Prestigious Late Model Series Expands To Accommodate More Tracks, Give Teams Needed Breaks

CONCORD, NC – Dec. 6, 2012 – DIRTcar Late Model racing’s biggest test of man and machine will grow even larger in 2013.

A record number of points events appear on the 2013 DIRTcar Summer Nationals ‘Hell Tour’ schedule, which was released on Thursday during the International Motorsports Industry Show in Indianapolis. The slate includes an extra weekend of competition officials have added in order to accommodate more races while also providing traveling teams some needed breaks in the action.

Beginning with the opener on Wed., June 12, at Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway and running through the traditional series finale on Sat., July 20, at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio, the prestigious circuit will feature 31 A-Mains at 30 tracks in nine states over a 39-day period.

“The 2013 DIRTcar Summer Nationals is looking like it could be one of the best ever,” DIRTcar UMP director Sam Driggers of a series that has lit up Midwestern summers annually since 1986. “With so many promoters wanting a Summer Nationals date we have chosen to add another week to the schedule to give more tracks a chance to experience a taste of the ‘Hell Tour.’ The expansion will also allow for a few more scheduled days off so the teams have more time to prepare their equipment for what is well-known as the most grueling series in DIRTcar Late Model racing.” (more…)

Young Driver, Just 30, of Waterloo, N. Y., First Ever to Win Three Consecutive Series Titles

CONCORD, N. C. – Nov. 5, 2012 – Two-time consecutive Super DIRTcar Series Champion Matt Sheppard made it to the top again this year, becoming the first Big-Block Modified driver to score three series championship titles in a row.

“It put my name in the record books for a little while. It means a lot to me,” said the 30-year-old Sheppard of Waterloo, N. Y. “The first one was great, you always remember that; the second one was remarkable, it was just as good as the first one; but to win the third in a row, just the face that nobody’s ever done it before, that’s something really special.”

Sheppard and the team traveled with the series to The Dirt Track at Charlotte still in a heated points race going into PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals presented by NAPA Auto Parts. Jimmy Phelps and Brett Hearn were both within reach of the points lead, with two 40-lap, 150-point races left to determine the 2012 champion.

In the first feature race of the weekend Friday, Nov. 2, Sheppard finished 12^th and Hearn took 3^rd, putting “the Jet” within 60 points of the lead and further intensifying the championship battle going into Saturday’s finale. Britten took the initial lead in Saturday’s 40-lapper, but Hearn was right behind him, and a win for Hearn would mean that Sheppard a 14^th or better finish to clinch the title. As a result, Sheppard found himself taking fewer risks.

“When you’re down here just trying to win the race, you take more chances and you try to run a little harder,” Sheppard said. “I wanted to win the race, I wanted to run up front, but on the other hand, you’ve got to finish the thing. That’s the most important thing. (more…)

PEAK World Finals presented by NAPA adds another big race to Hearn’s list of wins for 2012

CONCORD, N. C – November 4, 2012 – Brett Hearn’s performance late in the 2012 Super DIRTcar Series season has been anything but anticlimactic. He capped off a stunning season Saturday, Nov. 3, with a victory in the series finale during PEAK Motor Oils World of Outlaws World Finals presented by NAPA Auto Parts at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.

Hearn’s season went from good to great in August after returning from an illness-related two-race hiatus to start 23rd in the field and charge to the win at Lebanon Valley Speedway for Mr. DIRT Track U. S. A. From then on it kept improving, with his sixth VP Small Engine Fuels victory at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, a win in Orange County Fair Speedway’s Eastern States 200, and this most recent victory takes Hearn’s great season to another level.

“We worked hard to get here,” said Hearn, of Sussex, N. J. “I’ve wanted to win this race for quite a while, for the last few years we’ve been coming here.”

Drawing the fourth spot on the starting grid, Hearn was in a good position to earn a strong finish. However, the competition was tough, with multi-time Australian V8 Modified National Champion Peter Britten starting on the pole, Jimmy Phelps, second in points, starting second, and two-time series champion Matt Sheppard starting third. (more…)

Tim Fuller scores second career win at The Dirt Track at Charlotte for night two of PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals presented by NAPA Auto Parts

CONCORD, N. C – November 2, 2012 – After a suspenseful 40 laps at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, with leaders often racing side-by-side through the turns of the 4/10-mile track, Tim Fuller beat off challengers Tim McCreadie and Brett Hearn to win the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified A-Feature Friday, Nov. 2, during PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals presented by NAPA Auto Parts.

“It’s always good to win here,” said Fuller, who came all the way from Edwards, N. Y., to compete in both Super DIRTcar Series and World of Outlaws Late Models Series events. “You’ve got a good group of cars and a standing-room only crowd.”

Fuller and his Super DIRTcar Series cohort certainly gave the crowds in the grandstands a spectacular show. Following the first-ever 4-wide solute featuring, simultaneously, all three premier series – the Super DIRTcar Series, the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, and the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series – the Big-Block Modifieds stayed on the track and revved their 800-plus horsepower engines for the first feature of PEAK World Finals presented by NAPA.

Ryan Godown in the 747 started at the pole, Aussie Peter Britten sharing the front row. Both drivers performed well Thursday for Kellogg’s Qualifying Night, Godown registering the third fastest time in timed hot laps and each winning a heat race for Friday’s show. Fuller started third and McCreadie fourth. (more…)

Competitors prep for series finales during PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals presented by NAPA Auto Parts

CONCORD, N. C. – Nov. 1, 2013 – Anything can happen come race night.

The mantra rings true for any Super DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Series event, but, reeling from Kellogg’s Qualifying Night on Thursday at the PEAK Motor Oil World of Outlaws World Finals Presented by NAPA Auto Parts and going into Friday’s and Saturday’s feature events, the Modified pits more than ever exude the tension the saying expresses.

The Big-Block Modifieds of the Super DIRTcar Series, along with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars and the World of Outlaws Late Models, took on The Dirt Track at Charlotte for preliminary events leading to each series’ season finale. Super DIRTcar Series teams completed most of their qualifying events, including timed hot lap sessions and heat races, for both upcoming features, which take place Friday and Saturday. Race day B-Features and redraws will complete the starting grid for each A-Feature.

The stakes are high as competitors prepare for the last two races of the season. More than 300 series points are on the line the next two days, and Jimmy Phelps, currently second in points, hopes a good starting spot can help him win an ample portion of those points. (more…)