CHAD SIMPSON HONORED AT WORLD DIRT RACING LEAGUE AWARDS BANQUET
2009 championship was Simpson's second in a row
Tama, Iowa (Nov. 16, 2009) -- Champion Chad Simpson and other top drivers of the 2009 WORLD Dirt Racing League season were honored here at Meskwaki Casino and Hotel on Saturday at the WORLD Dirt Racing League Champions Banquet presented by Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation.
It was the second championship in a row for Simpson, from Mt. Vernon, Iowa, in the popular Midwest-based Late Model dirt track touring series co-founded in 2002 by Jim and Nancy Wilson, of Gilman City, Mo. Second through 10th in points, respectively, were Denny Eckrich. Tiffin, Iowa; Al Purkey, Coffeyville, Kan.; Dave Eckrich, Oxford, Iowa; Chad Mahder, Marshfield, Wis.; Tim Isenberg, Marshfield, Wis.; Rob Moss, Iowa City, Iowa; Eric Pember, Pittsville, Wis.; Bill Koons, Omaha, Neb.; and John Kaanta, Elk Mound, Wis.
Those drivers in attendance spoke to the crowd and thanked their sponsors, series sponsors, their wives, car owners, crews and others. Simpson received a standing ovation when he was introduced. He gave a heart-warming talk about the 2009 season and what the championship means to him. He also thanked his sponsors, crew, wife and family for their support.
The top ten WDRL drivers all received point fund checks sponsored by Hoosier Racing Tires. There were also product certificates given to drivers by BSB Manufacturing, Fast Shafts, Hooker Harness, Chase Signs and Graphics, Performance Bodies, The Brake Man, Randy�s Race Filters, Champ Pans, MastersBilt Racecars and InterComp Scales.
There was a good turnout of enthusiastic drivers, crews and fans for the electrifying evening, which started with an invocation followed by a delicious dinner.
WORLD Dirt Racing League president Jim Wilson kicked off the awards portion of the program by recognizing and thanking all of the dedicated WDRL sponsors, promoters and officials. His wife and the series' vice president of administration, Nancy Wilson, then thanked all the women present who support WDRL racing teams. She presented them roses and asked them to stand for a well-deserved applause.
The annual Crystal Rose Award was presented to Mrs. Denise Brinkman, who is the co-owner of Chad Simpson's car. The award is a very popular one that is given to a very special woman every year. All season long, drivers, crew members, officials, sponsors and car owners are invited to submit the name of someone they believe is deserving of the award and the reason they would like that person to receive it. At the end of the year, the nominations are all taken into consideration and a person is chosen to receive it.
Other awards presented Saturday included the Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation Pole Dash Award. Simpson won that points championship followed in order by Purkey, Mahder, Isenberg and Denny Eckrich. Those drivers all received a point fund check from Jim and Julie Groves of Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation.
Mahder was the 2009 Chase Signs and Graphics Rookie of the Year. Chase's Lee Havlik presented Mahder with a check, a new jacket and a certificate for $2,000 worth of lettering. The champion also received a race car set-up program from Intercomp Scales and product certificates from Champ Pans, Fast Shafts and BSB Manufacturing.
Following the awards, there was a drawing for a set of Hooker Harness seat belts, a $480 value, which was won by Simpson. Bill Koons won a drawing for $800 worth race car lettering given away by Chase Signs and Graphics.
The banquet closed with Jim Wilson thanking everyone for their support of the WDRL and letting them know that he is working on the 2010 series schedule.
For more information on the WORLD Dirt Racing League and photos from the 2009 WDRL Champions Banquet presented by Iowa-Illinois Taylor Insulation, check out the WORLD Dirt Racing League's Web site, www.worldraceleague.com.
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Davenport Dominates “National 100” at East Alabama Motor Speedway
By: Justin Rickett
Phenix City, AL 11-08-2009 – At the end of the season for 35 years one of the most prestigious race weekends in history takes place at East Alabama Motor Speedway the National 100 race weekend. Drivers from across the south make their way to Alabama’s 3/8ths mile dirt track every year to do battle for the chance to be the next National 100 champion. Nine different divisions run Feature events headlined by the stars of the Super Late Model World doing battle for 100 laps and a chance at $20,000. Every year the racing action at the National 100 gets better and better and this years events did not disappoint. Racing action for the weekend kicked off on Friday with Practice and Heat races in the Cruiser, 4-Cylinder, and Modified divisions. On Saturday there was practice for all divisions, Heat races in the Bomber, Hobby, Super Street, and Super Late Model classes, and qualifying in the Crate Late Model, Super Late Model, and Sportsman divisions.
Headlining the National 100 weekend were some of the best Super Late Model Drivers in the nation. On Saturday in qualifying Jonathan Davenport got the race weekend started off right by setting a new track record and putting himself on the pole for the first heat. Davenport would lead every lap in his heat to keep his car on the pole for the feature. Stacy Holmes would win heat number two, with Casey Roberts and Dennis Erb winning there respective heat races as well. With forty-one cars on hand for qualifying and only 20 cars locked in form the heat races, consolation races would have to be run. On Sunday two Super Late Model Consolation races were ran with Scott Bloomquist, who showed up Sunday morning after running in Charlotte North Carolina, went on to win consy number one grabbing the twenty first starting spot for the feature. Lavon Sparks went on to win the second consy of the day to take the twenty second starting spot. With names like Chupp, Bloomquist, Davenport, and Erb in the race the stage was set for one of the best National 100 races ever in the history of the track. After driver introductions and the four wide salute to the fans we were ready to turn them loose. When the green flag waved Jonathan Davenport wasted no time taking the lead going into turn one. Casey Roberts quickly moved into the second spot with Dennis Erb running a close third. Just a few circuits later the caution would wave giving Roberts a chance at the lead. However, when the green waved Davenport was able to hold him off to keep the lead. Erb was able to make it past Smith for the second position. Randle Chupp was running fourth with Stacy Holmes in the fifth spot. In the mean time Bloomquist had worked his way into the top 10 and was passing cars both high and low. Roberts and Erb were battling it out for the second spot and neither looked like they had enough to challenge Davenport. Every time the caution would wave, it would allow Bloomquist to gain some positions on each restart and by the half way point he was in the top 5. On the next caution both third running Roberts and fourth place running Chupp would pull into the pits with mechanical problems. With two of the fastest cars off the track, Bloomquist moved even closer to the lead. On the next restart Bloomquist would go from fourth to second in just 2 laps, and was charging hard after Davenport for the lead. The duo of Davenport and Bloomquist looked to be the class of the field. At times it looked as if Bloomquist was gaining ground on Davenport but each time Davenport would hold off his advances. Meanwhile William Thomas had made his way to the front passing Erb to take over the third position, and set his sights on Bloomquist. Erb however was not going to go down quietly and for several laps pulled even with Thomas but could never complete the pass. As the laps wound down it became more and more apparent that Davenport had the best car in the race and it would take Davenport having problems to allow Bloomquist a chance at the win. Then with the Checker flag waving Jonathan Davenport crossed the line first to be only the second driver in track history to win both the State Championship and the National 100 races in the same year. Scott Bloomquist came home second with William Thomas third.
Super Late Model
49 - Jonathan Davenport
0 - Scott Bloomquist
22 - William Thomas
28 - Dennis Erb
L7 - Lee Sutton
55 - Terrance Nowell
66 - Jake Knowles
44 - Rick Rogers
77 - Jason McBride
00 - Devin Jones
201 - Billy Ogle, Jr
D11 - Davy Davis
00 - Steven Endicott
58 - Larry Boutwell
0 - Mike Nasworthy
H2 - Stacy Holmes
01 - Travis Pennington
114 - Randle Chupp
101 - Casey Roberts
33 - Brian Reese
17 - Ricky Williams
W3 - James Ward
1 - Vic Hill
11 - Lavon Sparks
22m - Mark Sims
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KIRK RYAN UPSETS SUPER LATE MODEL FIELD
Kirk Ryan from Etters, Pa. estimated that he has only run eight or ten times this season electing to spend more time with his new daughter and the rest of his family. He had not raced in the last three months but the rest must have done him good as he was quick right off the truck for the championship weekend.
“This year we were trying to make racing fun again,” smiled Ryan. “Sometimes racing can get you down so this year we decide to run when we wanted, where we wanted and how we wanted. We probably ran only eight to ten races”
Ryan started on the point ahead of former track champion and Fall championship winner, David Pettyjohn. The yellow was quickly out on lap two when Barry Palermo blew and engine and oiled down the one/two turns.
Ryan controlled the restart with David Pettyjohn in second and Richard Jarvis, Jr. in third. Mark Pettyjohn rode in the fourth spot and Rob Schirmer held down fifth. Schirmer took advantage of a slip by Mark Pettjohn to pull into fourth on lap eight.
Jere Wierman was the victim of a chain reaction to bring out the yellow on lap nine. The order would remain the same until Mark Pettyjohn slowed on lap 14 and collected Scott Cross as he attempted to get the car into the infield.
It was Ryan still in charge with Schirmer now running in fourth and Ray Davis, Jr. in fifth. Ryan was able to open a two second lead over David Pettyjohn as the race stayed green until Mike Parsons got around on lap 28. Parsons repeated the spin just three laps later for caution number five.
The race would stay green with Ryan comfortably out front until ten to go when Al Cheney and Derrike Hill got tangled. Two laps later David Hill hopped the wheel of Herb Tunis landing on his hood and bringing out the yellow.
On the restart, Jarvis squeezed his way under David Pettyjohn to take second. Davis started to smoke and pulled in with Donald Lingo, Jr. taking over fifth. Ryan would cruise to his first ever win in Delaware worth $5855. Jarvis, David Pettyjohn, Schirmer and Lingo, Jr. rounded out the top five. Heats were won by Ryan, David Pettyjohn and Mark Pettyjohn.
RESULTS: 50-Lap Super Late Model Championship – 1. KIRK RYAN; 2. Richard Jarvis Jr; 3. David Pettyjohn; 4. Rob Schirmer; 5. Donald Lingo Jr; 6. Bob Geiger; 7. Dave Hertz; 8. Eddie Pettyjohn; 9. Kerry King; 10. Hal Browning; 11. Kelly Putz; 12. Austin Hubbard; 13. Derrike Hill; 14. Al Chaney; 15. Staci Warrington; 16. Ray Davis Jr; 17. Herb Tunis; 18. David Hill; 19. Chuck Schutz; 20. Dale Lingo; 21. Mike Parsons; 22. Rob Ormsbee; 23. Scott Cross; 24. Mark Pettyjohn; 25. Jamie Lathroum; 26. Jere Wierman; 27. Barry Palermo.
Two-Time NHRA Champion Adds Name to World Finals Roster; Cruz Pedregon to Compete in World of Outlaws Late Model
CONCORD, N.C. (Nov. 2, 2009) – Two-time and reigning NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon will switch gears this week as he transitions from flying down the drag strip at speeds of more than 300 mph to maneuvering a World of Outlaws late model around the four-tenths-mile clay oval at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the World of Outlaws World Finals.
While competing in a late model on dirt is a far cry from barreling down the track in a nitro Funny Car, Pedregon isn’t a complete stranger to dirt racing. In the 1980s he raced go-karts and won a championship at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway in 1986. Pedregon then followed his father, Frank, into the world of drag racing. He worked his way up through the Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car ranks before moving up to Top Fuel competition in 1991. He won his first NHRA Funny Car championship in 1992, the second in 2008 and has 26 Funny Car wins.
Pedregon first returned to dirt after a trip to watch the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals at Tulsa (Okla.) Expo Raceway in 2004.
“I revamped my dirt career after that race and got a USAC midget,” Pedregon said. “I did that for a few years and then ran a late model in the Prelude in 2007.”
Pedregon participated in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Tony Stewart’s Prelude to the Dream all-star charity race for the first time in 2007. He finished 19th in the car he was provided and followed that up with a 15th-place finish in 2008. He purchased his own car to race in 2009 and brought home a sixth-place finish.
“I got serious about it this year,” Pedregon said. “I wanted to do it the right way and bought all the right equipment.”
While the NHRA schedule keeps him busy racing his Toyota Solara Funny Car most weekends, Pedregon fit in almost 10 other dirt late model races this year. He scored his first win in dirt late model competition on Aug. 8 at Kamp Motor Speedway in Boswell, Ind.
“It takes a little while to knock the rust off, but I’ve got good car control,” Pedregon said.
“The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway is a beautiful track. I saw it when we were out at zMAX Dragway, and I’ve probably logged 500 to 600 laps on it with the World of Outlaws game on my PlayStation.”
Pedregon also plans to run his No. 75 PBM/Cruz Pedregon Racing Toyota Camry in Wednesday’s World of Outlaws Topless Showdown presented by Hungry-Man to get acclimated to the track and prepare for the World of Outlaws World Finals on Thursday through Saturday.
Nearly 50 late models have submitted entries for the World of Outlaws Topless Showdown and more than 50 late models and nearly 40 sprint cars are anticipated for the three-day World of Outlaws World Finals events.
Tickets for the World of Outlaws Topless Showdown are $25 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Three-day passes for the World of Outlaws World Finals are just $59 for adults and $19 for children 12 and under. Single-day tickets are also available.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.lowesmotorspeedway.com or by calling the Lowe’s Motor Speedway ticket office at 1-800-455-FANS.
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