The 2011 Season will Roar back into action on February 26, 2011 with fan appreciation night – Charity night.
On the schedule are Sportsman, E-Modifieds, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, Thunder Stocks and Hornets.
Our 2011 weekly classes will be:
Sportsmans
| Open Wheeled Modifieds | Feature | ||
| Car-# | Drivers Name | Home Town | Winner |
| 42 | Richie Smith | Hernando | 1 |
| 25 | (Johnny) L. J. Grimm | Seffner | 2 |
| 88 | Bobby Ervien | St. Pete | 3 |
| 03 | Kyle Bookmiller | Riverview | 4 |
| 31 | Jeff Sloan | Crystal River | 5 |
| 98 | Robbie Cooper | Bronson | 6 |
| 53 | Doug Miller | Largo | 7 |
| 70 | Jeremy Gerstner | Wesley Chapel | 8 |
| 1 | Fain Skinner | Live Oak | 9 |
| 3 | Ricky Coffin | 10 | |
| 21 | Len Stapleton | 11 | |
| 13 | Jon Ditges | Orlando | 12 |
| 94 | Dalton Nelson | 13 | |
| 6 | Billy Bechtelheimer | Dover | 14 |
| 198 | Wayne Morris | Malberry | 15 |
| 8 | Michael Stalnaker | Ocala | 16 |
| Sportsman | Feature | ||
| Car-# | Drivers Name | Home Town | Winner |
| 55 | Ernie Reed | Crystal River | 1 |
| 4 | Richie Smith | Hernando | 2 |
| 65 | Shane Nichols | Ocala | 3 |
| 3 | David (Sandy) Lee | Nottingham N.H. | 4 |
| 51 | Christopher Harvey | Belleview | 5 |
| 20 | Shawn Waite | Raymond N.H. | 6 |
| 25 | Casey Watson | Deland | 7 |
| 21 | Tommy Schnader | Largo | 8 |
| 56 | Brandon Morris | Malberry | 9 |
| 83 | Dennise Neighbor Sr. | Clearwater | 10 |
| 711 | Fred Tuski | Brooksville | 11 |
| 1 | Rick Kase | Odessa | 12 |
| 7 | Clint Foley | Dunellon | 13 |
| 77 | Lee Welly | Raymond N.H. | 14 |
| 34 | Kevin Harrod | Floral City | 15 |
| 6 | David White | Spring Hill | 16 |
| 99 | Cody Stickler | Pinellas Park | 17 |
| 26 | Neal Gaither | 18 | |
| 01 | Tom Posavec | Dunellon | 19 |
| 116 | Bill Hall | Ocoee | 20 |
| Street Stock/Pure Stock | |||
| Figure Eights | Feature | ||
| Car-# | Drivers Name | Home Town | Winner |
| 34 | James Crawford | Pinelles Park | 1 |
| 14 | Wayne Calkins | St. Pete | 2 |
| 0 | Jimmy Thompson | Pinelles Park | 3 |
| 6 | Joey Catarelli | Pinelles Park | 4 |
| 25 | Robbie Powell | St. Pete | 5 |
| 85 | Thomas Peet | Floral City | 6 |
| 31 | Wayne Whitehead | Largo | 7 |
| 94 | Charlie Meyer | Pinelles Park | 8 |
| 3 | Cliff Rousseau | St. Pete | 9 |
| 83 | Neil Herne | Homosassa | 10 |
| 59 | T. J. Sharrone | Floral City | 11 |
| Mini Stocks | Feature | ||
| Car-# | Drivers Name | Home Town | Winner |
| 32 | Jeremy Sharrone | Floral City | 1 |
| 17 | Adam May | Lutz | 2 |
| 29 | Chris Snow | Inverness | 3 |
| 11 | Shannon Kennedy | Summerfield | 4 |
| 71 | Sonya Heater | Homosassa | 5 |
| 98 | Kevin Stone | Dade City | 6 |
| 50 | Jessey Mallory | Summerfield | 7 |
| 31 | Chris Hennessy Jr. | 8 | |
| 43 | Shawn Jenkins | Lakeland | 9 |
| 35 | Kenneth Watkins | Summerfield | 10 |
| Pure Stocks | Feature | ||
| Car-# | Drivers Name | Home Town | Winner |
| 15 | Levi Roberts | Spring Hill | 1 |
| 39 | Carl Peters | Winter Garden | 2 |
| 35 | David Walls | Summerfield | 3 |
| 27 | Sherry Makula | New Port Richey | 4 |
| 9 | Tyler Stickler | 5 | |
| 17 | Nicholas Malverty | Spring Hill | 6 |
| 44 | Glen Colyer | Homosassa | 7 |
| 91 | Jeffery Byer | Jacksonville | 8 |
| 63 | Karlin Ray | Floral City | 9 |
| 7 | Ardin Franklin | Hernado | 10 |
| 65 | Happy Florian | Lecanto | 11 |
| 30 | Tom McKay | 12 | |
| F.O.W.L. | Feature | ||
| Car-# | Drivers Name | Home Town | Winner |
| 14 | Bo Bass | Eustis | 1 |
| 17 | John Bailey | Sarasota | 2 |
| 04 | Rick Lundeen | Jacksonville | 3 |
| 02k | Matt Lundeen | Jacksonville | 4 |
| 56 | Larry Hubbard | Cape Coral | 5 |
| 2m | Jon Brown | Cape Coral | 6 |
| 23 | Jerry Heflin | Gainsville | 7 |
| 25 | Johnny Bass | Clarcona | 8 |
| 77 | Larry Hubbard | Cape Coral | 9 |
| 00 | Donny Bass | Clarcona | 10 |
| 0 | Sony O’Sullivan | Edgewater | 11 |
45th Annual World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing
Official Results – 02.11.11
Night #1
Super Late Models – 30 laps
| 1. | #51 | Stephen Nasse |
| 2. | #36 | Tim Russell |
| 3. | #74 | Ryan Moore |
| 4. | #11 | David Rogers |
| 5. | #80 | Brian Finney |
| 6. | #28 | Sean Bass |
| 7. | #4B | Alan Bruns |
| 8. | #12k | Rebecca Kasten |
| 9. | #93 | David Russell |
| 10. | #5 | Jared Marks |
| 11. | #56 | Chris Staggs |
| 12. | #29 | Ronnie Rihn |
| 13. | #68 | Russ Shaw |
| 14. | #18 | Jared Allison |
| 15. | #33 | Derrick Wood |
| 16. | #89 | Matt Tift |
| 17. | #18G | Bruce Gowland |
| 18. | #13 | Frank Alberson |
| 19. | #12 | Steve Weaver |
NASCAR Tour-Type Modifieds – 25 laps
| 1. | #8 | Earl Paules |
| 2. | #6 | Ron Silk |
| 3. | #22 | Chuck Hossfeld |
| 4. | #00 | Ted Christopher |
| 5. | #03 | Patrick Emerling |
| 6. | #25 | Jimmy Zacharias |
| 7. | #33 | Andy Petree |
| 8. | #x6 | Eric LeClair |
| 9. | #40 | Frank Fleming |
| 10. | #06 | JR Swansbrough |
| 11. | #27 | Matt Clemmons |
Crate / Pro Late Models – 25 laps
| 1. | #84 | Martin Latulippe |
| 2. | #11 | Austin Kirkpatrick |
| 3. | #16 | Kevin Roberge |
| 4. | #76 | Jerick Johnson |
| 5. | #94 | Donnie Varcoe |
| 6. | #96 | John Nutley |
| 7. | #5 | Jared Marks |
| 8. | #56 | Gus Dean |
| 9. | #5G | Zach Germain |
| 10. | #4 | Jonathan Urlin |
| 11. | #26 | Nathan Russell |
| 12. | #25 | Brian Short |
| 13. | #48 | Dwayne Baker |
| 14. | #87 | Mike Mazzagatti |
| 15. | #17 | Gary Passer |
| 16. | #81 | Andrew Gresel |
| 17. | #30 | Foster Mackey |
| 18. | #9 | Brandon Watson |
| 19. | #25P | Cole Powell |
| 20. | #31 | Shawn McWhirter |
| 21. | #1 | Cody Coughlin |
| 22. | #42 | Natalie Sather |
| 23. | #55 | Dakotah Stephens |
| DQ | #119 | Dalton Zehr |
FL/IMCA Type Modifieds – 25 laps
| 1. | #66 | Jerry Symons |
| 2. | #57 | Tim Moore |
| 3. | #7 | Rodney Brooks |
| 4. | #99 | AJ Winstead |
| 5. | #73 | Aaron Williamson |
| 6. | #38 | Ricky Moxley |
| 7. | #97 | Matthew Wheeler |
| 8. | #54 | David Hite |
| 9. | #12 | John Zidek |
| 10. | #15T | Tank Tucker |
| 11. | #15 | Robert Deal |
| 12. | #40 | Tigh Shaffer |
| 13. | #41 | Doc McKinney |
| 14. | #96 | Keith King |
| 15. | #89 | Josh Todd |
| 16. | #112 | Jarrett Korpi |
Limited Late Models – 25 laps
| 1. | #36 | Ross Chastain |
| 2. | #15 | Jason Boyd |
| 3. | #21 | Derrick Kelley |
| 4. | #55 | Joey Miller |
| 5. | #26 | Jessica Murphy |
| 6. | #51 | Dillon Jackson |
| 7. | #20 | Anthony Sergi |
| 8. | #38 | Kirk Hooker |
| 9. | #11 | David Weaver |
| 10. | #17x | Ryan Lisak |
| 11. | #57 | Joe Winchell |
| 12. | #6 | Richard Douglas |
| 13. | #119 | JR McMickle |
| 14. | #9z | Zack Donatti |
| 15. | #33 | Derrick Wood |
SK Type Modifieds – 15 laps
| 1. | #6 | Ron Silk |
| 2. | #8 | Earl Paules |
| 3. | #71 | Jimmy Zacharias |
| 4. | #13 | Patrick Emerling |
| 5. | #33 | Gary Fountain |
| 6. | #23 | TJ Zacharias |
| 7. | #12 | Dave Brown |
TAMPA, FL (February 11, 2011) – Brad Neat of Dunnville, KY raced to his first ever win at East Bay Raceway Park during the 35th Annual DART Winternationals Presented by Magnaflow Exhaust. 
Neat took back the lead when Mike Marlar pitted for a flat tire on lap 34. Neat then held off Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN to score the win in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned event. Dennis Erb, Jr. of Carpentersville, IL finished third followed by Josh Richards of Shinnston, WV and Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN.
“First off, I have to thank the Good Lord,” said Neat, whose victory was his third career win on the series tour. “I want to thank Bobby Labonte and my entire team, my crew chief Mark Hopper, Eric Fullwood, our team manager Jason Fitzgerald and everybody back at the shop. You have to feel bad for Mikey (Marlar), but that’s the way it goes in racing sometimes, we had a real good car tonight, thanks to Red Buck, Sunoco, Ohlins and PRC and Cornett Engines, this Longhorn Chassis is going to be strong all year,” said the 31-year-old driver.
Neat was solid from the start of the 50 main event as he took the lead from his outside front row starting position. Marlar, who started from the pole fell into second followed by Owens, Eric Wells and Tim Dohm. Neat opened up a sizable lead by the ninth lap as he started to encounter heavy traffic.
Neat was still in control at the halfway mark as Marlar started to close the gap on him. A caution for Jason Feger on lap 32 bunched the field up. Two laps later Wells, who was running fifth had a flat tire and stopped on the track to bring out the third caution. During the caution, Marlar’s right rear started to go flat and he headed to the pit area for a tire change.
As Marlar gave up the lead, Neat took over the top spot with Owens now second followed by Dohm, Josh Richards and Dennis Erb, Jr. Neat and Owens bolted away from the field on the restart and with ten laps to go it appeared as if the race would be settled among those two. Dohm had other ideas, as he caught the two frontrunners pulling alongside Owens on lap 47 just as his right rear tire blew.
The race went green for another lap until the final caution appeared for Austin Hubbard’s flat. The green-white-checkered restart saw Neat hold off Owens to become the 54th different driver to win a Late Model event during the East Bay Winternationals history.
Completing the top ten Tim McCreadie of Watertown, NY, Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN, Donnie Moran of Dresden, OH, Billy Moyer Jr. of Batesville, AR and Ray Cook of Brasstown, NC.
In preliminary action Mike Marlar was the Red Buck Cigar Fast Qualifier among the 66 entrants. Heat race winners were Marlar, Eric Wells, Tim Dohm, Brad Neat, Jimmy Owens and Josh Richards. The B-mains were taken by Donnie Moran and Billy Moyer Jr.
On Saturday, February 12th there will another day-night doubleheader with a 40-lap $10,000 to win event starting with hot laps at 11 AM and a full show to follow. Then tomorrow night will be the 75-lap finale paying $12,000 to win event.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Wednesday Night, February 11th, 2011
35th Annual DART Winternationals Presented by Magnaflow
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
Red Buck Cigars Fast Time: Mike Marlar / 14.677 seconds (Group A and Overall)
Austin Hubbard / 14.843 seconds (Group B)
Wiles Driveshafts First Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Mike Marlar, Jason Feger, David Breazeale, Donnie Moran, Steve Francis, Chris Wall, Dale McDowell, Michael Chilton, DJ Wells, Jackie Nosbisch, James O’Hara
Wiles Driveshafts Second Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Eric Wells, Tyler Reddick, Eddie Carrier Jr., Vic Coffey, Dillan White, Daniel Stone, Bobby Pierce, Earl Pearson Jr., Chad Valone, Leon Henderson, Skylar Marlar
Sweet Manufacturing Third Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Tim Dohm, Rick Eckert, Dan Schlieper, Billy Moyer, Ray Cook, Bub McCool, John Blankenship, Justin Rattliff, Steve Casebolt, Wendell Wallace-DNS, Duane Harbaugh-DNS
HAWK Brakes Fourth Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Brad Neat, Dennis Erb Jr., Austin Hubbard, Eric Jacobsen, Davey Johnson, Frank Heckenast Jr., Jason McBride, Joe Denby, Chad Hollenbeck, John Gardner, Doug Blashe
Wiles Driveshafts Fifth Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Transfer): Jimmy Owens, Don O’Neal, Scott Bloomquist, Billy Moyer Jr., Tim Isenberg, Brent Robinson, Brian Birkhofer, Brandon Thirlby, Danny Mitchell, Bob Gardner, Robert Geiger
Sweet Manufacturing Sixth Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Transfer): Josh Richards, Jared Landers, Tim McCreadie, Tim Fuller, Jared Hawkins, Ricky Weiss, Scott James, Travis Varnadore, Mark Andersen, Russ Adams, Wayne Chinn
JRi Shocks First B-Main (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Donnie Moran, Vic Coffey, Billy Moyer, Chris Wall, Dale McDowell, Bub McCool, Dillan White, Michael Chilton, Steve Casebolt, Jackie Nosbisch, Justin Rattliff, Daniel Stone, DJ Wells, Chad Valone, Leon Henderson, James O’Hara, Bobby Pierce, Steve Francis, Ray Cook, Wendell Wallace, John Blankenship-DNS, Earl Pearson Jr.-DNS, Skylar Marlar-DNS, Duane Harbaugh-DNS
Wrisco Aluminum Second B-Main (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Billy Moyer, Chris Wall, Dale McDowell, Bub McCool, Dillan White, Michael Chilton, Steve Casebolt, Jackie Nosbisch, Justin Rattliff, Daniel Stone, DJ Wells, Chad Valone, Leon Henderson, James O’Hara, Bobby Pierce, Steve Francis, Wendell Wallace, John Blankenship-DNS, Skylar Marlar-DNS, Duane Harbaugh-DNS
Magnaflow Performance Exhaust Provisional: Davey Johnson
Race Statistics
Entrants: 66
Lap Leaders: Brad Neat (Laps 1 – 31); Mike Marlar (32 – 34); Brad Neat (Laps 35 – 50)
Caution Flags: Lap 10 (Davey Johnson); Lap 32 (Jason Feger); Lap 34 (Eric Wells); Lap 24 (Rick Eckert); Lap 47 (Austin Hubbard)
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: Earl Pearson Jr., Ray Cook
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Emergency Provisional: none
DART Fast Pass: Tim Isenberg
PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race: Ray Cook (Started 24th; Finished 10th; Advanced 14 positions)
Allstar Performer of the Race: Jimmy Owens
K&N Filters Clean Pass of the Race: Scott Bloomquist
Quarter Master Rookie of the Race: none
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Race: Cornett Racing Engines
Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award: Mike Marlar
DirtonDirt.com Crew Chief of the Race: Mark Hopper (Brad Neat)
TAMPA, FL -February 11, 2011 – Billy Moyer of Batesville, AR scored his career leading 21st win at East Bay Raceway Park on Friday Afternoon capturing the 30-Lap $5000 to win feature event. 
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned-event was a make-up from Monday Night’s rainout during the 35th Annual DART Winternationals Presented by Magnaflow Exhaust. Moyer’s 742nd win of his Hall of Fame career completed the day’s sweep for him as he set fast time and won his heat race. Trailing Moyer to the finish line were Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN, Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN, 20th starting Wendell Wallace of Batesville, AR and 17th starting Bub McCool of Vicksburg, MS.
“It’s great to always win here at East Bay, we’ve been helping our drivers this week that drive our cars and this is the first time we’ve raced this week, and to get victory win number 21 here for car 21 it’s awesome,” said the 53-year-old Moyer, who capture 24 main events a year ago. “To draw an early number today, I didn’t think would be that good, but were able to get fast time and win the heat, I was babying the car there for most of the race to conserve the tires and fortunately we were able to pull it off.”
Moyer also thanked his crew and sponsors that include crew chief Steve Norris. “Steve and the guys always do a great job, and I have to thank all of great sponsors and product people, Banner Valley Hauling, Henderson Motorsports, Cooley Transport, Sunoco, Watters Auto Land, Clements Engines and everyone else that contributes to the team.”
Moyer grabbed the lead at the start with Frank Heckenast Jr. in the second spot. Moyer was unable to build more than a two-three car length lead over Heckenast in the early going as Donnie Moran made his way around Don O’Neal for third on lap four.
Moyer would gain a six-car length advantage by the halfway mark over Heckenast, Moran, O’Neal and the opening night winner, Scott Bloomquist. A caution at the halfway mark would slow Moyer’s only momentarily. Moran’s day would end on lap 19 after a solid effort as his right rear tire went flat.
Moyer would then pull away from Heckenast on the restart as Heckenast would start to fade with tire wear. O’Neal would then move into second, but Moyer’s lead was big enough that he was unable to run him down at the end. Bloomquist settled for third just ahead of the hard charger of the race Wendell Wallace, who stormed through the field from his 20th starting spot for fourth.
In preliminary action Moyer was the fast qualifier for the4 day in the Red Bick Cigar Time Trials with a lap of 14.609 seconds. Heat races were won by Moyer, Don O’Neal, Donnie Moran, Frank Heckenast, Jr., Eddie Carrier, Jr. and Austin Hubbard. The B-mains were taken by Billy Moyer Jr. and Wendell Wallace.
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary
Wednesday Night, February 11th, 2011
35th Annual DART Winternationals Presented by Magnaflow
East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL
Red Buck Cigars Fast Time: / seconds (Group A and Overall)
/ seconds (Group B)
Wiles Driveshafts First Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Billy Moyer, Scott Bloomquist, Brian Birkhofer, Chad Valone, Billy Moyer Jr., Daniel Stone, John Blankenship, Michael Chilton, John Gardner, David Breazeale
Wiles Driveshafts Second Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Don O’Neal, Jason Feger, Dale McDowell, Brandon Thirlby, Steve Francis, Leon Henderson, Mark Andersen, Dennis Erb Jr., Robert Geiger
Sweet Manufacturing Third Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Donnie Moran, Josh Richards, Bub McCool, Dan Schlieper, Bobby Pierce, Jason McBride, James O’Hara, Joe Denby, Chad Hollenbeck
HAWK Brakes Fourth Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Frank Heckenast Jr., Ray Cook, Mike Marlar, DJ Wells, Wayne Chinn, Jared Landers, Russ Adams, Ricky Weiss, Chris Wall, Doug Blashe
Wiles Driveshafts Fifth Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Transfer): Eddie Carrier Jr., Tim Dohm, Dillan White, Wendell Wallace, Jared Hawkins, Eric Jacobsen, Davey Johnson, Duane harbaugh, Tim McCreadie, Tim Isenberg-DNS
Sweet Manufacturing Sixth Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Transfer): Austin Hubbard, Eric Wells, Earl Pearson Jr., Justin Rattliff, Danny Mitchell, Travis Varnadore, Bob Gardner, Skylar Marlar, Chad Stapleton
JRi Shocks First B-Main (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Bill Moyer, Jr., Chad Valone, Dan Schlieper, John Blankenship, Steve Francis, Daniel Stone, Bobby Pierce, Michael Chilton, Dennis Erb Jr., Mark Andersen, Jason McBride, Joe Denby, Chad Hollenbeck, John Gardner, Robert Geiger, James O’Hara, Brandon Thirlby, Leon Henderson, David Breazeale-DNS
Wrisco Aluminum Second B-Main (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Wendell Wallace, Jared Hawkins, DJ Wells, Jared Landers, Travis Varnadore, Duane Harbaugh, Danny Mitchell, Bob Gardner, Russ Adams, Doug Blashe, Tim McCreadie, Justin Rattliff, Wayne Chinn, Davey Johnson-DNS, Ricky Weiss-DNS, Skylar Marlar-DNS, Chris Wall-DNS, Chad Stapleton-DNS, Tim Isenberg-DNS
Magnaflow Performance Exhaust Fast Pass (Winner Advances): Eric Jacobsen
Race Statistics
Entrants: 58
Lap Leaders: Billy Moyer (Laps 1 – 30)
Caution Flags: Lap 8 (Jason Feger); Lap 15 (Dan Schlieper); Lap 19 (Donnie Moran); Lap 26 (Tim Dohm)
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Provisionals: none
Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Emergency Provisional: none
DART Fast Pass: David Breazeale
PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race: Wendell Wallace (Started 20th; Finished 4th; Advanced 16 positions)
Allstar Performer of the Race: Ray Cook
K&N Filters Clean Pass of the Race: Donnie Moran
Quarter Master Rookie of the Race: none
COMP Cams Engine Builder of the Race: Clements Racing Engines
Dominator Race Products Hard Luck Award: Donnie Moran
DirtonDirt.com Crew Chief of the Race: Steve Norris (Billy Moyer)
Story from dirtcarnationals.com
BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 11, 2011 – Steve Kinser’s name is synonymous with the World of Outlaws. He proved again why he’s called the King of the Outlaws on Friday night in the series’ season opener as part of the 40th DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park. Then Ryan Gustin followed up by capturing his first DIRTcar UMP Modified checkered flag of the event. (Paul Arch photo)
Kinser, who competes for Tony Stewart Racing, led from the green flag and fought off charges from Kasey Kahne Racing’s Joey Saldana and another legend, Sammy Swindell, to earn his sixth victory at Volusia and move the needle on his career win total to 562.
Going three-wide, restarting double file on the top and the bottom after cautions, Kinser was determined to put his brand new car into victory lane after watching Swindell take the first two Sprint Car feature events during the DIRTcar Nationals.
“It was a really good race car,” said Kinser, of Bloomington, Ind. “It was brand new, first time we ran it. It felt really good right out of the box. It was on a rail.”
Swindell wound up second after a late-race surge to catch Kinser. Saldana was third with last year’s Knoxville Nationals champion Tim Shaffer fourth and Volusia track record holder Paul McMahan rounding out the Top 5.
For more information on the World of Outlaws, visit http://www.WorldofOutlaws.com. For more on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, go to http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com or follow the event on Twitter @DIRTcarNats.
DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Statistical Report; Volusia Speedway Park; Feb. 11, 2011
World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-main (30 laps) – Starting Position [#]; – 1) 11-Steve Kinser[1] [$10,000]; 2) 1-Sammy Swindell[5] [$5,500]; 3) 9-Joey Saldana[3] [$3,200]; 4) 83X-Tim Shaffer[7] [$2,800]; 5) 83-Paul McMahan[2] [$2,500]; 6) 1Z-Stevie Smith[12] [$2,300]; 7) 14-Jason Meyers[13] [$2,200]; 8) 2-Dale Blaney[9] [$2,100]; 9) 49-Brad Sweet[14] [$2,050]; 10) 27-Daryn Pittman[19] [$2,000]; 11) 39-Greg Hodnett[23] [$1,500]; 12) 91-Cody Darrah[11] [$1,200]; 13) 63-Chad Kemenah[4] [$1,100]; 14) 6-Kraig Kinser[22] [$1,050]; 15) 15-Donny Schatz[18] [$1,000]; 16) 7S-Jason Sides[21] [$900]; 17) 51-Fred Rahmer[17] [$800]; 18) 2B-Ben Gregg[27] [$000]; 19) 89G-David Gravel[24] [$800]; 20) 7-Craig Dollansky[6] [$800]; 21) 33-Danny Lasoski[8] [$800]; 22) 24-Terry McCarl[16] [$800]; 23) 6R-Bill Rose[10] [$800]; 24) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[26] [$000]; 25) W20-Greg Wilson[20] [$800]; 26) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[25] [$000]; 27) 30C-Lance Dewease[15] [$800]. Lap Leaders: Steve Kinser 1-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: Greg Hodnett.
Qualifying – 1) 9-Joey Saldana 13.224 2) 63-Chad Kemenah 13.267 3) 83-Paul McMahan 13.280 4) 91-Cody Darrah 13.285 5) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 13.292 6) 1Z-Stevie Smith 13.299 7) 11-Steve Kinser 13.300 8) 14-Jason Meyers 13.302 9) 7-Craig Dollansky 13.328 10) 1-Sammy Swindell 13.370 11) 49-Brad Sweet 13.371 12) 83X-Tim Shaffer 13.389 13) 30C-Lance Dewease 13.392 14) 6R-Bill Rose 13.419 15) 33-Danny Lasoski 13.436 16) 2-Dale Blaney 13.457 17) 24-Terry McCarl 13.458 18) 51-Fred Rahmer 13.465 19) 22-Brian Ellenberger 13.473 20) 15-Donny Schatz 13.485 21) 27-Daryn Pittman 13.502 22) W20-Greg Wilson 13.528 23) 7S-Jason Sides 13.537 24) 6-Kraig Kinser 13.562 25) 1J-Bronson Maeschen 13.568 26) 39-Greg Hodnett 13.574 27) 4-Danny Smith 13.622 28) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 13.655 29) 89G-David Gravel 13.659 30) 25-Aaron Ott 13.667 31) 14Z-Jessica Zemken 13.673 32) 2B-Ben Gregg 13.697 33) 17-Tyler Walker 13.810 34) 55-Chad Layton 13.878 35) P51-Jeff Carlson 16.139.
Heat 1 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature) – 1) 7-Craig Dollansky[2]; 2) 9-Joey Saldana[4]; 3) 27-Daryn Pittman[6]; 4) 89G-David Gravel[8]; 5) 30C-Lance Dewease[1]; 6) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[3]; 7) 17-Tyler Walker[9]; 8) 24-Terry McCarl[5]; 9) 1J-Bronson Maeschen[7].
Heat 2 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature) – 1) 1-Sammy Swindell[2]; 2) 6R-Bill Rose[1]; 3) 1Z-Stevie Smith[3]; 4) 63-Chad Kemenah[4]; 5) 39-Greg Hodnett[7]; 6) 25-Aaron Ott[8]; 7) W20-Greg Wilson[6]; 8) 55-Chad Layton[9]; 9) 51-Fred Rahmer[5].
Heat 3 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature) – 1) 33-Danny Lasoski[1]; 2) 11-Steve Kinser[3]; 3) 83-Paul McMahan[4]; 4) 49-Brad Sweet[2]; 5) 7S-Jason Sides[6]; 6) 4-Danny Smith[7]; 7) 22-Brian Ellenberger[5]; 8) 14Z-Jessica Zemken[8]; 9) P51-Jeff Carlson[9].
Heat 4 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature) – 1) 83X-Tim Shaffer[2]; 2) 2-Dale Blaney[1]; 3) 14-Jason Meyers[3]; 4) 15-Donny Schatz[5]; 5) 6-Kraig Kinser[6]; 6) 91-Cody Darrah[4]; 7) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[7]; 8) 2B-Ben Gregg[8].
Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined first 10 starting positions of A-feature) – 1) 11-Steve Kinser[1]; 2) 83-Paul McMahan[2]; 3) 9-Joey Saldana[4]; 4) 63-Chad Kemenah[3]; 5) 1-Sammy Swindell[6]; 6) 7-Craig Dollansky[5]; 7) 83X-Tim Shaffer[7]; 8) 33-Danny Lasoski[9]; 9) 2-Dale Blaney[10]; 10) 6R-Bill Rose[8].
B-main (12 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to A-feature) – 1) 91-Cody Darrah[1]; 2) W20-Greg Wilson[6]; []; 3) 51-Fred Rahmer[4]; 4) 24-Terry McCarl[3]; 5) 17-Tyler Walker[13]; [$200]; 6) 4-Danny Smith[8]; [$180]; 7) 22-Brian Ellenberger[5]; [$175]; 8) 2B-Ben Gregg[12]; [$160]; 9) 1J-Bronson Maeschen[7]; [$150]; 10) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[9]; [$150]; 11) 14Z-Jessica Zemken[11]; [$150]; 12) 55-Chad Layton[14]; [$150]; 13) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[2]; [$150]; 14) P51-Jeff Carlson[15]; [$150]; 15) 25-Aaron Ott[10]; [$150].
From Kellen Burns, DIRTcar Public Relations
Barberville, FL – Feb. 11, 2011 – Ryan Gustin made the most memorable pass of the 40th DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio on Friday night went he went around NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader in the final corner to claim his first ever DIRTcar Nationals win .
Affectionately known as “The Reaper” to his hometown fans in Marshalltown, Iowa, Gustin was no doubt a dark shadow over Schrader late in the race. First he pulled ahead for a moment with five laps to go before making his race-winning move to the outside of Schrader in turn 3 of the lightning fast Volusia Speedway Park on the final circuit.
“When you can go door-to-door with one of the best in the business that’s exciting,” said an exuberant Gustin in victory lane.
Gustin’s win came just a night removed from nearly trumping another NASCAR star falling just short of Clint Bowyer on Thursday night.
Defending DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH UMP Modified champion Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa., had his strongest outing of the week by finishing third. Bobby Kitchen of Columbus, Ohio, was fourth while Scotty Orr of Columbia City, Ind., round out the top five.
Saturday night’s events will kick off the Third Annual Gator Championship, the nation’s only 3-day, $5,000-to-win DIRTcar UMP Modified race.
DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio; DIRTcar UMP Modifieds; Volusia Speedway Park; Feb. 11, 2011
A-main (20 laps) – 1. Ryan Gustin; 2. Ken Schrader; 3. Dave Hess Jr; 4. Bobby Kitchen; 5. Scotty Orr; 6. Corey Conley; 7. Richie Tosh; 8. Michael Long; 9. Devin Gilpin; 10. Duane Dale; 11. Ty Dillon; 12. Bob Broking; 13. Todd Sherman; 14. Gary Cook Jr; 15. Peyton Taylor; 16. Andy Strait; 17. Brett Korves; 18. Kody Weisner; 19. Justin Coulter; 20. David McWilliams; 21. Nick Hoffman; 22. Ryan Gifford; 23. Joey Jensen; 24. Dale Mathison; 25. Jeff Matthews; 26. Austin Dillon; 27. Jon Henry
Qualifying Group 1 – 1. Chad Kinder; 2. Kyle Bronson; 3. Scotty Orr; 4. Carl McKinney; 5. Bobby Regot; 6. Andy Strait; 7. Tony Anderson; 8. Randle Sweeney; 9. Stan Beadles; 10. Joey Jensen; 11. Mike Wilson; 12. Ronnie Chance; 13. Jim Shipman; 14. Cory Hupp
Qualifying Group 2 – 1. Corey Conley; 2. Jon Henry; 3. Nate Carruth; 4. Ryan Gifford; 5. James Smith; 6. Michael Long; 7. Richie Tosh; 8. Gary Cook Jr; 9. Lawrence Oconnor; 10. Jeff Thomas; 11. Gavin Landers; 12. John Boyd; 13. Jason Davis
Qualifying Group 3 – 1. Ryan Gustin; 2. Bobby Kitchen; 3. Dale Mathison; 4. Buzzie Reutimann; 5. Evan Taylor; 6. Jason MIller; 7. Chris Puskas; 8. Justin Matson; 9. Jamie Lomax; 10. Terry Hansen; 11. Bryce Jewel; 12. Nick Hoffman; 13. Bill Keeler
Qualifying Group 4 – 1. Ken Schrader; 2. Kody Weisner; 3. Duane Dale; 4. Todd Sherman; 5. Kent Corbin; 6. Bob Broking; 7. Mike Spatola; 8. Todd Neiheiser; 9. Garrett Stewart; 10. Dave Baldwin; 11. Dave Jamison; 12. Brandon Smith; 13. Riley Emmel
Qualifying Group 5 – 1. Dave Hess Jr; 2. Jeff Matthews; 3. Justin Coulter; 4. Trista Stevenson; 5. David McWilliams; 6. Brett Korves; 7. Pat McVicker; 8. Dave Wietholder; 9. Bob Gierke; 10. Jeremy Kerzman; 11. Justin Elmer; 12. Kevin Davis; 13. Eric Elmer
Qualifying Group 6 – 1. Ty Dillon; 2. Austin Dillon; 3. Devin Gilpin; 4. Stormy Scott; 5. Peyton Taylor; 6. Terry Hull; 7. Kelby Simmons; 8. Mark Grosvenor; 9. Johnny Broking; 10. Jason Beaulieu; 11. Joe Carr; 12. Kip Hughes; 13. Gary Brooks
Heat 1 – 1. Scotty Orr; 2. Joey Jensen; 3. Andy Strait; 4. Carl McKinney; 5. Kyle Bronson; 6. Tony Anderson; 7. Ronnie Chance; 8. Jim Shipman; 9. Randle Sweeney; 10. Cory Hupp; 11. Mike Wilson; 12. Stan Beadles; 13. Chad Kinder; 14. Bobby Regot
Heat 2 – 1. Ryan Gifford; 2. Corey Conley; 3. Jon Henry; 4. Gary Cook Jr; 5. Richie Tosh; 6. Michael Long; 7. James Smith; 8. Gavin Landers; 9. Lawrence Oconnor; 10. Jeff Thomas; 11. John Boyd; DNS. Jason Davis; DQ. Nate Carruth
Heat 3 – 1. Dale Mathison; 2. Bobby Kitchen; 3. Nick Hoffman; 4. Jason MIller; 5. Chris Puskas; 6. Ryan Gustin; 7. Jamie Lomax; 8. Buzzie Reutimann; 9. Terry Hansen; 10. Evan Taylor; 11. Justin Matson; 12. Bill Keeler; 13. Bryce Jewel
Heat 4 – 1. Ken Schrader; 2. Duane Dale; 3. Todd Sherman; 4. Kody Weisner; 5. Bob Broking; 6. Mike Spatola; 7. Dave Baldwin; 8. Kent Corbin; 9. Dave Jamison; 10. Riley Emmel; 11. Garrett Stewart; 12. Todd Neiheiser; DNS. Brandon Smith
Heat 5 – 1. Jeff Matthews; 2. Dave Hess Jr; 3. Justin Coulter; 4. Brett Korves; 5. David McWilliams; 6. Dave Wietholder; 7. Bob Gierke; 8. Jeremy Kerzman; 9. Kevin Davis; 10. Trista Stevenson; 11. Eric Elmer; 12. Justin Elmer; 13. Pat McVicker
Heat 6 – 1. Devin Gilpin; 2. Austin Dillon; 3. Ty Dillon; 4. Peyton Taylor; 5. Jason Beaulieu; 6. Kelby Simmons; 7. Billy Smith; 8. Mark Grosvenor; 9. Johnny Broking; 10. Gary Brooks; 11. Stormy Scott; 12. Kip Hughes; DNS. Terry Hull; DNS. Joe Carr
B-main 1 – 1. Richie Tosh; 2. Gary Cook Jr; 3. Michael Long; 4. Carl McKinney; 5. Kyle Bronson; 6. Gavin Landers; 7. Nate Carruth; 8. Bobby Regot; 9. Tony Anderson; 10. Ronnie Chance; 11. Mike Wilson; 12. Jeff Thomas; 13. Lawrence Oconnor; 14. John Boyd; 15. Cory Hupp; 16. Randle Sweeney; 17. Jim Shipman; DNS. James Smith; DNS. Scotty Orr; DNS. Chad Kinder; DNS. Jason Davis
B-main 2 – 1. Ryan Gustin; 2. Kody Weisner; 3. Bob Broking; 4. Jamie Lomax; 5. Chris Puskas; 6. Dave Baldwin; 7. Mike Spatola; 8. Evan Taylor; 9. Buzzie Reutimann; 10. Garrett Stewart; 11. Terry Hansen; 12. Bill Keeler; 13. Jason MIller; 14. Dave Jamison; 15. Kent Corbin; 16. Riley Emmel; 17. Bryce Jewel; 18. Justin Matson; DNS. Todd Neiheiser; DNS. Brandon Smith
B-main 3 – 1. Peyton Taylor; 2. David McWilliams; 3. Brett Korves; 4. Stormy Scott; 5. Dave Wietholder; 6. Bob Gierke; 7. Kenny Wallace; 8. Trista Stevenson; 9. Kevin Davis; 10. Jeremy Kerzman; 11. Gary Brooks; 12. Eric Elmer; 13. Kelby Simmons; 14. Mark Grosvenor; 15. Johnny Broking; 16. Jason Beaulieu; DNS. Kip Hughes; DNS. Justin Elmer; DNS. Pat McVicker; DNS. Terry Hull; DNS. Joe Carr
February 11, 2011
During the 2005 racing season, Phil Harp of Largo, was racing his go-kart regularly with the Tri City Kart Club at Desoto Super Speedway on Sunday afternoons.
At each month’s race, Phil would look up at the empty grandstands, and wonder how much fun it might be, to race in front of fans, as part of the Saturday night stock car program.
Phil Harp – Series Founder/Director
Then, Phil got an idea. He decided to try and contact a few stock car track promoters, to see if any might schedule a senior champ kart race. Phil entertained them on the idea of a race class that would average 15-20 drivers, have a devoted following, and was deserving of a chance to run as part of the “big show” with the regular Saturday night classes.
On Thanksgiving weekend of 2005, Desoto Super Speedway in Bradenton, Florida gave Phil a race date.
Phil, who is employed as a plumber, worked the phone hard in the weeks leading up to the race, trying to convince every racer he knew to enter. Many in the karting community were skeptical.
“When I drove to the track for that first race, I was nervous. My biggest fear was that noone would show up”, Phil later said. “I decided to get there early, before the pit gate opened. But, when I turned off of Highway 64 onto the track road, I saw a line of trailers already lined up at the pit gate. I thought wow… those car racers sure get to the track early. Then, as I got closer, I realized that they were all karters, patiently waiting for the track to open. You’ve got to get up pretty early in the morning if you expect to beat my guys to the track on race day… karters are a passionate group”, Phil chuckled.
Twenty-six champ karts showed up that night, and a series was born.
Since 2005, the South East Champ Kart Series (SECKS) has traveled to five stock car tracks in Florida including Desoto Super Speedway, Auburndale Speedway, Punta Gorda Speedway, Orlando Speedworld and Citrus County Speedway. The drivers range in age from 15 years old, to 74.
On February 26, the series will kick off the 2011 Season by sanctioning it’s 80th race, at Citrus County Speedway, in Inverness.
When asked how the South East Champ Kart Series has continued to average nearly 20 drivers at each event over the past three seasons, despite the tough economy, Phil paused. “The economy has really hurt most traveling racing divisions, but for us, it probably has helped, as much as hurt. When I started this, I didn’t think that many car racers would be interested in racing with us. However, as the economy has soured, my series has become a relatively inexpensive way for car racers to keep their faces visible at the stock car tracks, while they are waiting to find funding for their cars”, said Phil.
“Another possible reason is that we really try and make our new and part-time racers feel welcomed. When a new racer comes into our series, I always try to encourage them to pit next to me that first night, so that I can make sure they have all the tools, help and encouragement that they need to make as many laps as possible. I can remember going to races in my younger days where the only person who spoke to me was the lady who took my money at the pit gate. That will never happen in my series. I’m sure some of my drivers get tired of me visiting their pits at each event”, Phil chuckled.
“The part-time racers are also a big key, I think. In my experience, these racers are often overlooked by promoters. If you can grow your numbers of part-time racers, and give them reasons to dust off their equipment, it begins to pay big dividends. It’s a lot easier for a guy with heavy financial or family commitments to race part-time, than to travel the entire series. One thing we did to encourage the part-timers to race a little more is to award three ‘Track Champions Trophies’, to the drivers who gain the highest points at Auburndale Speedway, Citrus County Speedway and Punta Gorda Speedway (respectively). This allows a racer who isn’t able to travel the entire series to pick one track, and try to win a Track Champions Trophy. The last race of the season at each track is pretty exciting for the guys who are in contention for the Trophy. We had one race last year where seven drivers could have won the Track Champions Trophy on the final night. You’d have thought those guys were racing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship…. they made Days of Thunder look pretty mild. They all wanted to win that big Trophy bad”, Phil laughed.
The series races for a cash purse at each event, and has several loyal sponsors who routinely post additional cash and prizes throughout the season. They include J. Hite Exterminating (Tampa), PBS Sales and Service, Inc. (Tampa), Top Deck Concrete Inc. (Riverview), BS Powerhouse Racing Engines (Zephryhills), Impact Racing Products and AlleyCat Grafix (Palm Bay), among others.
Tim Simmons – 2010 Overall Track Series Champion
“Three of our 17 features during the 2010 season paid the winner $500 cash, or more, to win. We are proud of that, and those types of payouts are always popular with my guys. However, in our normal races, we try to keep the payout very flat, so that we can give the guy who finishes deeper in the field a little something extra in his pocket at the end of the night. I’ve noticed that some drivers can seem pretty disappointed after a feature, because they didn’t have a good finish. But then, when he finds out that he finished in the money, and that we have some cash waiting for him at the payout table, his mood quickly changes” said Phil.
Chase Fitzgerald – 2010 Triple Crown Champion
“When the series began, I didn’t think we would still be doing this, six years later”, said Phil. “I owe a lot of the credit to my wife Joan. She is a registrar, cashier, scorer, and official all rolled into one. Racers can sometimes get pretty upset after a race, but she always tries to listen to everyone, and treat them with respect when she explains a call. She is a big reason why our guys keep coming back to race with us, even after a bad night. Every racing series needs a Joan Harp”.
“The track promoters and their staff have also been great to the champ kart group, and they always make us feel welcomed. Critter, Rex, Greg, Rick, and all of their track staff… they are always patient with our guys, and make us feel just as important as the car divisions”, remarked Phil.
NEXT RACE: Saturday night, February 26, 2011
Location: Citrus County Speedway, Inverness, FL
Track Website: www.CitrusCountySpeedway.com
Time: Racing starts at 6pm!
SECKS Series Website: www.NewSecksRacing.com
From Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series PR Director
World of Outlaws Late Model Series Star Was Still Recovering From Serious Thumb Infection During Last Year’s DIRTCar Nationals
BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 10, 2011 – When Shane Clanton arrives at Volusia Speedway Park on Monday (Feb. 14) for the start of the dirt Late Model portion of the DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio, he’ll be thinking only about chasing checkered flags and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship.
Compared to his mindset heading into the 2010 edition of the mid-winter racing extravaganza, it’s a welcomed relief.
“Last year it was kind of scary for me about this time,” Clanton said last week while preparing for six straight nights of Florida full-fender action that features the season-opening WoO LMS events on Feb. 17 and 19. “I was in the hospital and I didn’t even know if I’d be able to get to Volusia.”
Clanton, 35, of Fayetteville, Ga., made it to the half-mile oval last year, but without his familiar RSD Enterprises No. 25. Unable to race competitively while still recovering from the major health issue that put him in an Atlanta-area hospital bed for eight days, he made the trip merely to start the week’s pair of WoO LMS A-Mains in teammate Tony Knowles’s car using emergency provisional spots, allowing him to salvage last-place points each night.
The lead-up to last year’s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH was simply horrifying for Clanton, whose focus on the Sunshine State meet ceased abruptly after he suffered a minor cut on his left thumb while working in his shop on Jan. 26, 2010. His finger swelled at an alarming pace the next day so he visited a hospital emergency room; he was immediately admitted for treatment of what was diagnosed as a serious strep infection that had poisoned his blood and was literally eating away at the flesh of his thumb. Doctors told Clanton that if he hadn’t sought medical attention the night of Jan. 27 – the eve of his son Ryan’s seventh birthday – he likely “would’ve been dead in another 10 hours.”
When Clanton signed in for last year’s WoO LMS lidlifter at Volusia, he still had a PICC line in his left arm (so he could receive IV bags of powerful antibiotics every eight hours to combat the strep bacteria in his bloodstream) and gauze wrapped around his mangled left thumb (he had already undergone several surgeries to help eliminate the infection). His only appearance on the racetrack during the DIRTcar Nationals was for the pace laps of the tour’s 50-lap A-Mains; he pulled off as the races began and was credited with finishes of 29th and 30th, sending him home tied for 29th in the points standings.
Saddled with a 112-point deficit in the points race after just two events, Clanton’s championship hopes were effectively dashed before the season had barely begun. He opted to remain a WoO LMS regular, however, after doctors deemed his bloodstream clear of the strep bacteria (he had time to recover with the tour off following Volusia until mid-March) and he put together a respectable campaign, winning three times (including the Firecracker 100 at Pennsylvania’s Lernerville Speedway) and finishing sixth in the points standings.
“We considered not running the series last year after I got hurt because we fell so far behind, but I’m glad we did it,” said Clanton, whose left thumb was left disfigured by the ravages of the infection. “We had a pretty good season and we learned a lot of stuff during the year that should put us further ahead than we would’ve been right now with this new car.”
Yes, Clanton is diving into 2011 with brand-new equipment. He’s made a dramatic change in his racing program, parking the Rocket Chassis machines he’s run since becoming a WoO LMS regular in 2005 in favor of a collaborative chassis-building deal with fellow Georgian Marshall Green, a former Dirt Track World Championship winner who is retired as a driver.
Green, who owns a machine shop and assists his in-laws in the operation of Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga., suggested last summer that he and Clanton should work together on a car and Clanton was intrigued. Clanton has enjoyed plenty of success with his Ronnie Dobbins-owned Rocket cars, including a triumph in the 2008 World 100 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, but his increasingly deep conversations with Green convinced him that a partnership might just be for the best.
“I’ve known Marshall for a while, but about a year-and-a-half ago we crossed paths when I went to Dixie a couple times and we started talking more,” said Clanton, who built his own cars when he ran Limited Late Models early in his career and also briefly drove GRT chassis before connecting with Rocket. “About halfway through last year he said, ‘Why don’t we build a race car?’
“The main thing is, I’ve never been able to do to my Rocket car what all of the so-called Rocket people are doing. I’ve always done something a little bit different, basically because of my driving style. Me and Marshall talked about that, and we saw that his setup book versus my setup book look real similar as far as things we’ve done for different track conditions, so things kind of evolved from there. We got to talking about how we do different things than most people in the country, so we figured, Why not get together and build a car ourselves?”
The construction of their first dirt Late Model – dubbed a Capital Race Cars Chassis – began in Green’s shop last July. Progress was slow but steady before picking up after Clanton’s racing schedule ended in November, and Clanton will head to Volusia with two of the cars in his team’s trailer.
“It’s been an ongoing process because with me racing I couldn’t go up there (to Green’s shop at Dixie Speedway) all the time,” said Clanton. “I’ve been involved every step of the way – everything from the first piece of tubing ordered to where it is today.
“You’re always out to better yourself, and that’s what I think I can do with this deal. We feel like we’ll be able to better ourselves by being able to change things on the jig. If we want to move something a half-inch or so, we got a jig right here now to do it versus having to cut a Rocket apart and change something here or change something there that we want to try.
“I’m real excited to get started,” concluded Clanton, who noted that while he’s on the road this year Green will be in the shop building more cars, bumpers and other necessary pieces. “I can’t wait for the first race at Volusia. We’ve worked hard to be in the position we are, so hopefully everything works out and we’ll contend for a (WoO LMS) championship.”
Clanton is optimistic about getting off to a strong start at Volusia, a track that has provided him an ample share of frustration over the years. He’ll have three nights of DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned Late Model action (30-lap A-Mains paying $7,000 to win on Feb. 14, 15 and 16) to use as tune-ups for the 50-lap, $10,000-to-win WoO LMS events on Thurs., Feb. 17, and Sat., Feb. 19, as well as a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win DIRTcar UMP show on Fri., Feb. 18.
“I’ve always liked Volusia,” said Clanton, whose career-best WoO LMS points finish is second, in 2006. “It’s one of my favorite tracks we go to all year, and I’ve been real fast there. It just seems like something always bites me. I’ve been top-five, top-three, and something happens.
“Hopefully this year we turn the page, have a little bit of luck on our side and we can win one of the Outlaw nights to start the year off in the right direction.”
In DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH competition at Volusia since 2005, Clanton has a top WoO LMS finish of third, in the first half of the ’05 doubleheader. He also owns solid finishes of fifth (second 2005 event), sixth (2009 finale) and seventh (2007 finale and 2009 opener). What’s more, in 2008 he was a serious contender in both WoO LMS A-Mains but headed home with nothing to show for his efforts – he finished 21st in the opening event after breaking a left-rear axle while leading on lap 30, then placed 24th in the finale because a broken left-rear wheel knocked him out after he had advanced from the 10th starting spot to fourth.
The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is a 12-night short-track blockbuster just a half-hour drive from Daytona Beach that kicked off on Feb. 8 and runs through Feb. 19. Joining the Late Models on the meet’s remaining schedule are the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series (Feb. 11-13); the O’Reilly All-Star Sprint Car Series (Feb. 10); the Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds (Feb. 16-19); and the UMP Modifieds (Feb. 10-15).
Pit gates open at 1 p.m., grandstand gates are unlocked at 5 p.m. and racing is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. each day of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, which boasts a ‘Free Pit Pass With Every Ticket’ offer that allows fans to sign into the pits for an up-close-and-personal view of the race teams each night.
Additional information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is available by logging on to www.DIRTcarNationals.com or calling 386-985-4402.
For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.
BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 10, 2011 – For the second consecutive night at the 40th Annual DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park, Clint Bowyer in a DIRTcar UMP Modified and Sammy Swindell in a Sprint Car took the checkered flags.
Bowyer started 17th in the DIRTcar UMP Modified main event and weaved through the field. He worked past Ken Schrader, then Ty Dillon and set his sights on leader Austin Dillon, whose motor then let go. Bowyer finally motored past Ryan Gustin and held on to win for the second consecutive night. Gustin was second with Ty Dillon, Schrader and Jon Henry rounding out the Top 5.
Like Bowyer, Swindell again found his way to the front of the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champions main event for the second night in a row. Swindell worked his way around Stevie Smith on Lap 20 and held him off to the checkered flag. Kasey Kahne Racing’s Cody Darrah was on the pole and finished third with Dale Blaney and Kraig Kinser rounding the Top Five.
Earlier in the night, Kasey Kahne Racing’s Paul McMahan got the Sprint Car event off to a fast start when he broke a four-year-old track record in qualifying by turning a lap in 12.569 seconds at 143.209 mph. The previous mark was 12.948 seconds. The standard for speed on a half-mile dirt oval had been Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway, where Craig Dollansky established the record of 12.707 seconds in 2002.
For more information, go to http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com or follow the event on Twitter @DIRTcarNats.
DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH UMP Modified 20-lap A-main finish (Starting position in parenthesis): 1. Clint Bowyer (17); 2. Ryan Gustin (8); 3. Ty Dillon (5); 4. Ken Schrader (6); 5. Jon Henry (4); 6. Gary Cook Jr (10); 7. Todd Sherman (16); 8. Stormy Scott (3); 9. Dave Hess Jr (20); 10. Scotty Orr (18); 11. Bobby Regot (21); 12. Chris Puskas (13); 13. Dave Wietholder (26); 14. Bob Broking (25); 15. Kyle Bronson (11); 16. Mike Spatola (1); 17. Nate Carruth (9); 18. Austin Dillon (2); 19. Chad Kinder (7); 20. Kenny Wallace (27); 21. Dave Baldwin (24); 22. Terry Hull (12); 23. Bobby Kitchen (19); 24. Randle Sweeney (15); 25. Brett Korves (23); 26. Duane Dale (22); 27. Joey Jensen (14).
DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series 30-lap A-main Finish (Starting position in parenthesis): 1. Sammy Swindell (4); 2. Stevie Smith (2); 3. Cody Darrah (1); 4. Dale Blaney (5); 5. Kraig Kinser (6); 6. Joey Saldana (17); 7. Sam Hafertepe Jr. (12); 8. Daryn Pittman (7); 9. Jason Meyers (15); 10. Donny Schatz (22); 11. Danny Lasoski (8); 12. Greg Hodnett (21); 13. David Gravel (9); 14. Lucas Wolfe (19); 15. Tyler Walker (24); 16. Paul McMahan (11); 17. Brad Sweet (16); 18. Fred Rahmer (14); 19. Greg Wilson (20); 20. Lance Dewease (3); 21. Aaron Ott (23); 22. Bronson Maeschen (18); 23. Chad Kemenah (10); 24. Spud Gustin (13).