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DIRTcar Late Models Kick Off Week Two of DIRTcar Nationals to Set Stage for World of Outlaws

BARBERVILLE, FL – Jan. 25, 2019 – When those in the motorsports world think about the start of any racing season, their minds automatically revert to palm trees and warm temperatures of Florida in February. Dirt track fans’ minds wander to the famous Gator Pond at the World’s Fastest Half-mile, Volusia Speedway Park.

The first week of DIRTcar Nationals caters to the open-wheel fans, while the second week indulges full-fender fans with two action-packed nights of DIRTcar Late Models followed by four straight nights of the World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Models.

In 2018, Jonathan Davenport scored his first career feature win at Volusia in what would be the lone DIRTcar Late Model feature. The next night was won by Mother Nature before the World of Outlaws Late Models took the field.

2006 World of Outlaws Champion Tim McCreadie kicked things off with his first feature win in a Super Late Model at Volusia since 2013 and sixth of his career. It was also his first World of Outlaws triumph since 2015. Later in the week, McCreadie would bag a second Gator with the Super DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds and eventually the 2018 DIRTcar Nationals crown.

The next night, on February 15, 2018, Dale McDowell won his first Volusia feature in 19 years (February 13, 1999), ending the longest drought in DIRTcar Nationals history. His only other triumphs came in 1999 and 1998.

To wrap up the week, 2004 World of Outlaws Champion Scott Bloomquist grabbed career win #12 and first since 2016, while 2017 World of Outlaws Champion Brandon Sheppard bagged his only Volusia triumph of 2018 and second of his career.

With three second place finishes, one fourth place, and even one 25th place run, Chris Madden walked away with the Big Gator as the 2018 DIRTcar Nationals Champion — for the first time. The Gray Court, SC star later went on to place third in the chase for the 2018 World of Outlaws Late Model Series Championship with eight feature wins, 25 top fives and an astounding 33 top 10s in 40 starts.

The premier cars and stars in the full-bodied world mark the month of February as a time to establish their mark and show what the future could hold for the rest of the season. Since that game-changing day of February 14, 2005, when York, PA veteran Rick Eckert collected the first-ever DIRTcar Late Model feature win at DIRTcar Nationals, there have been 23 different winners in the 41 races conducted.

Since 1972, there have been 215 overall dirt Late Model features conducted at Volusia Speedway Park.

Whatever date you begin from, however, the same name tops the list. Six-time DIRTcar Summer Nationals Champion and National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Billy Moyer leads the way with 19 overall career wins at Volusia, including 10 since 2005, with six of those coming in DIRTcar Late Model competition.

His last DIRTcar Late Model checkered flag came in 2012, while his last overall victory at Volusia came in a Word of Outlaws Late Model race a year later in 2013. The Batesville, AR legend scored his first victory at Volusia back in 1985. In 2016, his son, Billy Moyer Jr., joined him on the winners list as the second father/son combination to score feature wins after Jack Boggs (1981) and his son, Jackie Boggs (2004).

Fellow National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Scott Bloomquist is second all-time in career wins at Volusia with 12; while four-time World of Outlaws Champion Josh Richards, also a four-time DIRTcar Nationals Champion, has 10 trips to Victory Lane. Four of Richards’ victories came in a DIRTcar Late Model, and the last three DIRTcar Nationals titles for Richards propelled the Shinnston, WV superstar to eventual World of Outlaws crowns (2016, 2013 & 2010).

Between 1972 and 1976, Wayne Shugart recorded nine victories, which has stood the test of time all these years later at fourth all-time in career feature wins. Jack Boggs and Don O’Neal are tied for fifth at eight victories apiece with O’Neal winning the 2017 finale, a World of Outlaws event, on February 25 — his first win at Volusia since February 15, 2011. That win broke a tie with 2011 World of Outlaws Champion Rick Eckert, who last visited the winner’s stage on February 17th, 2006, some 12 years ago. Eckert stands alone in seventh with seven wins.

2015 World of Outlaws Champion Shane Clanton has been the one to beat in recent seasons having captured two DIRTcar Nationals titles in 2015 and again in 2017. Only Richards briefly stopped that string in 2016. The Zebulon, GA standout has scored all six of his DIRTcar Nationals feature wins since 2015 with one of those coming in a DIRTcar Late Model event, while the other five have been in World of Outlaws competition. His first DIRTcar Nationals title in 2015 propelled him to his eventual World of Outlaws championship that same year. Clanton is tied for eighth all-time overall at Volusia with six, sharing that honor with Larry Moore, Freddie Smith and McCreadie who collected win #6 in 2018.

With car counts in the 50s and up, DIRTcar Nationals sets the tone for the remainder of the season.

Moyer leads all drivers with six DIRTcar-only feature wins, while Richards is tied with Bloomquist for second all-time in DIRTcar Late Model-only victories with four. McCreadie stands alone in fourth with three wins, as five drivers are tied for fifth all with two victories apiece.

After DIRTcar Nationals, the DIRTcar Late Model teams shift focus to the remainder of the 2019 season. Many of the teams will look ahead to the 34th annual DIRTcar Summer Nationals Hell Tour starting on Wednesday, June 12 at Peoria Speedway (IL). The schedule features 28 races over 32 days covering about 3,800 miles from Illinois to Indiana, down to Tennessee, back to Kentucky, Missouri, Wisconsin and Michigan before finally crowning at champion on Saturday, July 13 at Oakshade Speedway (OH).

New in 2019, fans will be able to follow the entire tour LIVE on DIRTVision with a Late Model Fast Pass when the event isn’t at their home track. Know the stories before you get to the track by following along every night!

By Scott|2019-01-26T17:30:06+00:00January 26th, 2019|DIRTcar, Racing News, Upcoming Events|Comments Off

Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship Purse Revealed for DIRTcar Northeast Divisions

CONCORD, NC – January 11, 2019 – Since 1957, Hoosier Racing Tire has developed and manufactured racing tires for thousands of race cars. DIRTcar Northeast is proud to carry their name and logo throughout the Northeast and Canada on Big-Block Modifieds, 358 Modifieds, Sportsman Modifieds, and Pro Stocks at dozens of race tracks. DIRTcar Northeast is proud to announce that in 2019, at the Racing Tire will hand out $36,750 to the top weekly racers at the end of the season.

The Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship takes into account each and every DIRTcar Northeast sanctioned weekly show and Series race for all four divisions of racing. The points standings are calculated by taking each driver’s top 16 finishes. Drivers do not need to do anything except race at DIRTcar sanctioned race tracks and Series races to be eligible. $36,750 will be awarded at the DIRTcar Northeast Banquet at the end of the year. The Big-Block Modified winner receives $5,000 while the top scoring 358 Modified pilot takes home $3,000. Meanwhile the Sportsman Modified and Pro Stock winners receive $1,000 each.

Six speedways are awarding points for the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship for DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds. Albany-Saratoga Speedway, host of the $11,111 to-win Big Show XI, returns to action with weekly racing, featuring the likes of Brett Hearn, Kenny Tremont Jr., and Ronnie and Marc Johnson. Meanwhile at Brewerton Speedway, Billy Decker returns to Gypsum Racing to compete weekly, as well as on the Super DIRTcar Series tour. In 2018, Land of Legends Raceway’s impressive Big-Block Modified field boasted the Super DIRTcar Series top two in points, Matt Sheppard and Erick Rudolph. Rudolph edged out Sheppard in points at the historic Canandaigua oval last season.

The massive temple of speed, Lebanon Valley Speedway, saw Brett Hearn, Kenny Tremont Jr., and Ronnie Johnson battle it out in the top three, and 2019 is expected to be another highly competitive race season. Rex King Jr. dominated the 2018 points at Lernerville Speedway over second place, 15-time Track Champion Brian Swartzlander, who was inducted into the DIRT Hall of Fame in 2018. The legendary Weedsport Speedway has six Big-Block Modified dates scheduled in 2019, including three Super DIRTcar Series clashes. The six races will be counted towards the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship points. All-in-all, $16,400 will be awarded to the top 15 drivers for their best 16 weekly finishes.

A healthy pipeline of talent has bolstered the already highly competitive 358 Modifieds across the Northeast and Canada. Twelve tracks are awarding Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship points in 2019. The competition will be fierce, as the top 10 drivers will have to fight over an $11,250 purse with their strongest 16 finishes. Last season, Steve Bernier topped Chris Raabe and Billy Dunn, but you could’ve thrown a blanket over them, as they were only separated by eight points. Every lap, every position, and every win is important at all DIRTcar sanctioned speedways.

Race fans can catch all the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship DIRTcar 358 Modified action at Plattsburgh Airborne Speedway, Brockville Ontario Speedway, Can-Am Speedway, Cornwall Motor Speedway, Autodrome Drummond, Fulton Speedway, Autodrome Granby, Le RPM Speedway, Merrittville Speedway, Mohawk Int’l Raceway, Ransomville Speedway, and Utica-Rome Speedway. Weekly schedules for all of the 2019 weekly racing action will be released soon.

DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds compete weekly at 21 race tracks. The division is perfect for young racers moving up the DIRTcar ladder, and for veterans racing within a budget. Safety and parity are paramount to the success of DIRTcar Sportsman Modified racing, and those factors have pushed the division to become the most popular form of auto racing in the Northeast. Quebec native Martin Pelletier finished on top of the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship points last season, ahead of Dave Marcucilli who is moving up to 358 and Big-Block Modifieds for 2019. The exceptional racing facilities hosting DIRTcar Sportsman in 2019 are: Plattsburgh Airborne Speedway, Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Bear Ridge Speedway, Brewerton Speedway, Brockville Ontario Speedway, Can-Am Speedway, Cornwall Motor Speedway, Autodrome Drummond, Freedom Speedway, Fulton Speedway, Autodrome Granby, Humberstone Speedway, Land of Legends Raceway, Le RPM Speedway, Merrittville Speedway, Mohawk Int’l Raceway, Outlaw Speedway (new for 2019), Ransomville Speedway, Utica-Rome Speedway, and Weedsport Speedway.

In weekly full-fender action, the DIRTcar Pro Stocks can be seen racing at seven tracks: Albany-Saratoga Speedway, Cornwall Motor Speedway, Autodrome Granby, Le RPM, Lernerville Speedway, and Utica-Rome Speedway. Josh Coonradt took top honors in 2018 over C.D. Beauchamp and Chuck Dumblewski. Once again, the tight-knit family of Pro Stock racers will race door-to-door every week, in their chase for the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship.

Stay tuned for the Hoosier Racing Tire Weekly Championship schedules from all of our DIRTcar sanctioned tracks in the Northeast and Canada.

By Scott|2019-01-12T06:19:39+00:00January 12th, 2019|DIRTcar, National, Racing News|Comments Off

Martin Pelletier Dominates Sportsman Modified Field at Cornwall Motor Speedway

Martin Pelletier leads all 50-laps to win his second DIRTcar Sportsman series race in 2018

CORNWALL, ONT – September 2, 2018 – Martin Pelletier showed everyone why he was the guy to beat in the northern portion of the DIRTcar Sportsman division as he led all 50 laps in the feature to capture a second win on the tour this season.

‘’I was lucky in the draw, I am not sure I would have been able to pass so many cars as the track was tacky’’ mentioned a humble Pelletier in the winner circle. ‘’I had a tremendous year, quite incredible to be able to win so many wins’’ said Pelletier who captured his 22nd win of the season after securing track titles at Granby, RPM and Drummond over the weekend. ‘’ I will take a week off and then attack all the races in the fall’’ finished Pelletier talking about the DIRTcar Series races in September and October.

Martin Pelletier and Alex Lajoie led the field to green in the Co-Op Embrun 50, Pelletier led the first lap as Jarrett Herbison slowed in turn 4 bringing the field together. On the restart Pelletier kept the lead with Justin Lalancette moving up to second and Lajoie in third. Caution was back out on lap 7 for Ricky Thompson.

Pelletier to the lead as a good battle for third was occurring between Adam Rozon and Martin Hebert. Pelletier pulled away from the field as the first fifteen laps were in the books.

A few cautions slowed the field down and Pelletier had great starts at each occasion with Justin Lalancette running a strong second with Adam Rozon in third as the feature hit the halfway point.

The race picked some momentum as the leader joined lapped traffic, Lalancette started to challenge the leader as they ran side by side for a few laps as the yellow slowed the field down with 10 laps to go.

On the following restart, Pelletier remained in first as Cornwall point’s leader Shane Pecore cracked the top 3 as top 5 contenders Fred Gamache and Adam Rozon got together losing some ground over the field.

Pelletier went on to lead the whole 50-lap event and captured his second DIRTcar Sportsman North Series win over Lalancette and Pecore.

The northern series will be back in action in less than 2 weeks at Mohawk International Raceway.

Cornwall Notebook

Even with some iffy weather all around the area, a great field of 37 cars made the haul to Cornwall.

Feature (50 Laps) – MARTIN PELLETIER, JUSTIN LALANCETTE, SHANE PECORE, PATRICK PICOTIN, MOISE PAGE, BOB RAY, NICK HAYWOOD, FELIX MURRAY, BRIANNA LADOUCEUR, CEDRIC GAUVREAU, TYLER REYNOLDS, ADAM ROZON, DEREK CRYDERMAN, KURTIS CAYER, BILLY COOK, FRED GAMACHE, JASON ROSE, RICKY THOMPSON, DALE GIFFORD, GABRIEL CYR, ALEX LAJOIE, MIKE STACEY, TRISTAN DRAPER, JARRETT HERBISON, THOMAS COOK, RYAN STABLER, EVAN RACINE, JOHNATHON FERGUSON, MARTIN HEBERT, SHANE STEARNS

Heat 1 (8 Laps – Top-4 Qualify – Top-3 Redraw) – SHANE PECORE, JUSTIN LALANCETTE, MARTIN HEBERT, RICKY THOMPSON, SHANE STEARNS, KURTIS CAYER, JUSTIN DESROSIERS, ROBERT DELORMIER, FELIX MURRAY, BRIAN COMEAU

Heat 2 (8 Laps – Top-4 Qualify – Top-3 Redraw) – ADAM ROZON, BOB RAY, MARTIN PELLETIER, MIKE STACEY, EVAN RACINE, TYLER REYNOLDS, BRIANNA LADOUCEUR, CEDRIC GAUVREAU, DELBERT LEGROW, JUNIOR DELORMIER

Heat 3 (8 Laps – Top-4 Qualify – Top-3 Redraw) – JOHNATHON FERGUSON, ALEX LAJOIE, RYAN STABLER, BILLY COOK, DALE GIFFORD, MOISE PAGE, NICK HAYWOOD, MELISSA GIFFORD

Heat 3 (8 Laps – Top-4 Qualify – Top-3 Redraw) – TRISTAN DRAPER, DEREK CRYDERMAN, FRED GAMACHE, JARRETT HERBISON, GABRIEL CYR, JASON ROSE, THOMAS COOK, PATRICK PICOTIN, CHRIS FERGUSON

Consi 1 (10 laps – Top 3 to the feature)
KURTIS CAYER, TYLER REYNOLDS, BRIANNA LADOUCEUR, CEDRIC GAUVREAU, FELIX MURRAY, JUSTIN DESROSIERS, DELBERT LEGROW

Consi 2 (10 laps – Top 3 to the feature)
MOISE PAGE, THOMAS COOK, PATRICK PICOTIN, NICK HAYWOOD, DEREK CRYDERMAN, JUNIOR DELORMIER, CHRIS FERGUSON, MELISSA GIFFORD

By Scott|2018-09-06T05:27:35+00:00September 6th, 2018|DIRTcar, Racing News, Regional|Comments Off

DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship Spotlights True Grit at Charlotte

CONCORD, NC — July 18, 2018 — DIRTcar and DRIVEN Racing Oil are excited to join forces for the third annual DRIVEN Racing Oil World Short Track Championship at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway on October 25-27, 2018. The mega-event will once again give the best weekly racers from nine different divisions across the United States and Canada the chance to shine at one of the country’s premier dirt racing facilities — for a purse in excess of $125,000.

“No other event pays homage to the weekly racers, the heart of dirt racing, like this one does,” said DRIVEN Racing Oil Brand Manager David Chamberlain. “It’s an incredible opportunity for the grassroots guys. We’re excited to bring to bring some true grit to a big stage like Charlotte. ”
The DRIVEN World Short Track Championship once again runs one week before the World of Outlaws World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte Motor Speedway on November 1-3 to kick off two incredible weeks of racing.

This year, two new divisions have been added — and one dropped — for a total of nine divisions competing for titles.
• DIRTcar Pro Late Models/SECA Late Models
• 602 Thunder Late Models
• DIRTcar UMP Modifieds
• DIRTcar Northeast Sportsman Modifieds
• DIRTcar Pro Modified/SECA Crate Modifieds
• DIRTcar Northeast Pro Stocks
• SECA Crate Sportsman
• MMSA Mini-Stocks
• FWD/Hornets/DIRTcar Sport Compacts

Since its inception three years ago, the World Short Track Championship has attract over 300 racers across eight and nine divisions during three nights of thrilling dirt track racing. This year the marquee event will once again give grassroots racers a rare chance to battle at Charlotte’s impressive dirt track.
“It gives a lot of grassroots racers an opportunity to come here and run at Charlotte,” said Donald Bradsher, who competed in the DIRTcar Pro Late Model division at the inaugural event. “Most guys never get to come here. They just dream about it.”
The 2018 DRIVEN World Short Track Championship will once again be broadcast on DIRTVision.com with live streaming pay-per-view, increasing the exposure for some of dirt track racing’s most exciting divisions.

“A lot of local guys who don’t have a boatload of money come down here to gain some exposure, and to have it on DIRTVision is awesome,” said DIRTcar Pro Sprints driver Scott Hall last year. “I just think it’s a really positive deal for the sport.”

Each division will have the chance to test their cars during open hot lap sessions on Thursday, October 25. All laps will be timed for alternative line ups.
The program on Friday, October 26 will feature qualifying heat races, as well as Four 20-lap All-Star Invitational Features for the Pro Late Models, UMP Modifieds, NE Sportsman Modifieds and Pro Stocks, plus two 15-lap FWD/Hornet Features will also make up Friday’s program. The evening will conclude with music and a bonfire by the Command Center compound in the lower pit area.
Saturday, October 27, the final night of competition, will begin with Last Chance Showdown races for five divisions and end with Championship Features for all nine divisions. Sunday, October 28 will be used as a rain date, if necessary.

Drivers are highly encouraged to submit their entry forms by October 12. The Entry Form is included in the 2018 DRIVEN Racing World Short Track Championship Competitor Guide at dirtcar.com/worldshorttrack. Drivers who pre-enter will receive a FREE Pit Area Camping permit and an extra entry in the Chevrolet Performance 602 and 604 engine drawing. Each team entered will also receive a complimentary ATV Pass.

Three-day event Pit Passes are $75 for DIRTcar members and $90 for non-members. Single-day Pit Passes will also be available. Reserved trackside pit parking will be available for $125, as well as upper reserved parking for $100. Spots are limited. Contact Colton Dahlberth at 704-707-0258 or cdalberth@dirtcar.com to reserve a spot.
Two-day general grandstand admission (Friday and Saturday) will be $55 for adults. Children 13 and under get in free. Single-day general admission will also be available. Tickets will be sold at the track only, during the days of the event. Camping at the Charlotte Motor Speedway campground can be reserved in advance by contacting the Speedway’s camping office at 1-800-455-FANS.

By Scott|2018-07-19T17:35:00+00:00July 19th, 2018|DIRTcar, Racing News, Upcoming Events|Comments Off

Shane Pecore Takes DIRTCAR Northeast Sportsman Modified Central Division Season Opener

FULTON NY – April 27 2018 – Finally, DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds all across New York thawed out, loaded up, and made the tow to Fulton Speedway. It took 50 laps to decide the first Sportsman Modified Central Region series race of 2018 and it was worth the long winter break. After trading the lead several times, Shane Pecore in the no. 0 took the lead on lap 23 and never looked back. Despite multiple cautions and restarts, Pecore managed to stay ahead hard charges by Matt Janczuk and Kevin Root.

Shane Pecore slammed the checkered flag on the roof in unbridled celebration and then showed his appreciation to his right rear tire. Pecore told the crowd, “After last year we had an issue and had a lot of doubters. We worked out tails off over winter. We put tons of hours into this thing. I can’t thank my Dad and fiancé enough for letting me do this. It’s pretty special tonight. It puts tears in my eyes after the struggles we had last year.”

Pecore started 6th and made the pass into the lead on lap 9. He pulled away but that wasn’t the end of it. “The top is pretty choppy, but it was fast early. I saw Kevin Root get by on the bottom. I thought maybe that was the race there, but the car felt really good no matter where I put it on the track. Hats off to the track crew after getting two straight days of rain.”

Frustrated second place finisher Matt Janczuk noted, “I love this place. It’s a great challenge.’ Unfortunately Janczuk wasn’t able to threaten Pecore at the end of the race. “Every time I got going in a groove, a caution would come out. It was killing me.” Fulton Speedway Regular Jessica Power thrilled the crowd with a top 5 finish. Powers was knocking on the door of a podium but ran out of laps to make the pass. Dave Marcuccilli passed half the field to make his run, but a broken right front shock took him out of contention late in the race.

The next DIRTcar Sportsman Modified Central Region points race is on June 17 at Utica-Rome Speedway. We’ll see you there!

A-main (50 Laps)
1. 0-Shane Pecore [6]; 2. 33x-Matt Janczuk [3]; 3. 34-Kevin Root [2]; 4. 52-Jessica Power [5]; 5. m1-Dave Marcuccilli [20]; 6. 20-David Schilling [1]; 7. 38-Zach Sobotka [14]; 8. 713-Tom Collins [26]; 9. 0F-Tony Finch [4]; 10. 17z-Jimmy Zacharias [11]; 11. 99-Bill Clark [27]; 12. 60-Jackson Gill [18]; 13. 20K-Kyle Inman [13]; 14. t1-Charlie Tibbitts [7]; 15. 18j-Tye Scott-Rood [17]; 16. 98t-Tyler Thompson [29]; 17. 1-Mark Yorker [24]; 18. 3-Chris Mackey [19]; 19. 87-Rocco Leone [16]; 20. 1x-Willy Decker, Jr [30]; 21. 18-Brandon Ford [23]; 22. 771-Joe Sobotka [28]; 23. 8-Alan Fink [9]; 24. 82-Will Shields [25]; 25. 51-Jimmy Moyer [12]; 26. 67g-Eric Giguere [15]; 27. 45r-Preston Forbes [22]; 28. 47-Scott Prentice [21]; 29. 99m-Mike Phelps [8]; 30. 18r-Brad Rouse [10]

–Photo credit: Don Simpson

By Scott|2018-04-30T16:48:11+00:00April 30th, 2018|DIRTcar, Local, Racing News|Comments Off

Davenport Scores First Career Gator at DIRTcar Nationals

Davenport Finally Captures First Gator Trophy at DIRTcar Nationals

BARBERVILLE, FL– Feb. 12, 2018– Jonathan Davenport dominated the first night of Late Model competition at the 47th annual DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park by leading flag-to-flag for all 30 laps of the feature event. Davenport smiled from ear-to-ear holding his first ever Gator trophy in Victory Lane at the historic half-mile.

“You don’t know how much this gator [trophy] means to me,” said Davenport. “I’ve been wanting one of these things for so long. We’ve been close a few times but we’ve never got it done. This one here is definitely for my crew. We stayed up all night last night. We put a new body on this thing. We changed motors. We went all through the car. It was raining on us and we were soaking wet… Winning here is unbelievable. It sure is.”

Davenport, of Blairsville, GA, started on the pole for the event and never looked back. Despite two cautions, the driver of the No.49 owned by Lance Landers was never seriously challenged for the lead spot. Chris Madden of Gray Court, SC was the only driver to reach the bumper of Davenport throughout the race.

“It rubbered up so catching somebody and passing them is a different thing to do here,” said Madden. “We had a good car once we went low in one and two but I didn’t even realize it until two [laps] to go so I dove down there and I was able to carry some speed off the corner there.

“So maybe I should’ve made the charge down there a little earlier and tried to move around a little more sooner than I did,” Madden continued. “But overall, for the first night out with this team, with a new car from Barry [Wright] and a new power plant from Clements. All and all I think we’ve done a good job.”

Clanton and Madden swapped for second and third once throughout the race but the Georgia Bulldog was only able to hold on to the spot for two laps before the No. 44 Barry Wright House Car reclaimed the position for the remainder of the race.

“We are just glad to be here in sunny Florida as cold as it has been back at the house, it feels good to get down here. Mother Nature laid off tonight and gave us the night to race. Hopefully she is calmer the rest of the week and we can race five more nights. It is consistency here that matters so hopefully we get back in Victory Lane and keep it up front.”

The DIRTcar Late Models return to the track on February 13 for their second and final night of competition during the 12-day short track event before the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series takes center stage on Feb. 14-17.

Additional Race Notes:

Mike Marlar claimed quick time during qualifying with a 16.293 lap time at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile
The two cautions during the feature including one on lap 6 for Chase Junghans who slowed on the track and on lap 12 for Dennis Erb Jr. who spun in turn four and suffered right rear cosmetic damage
The DIRTcar Racing Modifieds completed a seven-night stretch of DIRTcar Nationals competition concluding with the crowning of the Big Gator Champion, Nick Hoffman. The entire Modified event took place before the Late Models hit the track for hot laps because of the threat of rain.
Donny Schatz won the Sprint Car Big Gator Championship and Nick Hoffman won the Modified Big Gator Championship. Both drivers entered into Late Model competition.

DIRTcar Late Model Results:

Feature (30-Laps): 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport; 2. 44-Chris Madden; 3. 25-Shane Clanton; 4. 0-Scott Bloomquist; 5. 157-Mike Marlar; 6. 17M-Dale McDowell; 7. 16-Tyler Bruening; 8. 40B-Kyle Bronson; 9. 54-David Breazeale; 10. 7-Rick Eckert; 11. 116-Brandon Overton;12. 15-Donny Schatz; 13. 1-Brandon Sheppard; 14. 9-Devin Moran; 15. 72-Mike Norris; 16. B1-Brent Larson; 17. 2-Nick Hoffman; 18. OF1-Coleby Frye; 19. 28-Dennis Erb Jr; 20. C8-Timothy Culp; 21. 22s-Brian Shirley; 22.1star-Chub Frank; 23.31-Tyler Millwood; 24. 18c-Chase Junghans;

Last Chance Showdown 1: 1. 1star-Chub Frank; 2. 22s-Brian Shirley; 3. OF1-Coleby Frye; 4. 18c-Chase Junghans; 5. 7mm-Michael Maresca; 6. 11B-Stacy Boles; 7. 84-Austin Smith; 8. 16H-Mike Hammerle; 9. 14z-Zack McMillan; 10. 12-Jason Jameson; 11. CJ1-Rusty Schlenk; DNS. C02-Mark Whitener;

Last Chance Showdown 2: 1. 15-Donny Schatz;2. 2-Nick Hoffman;3. B1-Brent Larson;4.31-Tyler Millwood;5. 2c-Joey Coulter;6. 21jr-Billy Moyer Jr;7. 27-Jeff Beyers; 8. 6-Blake Spencer; 9. 14r-Reid Millard; 10. 7F-Jason Fitzgerald; DNS.115-Trey Beene; DNS. 91-Tyler Erb;

Heat 1: 1.44-Chris Madden; 2. 40B-Kyle Bronson; 3. 7-Rick Eckert; 4. 72-Mike Norris; 5. OF1-Coleby Frye; 6. 7mm-Michael Maresca; 7. 1star-Chub Frank; 8. 14z-Zack McMillan; 9. 22s-Brian Shirley; 10. 84-Austin Smith.

Heat 2: 1. 49-Jonathan Davenport; 2. 16-Tyler Bruening; 3. 17M-Dale McDowell; 4. 9-Devin Moran; 5.18c-Chase Junghans; 6. CJ1-Rusty Schlenk; 7. 11B-Stacy Boles; 8. 12-Jason Jameson; 9. 16H-Mike Hammerle; DNS. C02-Mark Whitener;

Heat 3: 1. 25-Shane Clanton; 2. 0-Scott Bloomquist; 3. 1-Brandon Sheppard; 4. 28-Dennis Erb Jr; 5. 7F-Jason Fitzgerald; 6. 15-Donny Schatz; 7. 31-Tyler Millwood; 8. 21jr-Billy Moyer Jr; 9. 2c-Joey Coulter; 10. 91-Tyler Erb;

Heat 4: 1. 54-David Breazeale; 2. 157-Mike Marlar; 3. C8-Timothy Culp; 4. 116-Brandon Overton; 5. B1-Brent Larson; 6. 2-Nick Hoffman; 7. 6-Blake Spencer; 8. 27-Jeff Beyers; 9. 115-Trey Beene; 10. 14r-Reid Millard.

Group A Qualifying: 1. 44- Chris Madden 17.138; 2. 40B- Kyle Bronson17.269; 3. 72- Mike Norris 17.324; 4.7- Rick Eckert 17.838;5. 1star- Chub Frank 17.846; 6. 14z- Zack McMilla18.127; 7. OF1- Coleby Frye 18.156; 8. 22s -Brian Shirley 18.322; 9. 84- Austin Smith 18.388; 10. 7mm- Michael Maresca 18.846;

Group B Qualifying: 1.49-Jonathan Davenport,16.658; 2. 16-Tyler Bruening,17.037; 3. 17M- Dale McDowell,17.352; 4. 9- Devin Moran, 17.355; 5. 18c-Chase Junghans, 17.361; 6. CJ1- Rusty Schlenk, 17.421; 7. 12- Jason Jameson, 17.604; 8. 11B- Stacy Boles, 17.616; 9. 16H- Mike Hammerle, 18.874; 10. C02- Mark Whitener, NT

Group C Qualifying: 1. 25- Shane Clanton, 16.312; 2. 7F- Jason Fitzgerald, 16.314; 3. 1- Brandon Sheppard,16.478; 4. 0- Scott Bloomquist, 16.563; 5. 21jr- Billy Moyer Jr, 16.827; 6. 15- Donny Schatz, 16.849; 7. 28- Dennis Erb Jr, 17.014; 8. 91- Tyler Erb, 17.097; 9. 2c- Joey Coulter, 17.329; 10. 31- Tyler Millwood, 18.258

Group D Qualifying: 1. 157- Mike Marlar, 16.293; 2. 54- David Breazeale, 16.510; 3. C8- Timothy Culp, 17.082; 4. B1- Brent Larson, 17.103; 5. 116- Brandon Overton, 17.225; 6. 2- Nick Hoffman, 17.623; 7. 6- Blake Spencer, 17.658; 8. 115- Trey Beene, 18.024; 9. 27- Jeff Beyers, 18.179; 10. 14r- Reid Millard, 18.978

By Scott|2018-02-13T17:07:34+00:00February 13th, 2018|DIRTcar, National, Racing News, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Strickler Wins The Money; Hoffman Wins His Third Consecutive DIRTcar Nationals Title

BARBERVILLE, FL — Feb. 11, 2018 — The $5,000-to-win Big Gator Championships for the ironmen of the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals, the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds was on Monday, February 12^th. For the past seven days, the Modifieds have raced every night of the week as their marathon week of races within the DIRTcar Nationals came to an end. Two-time defending DIRTcar Nationals Champion, Nick Hoffman came into the night needing to finish fourth or better to claim his third straight DIRTcar UMP Modifieds Gator Championship. Hoffman would go on to finish second to Big Gator Championship Feature winner, Kyle Strickler who earned a $5,000 payday while Hoffman won his third straight DIRTcar Nationals title.

“We had a good racecar all week long. We battled some adversity earlier in the week with the car falling off the trailer. But we never finished out of the top three the whole time. We didn’t win the Championship, but we got the Big Gator for winning five grand,” Smiled the 33-year-old driver of the #8 Longhorn Chassis entry. “We’ve been surrounded by Elite cars are week long. But we never gave up. These guys are just so good, but the results showed how good we are too. It takes some long hours to do this. It’s nice though to put this Longhorn ahead of all those Elites, especially tonight.” Added the driver originally from Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania. For the week, Strickler won, finished second and third twice each.

For Hoffman, the 25-year-old driver who is originally from Belleville, IL, the driver of the #2 Elite Chassis entry would become the first driver in DIRTcar Nationals history to win three championships in the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds. “Man, this is so awesome. To win a Big Gator is pretty special no matter how many times you do it. These are so hard to come by and to do this three years in a row says a lot about this car and this team. There’s so many people that make this happen and I truly can’t thank everyone enough.” Through the week, Hoffman recorded three wins as well as two seconds and a third to win the DIRTcar Nationals title by 13 points (458-443) over Strickler.

NASCAR Xfinity Series star, Justin Allgaier and Zeke McKenzie brought the stellar 28-car field to Chief Starter, Dave Farney’s green flag. It would be McKenzie shooting out to the early lead while Allgaier and the rest of the pack scrambled for position. McKenzie would extend his lead early in the event as Nick Hoffman, who started eighth, quickly worked his way into the top five by following fellow fourth row starter, Kyle Strickler, who started seventh. By Halfway, Strickler and Hoffman were second and third and slowly reeling in the race long leader, McKenzie.

On lap 16, Strickler was able to slip past McKenzie to take over the top spot as Hoffman also followed him through to grab second. The two drivers who both now call Mooresville, NC home, pulled away from the rest of the field and began slicing through lapped traffic while in the midst of their battle for the $5,000 payday. Strickler would lose Hoffman in traffic, but Hoffman was able to get through it to set up a late battle with Strickler. As the laps clicked off, both drivers got away from everyone, but it would be Strickler who would fight off a late charge from Hoffman to secure his second Gator of the week, his fourth career win at Volusia Speedway Park and first Big Gator trophy.

Hoffman settled for second but would officially clinch his third consecutive DIRTcar Nationals title. Will Krup rounded out the podium finishers in third. Two-time Gator winner this week, Tyler Nicely finished fourth as Allgaier completed the top five. Ryan Ayers scored his best finish of the week in sixth as Mark Whitener, two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion, Matt Crafton, opening night winner, David Stremme and Jason Beaulieu rounded out the top-10.

The DIRTcar Late Models continue Late Model week on Tuesday, February 13^th before the World of Outlaws Craftsman® Late Model Series finish out the week over the last four nights from February 14-17^th. The Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds take over for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds and begin their stretch of five nights of racing also on Tuesday, February 13^th and will also close out the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals.

For more information about the 47^th annual DIRTcar Nationals and to order tickets, please call: 1 (844) DIRT-TIX or log onto the DIRTcar Nationals website located at: dirtcarnationals.com. You can also follow the DIRTcar Nationals by visiting the Social Media outlets. Just search for “DIRTcar Nationals” on both Facebook and Twitter for the very latest updates.

DIRTcar UMP Modified Results:

Feature (30-Laps): 1. 8- Kyle Strickler; 2. 2 – Nick Hoffman; 3. K9 – Will Krup; 4. 25-Tyler Nicely; 5. 7- Justin Alligaier; 6. 6a – Ryan Ayers; 7. 5 – Mark Whitener; 8. 88- Matt Crafton; 9. 35- David Stremme; 10. 90- Jason Beaulieu; 11. 96m – Mike McKinney; 12. 67 – Garrett Stewart; 13. 36 – Kenny Wallace; 14. 24z- Zeke McKenzie; 15. 17T – Tyler Evans; 16. 99H – Justin Haley; 17. 9- Ken Schrader; 18. 49- Brian Ruhlman; 19. 1- Blake Spalding; 20. 2×4 – Chase Collins; 21. 23- Ryan Cripe; 22. 18L- Michael Long; 23. 15c – Jamie Carter; 24. 14c – Rick Conoyer; 25. 4 – Rick Arms; 26. 77- Ray Bollinger; 27. 61 – Allen Weisser; 28. 22T – Tony Anderson.

Last Chance Showdown 1: 1. 67- Garrett Stewart; 2. 1. Blake Spalding; 3. 01- Brendan Rassell; 4. 22T – Tony Anderson; 5. 14c- Rick Conoyer; 6. 13- Todd Souza; 7. 71N- Will Norris; 8. 96-Matthew Johnson; 9. D4- Dave Jamison; 10. 27-Frank Paladino; 11. 45-Will Long; 12. 11T-Dugan Thye; 13. 07-Jeff Thomas; 14. 4s-Craig Shaw; 15. 85E- Jesse Stange; 16. 11N- Gene Nicholas; 1. 27G – Jason Garver; 17. 6B- Dave Baldwin.

Last Chance Showdown 2: 1. 49- Brian Ruhlman, 2. 9- Ken Schrader, 3. 17T- Tyler Evans, 4. 3- Steve Stevenson, 5. 15- Joey Miller, 6. 2J- Troy Johnson, 7. A1- Gary Bentley, 8. 54- Larry Burkins, 9. 99H- Justin Haley, 10. 21- Sean Monaghan. DNS: 71 Jessie Hoskins, 10T Dustin Thayer, 6P Marvin Barton

By Scott|2018-02-13T17:04:21+00:00February 13th, 2018|DIRTcar, National, Racing News, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Three Little Gators: Nick Hoffman Picks Up Third Win of DIRTcar Nationals

Hoffman Clinches Spot In Gator Championship With Third Gator Of The Week

BARBERVILLE, FL — Feb. 11, 2018 — It was the second and final Gator Qualifying Night for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds at Volusia Speedway Park (FL) on Sunday, February 11^th. The second half of the 79 total Modified teams who had made at least one appearance during the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals had their shot at racing their way into the $5,000-to-win Big Gator Championships on Monday, February 12^th. Two-time defending DIRTcar Nationals Champion, Nick Hoffman returned to his winning ways as the Mooresville, NC resident took the lead with six laps to go and pulled away to his third Gator of the week and a starting spot in the Big Gator Championship Feature.

“We had problems all day today, didn’t even get to Qualify and that really put us behind the eight-ball. So, had our work cut out for us,” Stated the 25-year-old Modified standout who started 10^th in the Feature. “We still struggled in the Heat Race, then in the Feature it started raining, so I knew I had to get going. That caution with a few laps to go really helped us out and here we are.” Added the 2016 Summit Racing Equipment Modified Nationals Champion.

Will Krup and Ryan Cripe would bring the field down to the green flag after a complete restart and it would be Krup beating Cripe to the first corner to grab the early advantage. As the rest of the field scattered for position, Krup would build his lead up. Hoffman, who started 10^th, quickly and methodically picked his way through the field and was in second by the halfway point and began picking apart Krup’s lead.

As the laps continued to click off, a caution flag with seven laps to go bunched up the field. This was all Hoffman needed as on the restart, his #2 Elite Chassis machine worked its way around Krup to grab the lead a lap after the restart and pulled away to his third Gator of the week and his 14^th career win at Volusia in the DIRTcar Nationals. For the driver, originally from Belleville, IL, he’s the all-time career leader in wins in the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds by four checkered flags over the closest competitor.

Krup settled for second for his highest finish of the week while Zeke McKenzie also recorded his highest finish of the week by completing the podium finishers. NASCAR Xfinity Series star, Justin Allgaier also picked up his highest finish of the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals with a fourth as Ryan Cripe completed the top five for his best finish of the week. Allen Weisser scored his third sixth place finish of the week while Kenny Wallace was seventh over Jason Beaulieu who grabbed his best finish of the DIRTcar Nationals with an eighth. Jamie Carter was ninth as Mark Whitener finished off the top 10.

The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds close out their ironman status within the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals with their seventh and final night of action. The $5,000-to-win Big Gator Championships are on Monday, February 12^th as the top 10 finishers from the past two Gator Qualifying nights are locked into the big Feature. The rest of the field will race in a series of Last Chance Showdowns in an effort to get themselves added to the field.

The DIRTcar Late Models kick off Late Model week on Monday and return for their second and final night on Tuesday, February 13^th before the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series finish out the week over the last four nights from February 14-17^th. The Super DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds Tour take over for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds and begin their stretch of five nights of racing on Tuesday, February 13^th and will also close out the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals.

For more information about the 47^th annual DIRTcar Nationals and to order tickets, please call: 1 (844) DIRT-TIX or log onto the DIRTcar Nationals website located at: dirtcarnationals.com. You can also follow the DIRTcar Nationals by visiting the Social Media outlets. Just search for “DIRTcar Nationals” on both Facebook and Twitter for the very latest updates.

FEATURE 1: 1.Nick Hoffman (2) 2. Will Krup (K9) 3. Zeke McKenzie (24z) 4. Justin Allgaier (7) 5. Ryan Cripe (23) 6. Allen Weisser (61) 7. Kenny Wallace (36) 8. Jason Beaulieu (90) 9. Jamie Carter (15c) 10. Mark Whitener (5) 11. Brian Ruhlman (49) 12. Troy Johnson (2J) 13. Justin Haley (99H) 14. Larry Burkins (54) 15. Rich Pratt (78) 16. Tyler Evans (17T) 17. Ken Schrader (9) 18. Jessie Hoskins (71) 19. Sean Monaghan (21) 20. Kc Burdette (44KC) 21. Gary Bentley (A1) 22. Austin Holcombe (8A) 23. Joey Miller (15) 24. Steve Stevenson (3) 25. Dustin Thayer (10T)

Last Chance Showdown: 1. Larry Burkins (54) 2.Gary Bentley (A1) 3. Tyler Evans (17T) 4. Sean Monaghan (21) 5. Joey Miller (15) 6. Steve Stevenson (3) 7. Dustin Thayer (10T) 8. Ryan Beckett (58) 9. Marvin Burton (6p) 10. Michael McGee (11m)

Heat 1: 1. Will Krup (K9) 2. Zeke McKenzie (24z) 3. Jason Beaulieu (90) 4. Nick Hoffman (2) 5. Allen Weisser (61) 6. Jessie Hoskins (71) 7. Dustin Thayer (10T) 8. Joey Miller (15) 9. Sean Monaghan (21) 10.Michael McGee (11m)

Heat 2: 1. Brian Ruhlman (49) 2. Kenny Wallace (36) 3. Justin Allgaier (7) 4. Jamie Carter (15c) 5. Kc Burdette (44KC) 6. Austin Holcombe (8A) 7. Larry Burkins (54) 8. Steve Stevenson (3) 9. Ryan Beckett (58)

Heat 3: 1. Ryan Cripe (23) 2. Troy Johnson (2J) 3. Mark Whitener (5) 4. Rich Pratt (78) 5. Justin Haley (99H) 6. Ken Schrader (9) 7. Tyler Evans (17T) 8. Gary Bentley (A1) 9. Marvin Burton (6p)

Qualifying 1: 1. Joey Miller (15) 2.Zeke McKenzie (24z) 3. Michael McGee (11m) 4. Allen Weisser (61) 5. Dustin Thayer (10T) 6. Sean Monaghan (21) 7. Jessie Hoskins (71) 8. Will Krup (K9) 9. Jason Beaulieu (90) 10. Nick Hoffman (2)

Qualifying 2: 1.Justin Allgaier (7) 2.Larry Burkins (54) 3.Brian Ruhlman (49) 4. Steve Stevenson (3)5. Austin Holcombe (8A) 6. Jamie Carter (15c) 7. Ryan Beckett (58)8. Kc Burdette (44KC) 9. Kenny Wallace (36)

Qualifying 3: 1.Ryan Cripe (23) 2.Rich Pratt (78) 3.Troy Johnson (2J) 4.Mark Whitener (5) 5.Tyler Evans (17T) 6.Ken Schrader (9) 7.Gary Bentley (A1) 8.Justin Haley (99H) 9.Marvin Burton (6p)

By Scott|2018-02-12T17:29:17+00:00February 12th, 2018|DIRTcar, National, Racing News, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Four Little Gators: Quad-15’s for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds

Strickler’s Hauler Mishap Motivates Him to First Gator of the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals

BARBERVILLE, FL — Feb. 9, 2018 — Night number four of the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals would see the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds race in the popular Quad-15s format. Every driver on hand raced in a feature with a chance at winning a coveted Gator. Highlighting the night was the victory in the final Quad Feature by Mooresville, NC standout, Kyle Strickler who’s day started with his car falling off the hauler earlier in the afternoon while unloading his #8 Longhorn Chassis entry. The 33-year-old and his crew worked feverishly on his damaged ride and the hard work paid off with the win.

“Hell of a way to start the day that’s for sure.” Laughed the driver originally from Sinking Spring, Pennsylvania after getting up on stage for his post-race interview. “The car coming down off the hauler may have turned out to be a blessing for us. We fixed the damage, which was only cosmetic on the left rear. Then when we went out for Practice, the car felt good. Then in the feature, the car was really fast and we were able to get the lead early and drive away.” He added. With the win, his first at Volusia Speedway Park of 2018, was his third career Gator.

Allen Weisser and Mike McKinney brought the final Quad Feature to the green flag and it as Weisser pacing the pack early on. Strickler, who started ninth, wasted no time getting to the front and by lap three, grabbed the lead away from Weisser and immediately pulled away from the rest of the pack. A single caution bunched up the field, however, on the restart, Strickler got away from the field again and drove away to his third career Gator and first since February 11^th, 2015.

Two-time defending DIRTcar Nationals Champion, Nick Hoffman, the current DIRTcar Nationals Gator Points leader, kept that lead with a runner-up showing ahead of McKinney as night number one winner, David Stremme and Zeke McKenzie wrapped up the top five with his second fifth place finish of the week. Weisser was sixth as Michael Long, Kenny Wallace, Brian Ruhlman and Jason Beaulieu completed the top 10.

Earlier in the night, the third Quad Feature would see Owensboro, KY driver, Tyler Nicely take the lead away from Ken Schrader with five laps to go to give the driver of the #25 Elite Chassis machine his second career Gator. The 23-year-old’s victory was his first since February 11^th, 2016 and it was over Tyler Evans who finished a week high second. Mark Whitener, who started 18^th (last) and making his first appearance of the DIRTcar Nationals, grabbed third as a pair of NASCAR competitors, Justin Allgaier (Xfinity Series) and Matt Crafton (Camping World Truck Series) were the final top five. Another NASCAR driver, Justin Haley was sixth while 13-year-old Hunt Gossum, Ray Bollinger, Troy Johnson and Austin Holcombe, from 15^th, were the final top 10.

The second Quad Feature of the night saw Lima, OH driver, Frank Paladino, a former Eldora Speedway Stock Car Track Champion, start on the pole. The driver of the #27 Mid-American Cleaning Contractors ride would make no mistake the whole race and survived numerous cautions to lead the whole way en route to his first career DIRTcar UMP Modified Feature Win. Jason Garver finished in second while Michael McGee, Dugan Thye and Dave Baldwin were the top five. Gene Nicholas was sixth as 76-year-old Florida legend, Buzzie Reutimann, who started 17^th, came home in seventh. Will Long, Blake Spalding and Will Norris rounded out the top 10 finishers.

The first Quad Feature of the evening would Leesburg, FL veteran, Larry Mott start on the pole and the 65-year-old driver of the #07z Mott Concrete entry would lead all 15 laps to score the emotional victory, his first career Gator. Rich Pratt started last (18^th) and would come through the field but ran out of time to challenge Mott and settled for second with Craig Shaw, Gary Bentley and Brenden Rassel were the top five. Steve Stevenson scored a sixth place finish as Jesse Strange, Dustin Thayer, John Baker and Todd Souza were the final top 10 in the rundown.

Next up for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will be the first of two Gator Qualifying Nights on Saturday, February 10^th. The 74 cars that have appeared during the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals after four nights of racing, will be split into two groups with the first group racing on Saturday, then the second group goes on Sunday, February 11^th. The top 10 finishers from each night’s feature will be locked in to the Big Gator Championship Feature paying $5,000 to win on Monday, February 12^th. The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will race in their second of three nights on Saturday before completing Sprint Car Week on Sunday.

For more information about the 47^th annual DIRTcar Nationals and to order tickets, please call: 1 (844) DIRT-TIX or log onto the DIRTcar Nationals website located at: dirtcarnationals.com. You can also follow the DIRTcar Nationals by visiting the Social Media outlets. Just search for “DIRTcar Nationals” on both Facebook and Twitter for the very latest updates.

DIRTcar UMP Modified Results:

Feature 1: 1.Larry Mott (06Z) 2.Rich Pratt (78) 3.Craig Shaw (4s) 4.Gary Bentley (A1) 5.Brendan Rassell (01) 6.Steve Stevenson (3) 7.Jesse Strange (85E) 8.Dustin Thayer (10T) 9.John E Baker (22J) 10.Todd Souza (13) 11.Matthew Johnson (96) 12.Rick Weitekamp (89w) 13.Marvin Barton (6P) 14.William Cevaal (27c) 15.Ryan Beckett (58) 16.Robbie Evans (17) 17.Joey Miller (15) 18.Timmy Near (71x)

Feature 2: 1. Frank Paladino (27) 2. Jason Garver (27G) 3. Michael McGee (11m) 4. Dugan Thye (11T) 5. Will Long (45) 6. Dave Baldwin (6B) 7. Gene Nicholas (11N) 8. Buzzie Reutimann (00) 9. Blake Spalding (1) 10.Will Norris (71n) 11. A.j. Fike (10) 12. Dave Jamison (D4) 13. Jason Brookover (28B) 14. Ryan Ayers (6A) 15. Jesse Rupe (11R) 16. Lee Hobbs (22JH) 17. Brad Goff (41) 18. Jeff Thomas (07)

Feature 3: 1.Tyler Nicely (25) 2. Tyler Evans (17T) 3. Mark Whitener (5) 4. Justin Allgaier (7) 5. Matt Crafton (88) 6. Justin Haley (99H) 7. Hunt Gossum (99) 8. Ray Bollinger (77) 9. Troy Johnson (2J) 10. Austin Holcombe (8A) 11. Ryan Cripe (23) 12. Rick Conoyer (14C) 13. Tony Anderson (22T) 14. Jessie Hoskins (71) 15. Ken Schrader (9) 16. Todd Neiheiser (72) 17. Garrett Stewart (67) 18. Jamie Carter (15c)

Feature 4: 1.Kyle Strickler (8) 2.Nick Hoffman (2) 3. Mike McKinney (96m)4. David Stremme (35) 5. Zeke McKenzie (24z) 6. Allen Weisser (61) 7. Brian Ruhlman (49) 8. Michael Long (18L) 9. Jason Beaulieu (90) 10. Kenny Wallace (36) 11. Shon Flanary (98) 12. Kc Burdette (44KC) 13. Larry Burkins (54) 15. Chase Collins (2×4) 16. Will Krup (K9) 17.]Ricky Arms (4) 18. Josh Rice (11)

By Scott|2018-02-12T17:02:58+00:00February 12th, 2018|DIRTcar, National, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Twice as Nice(ly): Tyler Nicely Locks into Gator Championship with Saturday’s Victory

BARBERVILLE, FL — Feb. 10, 2018 — The first of two Gator Qualifying Nights for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds was on Saturday, February 10^th. The 79 teams that have appeared at least once during the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals were split up into two groups with half the field racing on the 10^th, while the other half get the day off before returning to the track on Sunday, February 11^th. In the first of two Big Gator Qualifying Nights to set the field for Monday’s $5,000-to-win finale, Tyler Nicely would go to victory lane and guaranteeing himself a shot at the Big Gator on Monday after scoring his second Gator in two nights

“Once Kyle (Strickler) and I got away from everybody, I figured I was going to have to hold him off, but thought, as long as I’m able to hit my marks each lap, we’d be alright,” Offered the 23-year-old from Owensboro, KY who would also record his third career feature win at Volusia Speedway Park during the DIRTcar Nationals to move him into a five-way tie for eighth all-time in career wins with Craig Thatcher, Dave Hess Jr., Clint Bowyer and Strickler. “Last night felt good, but this one feels really good, to beat the caliber of cars that are here.” The driver of his #25 Elite Chassis ride ended.

Todd Neiheiser and Mike McKinney brought the 24-car field to Chief Starter, Dave Farney’s green flag and it would be McKinney leading the opening lap. Neiheiser would regroup though and charged back out front on the next lap and brought Tyler Nicely and Kyle Strickler, both Quad-15s Feature winners from the night before, with him and the battle was on for the lead. On lap eight, Nicely and Strickler both slipper passed Neiheiser and pulled away from the rest of the pack.

Nicely and Strickler put on a battle of their own while leaving the rest of the field to fend for themselves. As the laps continued to click off, Nicely slowly but surely pulled away from Strickler and started putting lapped traffic between himself and his fellow Gator Feature winner from the night before. In the end, Nicely crossed the stripe first to score the Feature win and more importantly, a guaranteed starting spot in Monday’s $5,000 to win Big Gator finale.

Strickler settled for second for his fifth consecutive top five finish in five starts during the DIRTcar Nationals while Michael Long continues to impress with his best finish of the week in third. Two-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion, Matt Crafton recorded his best finish of the week in fourth as night number one winner, David Stremme recovered from an incident on lap nine to wrap up the top five. McKinney slipped to sixth while Ryan Ayers, Ray Bollinger, Chase Collins and Ricky Arms completed the top 10.

The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will continued with the Gator Qualifying Nights as the second and final pivotal night of racing will be on Sunday, February 11^th, the sixth straight day of racing for the ironmen of the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals. The teams that took Saturday off, come back Sunday for their shot at getting into Monday’s $5,000 to win finale. The top 10 finishers from Sunday’s feature will join the top 10 from Saturday’s main event and are locked in to the Big Gator Championship Feature paying $5,000 to win on Monday, February 12^th.

The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will wrap up Sprint Car Week with their third and final night of racing before the DIRTcar Late Models take over for two nights (Monday & Tuesday, February 12-13^th) to kick off Late Model week. Also, on Tuesday, February 13^th, the Super DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds Tour begin their stretch of five nights of racing, while on Wednesday, February 14^th, the World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series continue Late Model week for four nights of action to wrap up the DIRTcar Nationals.

For more information about the 47^th annual DIRTcar Nationals and to order tickets, please call: 1 (844) DIRT-TIX or log onto the DIRTcar Nationals website located at: dirtcarnationals.com. You can also follow the DIRTcar Nationals by visiting the Social Media outlets. Just search for “DIRTcar Nationals” on both Facebook and Twitter for the very latest updates.

DIRTcar UMP Modifieds Results: Volusia Speedway Park, Feb. 10, 2018

Feature (20-Laps): 1. Tyler Nicely (25) 2.Kyle Strickler (8) 3.Michael Long (18L) 4.Matt Crafton (88) 5.David Stremme (35) 6. Mike McKinney (96m) 7. Ryan Ayers (6A) 8. Ray Bollinger (77) 9. Chase Collins (2×4) 10. Ricky Arms (4) 11. Garrett Stewart (67) 12. Buzzie Reutimann (00) 13. Blake Spalding (1) 14. Will Long (45) 15. Dugan Thye (11T) 16. Dave Jamison (D4) 17. Jesse Rupe (11R) 18. Frank Paladino (27) 19. Todd Neiheiser (72) 20. Jason Garver (27G) 21. Rick Conoyer (14C) 22. Craig Shaw (4s) 23.Gene Nicholas (11N) 24. Tony Anderson (22T)

Last Chance Showdown: 1. Buzzie Reutimann (00) 2. Blake Spalding (1) 3.Dugan Thye (11T) 4. Dave Jamison (D4) 5. Jesse Rupe (11R) 6. Craig Shaw (4s) 7. Brendan Rassell (01) 8. Dave Baldwin (6B) 9. Timmy Near (71x) 10. John E Baker (22J) 11. Matthew Johnson (96) 12. Jesse Strange (85E) 13. Jeff Thomas (07) 14. Will Norris (71n) 15. Todd Souza (13)

Heat 1: 1. Tyler Nicely (25) 2. Jason Garver (27G) 3. Matt Crafton (88) 4. Garrett Stewart (67) 5. Will Long (45) 6. Frank Paladino (27) 7. Blake Spalding (1) 8. Jeff Thomas (07) 9. Dave Jamison (D4) 10. Craig Shaw (4s) 11. Will Norris (71n)

Heat 2: 1. Mike McKinney (96m) 2. Michael Long (18L) 3. Kyle Strickler (8)4. Rick Conoyer (14C) 5. Ryan Ayers (6A) 6. Tony Anderson (22T) 7.Buzzie Reutimann (00) 8.Jesse Rupe (11R) 9. John E Baker (22J) 10. Timmy Near (71x) 11.Matthew Johnson (96)

Heat 3:1. Todd Neiheiser (72)2. David Stremme (35) 3. Chase Collins (2×4) 4. Ray Bollinger (77) 5. Gene Nicholas (11N) 6. Ricky Arms (4) 7. Dugan Thye (11T) 8. Dave Baldwin (6B) 9. Jesse Strange (85E) 10. Brendan Rassell (01) 11. Todd Souza (13)

Qualifying 1: 1. Tyler Nicely (25) 2. Matt Crafton (88) 3. Jason Garver (27G) 4. Garrett Stewart (67) 5. Will Long (45) 6. Frank Paladino (27) 7. Blake Spalding (1) 8. Dave Jamison (D4) 9. Jeff Thomas (07) 10. Craig Shaw (4s) 11. Will Norris (71n)

Qualifying 2: 1. Kyle Strickler (8) 2. Mike McKinney (96m) 3. Michael Long (18L) 4. Ryan Ayers (6A) 5. Buzzie Reutimann (00) 6. Rick Conoyer (14C) 7. Tony Anderson (22T) 8. Jesse Rupe (11R) 9. Timmy Near (71x) 10. John E Baker (22J) 11. Matthew Johnson (96)

Qualifying 3: 1. David Stremme (35) 2.Chase Collins (2×4) 3.Todd Neiheiser (72) 4.Gene Nicholas (11N) 5. Todd Souza (13) 6.Ray Bollinger (77) 7. Ricky Arms (4) 8.Brendan Rassell (01) 9.Dave Baldwin (6B) 10.Dugan Thye (11T) 11.Jesse Strange (85E)

By Scott|2018-02-12T16:59:06+00:00February 12th, 2018|DIRTcar, National, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off