point with Bloomquist, McDowell, Madden and Rogers in the top five running order. Bloomquist would make quick work of the two lapped cars between he and Owens as the 2008 Eldora Dirt Late Model Dream winner closed right on the rear deck lid of Owens' car.
Coming off of turn four on lap 36 the front of the field would suddenly bunch up in traffic as Madden apparently laid down some fluids on the track which forced the drivers to take evasive action which almost caused a major pileup. Madden would take his smoking car to the pits relinquishing his fourth place running position.
On the restart Owens would be out in front for the Delaware double-file restart with Bloomquist and McDowell lined up side-by-side behind him. Bloomquist would be on the outside for the restart and has he accelerated into the first turn he hopped the cushion and slid into the wall with the right front of his car. Bloomquist would slid down the track just enough as Dan Schlieper would clip the rear of Bloomquist' car causing further damage. Both cars were done for the night along with Joe Armes' mount that stopped in turn two along with Brad Neat.
So with one of his main competitors (Bloomquist) out of the race Owens would see the green flag to restart race as the fans were treated to another side-by-side tussle between McDowell and Pearson, who had started seventh in the field. Pearson was able to clear McDowell on lap 37 to take over the second spot.
Owens extended his lead to three lengths with 20 laps to go and moments later it was a six car length lead as Owens was cruising around the 4/10ths mile track with little difficulty. With 15 laps to go it was a solid lead for the '07 World 100 winner, but seemingly in an instance Pearson got the Bobby Labonte Racing #44 up to speed as the widdled down Owens' lead in a heartbeat as he closed to within a two-car length deficit with 13 laps to go.
Pearson then got right on Owens' left rear quarter panel and when Owens slid up the track entering turn four on lap 52 that open the door for Pearson to go the inside of Owens and pass him for the lead. Both Pearson and Owens were contending with a lapped car for several laps and just when Pearson made the move to pass Owens, Owens would get together with the lapped car ramping over the left rear of that car which caused damage to the right front of Owens' mount and that would end any hopes that Owens had for the win as he slowed on the track and went pitside.
On the restart, Pearson would hold the point for the first time in the event, but a caution after the restart for Vic Hill and Mark Vineyard would slow the field one more time. Hill who was running sixth at the time did a 360 in turn four and kept his position in the race as he did not stop on the race track.
That would be the last caution of the race and Pearson was up to the task of holding a comfortable lead the rest of the way as he would go on to record his 12th career Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series victory and his second of 2008.
In the Lucas Oil Victory Lane, Pearson was relieved the race was over after seeing two top contenders (Owens and Bloomquist) not finish the race. "It's been a long-time coming, our crew has worked their rear ends off, it's been an up and down season, I've flipped, got knocked out and broke my wrist. This is the car that Bobby (Labonte) drove in the Prelude and it ran so good I think I'll just keep on racing this car so maybe I won't give it back to him to drive," said the 36-year old who is in his second year driving for the 2000 NASCAR Champion. "Those Bloomquist cars are always tough here, I'm not sure what happened to Bloomquist out there, but with Jimmy, he's a great driver as well and we had a good race with him and you hate to see what happened to him, but we were just in the right place at the right time tonight, I've got to thank my crew Randall, Matt and Keith for the great job they do and thanks to all the fans that came out tonight, I hope they enjoyed the show."
The Bobby Labonte Racing Team #44 based out of Archdale, NC is sponsored by LifeLong Locks, Lucas Oil Products and Sunoco Race Fuels as he MasterSbilt Dodge Charger is powered by a Larry Wallace Racing Engines.
McDowell of Chickamauga, GA finished second in the Base Racing Fuels/Clements Engines/Rocket followed by Chad Ogle who was making his first career LOLMDS start in his Sammy's Hardware Store/AFCO/GRT Monte Carlo. Completing the top five were Rick Rogers in the Greeneville Forest Products/Vic Hill Racing Engines/Warrior Monte Carlo as ninth-place starter Bart Hartman in the Imler's Poultry/Cornett Engines/Rocket Monte Carlo came home fifth.
Completing the top ten were 14th starting Shanon Buckingham, Tommy Kerr, Vic Hill, Ray Cook and Mark Vineyard.
In preliminary racing action Jimmy Owens was the PRC Fast Timer in qualifications with a lap of 12.298 seconds among the 44 entrants on hand. The heat races were won by Owens, Dale McDowell, Scott Bloomquist and Rick Rogers. The B-mains went to Tommy Kerr and Dan Schlieper.
In the first B-main of the night LOLMDS driver John Mason of Millersburg, OH was involved in a mishap on the main straightaway that left the Hall of Famer suffering from concussion like symptoms after he took a hard hit in the wreck which knocked one of the wheels off the car. He was later transported to an area hospital in Greeneville, TN. Mason had complained of arm and neck pain at the track, but x-rays proved negative on those. The results of a cat-scan showed that Mason had sustained a concussion, with doctors releasing him shortly after.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will be back on the track Sunday Night, July 6th at Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, TN for the Toyota Knoxville 75. The event was originally scheduled for Friday Night but persistent rain showers forced the event to be postponed until Sunday Night. For more information you can go to www.tazewellspeedway.net.
Fast Time: Jimmy Owens/12.298 seconds
"Toyota Tundra 60" Feature Finish (60 Laps): Earl Pearson Jr., Dale McDowell, Chad Ogle, Rick Rogers, Bart Hartman, Shanon Buckingham, Tommy Kerr, Vic Hill, Ray Cook, Mark Vineyard, Billy Drake, Steve Casebolt, John Gill, Shane Roberts, Michael Smith, Justin Rattliff, Jimmy Owens, Bryan Hendrix, Brad Neat, Scott Bloomquist, Dan Schlieper, Joe Armes, Chris Madden, Billy Ogle Jr.
Race Statistics
Entries: 44
Caution Flags: 4
Lap Leaders: Dale McDowell 1-15, Jimmy Owens 16-52, Earl Pearson Jr. 53-60
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: Steve Casebolt, Billy Drake
s
Time of the Race: 35 minutes
Current Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Championship Points Standings
1) Earl Pearson Jr. (Jacksonville, FL) 3665
2) Steve Casebolt (Richmond, IN) 3500
3) Bart Hartman (Zanesville, OH) 3370
4) Dan Schlieper (Sullivan, WI) 3230
5) Justin Rattliff (Campbellsville, KY) 3220
6) Billy Drake (Bloomington, IL) 3075
7) Scott James (Lawrenceburg, IN) 3015
8) Terry Casey (New London, WI) 2880
9) Freddy Smith (Seymour, TN) 2630
10) Wayne Chinn (Bradford, OH) 2425
-end-
Hagerstown Speedway Results
Saturday
1st Annual Red Nininger Memorial, Shootout II, Late Models, (PP from June 14) 40 laps, 32 entries, (Lap Leaders –Gary Stuhler 1-40) 1.Gary Stuhler; 2.Tyler Armstrong; 3.Keith Jackson; 4.Marvin Winters; 5.Rick Eckert; 6.Jim Yoder; 7.Paul Crowl; 8.Brian Booze; 9.Devin Friese; 10.Andy Anderson; 11.Tommy Armel; 12.Scott LeBarron; 13.J.T. Spence; 14.Brent Smith; 15.Mike Lupfer; 16.Alan Sagi; 17.Darryl Hills; 18.Billy Wampler; 19.Ronnie DeHaven Jr.; 20.Ray Kable Jr.; 21.Roy Deese Jr.; 22.Frankie Plessinger; 23.Les Hare; 24.D.J. Troutman; DNQ: Mike Hardy, Chris Fletcher, Chris Croner, Larry Baker II, Mike Atherton, Doug Stine, DNS – Jamie Lathroum, Nathan Durboraw
Maryland Clash (Allegany County/Hagerstown) (PP From May 17) - Late Model Sportsman, 30 Laps, 28 entries (Lap Leaders – Scott Palmer 1-2, Jerry Bard 3-30): 1.Jerry Bard; 2.Ashley Barrett; 3.Scott Palmer; 4.Tyler Armstrong; 5.Jamie Swank; 6.Matt Sponaugle; 7.Richard Walls; 8.Kyle Lear; 9.Barry Lear Sr.; 10.Paul Cursey; 11.Courney Shreiner; 12.Francis Stone; 13.Travis Stickley; 14.Dan Zechman; 15.Barry Miller; 16.Eugene Conlee; 17.Brian Lessley; 18.Dylan Yoder; 19.Mike Shoemaker; 20.Michael Collins; 21.Pete Weaver; 22.Wayne Walls Jr.; 23.Terry Flaherty; 24.Andy Fries; DNQ – Nick Pappas, Steve McCastney, Rob Gergel, Glenn Nininger Jr.
-end-
MACS late model feature'Pepsi 75': 1. Eddie Carrier Jr., 2. Jason Covert, 3. Donnie Moran, 4. Doug Horton, 5. Eric Wells, 6. Mike Balzano, 7. R.J. Conley, 8. Coleby Frye, 9. Delmas Conley, 10. Jack Pencil, 11. Russell King, 12. Josh McGuire, 13. Josh Bocook, 14. Mike Marlar, 15. Josh Richards, 16. Steve Francis, 17. Jason Montgomery, 18. Matt Miller, 19. Jackie Boggs, 20. Doug Drown, 21. Jeremy Miller, 22. Ben Adkins, 23. Audie Swartz, 24. Greg Fetters.
O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass Rained Out at 201 Speedway
Sitka, KY-July 5, 2008- The O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Models were set for their second appearance of the 2008 race season at 201 Speedway on Saturday evening, but heavy rains moved over the Sitka, KY clay oval around 5:00 p.m., forcing track and series officials to cancel the evening’s race program.
The event was cancelled and series officials hope to be able to render a possible make-up date for this event at the Chuckie May promoted facility. All track and series officials apologize for any inconvenience this weathered out event has caused to race fans and race teams.
The next events for the O’Reilly Battle of the Bluegrass DirtCar Series Super Late Models will be a Central Kentucky weekend doubleheader, beginning on Friday July 11 at Ponderosa Speedway in Junction City, KY for the 10th Annual Pete Abell Memorial, paying $3,000 to win. Bluegrass Speedway in Bardstown, KY will host the tour the following evening on Saturday July 12 for the 10th Annual Kentuckiana Klash, with $5,000 up grabs to the winner of that event.
-end-
Critical Nine-Race World of Outlaws Late Model Series ‘Wild West Tour’ Kicks Off July 9 At Deer Creek Speedway
Swing Will Visit Minnesota, North Dakota, Saskatchewan, Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas & Nebraska
CONCORD, NC – July 5, 2008 – Go west, young men.
That’s the directive for the stars of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, which is about to embark on an unprecedented summertime odyssey across six states and one Canadian province located in the western half of North America.
Beginning with the 29th annual Featherlite Trailers ‘Gopher 50’ on Wed., July 9, at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minn., the WoO LMS ‘Wild West Tour’ will contest nine $10,000-to-win events over a 13-day period. The swing features two shows in Minnesota, two in North Dakota and one each in Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wyoming and the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
The 2008 WoO LMS will still have 19 shows remaining following the Wild West Tour, so the trip isn’t do-or-die for the drivers chasing the $100,000 series points championship. But the grueling stretch of racing that will keep teams far from their home shops for an extended period of time will certainly put an indelible stamp on the points battle.
“You can’t win the championship on the swing,” said Rick Eckert of York, Pa., who ranks third in the WoO LMS points standings and enters the Wild West Tour as one of the hottest drivers on the trail. “But you can definitely lose it. If you have problems and start dropping out of races, you’re going to be in big trouble.”
There will be little time to rest for the WoO LMS travelers, who figure to log over 2,250 miles in their haulers hustling between the tracks on the Wild West Tour. The swing is the most ambitious in the history of the WoO LMS, both in number and frequency of dates (races in five consecutive nights to start the tour will be a first for the series) as well as geography (the series is making its biggest penetration ever into the west).
“You don’t want to have the ‘snowball effect’ start happening to you out there,” said defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who is hoping the western excursion gets him back on track after a subpar ‘Great Northern Tour’ dropped him from the points lead to 70 points behind in fourth place. “If you happen to crash out a car at Deer Creek or one of the early races, we’re too far out west to do much other than try to patch it up so you’ll basically be behind for the rest of the trip.”
Preparation, preparation, preparation – that’s going to be the key to success on the Wild West Tour.
“We’re just gonna go out there with our stuff as ready to go as we can get it,” said WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who heads west carrying an amazing streak of 10 consecutive top-five finishes in series events. “We’re gonna keep doing the same things we’ve been doing, but at the same time you know you have to be extra prepared to be out on the road for a few weeks.”
The Wild West Tour kicks off with a rush, running five nights in a row starting on July 9 at Deer Creek Speedway, a three-eighths-mile oval that is the most senior host of WoO LMS events on the swing. The Queensland family’s track will hold its fifth series event since 2006.
Following Deer Creek on the busy opening-week schedule are stops on July 10 at North Central Speedway in Brainerd, Minn., which returns to the WoO LMS for the first time since 2006 and will have its action taped for broadcast on SPEED at 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 16; July 11 at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, N.D., which is part of the series for the third consecutive season; July 12 at Saskatchewan’s Estevan Motor Speedway, which brings the Outlaws across the Canadian for the fourth time this season; and July 13 at Williston Basin Speedway in Williston, N.D.
Two well-deserved off-days (July 14-15) precede the second half of the Wild West Tour, which features stops on July 16 at Gillette (Wyo.) Thunder Speedway; July 18 at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, S.D.; July 20 at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks, which drew a standing-room-only crowd for its inaugural WoO LMS event in 2007; and July 21 at Boone County Raceway in Albion, Neb., where the Outlaws action will be part of the annual Boone County Fair.
The WoO LMS will make first-ever visits to Estevan, Williston Basin, Gillette, Brown County and Boone County, and eight of the nine A-Mains will be run over the 50-lap distance. Only the event at the wicked-fast Belleville half-mile will be shorter.
Francis, Lanigan and Eckert are among the WoO LMS regulars who will headline the Wild West Tour. The series roster also includes 20-year-old Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who is tied with three-time series champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., atop the trail’s 2008 win list with four victories; Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., who won last year’s Gopher 50 at Deer Creek; Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.; Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill.; Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga.; Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y.; John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va.; and 2008 Rookie of the Year contender Vic Coffey of Leicester, N.Y.
An array of top regional racers will challenge the Outlaws throughout the Wild West Tour, including Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. (the entire swing is on his schedule); Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., who plans to enter the first five shows; Kelly Boen of Henderson, Col. (slated to join the tour at River Cities and continue for the ensuing five events); John Anderson of Omaha, Neb. (the first three shows plus tentative appearances at Belleville and Boone County); and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa.
Immediately following the Wild West Tour, the WoO LMS will head back east for the Alltel Ohio Speedweek to continue the furious month of July. Speedweek events are scheduled for July 24 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio; July 25 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; July 26 at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio; and July 27 at Eriez Speedway in Hammett, Pa.
The tour’s postponed $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., will close out the month on Tues., July 29.
When the flurry of July racing is finally completed, WoO LMS teams will have traveled anywhere from 4,800 to 5,600 miles from their shops and back.
For more information on the ‘Wild West Tour’:
* Deer Creek Speedway on Wed., July 9: Visit www.deercreekspeedway.com or call 1-877-DCS-RACE.
* North Central Speedway on Thurs., July 10: Visit www.racencs.net or call 218-828-1545.
* River Cities Speedway on Fri., July 11: Visit www.rivercitiesspeedway.com or call 701-780-0999.
* Estevan Motor Speedway on Sat., July 12: Visit www.estevanmotorspeedway.com or call 306-636-7500.
* Williston Basin Speedway on Sun., July 13: Visit www.basinspeedway.com or call 701-774-8008.
* Gillette Thunder Speedway on Wed., July 16: Visit www.gillettespeedway.com or call 307-682-7290.
* Brown County Speedway on Fri., July 18: Visit www.browncountyspeedway.net or call 605-225-0762.
* Belleville High Banks on Sun., July 20: Visit www.highbanks.org or call 785-527-2488.
* Boone County Speedway on Mon., July 21: Visit www.boonecountyraceway.com or call 402-395-5171.
2008 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Point Standings as of June 25 - 18 A-Mains completed (rank/driver/wins/top-5s/top-10s/earnings/points/deficit to leader):
1. Darrell Lanigan 2-10-16-$50,150-2451 (-0)
2. Josh Richards 4-10-14-$72,160-2415 (-36)
3. Rick Eckert 1-9-14-$49,050-2401 (-50)
4. Steve Francis 1-8-14-$86,650-2381 (-70)
5. Chub Frank 1-7-12-$40,630-2375 (-76)
6. Shane Clanton 0-8-12-$35,430-2335 (-116)
7. Shannon Babb 1-6-12-$52,200-2331 (-120)
8. Clint Smith 1-5-9-$33,010-2301 (-150)
9. Tim Fuller 0-3-5-$20,620-2195 (-256)
10. John Blankenship 0-0-5-$21,070-2161 (-290)
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Toyota Knoxville 75 at Tazewell Speedway Postponed to Sunday
TAZEWELL, TN (July 4, 2008) - The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Toyota Knoxville 75 scheduled for Friday Night at Tazewell Speedway in Tazewell, TN was postponed by persistent rain showers that hit the area just as PRC Time Trials went underway. The event will be re-scheduled, in its entirety, for this Sunday Night, July 6th.
There will be a complete show for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series on Sunday Night at Tazewell with PRC Time Trials, Heat Races, B-Mains, and the Toyota Knoxville 75 paying $10,000 to win. Pit gates will open at 3 pm with main grandstand gates opening at 5 PM. For more information, log onto www.tazewellspeedway.net.
The series will be back in action on Saturday Night, July 5th at the Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, TN for the Toyota Tundra 60 paying $10,000 to win. For more information you can log onto www.volunteerspeedway.com.
-end-
CHAD SIMPSON ROCKETS TO WDRL FIREWORKS WIN AT CLAY COUNTY
Iowa driver grabs the lead on the first circuit
By Bucky Doren
WORLD Dirt Racing League
Spencer, Iowa (July 5, 2008) -- Chad Simpson made his own fireworks, in a manner of speaking, as he drove to the WORLD Dirt Racing League Late
Model Series win here last night at Clay County Speedway. Simpson, of Mount Vernon, Iowa, led all 50 laps despite a series of caution flags that kept
the field close.
Simpson started on the outside front row and had the lead as he and polesitter Denny Eckrich, of Tiffin, Iowa, came off of turn two. Simpson
then rode the top shelf to the win.
"My little brother (Chris) said, 'I suppose you're going to run the cushion'" the older Simpson recalled in Victory Lane. "I like to run
there, but it's more about running where the track is fast, and tonight it was going to be tough to pass anyone on the bottom.
"I have got to thank my crew," Simpson went on to say following the last of three races in a WDRL holiday week swing. "It's been a great three days
for us. This car is awesome! They've worked their butts off setting this car up, and it paid off big tonight."
The win at Clay County Speedway was Simpson's first of 2008 and his first WDRL career win.
Going into the action, Simpson was hoping to gain ground on WDRL Late ModelSeries point leader John Kaanta, of Elk Mound, Wis. He did with the
victory,but only by the slimmest of margins. That's because Kaanta ran toward the front all night and took home second. But Kaanta really had to work for
the runner-up spot.
He was forced to battle with Denny Eckrich and Jason Utter, of Columbus Junction, Iowa, through the second half of the main event. Eventually
Eckrich and Utter, while fighting for the same piece of racing real estate, collected each other on turn two. Both were done for the night.
Chris Simpson drove to a third-place finish. That wasn't easy as mud had packed into his right rear wheel and made his car a handful to keep under
control. Eric Pember, of Pittsville, Wis., and Chris Spieker, of Messena, Iowa, rounded out the top five, respectively.
WDRL FEATURE: 50 Laps
1. Chad Simpson, 2. John Kaanta, 3. Chris Simpson, 4. Eric Pember, 5. Chris Spieker, 6. Rick Hanestad, 7. Dave Eckrich, 8. Matt Furman, 9. Dennis
Hillson, 10. Jeremy Grady, 11. Curt Martin, 12. Randy Rosenbloom, 13. Gary Webb, 14. Alonzo Grosse, 15. Andrew McKay, 16. Jason O'Brien, 17. Denny
Eckrich, 18. Jason Utter, 19. Frank Heckenast Jr., 20. Rob Moss, 21. Skip Frey.
-end-
JOHN KAANTA FLIES TO WDRL WIN AT EAGLE
Wisconsin driver takes second race of a three-race swing
By Bucky Doren
WORLD Dirt Racing League
Eagle, Neb. (July 4, 2008) -- John Kaanta of Elk Mound, Wis., soared to the WORLD Dirt Racing League win last night here at Eagle Raceway despite a
late-race caution that tightened the field.
Kaanta started on the outside front row and beat polesitter Bryant Goldsmith of Corning, Iowa, off of turn two for the lead. Kaanta held the lead while working through heavy lapped traffic on the fast-paced third-mile oval.
"While I was trying to get around lapped traffic, I kept hearing motors around me," Kaanta said after the race. "I wasn't sure if they were lapped cars or not, and I wasn't sure how close they were to me."
Throughout most of the 50-lap WDRL feature event, Kaanta had one or two lapped cars between Goldsmith, in second place, and himself. With 10 laps to go, Goldsmith had dispensed of the lapped traffic and was on Kanta’s back bumper.
"I didn't know he was that close," Kaanta added. "The late yellow (flag) helped clean up my view." The caution period with six laps remaining tightened up the field, but it also left Kaanta with a clean racetrack to work with.
"You always worry about the guys behind you, and where they are running," Kaanta admitted. "I won races and lost races that way. You never know
where everyone is running behind you, but we were able to hold them off for the win."
Goldsmith battled hard, trying to get through lapped traffic. As he finally broke free of the back markers, Goldsmith was looking to use the those cars to his advantage to try and steal the win away from Kaanta. But the waving yellow flag took that chance away, and Goldsmith settled for second. Kyle Berck, Eric Pember and Chad Simpson, respectively, rounded out the top five.
The third and final race of the firecracker tour for the WORLD Dirt Racing League Late Model Series takes the gang to Clay County Speedway in Spencer, Iowa, tonight, Friday, July 4.
50-lap WDRL FEATURE:
1. John Kaanta, 2. Bryant Goldsmith, 3. Kyle Berck, 4. Eric Pember, 5. Chad Simpson, 6. Rick Hanestad, 7. Kelly Boen, 8. Jason Utter, 9. Matt Furman,
10. Rob Moss, 11. John Anderson, 12. Denny Eckrich, 13. Jason Frisen, 14. Delbert Smith, 15. Joe Kosiski, 16. Dave Eckrich, 17. Mike Wiarda, 18.
Mike Collins, 19. Chris Simpson, 20. Ben Schaller, 21. John Hampel, 22. Chris Spieker, 23. Frank Heckenast Jr., 24. Al Humphrey, 25. Shawn Harker, 26.
Mike Stadel.
-end-
Keith Barbara Is Dandy at the 33rd Annual UFo Yankee Doodle at Central PA Speedway!
(July 3, 2008) Keith Barbara was the winner of the 33rd Annual Yankee Doodle 50, presented by C&B Bank and the Nevasky Foundation on Thursday night at Central PA Speedway. The South Park, PA driver survived two rain delays that stretched the 52 lap feature race to over three hours in the event for the Unified Force Race Championship Super Late Model Tour presented by Comcast .
With a field of 34 cars on hand, four qualifying races were run. Heat 1 was won by Rodney Sweitzer from the outside pole, a fete duplicated by Tim Fedder in Heat 2. Heat 3 went to D.J. Myers also from outside row 1, with Alex Ferree winning Heat 4 from starting position 4. With threatening weather throughout the area for the duration of the race day, track management graciously announced that they would eliminate the need for any Last Chance Races, by allowing all 34 cars the chance to run the feature event.
In the redraw for the top 12 starting positions, the higher positions went early, with the two front row positions still available to the last three drivers to draw. The tenth driver to draw, Jared Miley, finally nabbed the pole position. Gregg Satterlee was next to draw, and nabbed position 2, and the 34-car starting field was set to go. 33 cars would start the 33rd running of the Yankee Doodle, with just nationally-known Hooters Pro Cup Series point leader Benny Gordon, making a rare dirt race start, unable to answer the call due to car problems in his heat race.
The 33rd Annual Yankee Doodle 50 was set, running a distance of 51 laps in regards to UFo Area 51 procedure. With Jared Miley and Gregg Satterlee leading the field to green at exactly 9:00 PM, Satterlee blasted into the lead in turn two, but the caution flag immediately replaced the green as Josh Kennelley spun at the flagstand. The second try for a start was a good one, as Satterlee again used a good run through turn two on the outside to grab the lead. Lap 2 saw the caution appear, and during this caution period a few drops of rain started to fall. It caused the race to go into a rain delay, as the track crew immediately went to work to help prepare the soggy surface into shape. After 51 minute delay, the racing was able to resume.
An incident on the attempted restart saw a tangle that knocked UFo point leader Alex Ferree from competition. Racing resumed with Satterlee leading, but eighth starting Keith Barbara got a good run on the inside as he advanced from fifth at the break to second. Miley settled into third, with Mike Johnson and Chub Frank trailing. Frank and D.J. Myers passed Johnson to take fourth and fifth on lap 4. With the leaders quickly catching the tail of the field, lap 6 saw Barbara use the inside of turn two to take the lead at lap 7. Miley grabbed second from Satterlee on lap 8, as the caution appeared.
On a lap 11 restart, Barbara continued to show the way, with Miley and Satterlee now racing for second. Satterlee used the outside to take second on lap 14, with Frank passing Miley a lap later. Frank passed Satterlee for second on lap 16, and closed quickly on leader Barbara. Barbara and Frank were side by side at the line on lap 17 with Barbara still inches ahead. Frank moved ahead through turns one and two, but the move was wiped out by a yellow flag before the next lap could be scored.
Barbara was good again on the low side of turn one on the restart, pulling to a comfortable lead. Shawn McGarvey had advanced quietly to third after starting 14th, and now slipped past Frank to take second. Satterlee and Mike Blose from 15th now filled the top five. Caution again waved on lap 19, with a couple sprinkles showing again. Barbara again showed the way, but McGarvey challenged for the lead at lap 20. The two were racing hard for the lead entering turn one, and McGarvey spun to force the yellow at lap 20. Blose was now third, ahead of Satterlee and Miley.
Frank slowed with a flat tire the next time by for another caution. Rain concerns saw yellow flag laps count on this caution period only, and racing resumed on lap 26. Blose, Miley, 21st starting Jason Witherite, and Satterlee now filled the top five. Rain once again slowed the pace, causing a second rain delay with 29 laps complete. This delay lasted over an hour, with racing resuming as Patsy Cline was singing "Walking After Midnight."
Back to green, lap 30 had Barbara leading Blose, Miley, Witherite, and Chris Farrell. Farrell then spun in turn three to force the caution. McGarvey made ground on this restart, passing Witherite to take third on lap 32. Frank moved back to fourth as caution waved with 34 complete. Tim Fedder moved into fifth as things stabilized at the front. A ragged restart on lap 39 shuffled the top five again, with the next lap showing Barbara over Frank, Blose, Miley, and McGarvey, as caution appeared again at lap 40.
With the race winding down, Chub Frank passed Barbara for the lead on the back straight, but Barbar retook the lead from Frank with a hard drive into turn 4. A last lap caution forced two laps to be run, but at the finish it was Barbara getting the prestigious victory. Frank was second after two visits to the pits. Blose was a solid third. Miley rallied in the late laps for fourth, and in the process took over the UFo point lead. McGarvey came back for fifth, with Satterlee, Witherite, Tim Fedder, Matt Gaston, and Rodney Sweitzer filling the top ten.
UFo Contingency Connection winners of this event included Pass-Maximum Award winners were Jerry Redden, Chris Farrell, and Herman Bertolini. Each driver advanced 15 positions in the main event. Each winner will receive product certificate awards depending on the number of products for which a driver is registered and eligible out of the 75+ product sponsors. A driver eligible for 20 products will receive $500 in awards.
The next event in the UFo Race Championship Tour presented by Comcast will be on Sunday, July 13 at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway for the running of the Red Miley Memorial 53. The winner of the 53 lap main event will pocket $5,300, and with lap money included, it is possible for the winner to earn as much as $8,109. Semi-Lates and Cadets under UFo rules will also be on the card. Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway is located at Imperial, PA, west of Pittsburgh off of US 22/30 at the Noblestown exit. PPMS information may be obtained at http://www.ppms.com or by calling 412-279-7223.
Unified Force Championship Tour presented by Comcast Super Late Model results for Central Pennsylvania Speedway for Thursday, July 3, 2008.
Car count – 34.
Feature – with finish, start, car, driver, and hometown
1, 8, 17, Keith Barbara, South Park, PA
2, 5, 1* , Chub Frank, Bear Lake, PA
3, 15, 5, Mike Blose, Dayton, PA
4, 1, H1, Jared Miley, South Park, PA
5, 14, 8H, Shawn McGarvey, Coalport, PA
6, 2, 22, Gregg Satterlee, Rochester Mills, PA
7, 21, 24M, Jason Witherite, Luthersburg, PA
8, 9, 8, Tim Fedder, Millerstown, PA
9 , 20, 47, Matt Gaston, Rochester Mills, PA
10, 7, 84, Rodney Sweitzer, Stoystown, PA
11, 4, 2J, Mike Johnson, Imperial, PA
12, 27, 5R , Jerry Redden, Mahaffey, PA
13, 28, 53, Chris Farrell, Clearfield, PA
14, 23, 33, Bernie Whiteford, Hastings, PA
15, 11, 1B, Dwayne Brooks, Falls Creek, PA
16, 26, 7J, Josh Young, Berwick, PA
17, 30, D42, Matt Dobnak, West Mifflin, PA
18, 33, 7X, Herman Bertolini, Creighton, PA
19, 29, W1, Tim Smith, Jr., McVeytown, PA
20, 32, 55, Denny Fenton, Clearfield, PA
21, 13, 51, Chuck Kennedy, Brockway, PA
22, 24, 34D , Bob Dunn, East Waterford, PA
23, 10, 70J, D.J. Myers, Greencastle, PA
24, 19, 27, Bobby Stokes, Milton, PA
25, 3, 231, George Fultz, Beech Creek, PA
26, 18, 17B, Todd Baumgardner, West Decatur, PA
27, 25, 4W, Keith Witherite, Mahaffey, PA
28, 6, 75, Mel Minnick, Jr., Uniontown, PA
29, 16, 32, Billy Dickson, West Decatur, PA
30, 22, 82G, Ted Gallaher, Irvona, PA
31, 12, 4, Alex Ferree, Saxonburg, PA
32, 17, 19C, Chris Clark, Curwensville, PA
33, 31, 23, Josh Kennelley, Blanchard, PA
Did not start, Benny Gordon, DuBois, PA
Feature 1 Lead Changes – 1.
Satterlee 1-6, Barbara 7-52.
Updated UFo Series point standings –
1. 347.5, Jared Miley
2. 344.5, Alex Ferree
3. 336.5, Keith Barbara
4. 324.5, Gregg Satterlee
5. 324, Shawn McGarvey
6. 310, Mike Johnson
7. 308, Rodney Sweitzer
8. 288, Matt Dobnak
9. 287, Herman Bertolni
10. 285, Mel Minnick, Jr.
-end-
Rain-Postponed Firecracker 100 Weekend At Lernerville Speedway Rescheduled For Tues., July 29
SARVER, PA – June 30, 2008 – All 180 laps of the rain-postponed final night of the second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway have been rescheduled for Tues., July 29, officials announced on Monday.
Continuous waves of showers hit the four-tenths-mile track on Saturday and again on Sunday’s raindate, preventing the conclusion of the blockbuster $150,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series event. The weekend had kicked off in spectacular fashion on Friday night with a huge crowd watching 62 dirt Late Model superstars do battle in what many fans proclaimed to be “the best six heat races of the year.”
“Friday night’s action had everyone so pumped up to see what those guys were going to do when the big money was on the line that it was really hard to take the fact that the weather just wouldn’t cooperate and allow us to run the finale of the Firecracker 100 weekend as scheduled,” said Lernerville Speedway general manager Gary Risch Jr. “All the teams and fans hung in there with us as our crew did all they could to make the show happen on Saturday and Sunday, but we just couldn’t catch a break from Mother Nature.
“Now the anticipation of who will make the show and who will be crowned the Firecracker 100 champion will build for another month until July 29th.”
Firecracker 100 rainchecks and pit bands will be honored on Tues., July 29. The full program scheduled to close the weekend will be run on the midweek date, including a 10-lap C-Main, a pair of star-studded 20-lap B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100.
Fans who purchased reserved camping spots should also contact the speedway office by Fri., July 25, in order to re-confirm as spots will be provided at no additional charge and general camping will once again be free.
The new date will feature all of the pre-race pomp and pageantry fans are coming to expect from the Firecracker 100, including fireworks, the Firecracker Girls and adrenalin-pumping driver introductions delivered by ‘Uncle Sam’ himself.
Eighteen drivers are already locked into the Firecracker 100 A-Main following Friday night’s preliminary program, including heat winners Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., and Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa. Many of the best drivers in the country, including Rick Eckert, Clint Smith, Scott Bloomquist and Jimmy Owens as well as local favorites Alex Ferree, Lynn Geisler, John Flinner and Jason Covert, will square off in B-Main action as they have yet to claim a starting spot in the main event.
The July 29 date fits snugly into the WoO LMS schedule, which will bring the tour’s stars through Ohio for the Alltel Ohio Speedweek in the preceding days. Alltel Ohio Speedweek includes events on July 24 at Muskingum County Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio; July 25 at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio; July 26 at Dave Blaney’s Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio; and July 27 at Eriez Speedway just across the Buckeye State’s border in Hammett, Pa.
The rescheduled Firecracker 100 will also close out a mammoth stretch of July competition at Lernerville Speedway, which also hosts the $40,000-to-win Cleveland Brothers Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup for the Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series on Tues., July 15.
Some Firecracker 100 reserved seats are still available at $34 each, with General Admission priced at $32.50 and, as always at Lernerville, kids 10 and under are admitted free. Senior and Student pricing is also available.
For more information on the Firecracker 100 or Cleveland Brothers Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup, visit www.lernerville.com, www.worldofoutlaws.com or call the track office at 724-353-1511.
-end-
Ray Tucker Captures Carolina Clash Victory at Clary's Speedway
BRINKLEYVILLE, NC (June 28) - Ray Tucker ended a long dry spell with the Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series when the veteran driver claimed the $5,000 win at Clary's Speedway Saturday night.
For the Greensboro, NC native it was his ninth career series victory.
Ocean Pines, MD driver Richard Jarvis Jr, set fast time in Mega Plumbing of the Carolina's Qualifying to earn the right to start for the pole position in the 26 car field. As the green waved Tucker immediately went to work on Jarvis for the lead as G.R. Smith joined the mix. Two drivers that were on their way to the front were Booper Bare and Jeff Smith. The duo started from the sixth row and worked their way inside the top ten by half way.
Jarvis' hopes of a win ended when the polesitter went pitside with mechanical issues. This left Tucker to fend off the challenges of G.R. Smith and Ricky Weeks. Weeks the four time and defending series champion was looking for his first victory of the 2008 season. He managed to slide by Smith with six laps to go but a spin by Brent Robinson relegated him back to third. Robinson, the 2007 PBM Performance Parts Carolina Clash Rookie of the Year was having a very strong run and lost a top five finish with the spin.
After the caution Tucker was able to drive away for the win. Smith held off Weeks for third with Dustin Mitchell fourth and Bare fifth. Sixth through tenth went to Jeff Smith, J.C Clary, Ed Gibbons, Chris Marshall and Doug Sanders. Current series points leader Dennis 'Rambo' Franklin fell out of the event early and was credited with a 24th place finish.
Clary and Roger Lucas won the Heat races. Ryan Foran was the Heintz Brothers Performance Hard Charger of the Race.
CAROLINA CLASH FINISH: 1. Ray Tucker, 2. G.R. Smith, 3. Ricky Weeks, 4. Dustin Mitchell, 5. Booper Bare, 6. Jeff Smith, 7. J.C. Clary, 8. Ed Gibbons, 9. Chris Marshall, 10. Doug Sanders, 11. Roger Bibee, 12. Ryan Foran, 13. Scott Neighbors, 14. Craig Shuffield, 15. Anthony Sanders, 16. Brent Dixon, 17. Mason Price, 18. Brandon Hux, 19. Greg Williams, 20. Carl Powell, 21. Richard Jarvis, 22. James Upchruch, 23. Roger Lucas, 24. Dennis Franklin, 25. Neal Sykes, 26. Kent Wright
-end-
UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Night 13: Shirley Captures Rain-Shortened Event At Lincoln Speedway
LINCOLN, IL – June 29, 2008 – Brian Shirley turned his luck around on Sunday night, taking advantage of other drivers’ misfortune to win the rain-shortened UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals A-Main at Lincoln Speedway.
After a blown tire during heat action two nights earlier at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway set him down a road that cost him the Summer Nationals points lead, Shirley had everything go his way at the quarter-mile fairgrounds oval. He inherited the lead on two occasions from drivers who retired with mechanical trouble and was in front when rain arrived and forced officials to declare the race official with 26 of a scheduled 40 laps completed.
Shirley, 27, of Chatham, Ill., recorded his second win of the 2008 Summer Nationals, joining Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., and defending champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., as repeat tour winners. It was his fourth career triumph on the grueling month-long Super Late Model series.
The race’s fourth starter, Shirley found himself in front of the field for the first time with his Ed Petroff-owned No. 3s when race-long pacesetter Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., dropped out with mechanical woes on lap 21. Eric Smith of Bloomington, Ill., overtook Shirley to assume command on the lap-21 restart, but he paced only two circuits before also pulling off with mechanical trouble.
Smith’s departure left Shirley in the lead on lap 24. He was still there on lap 26 when rain intensified during a caution flag for Jeep VanWormer of Pinconning, Mich., prompting an early checkered flag and handing Shirley a $6,000 prize.
Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., advanced from the ninth starting spot to finish second. Erb maintained a slim points lead over Shirley by placing third, with Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., scoring a Summer Nationals-best finish of fourth and 16th-starter Randy Korte of Highland, Ill., taking fifth.
Four caution flags slowed the event, with the most serious incident for a lap-two rollover by Derek Chandler of Pontiac, Ill. He wasn’t injured.
VanWormer was the fastest qualifier among the 46 cars on hand, turning a lap of 13.712 seconds.
Heat winners were Smith, O’Neal, Matt Taylor of Springfield, Ill., Shirley and VanWormer. The twin C-Mains were topped by Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., and Daren Friedman of Forrest, Ill., and Korte captured the B-Main.
The UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals has a scheduled off day on Monday (June 30) before returning to action with Round 14 on Tuesday night (July 1) at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway.
UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (rain-shortened to 26 of 40 laps):
1. Brian Shirley
2. Wes Steidinger
3. Dennis Erb Jr.
4. Ryan Unzicker
5. Randy Korte
6. Matt Taylor
7. Steve Lance Jr.
8. Steve Sheppard Jr.
9. Will Vaught
10. Jeep Van Wormer
11. Jayme Zidar
12. Eric Smith
13. Don O'Neal
14. Mike Hammerle
15. Kevin Weaver
16. Nick Bauman
17. Tim Lance
18. Donny Walden
19. Michael Kloos
20. Jesse Stovall
21. Derek Chandler
2008 UMP DIRTcar Racing Summer Nationals Schedule (Date/Day/Track/Location/To Win/Winner – Car Count)
June 12 – Thurs. - Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway/Calvert City, KY - $7,500 (Brad Neat - 40)
June 13 – Fri. - Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rain – postponed to July 11)
June 14 – Sat. - Kamp Motor Speedway/Boswell, IN - $10,000 (Wes Steidinger - 36)
June 15 – Sun. – Tri-State Speedway/Haubstadt, IN - $6,000 (Dennis Erb Jr. – 39)
June 16 – Mon - OFF
June 17 – Tues. – Highland Speedway/Highland, IL - $6,000 (Terry English – 47)
June 18 – Wed. – Belle Clair Speedway/Belleville, IL - $6,000 (Will Vaught – 41)
June 19 – Thurs. – I-57/I-64 Raceway/Mt. Vernon, IL - $6,000 (Darren Miller – 37)
June 20 – Fri. – Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL - $10,000 (Darren Miller – 50)
June 21 – Sat. – I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO - $10,000 (CANCELED – flooding)
June 22 – Sun. – Vermilion Co. Speedway/Danville, IL - $6,000 (Jeep VanWormer – 43)
June 23 – Mon. - OFF
June 24 – Tue. – Sedalia State Fair Speedway/Sedalia, MO - $6,000 (Brian Shirley – 27)
June 25 – Wed. – Lake Ozark Speedway/Eldon, MO - $6,000 (Billy Moyer – 31)
June 26 – Thurs. – Paducah Int’l Raceway/Paducah, KY - $6,000 (Kevin Claycomb – 35)
June 27 – Fri. – Lawrenceburg Speedway/Lawrenceburg, IN - $10,000 (Dennis Erb Jr. – 36)
June 28 – Sat. – Clarksville Speedway/Clarksville, TN - $10,000 (Rain – postponed to July 19)
June 29 – Sun. – Lincoln Speedway/Lincoln, IL - $6,000 (Brian Shirley – 46)
June 30 – Mon. - OFF
July 1 – Tue. – Peoria Speedway/Peoria, IL - $6,000
July 2 – Wed. – Morgan Co. Speedway/Jacksonville, IL - $6,000
July 3 – Thurs. – Macon Speedway/Macon, IL - $6,000
July 4 – Fri. – Tri-City Speedway/Pontoon Beach, IL - $10,000
July 5 – Sat. – Fairbury American Legion Speedway/Fairbury, IL -$10,000
July 6 – Sun. – Quad City Raceway/East Moline, IL - $6,000
July 7 – Mon. - OFF
July 8 – Tue. – Quincy (IL) Speedway - $6,000
July 9 – Wed. – Spoon River Speedway/Canton, IL - $6,000
July 10 – Thurs. – La Salle Speedway/La Salle, IL - $6,000
July 11 – Fri. – Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rescheduled date)
July 12 – Sat. – Oakshade Raceway/Wauseon, OH - $10,000
July 19 – Sat. – Clarksville Speedway/Clarksville, TN - $10,000 (Rescheduled date)
-end-
Mega-Blitz 2008 Rescheduled for October 9, Details Released for The Ultimate!
Officials of the Challenger Raceway have announced that the UFo Mega-Blitz 2008 event that was originally scheduled for July 20 has been rescheduled for October 9 and will now be part of the weekend of The UFo Ultimate and FallFest Super Championships. The massive 3-day event will now post payoffs over $145,000 with $25,000 total to win for UFo Super Late Models. The original July 20 date for Mega-Blitz 2008 will now serve as the rain date for the July 13 running of the UFo Red Miley 53 at Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway.
The 2007 edition of The Ultimate saw over 300 race teams participating including 166 late model cars (87 Super Late Models and 79 Semi-Lates). The Ultimate was proclaimed to be "best race of the year" by a majority of the near-sell out, record crowd in attendance. After 5 lead changes, Billy Drake from Bloomington, IL took his highest payday ever by winning The Ultimate from 15th on the staring grid.
The event will kick off on Thursday Night, October 9 with the Mega-Blitz 2008. This event will feature a full racing program for the UFo Super Late Models with a 33-lap championship feature paying $3,000 to the winner and $300 for 24th. Practice sessions for Semi-Lates, B-Cadets, Sport Stocks and Roadrunners will take place throughout the night's activities.
The Night Flight Scramble on Friday Night, October 10 will see the UFo Super Late Models vie for the initial starting positions on the Grid for The Ultimate. Seven or Eight 17-lap Qualifiers will determine the initial qualified drivers for the $22,000 to win event. Semi-Lates, B-Cadets, Sport Stocks and Roadrunners will compete in their qualifying heat races for the FallFest Super Championships also on Friday Night.
On Saturday Night, October 11, the UFo Super Late Models will compete in The Ultimate 14. This year's event pays a record $22,000 to the winner of the 91-lap national championship race. Semi-Lates will pay $2,000 to win, B-Cadets will pay $1,000 to win, Sport Stocks will pay $500 to win and Roadrunners will pay $500 to win for their FallFest Super Championship races.
The event will continue to pay well deep into the field for 2008. The combined total for Mega-Blitz 2008 and The Ultimate for UFo Super Late Models will pay $1,800 for 24th, $400 for 40th and $300 for 80th. The discount on race car entry fees will also continue, as teams who register their cars for the even by Tuedsay, Sept 30 will receive 50% off gate entry fees. Entry blanks will be posted in the near future at http://www.challengeraceway.com.
Both general admission and pit 2-day tickets for the Night Flight Scramble and The Ultimate will be offered at a discount if purchased in advance by Friday, October 3. Top 3 row reserved seating will also be available for those two nights. Pricing and order information will be released in the near future. The Mega-Blitz will be a stand-alone event with tickets available at the gate.
UFo rules and procedures will apply for the Super Late Models for all 3 nights. Semi-Lates (limited/steel block/crate lm), B-Cadets (street/pro-stock), Sport Stocks (hobby/charger/strictly stock) and Roadrunners (4-cylinder front-wheel drive) will use Challenger Raceway rules. These rules permit virtually any car from all areas speedways to be legal with weight and spoiler variances. The rules remain the same as were used at the PA State Short Track Championships event in April with one adjustment being made to allow crate motor Semi-Lates use of a spillboard on the nosepiece.
Updated UFo Series point standings –
1, 269.5, Alex Ferree.
2, 256.5, Jared Miley.
3, 236.5, Keith Barbara.
4, 235.5, Gregg Satterlee.
5, 234, Shawn McGarvey.
6, 226, Mike Johnson.
7, 223, Rodney Sweitzer.
8, 210, Matt Dobnak, Mel Minnick, Jr. and Herman Bertolini
11, 189, John Flinner.
12, 173.5, Steve Baker.
13, 167, Lynn Geisler.
14, 162, Sam Stile.
15, 158, Matt Gaston.
16, 157, Davey Johnson.
17, 150, Bobby Stokes.
18, 149.5, John Mollick.
19, 148.5, Darrin "D.J." Miller.
20, 145, Tommy Shaffer and Chris Farrell.
2008 UFo Race Championship presented by Comcast Schedule
Date / Track / Event / Laps / To Win
April 13 / Challenger Raceway / PA State Short Track Championships / 51 laps / $5,000 Robbie Blair
May 18* / Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway / F-2 Shockwave / 2 x 30 laps / $5,100 Total John Flinner
May 25 / Central PA Speedway / The Grizzly / 51 laps / $5,000 Steve Baker and Al Atallah
June 1* / Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway / F-2 Shockwave / 2 x 30 laps / $5,100 Total
July 3 / Central PA Speedway / Yankee Doodle / 51 laps / $7,000
July 13 / Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway / Red Miley 53 / 53 laps / $5,300
Aug 3 / Tyler County / Earl Hill Championship / 51 laps / $4,000
Aug 17 / Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway / PENNational / 51 laps / $5,000
Sep 6 / Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex / King of the Knob / 51 laps / $5,500
Sep 18-19-20 / Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway / Pittsburgher 100 / 100 laps / $20,100
Oct 9 / Challenger Raceway / Mega-Blitz 2008 / 33 laps/ $3,000
Oct 10-11* / Challenger Raceway / The Ultimate / 91 laps / $22,000
*To be televised on CN8, the Comcast Network
-end-
David Turner wins O'Reilly MLRA at
Nevada Speedway
Buckner, MO (June 29th)-David Turner started on the pole and led all 40 laps of the O'Reilly MLRA Late Model feature Sunday night at Nevada Speedway.
A-Feature (40 laps)
1. 15T David Turner
2. 25s Shannon Phillips
3. 4G Brantlee Gotschall
4. 75P Terry Phillips
5. 89W Jerry Warner
6. 99J Larry Jones
7. 74P Jeremy Payne
8. L88 Larry Clawson
9. 10H Billy Humble
10. 53K Joe Kosiski
11. 66A Jared Addington
12. 2J John Anderson
13. 3C Mike Collins
14. J2 Jack Simmons
15. 18L Rylan Long
16. JD Hubert
17. 4F Chad Frewaldt
18. Z28 Randy Zimmerman
19. 29K Bill Koons
20. 45DW Denny Woodworth
21. 75H PJ Haskins
22. 1T Donnie Timmerman
-end-
ANDERSON SCORES HAGERSTOWN’S POSTPONED ROBERTS MEMORIAL
Hagerstown, Md. – Losing out to the weather on Saturday night, Hagerstown Speedway used it’s scheduled rain date on Sunday evening and got the show in…. just barely, with Andy Anderson coming away with his first ever victory in the prestigious 43rd Annual Johnny Roberts Memorial 50 lap event for the Cindy Rowe Auto Glass late models.
Starting sixth, Anderson, of Martinsburg, WV took the lead from J.T. Spence on the 13th circuit and held a six eight length lead until arriving at the back of the field when Spence closed the gap and gave Anderson a real workout the final ten laps. Anderson won by .72 seconds to become the ninth different winner this season.
“I was better than him there in the beginning when I got by him,” Anderson said. “The longer we went, the top started going away on me, I guess. I couldn’t get through one and two that good. I knew he was on the bottom and my guys were telling me to run low. We got into lapped traffic and I tried to box him in but he must have got through there pretty fast.”
The victory was also sweet for Anderson in a new deal he just put together in the past several weeks.
“This is my own car. I’ve won in everything I’ve been in. I was just hoping I’d get one in my own car,” he said.
Rain fell just north of the speedway during the program and within 15 minutes of completion of the fireworks display, another rain shower arrived at the track.
In other racing, Hagerstown’s Mike Warrenfeltz took the victory in the Ernie’s Auto Enterprises pure stocks with a half length win over Darrin Younker.
Spence started third and stuck his car along the inside to snatch the lead away from pole setter Steve Gibney and immediately begin to stretch out his lead over the field. Anderson passed Frankie Plessinger for second just before the caution flag waved on lap seven and erasing Spence’s nearly six second lead.
Darryl Hills took over the third spot following the restart while 11th starter Roy Deese Jr. advanced into fourth but was overtaken by six time event winner and 12th starter, Gary Stuhler on the 16th circuit.
Anderson continued to hold the edge on Spence with a caution on lap 23 when Paul Crowl spun with a flat left rear. Just before the caution, Stuhler slowed and was retiring to the pits and overheating engine from a small hole in the radiator.
Following the restart, Anderson again took off with Spence trailing by several lengths as Anderson moved into lapped traffic on the 37th lap with Spence closing. Behind them, Billy Wampler had passed Deese and Hills and was also closing on the front runners.
Spence was on Anderson’s bumper by the 45th lap and began his assault which ended on the 47th when Wampler’s engine erupted on the front stretch.
Anderson was pedal down the final three circuits to score the win over Spence and Deese.
“I wasn’t even going to come back tonight,” Anderson said. “I could hardly sleep thinking about all I had to change on this thing and then we came back. They all made fun of me at the restaurant last night calling me ‘Slow Ride’, so I changed it all around today and it worked out.”
Ninth starter, Jim Yoder ended fourth and Hills completed the top five. Alan Sagi came from the 15th spot to finish sixth while David Williams, Ronnie DeHaven Jr., from 17th, Les Hare, from 19th and Jamie Lathroum, from 22nd rounded out the top ten. Lathroum picked up the Ernie’s Auto Enterprises hard charger award.
Wampler, Plessinger, Deese Jr. and Anderson were the heat winners for the 35 entries with D.J. Myers topping the B main.
The speedway returns to action with a special Wednesday program, the fourth night of the Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek 2008 events along with a special exhibition show featuring the Eastern Museum of Motor Racing vintage racers.
Pit gates open at 4 p.m., grandstands open at 5 p.m and warm ups begin at 7:00 p.m. Check the speedway website for any changes in weather at: www.hagerstownspeedway.com or contact the speedway office at 301-582-0640.
Hagerstown Speedway Results
43rd Annual Johnny Roberts Memorial: Late Models, 50 laps, 35 entries, (Lap Leaders – J.T. Spence 1-12, Andy Anderson 13-50) 1.Andy Anderson; 2.J.T. Spence; 3.Roy Deese Jr.; 4.Jim Yoder; 5.Darryl Hills; 6.Alan Sagi;7.David Williams; 8.Ronnie DeHaven Jr.; 9.Les Hare; 10.Jamie Lathroum (Ernie’s Auto Enterprises Hard Charger); 11.Frankie Plessinger; 12.Kirk Ryan; 13.D.J. Myers; 14.Scott LeBarron; 15.Paul Crowl; 16.Scott Cross; 17.Billy Wampler; 18.Tyler Hershey; 19.Brent Smith; 20.Devin Friese; 21.Nathan Durboraw; 22.Andy Fries; 23.Steve Gibney; 24.Marvin Winters; 25.Gary Stuhler; 26.D.J.Troutman; DNQ: Ray Kable Jr.; Terry Lescalleet; Larry Baker III; Larry Baer; Mike Lupfer; Jeff Johnson; Bill Palmer; Mike Atherton; Doug Stine
-end-
Sunday’s Postponed Finale Of Firecracker 100 Weekend At Lernerville Speedway Scheduled To Start At 4 p.m.
SARVER, PA – June 29, 2008 – The postponed final day of the second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday (June 29), track and World of Outlaws Late Model Series officials have announced.
Gates will open at 3 p.m., with hot laps set for 3:15 p.m. and racing scheduled to get the green flag one hour later. The complete card that was scheduled for Saturday night before rain arrived will be contested on Sunday, including B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100 main-event.
Single-day tickets are still available for Sunday’s program. Reserved seats cost $34, and general admission is $32.50 for adults, $31 for seniors, $30 for students 11-17 and free for kids 10-and-under.
For more information, visit www.lernerville.com, www.worldofoutlaws.com or call the track office at 724-353-1511.
-end-
Johnny Bridges Wins USCS Sprints at Carolina Speedway
Gastonia, N.C. (June 27, 2008) – USCS Sprint Series thundered into Carolina Speedway Friday night for the first time in two years and Jeff Bridges came out on top.
The sprints began the show with a four-wide fan salute. Every fan in the house was on their feet and waving to the drivers before the green flag dropped. The flagman gave the signal and Jeff Bridges weaved in and out of traffic to take the lead. Bridges 700 horsepower machine was hooked up.
“I am so glad to win this race here at Carolina Speedway for the hometown fans,” exclaimed the Cherryville native from victory lane.
The GM Performance crate models also put on an awesome show as Ross Bailes was able to out run Johnathan Davenport and Ty Dillion. Even the king of Carolina, John Pursley couldn’t touch Bailes. The top-five was Bailes, Davenport, Pursley, Gary Puckett, and Pat Lindsay.
Jerry Oliver piloted the Y44 machine into victory lane once again in the street stock division. Young gun Ben Watkins came across the stripe second with Frankie McGuire, Ronald Pope, and Jeff Graves in tow.
The renegade battle was furious as young gun Patrick Lyon fought for two-in-a-row. Although Lyons 01 machine was superior, he was light at the scale and disqualified. Ronald Pope was credited with the victory. Gene Moffat, Shorty Lacey and Ricky Pride rounded out the top-five.
Brain Stang went to victory lane in the pure stock four division with Brian Nuhfer, Wayne Curtis, Rollo James, and Ashley Harding battling for position behind him.
Carolina Speedway brings Red, White, and Zoom next Friday July 4th. Mud-slingin’ excitement plus fireworks equals a July 4th celebration your family will not forget. The late models will rock the fourth celebration with all other classes in action also. The kid’s meeting will provide candy for all and the fireworks extravaganza will ignite the kid in you. Specator gates open at 5:00 P.M. and general admission is just $12.00 for adults and children over 11. For more information visit www.carolinaspeedway.net.
-end-
HAGERSTOWN GETS WET AGAIN, ROBERT’S MEMORIAL PP TO SUNDAY
Hagerstown, Md. – The fireworks began early!
Once again Hagerstown Speedway was in the line of showers that approached from the southwest Saturday night and arrived with high winds and lightening just as the first qualifying heat for the late models had been completed for the 43rd Annual Johnny Roberts Memorial.
With more showers lining up to the west to arrive later, speedway management opted to use the scheduled Sunday rain date.
The Roberts Memorial will be attempted again on Sunday with the Ernie’s Auto Enterprises pure stocks only along with the scheduled gigantic fireworks display The Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic late model sportsman were not included on the rain date program as originally scheduled.
Rain checks will be honored for 18 months.
Pit gates and grandstands will both open at 4 p.m. with warm-ups beginning at 6 p.m. Check the speedway website for any changes in weather at: www.hagerstownspeedway.com or contact the speedway office at 301-582-0640.
-end-
Persistent Showers Force Postponement Of Firecracker 100 Weekend Finale To Sunday At Lernerville Speedway
SARVER, PA – June 28, 2008 – A strong thunderstorm that struck just prior to race time was followed by persistent showers, forcing the postponement of Saturday night’s second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com at Lernerville Speedway.
The blockbuster $40,000-to-win World of Outlaws Late Model Series event was rescheduled for Sunday (June 29).
In order to provide racers and fans the best possible scenario for the $150,000 program, officials announced that Sunday’s raindate will use a ‘flex’ start time. Officials will announce a start time for the finale of the Firecracker 100 weekend at noon on Sunday, with the first green flag expected to be waved between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
The start-time news will be available at 12 noon on Sunday by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com and www.lernerville.com or by calling the track office at 724-353-1511.
The complete card scheduled for Saturday night will be contested on Sunday, including a C-Main, two B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the Firecracker 100 main-event.
Single-day tickets are still available for Sunday’s program. Reserved seats cost $34, and general admission is $32.50 for adults, $31 for seniors, $30 for students 11-17 and free for kids 10-and-under.
C-Main Lineup (top 4 transfer to B-Mains):
Row 1: Jason Covert/Nick Reges
Row 2: Dane Laraway/Sean Beardsley
Row 3: Joe Isabell/Lynn Geisler
Row 4: Ken Schaltenbrand/Ryan Scott
Row 5: Russ King/Jared Miley
First B-Main Lineup (top 3 transfer to A-Main):
Row 1: Doug Horton/David Scott
Row 2: Davey Johnson/Rick Eckert
Row 3: Clate Copeman/Dutch Davies
Row 4: Mike Knight/Chuck Kennedy
Row 5: Robbie Blair/John Flinner
Row 6: Chad Valone/Brent Rhebergen
Row 7: Josh McGuire/Danny Johnson
Row 8: Gary Lyle/C-Transfer
Row 9: C-Transfer
Second B-Main Lineup (top 3 transfer to A-Main):
Row 1: Jimmy Owens/Matt Lux
Row 2: Ron Davies/Keith Barbara
Row 3: Scott Bloomquist/Clint Smith
Row 4: Tony Burke/Dan Stone
Row 5: Bob Close/Todd Bachman
Row 6: John Mollick/Dave Hess Jr.
Row 7: John Blankenship/Vic Coffey
Row 8: Alex Ferree/C-Transfer
Row 9: C-Transfer
-end-
UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Event At Clarksville Speedway Postponed Until July 19
CLARKSVILLE, TN - June 28, 2008 – Officials with the StormPay.com Clarksville Speedway and the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals tour decided in the morning to postpone Saturday night’s $10,000-to-win series event due to expected precipitation later in the day.
The track’s Summer Nationals event will now be run on Sat., July 19.
With a 70 percent chance of precipitation in the Clarksville area on Saturday, officials were concerned about the travel time for teams running Friday night’s UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals event at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway, Clarksville and Sunday night’s tour event at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway. As a result, they decided to pull the plug on the event until July 19.
The Summer Nationals resumes with a $6,000-to-win event on Sunday night (June 29) at Don Hammer’s Lincoln Speedway.
Defending Summer Nationals champion Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., leads the tour points standings entering Lincoln’s action.
For more information on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com.
UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Points Standings (after 12 events):
1. Dennis Erb Jr. 927
2. Brian Shirley 909
3. Wes Steidinger 772
4. Jeep VanWormer 769
5. Will Vaught 761
6. Randy Korte 727
7. Steve Sheppard Jr. 676
8. Darren Miller 580
9. Jason Feger 557
10. Dewayne Kiefer 500
-end-
Erb Regains Points Lead With Victory At Rebuilt Lawrenceburg Speedway
LAWRENCEBURG, IN – June 27, 2008 – Dennis Erb Jr. is back on top and eyeing a second straight UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals title.
The tour’s defending champion was flawless on Friday night at the redesigned Lawrenceburg Speedway, leading from flag-to-flag to capture the 40-lap A-Main.
Erb, 36, of Carpentersville, Ill., pocketed $10,000 for his second Summer Nationals victory of 2008 and the ninth of his career. He joined Darren Miller of Milledgeville, Ill., as the only repeat winners through 12 events on the highly competitive tour.
The triumph propelled Erb into the Summer Nationals points lead over Brian Shirley of Chatham, Ill., who fell from the catbird’s seat after experiencing a tough night. Shirley blew a right-rear tire in his heat race and used a provisional to start the A-Main, which he finished in the seventh spot after surviving a lap-21 restart tangle.
Erb, who started second in his Rayburn No. 28, captured the first Super Late Model event held on the reconfigured Lawrenceburg track. Formerly a quarter-mile oval, the showplace facility was rebuilt during the off-season to a high-banked, three-eighths-mile layout complete with a concrete outside wall.
Erb wasn’t seriously challenged after the departure of Darren Miller, who made several bids for the lead before retiring on lap 21. The driver known as the ‘One Man Band’ crossed the finish line several car lengths ahead of Highland, Ill.’s Randy Korte, who reached second place from the eighth starting spot on lap 30 and finished in the runner-up slot.
Steve Sheppard Jr. of New Berlin, Ill., finished third, followed by Wayne Chinn of Bradford, Ohio, and Steve Casebolt of Richmond, Ind.
Miller was the fastest qualifier among 36 entrants in the group time-trial session, turning a lap of 13.65 seconds.
Heat winners were Wes Steidinger of Fairbury, Ill., Erb, Sheppard and Miller. The C-Main was captured by Shawn Negangard of Osgood, Ind., and the B-Main was claimed by Josh Williams of Cleves, Ohio.
The tour is scheduled to continue on Saturday night (June 28) at StormPay.com Speedway in Clarksville, Tenn., but UMP DIRTcar director Sam Driggers said the potential for storms will lead series and track officials to evaluate the weather situation on Saturday morning.
For more information on the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals, visit www.dirtcar.com.
UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals Feature Finish (40 laps):
1. Dennis Erb Jr.
2. Randy Korte
3. Steve Sheppard Jr.
4. Wayne Chinn
5. Steve Casebolt
6. Jeep Van Wormer
7. Brian Shirley
8. Scott James
9. Brad Neat
10. Wes Steidinger
11. Ryan Dauber
12. Will Vaught
13. Jordan Bland
14. Jesse Lay
15. Jason McBride
16. Tim Lance
17. Darren Miller
18. Matt Miller
19. Josh Williams
20. Justin Rattliff
21. Duke Whiseant
C-Main Finish: Shawn Negangard, Rick Corbin, David Spille, Derek Fisher, Ryan Unzicker, Jeff Alsip (DNS) Brian Shirley, Troy Cruse, Bob Lanter, Brian Gray, Jerry Rice, Sean Thomas
B-Main Finish: Josh Williams, Scott James, Tim Lance, Matt Miller, Ryan Dauber, Justin Rattliff, Jordan Bland, Jesse Lay, Robby Hensley, Shawn Negangard, Don O'Neal, Greg Johnson, David Spille, Derek Fisher, Rick Corbin, Bill Sheets
2008 UMP DIRTcar Racing Summer Nationals Schedule (Date/Day/Track/Location/To Win/Winner – Car Count):
June 12 – Thurs. - Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway/Calvert City, KY - $7,500 (Brad Neat - 40)
June 13 – Fri. - Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rain – postponed to July 11)
June 14 – Sat. - Kamp Motor Speedway/Boswell, IN - $10,000 (Wes Steidinger - 36)
June 15 – Sun. – Tri-State Speedway/Haubstadt, IN - $6,000 (Dennis Erb Jr. – 39)
June 16 – Mon - OFF
June 17 – Tues. – Highland Speedway/Highland, IL - $6,000 (Terry English – 47)
June 18 – Wed. – Belle Clair Speedway/Belleville, IL - $6,000 (Will Vaught – 41)
June 19 – Thurs. – I-57/I-64 Raceway/Mt. Vernon, IL - $6,000 (Darren Miller – 37)
June 20 – Fri. – Farmer City Raceway/Farmer City, IL - $10,000 (Darren Miller – 50)
June 21 – Sat. – I-55 Raceway/Pevely, MO - $10,000 (CANCELED – flooding)
June 22 – Sun. – Vermilion Co. Speedway/Danville, IL - $6,000 (Jeep VanWormer – 43)
June 23 – Mon. - OFF
June 24 – Tue. – Sedalia State Fair Speedway/Sedalia, MO - $6,000 (Brian Shirley – 27)
June 25 – Wed. – Lake Ozark Speedway/Eldon, MO - $6,000 (Billy Moyer – 31)
June 26 – Thurs. – Paducah Int’l Raceway/Paducah, KY - $6,000 (Kevin Claycomb – 35)
June 27 – Fri. – Lawrenceburg Speedway/Lawrenceburg, IN - $10,000 (Dennis Erb Jr. – 36)
June 28 – Sat. – Clarksville Speedway/Clarksville, TN - $10,000
June 29 – Sun. – Lincoln Speedway/Lincoln, IL - $6,000
June 30 – Mon. - OFF
July 1 – Tue. – Peoria Speedway/Peoria, IL - $6,000
July 2 – Wed. – Morgan Co. Speedway/Jacksonville, IL - $6,000
July 3 – Thurs. – Macon Speedway/Macon, IL - $6,000
July 4 – Fri. – Tri-City Speedway/Pontoon Beach, IL - $10,000
July 5 – Sat. – Fairbury American Legion Speedway/Fairbury, IL -$10,000
July 6 – Sun. – Quad City Raceway/East Moline, IL - $6,000
July 7 – Mon. - OFF
July 8 – Tue. – Quincy (IL) Speedway - $6,000
July 9 – Wed. – Spoon River Speedway/Canton, IL - $6,000
July 10 – Thurs. – La Salle Speedway/La Salle, IL - $6,000
July 11 – Fri. – Brownstown (IN) Speedway - $10,000 (Rescheduled date)
July 12 – Sat. – Oakshade Raceway/Wauseon, OH - $10,000
-end-
Firecracker 100 Weekend At Lernerville Speedway Opens With Spectacular Friday-Night Qualifying Program
SARVER, PA – June 27, 2008 – If Friday night’s qualifying program at Lernerville Speedway is any indication, the second annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com is going to be a show to remember.
Western Pennsylvania’s blockbuster $150,000 World of Outlaws Late Model Series event opened in spectacular fashion on Friday, with a 62-car field providing fans an endless supply of action during six breathtaking heat races.
Side-by-side battles for the lead. Last-lap drama. A storybook comeback from near-disaster by a local hotshoe. Emotions boiling over.
Yes, the preliminary night had it all, setting the stage for Saturday night’s $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100.
The most thrilling heat-race victory was authored by 20-year-old WoO LMS sensation Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who went to the outside of the four-tenths-mile oval to pull off a three-wide pass for the lead on lap 12 of the fourth 15-lap qualifier.
As if a daredevil move to assume command wasn’t exciting enough, the two drivers Richards sailed by for the lead added even more luster to his performance. He overtook dirt Late Model legends Donnie Moran of Dresden, Ohio, and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., in one deft sweep.
“I knew the only chance I had to start up front (in the Firecracker 100) was if I won the heat, so I got my elbows up and drove as hard as I could,” said Richards, aware that the six heat winners will redraw on Saturday for the top-six starting spots in the 100-lapper. “I didn’t get off to a very good start, but I kept packing the top (groove) during the cautions and I kept getting better and better up there.
“The top has always been my preferred line around this place, so I knew I could make it work. I just had to get it done.”
Bloomquist, who won last year’s inaugural Firecracker 100, tumbled to a fifth-place finish after losing the lead to Richards’ Seubert Calf Ranches Rocket. He’ll have to run a B-Main on Saturday night to make the feature.
Dramatic heat-race competition actually began with the first prelim, when WoO LMS regular Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., passed upstart Coleby Frye of Dover, Pa., on the final lap to emerge triumphant. Frye fell one lap short of an upset, flag-to-flag victory, settling for second when he left the door open for Clanton by bumping the homestretch wall with the white flag waving.
The sixth heat was another barnburner, with Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, winning over Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., following a side-by-side duel that raged for virtually the entire distance.
Other heat victors included defending WoO LMS champion Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who dominated the second prelim; Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla.; and WoO LMS points leader Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., who enters the weekend hot off a tour victory on Wednesday night at Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, Pa.
The drive of the night was turned in by Mike Blose of New Bethlehem, Pa., who became the darling of the crowd with an amazing rally in the second heat.
Blose, 50, was bidding for the third and final transfer spot on lap nine of the heat when contact with Brandon Kinzer of Allen, Ky., sent him spinning wildly over the third-turn bank at a high rate of speed. A red flag was thrown after he disappeared from the fans’ view, but moments later he drove his car back onto the racing surface and decided to continue racing.
With the fans cheering his every move, Blose slid by Keith Barbara of South Park, Pa., and Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., on the 13th lap to snare a third-place finish and transfer to the Firecracker 100. He had started the heat from the last spot after being disqualified from his time-trial run because his car weighed in 18 pounds light.
“I’m too damn old for this,” Blose smiled amid a large crowd of well-wishers at his trailer following the night’s action. “When I went over the bank backwards, I was thinking, Man, this is gonna hurt! But the car stayed on its wheels and all we bent was a left-front tie-rod and a wheel.
“I guess we finally lucked into something,” added Blose, who credited WoO LMS star Chub Frank with providing him valuable setup help.
The close-quarters racing got a little too tight during the third heat, resulting in a confrontation between John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va., and Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. After Blankenship rubbed his way past Mars for third place on lap 12, Mars retaliated by running into the left-rear corner of Blankenship’s car and spinning the WoO LMS regular between turns three and four.
As the angry Mars retired to the pit area, Blankenship restarted at the rear of the field and limped to an eighth-place finish.
Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., piloted his Bowyer Dirt Motorsports Rocket to the fastest lap in time trials, roaring around the finely-manicured track in 15.228 seconds. He went on to finish third in the first heat while trailing smoke from an apparent oil overflow.
The Firecracker 100 weekend continues on Saturday with a full day of activities, starting at 12 noon with a driver/fan horseshoe tournament, ‘Best Burger’ and ‘Best Banner’ contests, a ‘weenie roast’ and music by Sarah Wilson. A driver autograph session is scheduled for underneath the grandstand from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., followed by B-Mains, the $3,000-to-win Uncle Sam 30 for non-qualifiers and the main event — the $40,000-to-win Firecracker 100.
Pit gates open at 3 p.m., with hot laps at 6:45 p.m. and opening ceremonies at 7:30 p.m.
For more information on this weekend’s event, visit www.lernerville.com and www.worldofoutlaws.com.
Time Trial Results (Position/No./Driver/Hometown/Best Lap)
1. 18-Shannon Babb/Moweaqua, IL 15.228
2. 15-Steve Francis/Ashland, KY 15.229
3. 21-Billy Moyer/Batesville, AR 15.307
4. 0-Scott Bloomquist/Mooresburg, TN 15.416
5. 19T-Tim Fuller/Watertown, NY 15.449
6. 15b-Brian Birkhofer/Muscatine, IA 15.462
7. F1-Coleby Frye/Dover, PA 15.493
8. 43A-Jason Covert/York Haven, PA 15.504
9. 44p-Earl Pearson Jr./Jacksonville, FL 15.523
10. 4J-John Mollick/Toronto, OH 15.545
11. 29-Darrell Lanigan/Union, KY 15.553
12. 1*-Chub Frank/Bear Lake, PA 15.577
13. 25-Shane Clanton/Locust Grove, GA 15.577
14. 20-Jimmy Owens/Newport, TN 15.578
15. 28M-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI 15.590
16. 1-Josh Richards/Shinnston, WV 15.630
17. 24M-Jeremy Miller/Gettysburg, PA 15.636
18. 71d-Ron Davies/Warren, PA 15.652
19. 9k-Mike Knight/Ripley, NY 15.665
20. 28-Eddie Carrier Jr./Salt Rock, WV 15.666
21. 23-John Blankenship/Williamson, WV 15.699
22. 44M-Chris Madden/Gray Court, SC 15.702
23. w11-Robbie Blair/Titusville, PA 15.707
24. 39-Tim McCreadie/Watertown, NY 15.721
25. 24-Rick Eckert/York, PA 15.732
26. 18K-Brandon Kinzer/Allen, KY 15.733
27. 22-Gregg Satterlee/Rochester Mills, PA 15.742
28. 99-Donnie Moran/Dresden, OH 15.765
29. 1L-Dane Laraway/Irwin, PA 15.819
30. 44-Clint Smith/Senoia, GA 15.830
31. 56-Russell King/Bristolville, OH 15.844
32. 17M-Mike Marlar/Winfield, TN 15.856
33. 1c-Lynn Geisler/Cranberry Twp., PA 15.869
34. 21L-Matt Lux/Franklin, PA 15.879
35. 1J-Davey Johnson/Latrobe, PA 15.902
36. 44H-Dave Hess Jr./Waterford, PA 15.911
37. 34-Josh McGuire/Ashland, KY 15.914
38. H1-Jared Miley/South Park, PA 15.914
39. 3-David Scott/Garland, PA 15.926
40. 21d-Dan Stone/Thompson, PA 15.941
41. 07R-Brent Rhebergen/Clymer, NY 15.948
42. 04-Bob Close/Eldred, PA 15.969
43. 4-Alex Ferree/Saxonburg, PA 16.008
44. 17-Keith Barbara/South Park, PA 16.026
45. 2V-Chad Valone/Warren, PA 16.051
46. 27J-Danny Johnson/Phelps, NY 16.056
47. 32c-Vic Coffey/Leicester, NY 16.072
48. 10-Gary Lyle/Hyde Park, PA 16.155
49. 46-Doug Horton/Bruceton Mills, WV 16.173
50. 66-Todd Bachman/Natrona Heights, PA 16.179
51. 28c-Clate Copeman/Greensburg, PA 16.188
52. 29s-Ken Schaltenbrand/Sarver, PA 16.209
53. 40-Dutch Davies/Warren, PA 16.247
54. 18s-Sean Beardsley/Central Square, NY 16.316
55. 48-John Flinner/Zelionople, PA 16.346
56. 23T-Tony Burke/Sarver, PA 16.520
57. 6A-Chuck Kennedy/Mars, PA 16.638
58. 38R-Nick Reges/Butler, PA 16.837
59. 21T-Tony Musolino/Scott Twp., PA 17.036
60. 0s-Ryan Scott/Garland, PA 17.381
61. 8A-Joe Isabell/Pennellville, NY N/T
62. 5-Mike Blose/New Bethlehem, PA DQ (light)
Heat No. 1 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Clanton, Frye, Babb, Horton, Eckert, Knight, Flinner, McGuire, Ferree, Isabell, King
Heat No. 2 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Francis, Kinzer, Blose, Owens, Barbara, Burke, Bachman, Carrier, Covert, Marlar, Miley
Heat No. 3 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Pearson, Moyer, Satterlee, D. Scott, Copeman, Kennedy, Valone, Blankenship, Mars, Geisler
Heat No. 4 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Richards, Moran, Madden, Lux, Bloomquist, Stone, Mollick, Danny Johnson, Reges, Schaltenbrand
Heat No. 5 (15 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Lanigan, Fuller, Miller, Davey Johnson, Dutch Davies, Blair, Rhebergen, Coffey, Laraway (DNS) Musolino
-end-
Southern All Star East back to action
The O’Reilly Southern All Star EAST Dirt Late Model Series will get back into action this Thursday night July 3rd at Cherokee Speedway for the annual fan favorite Independent Shootout. Racing the night before July 4th allows many teams and fans the chance to visit the track known as ‘the place your momma warned you about’. The O’Reilly EAST Main event will feature 40 laps of Super Late Model madness for $4,000. This race has always provided a spectacular fireworks show - both off and on the track, and Thursday night promises to be no different.
O’Reilly EAST Point leader Casey Roberts extended his lead over Rambo Franklin, Monk Gulledge, Petey Ivey, Chris Madden and GR Smith with a 6th place finish at the Laurens County Shrine Race . Roberts and Franklin were engaged in a tight battle for the points lead. Franklin would finish 3rd ahead of Roberts at the Shrine race, but a tire rule infraction would cost Franklin his driver points and finishing position.
Drivers chasing the O’Reilly EAST points are expected to be at Cherokee, along with Jonathan Davenport, Jeff Cooke, Mike Duvall and many more. Support classes will include fan favorite Limited Sportsman, Super Stock and Street Stock 4, Renegade, and Young Gun divisions. The CITY Chevrolet CRATE Series will also be on the card running one of the $1,200 to win City Chevrolet Big 10 shootouts. This is the 5th of a 10 races series paying out an end of year bonus point fund of $7,500.
Grandstands open at 6:00. Drivers Meeting at 7:30. Racing will begin promptly at 8:00. If last weeks Lucas Oil Series at Cherokee was any indication of what's to come, fans may want to get there early. It was a packed house with plenty of 2 and 3 wide action in all classes. The EAST Main event will be moved up into the show allowing traveling fans a chance to leave when feature is over.
Up next on the O’Reilly EAST Series calendar will be Cherokee Speedway on August 8th for the running Inaugural Rock Gault Memorial. Cherokee Super Speedway is conveniently located off of I-85 exit 96 in Gaffney, SC. Track phone is (864) 489-1969. Email Contact: Lenny Buff at BuffRace@Bellsouth.net. More info can be found at www.southern-allstars.com and www.cherokee-speedway.com.
-end
Carolina Clash Ready to Leap into the 'Ring of Fire' June 28th
LINCOLNTON, NC – The Carolina Clash Super Late Model Series is set for another big night of racing as the nine year old Super Late Model tour will
invade the ‘Ring of Fire’ at Clary’s Speedway this Saturday night June 28th.
“We are very excited to make the trip to Clary’s Speedway this weekend,” said Carolina Clash President Larry Lee. “’The Ring of Fire’ has some strong
local talent and it should be a real show for the fans.”
This will be the first time since 2006 that the ‘Blue Collar Tour’ has visited Clary’s Speedway. That event is still stuck in the minds of several race fans as Booper Bare made a last lap, last corner pass of Jack Pennington to secure the win.
Dennis ‘Rambo’ Franklin will lead the ‘Carolina Bad Boys’ into the weekend with the series points lead. He will be one of the favorites to collect the $5,000 win.
Pit gates will open on Saturday at 3:00 PM with the drivers meeting at 6:00 PM. Hot laps will start at 6:15 with racing at 6:30 pm. The Hilton hotel is the host hotel for the event.
-end-
Claycomb Captures First Tour Victory Since 2000 At Paducah International Raceway
PADUCAH, KY – June 26, 2008 &ndash
