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

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

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)

DIRTcar UMP Modifieds Continue Ironman Stretch of Races at Volusia Speedway Park

BARBERVILLE, FL — Feb. 8, 2018 — The 47^th annual DIRTcar Nationals continued on with night number three for the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds at Volusia Speedway Park (FL). With 70 cars on hand, every position, every time the cars are on the track, is of the utmost importance. That was certainly the case on Thursday, February 9^th in the final regular night of competition before the specials portion of the schedule for the Modifieds kicks in. The Thursday night 20-Lap Feature would see the first two nights’ winners, David Stremme and Nick Hoffman tied in Gator Points coming into the night. When the checkered flag flew, it’s now Hoffman standing alone on top of the points after winning his second Feature in a row.

“It doesn’t hurt to start up front that’s for sure. I’m not a huge fan of it, but it worked out tonight.” Smiled the 25-year-old originally from Belleville, IL after climbing from his #2 Fox Shocks / Elite Chassis ride. “Our program is really good right now. It all comes down to maintenance and we’ll just keep doing what we’ve been doing for the past two days. A bunch of seconds and now two wins in a row. Biggest thing tonight was getting out front and getting away from everyone and it worked out.” The Mooresville, NC resident added.

Hoffman and Tyler Nicely were scheduled to start on the front row, but Nicely didn’t answer the call for the start. So that moved up Mike McKinney to the outside of the front row. On the start, it was Hoffman who shot out to the early lead as the rest of the field jockeyed for position behind him. The battles between second through fifth was intense before Kyle Strickler finally emerged from the war, into second and set his sights on Hoffman, who had built up a big lead.

As hard as Strickler ran to try and catch the race long leader, Hoffman was able to put plenty of real estate and lapped cars between the two. Strickler was able to finally get through the traffic and tried to track down Hoffman late in the race, but the lead was too insurmountable as Hoffman took the checkered flag first by just over a second to score his second straight win and 13^th DIRTcar Nationals victory of his career in a caution free event.

Strickler advanced one position from his finishes the first two nights and secured the runner-up spot ahead of McKinney who scored his highest finish of the week. NASCAR Xfinity Series star, Justin Allgaier and former NASCAR veteran, Kenny Wallace completed the top five. Allen Weisser finished sixth for his best finish of the DIRTcar Nationals and second top 10 while night number one winner, David Stremme was seventh. Zeke McKenzie grabbed eighth as Will Krup finished ninth for the second straight night and Brian Ruhlman posted his best finish of the week and finished off the top 10.

The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds continue to add to their ironman status of the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals on Friday, February 9^th as their fourth straight night of racing will be highlighted by the Quad-15s. Four Features are on the card as every Modified driver on hand in Barberville, FL will race in a DIRTcar Nationals Feature. The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series arrive on Friday and headline the rest of the weekend with their first of three straight nights racing.

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 (20-Laps): 1.Nick Hoffman (2) 2.Kyle Strickler (8) 3.Mike McKinney (96m) 4.Justin Allgaier (7) 5.Kenny Wallace (36) 6.Allen Weisser (61) 7.David Stremme (35) 8.Zeke McKenzie (24z) 9.Will Krup (K9) 10.Brian Ruhlman (49) 11.Kc Burdette (44KC) 12.Jason Beaulieu (90) 13.Matt Crafton (88) 14.Ricky Arms (4) 15.Ken Schrader (9) 16.Larry Burkins (54) 17.Shon Flanary (98) 18.Troy Johnson (2J) 19.Ryan Cripe (23) 20.Ryan Ayers (6A) 21.Austin Holcombe (8A) 22.Josh Rice (11) 23.Chase Collins (2×4) 24.Jesse Rupe (11R) 25.Ryan Fowler (6F) 26.Dave Jamison (D4) 27.Michael Long (18L) 28.Tyler Nicely (25)

Last Chance Showdown 1: 1. Michael Long (18L) 2. Shon Flanary (98) 3. Chase Collins (2×4) 4. Justin Haley (99H) 5. Garrett Stewart (67) 6. Hunt Gossum (99) 7. Tyler Evans (17T) 8. Brad Goff (41) 9. Gary Bentley (A1) 10. Frank Paladino (27) 11. Craig Shaw (4s) 12. Lee Hobbs (22J) 13. Todd Souza (13) 14. Paul Niznik (42) 15. Matthew Johnson (96) 16. Jeff Solinger (7×7) 17. Taylor Cook (21c) 18. Jason Brookover (28B)

Last Chance Showdown 2: 1. Jason Beaulieu (90) 2. Dave Jamison (D4) 3. Ryan Fowler (6F) 4. Jesse Rupe (11R) 5. Jessie Hoskins (71) 6. Dustin Thayer (10T) 7. Steve Stevenson (3) 8. Brendan Rassell (01) 9. Will Norris (71n) 10. Jeff Thomas (07) 11. Timmy Near (71x) 12. Dave Baldwin (6B) 13. Joey Miller (15) 14. Jesse Strange (85E) 15. Ryan Beckett (58) 16. A.j. Fike (10) 17. Jason Intoppa (18i) 18. Sean Monaghan (21)

Last Chance Showdown 3: 1. Josh Rice (11) 2. Kc Burdette (44KC) 3. Matt Crafton (88) 4.Rick Conoyer (14C) 5. Jamie Carter (15c) 6. Ray Bollinger (77) 7. Michael McGee (11m) 8. Tony Anderson (22T) 9. Gene Nicholas (11N) 10. Will Long (45) 11. Todd Neiheiser (72) 12. Jason Garver (27G) 13. Dugan Thye (11T) 14.Blake Spalding (1) 15. Rick Weitekamp (89w) 16.Larry Mott (06Z)

Heat 1: 1. Tyler Nicely (25) 2. Kyle Strickler (8) 3. Ryan Ayers (6A) 4. Chase Collins (2×4) 5. Shon Flanary (98) 6. Justin Haley (99H) 7. Garrett Stewart (67) 8. Tyler Evans (17T) 9. Brad Goff (41) 10. Lee Hobbs (22J) 11. Jeff Solinger (7×7) 12. Taylor Cook (21c)

Heat 2: 1. Nick Hoffman (2) 2. Ken Schrader (9) 3. Zeke McKenzie (24z) 4. Michael Long (18L) 5. Gary Bentley (A1) 6. Paul Niznik (42) 7. Frank Paladino (27) 8. Hunt Gossum (99) 9. Todd Souza (13) 10. Craig Shaw (4s) 11.Matthew Johnson (96) 12.Jason Brookover (28B)

Heat 3: 1.Justin Allgaier (7) 2.David Stremme (35) 3.Larry Burkins (54) 4.Jason Beaulieu (90) 5.Jessie Hoskins (71) 6.Dave Jamison (D4) 7.Jesse Rupe (11R) 8.Steve Stevenson (3) 9.Jeff Thomas (07) 10.Jesse Strange (85E) 11.Ryan Beckett (58) 12.Jason Intoppa (18i)

Heat 4: 1.Allen Weisser (61) 2.Ricky Arms (4) 3.Austin Holcombe (8A) 4.Dustin Thayer (10T) 5.Ryan Fowler (6F) 6.Dave Baldwin (6B) 7.Joey Miller (15) 8.Will Norris (71n) 9.Brendan Rassell (01) 10.A.j. Fike (10) 11.Timmy Near (71x) 12.Sean Monaghan (21)

Heat 5: 1.Kenny Wallace (36) 2.Brian Ruhlman (49) 3.Ryan Cripe (23) 4.Josh Rice (11) 5.Michael McGee (11m) 6.Ray Bollinger (77) 7.Gene Nicholas (11N) 8.Will Long (45) 9.Jason Garver (27G) 10.Dugan Thye (11T) 11.Rick Weitekamp (89w)

Heat 6: 1.Mike McKinney (96m) 2.Will Krup (K9) 3.Troy Johnson (2J) 4.Matt Crafton (88) 5.Kc Burdette (44KC) 6.Rick Conoyer (14C) 7.Todd Neiheiser (72) 8.Jamie Carter (15c) 9.Tony Anderson (22T) 10.Blake Spalding (1) 11.Larry Mott (06Z)

Qualifying Group 1: 1. Kyle Strickler (8) 2. Taylor Cook (21c) 3. Ryan Ayers (6A) 4. Tyler Nicely (25) 5. Chase Collins (2×4) 6. Shon Flanary (98) 7. Garrett Stewart (67) 8. Brad Goff (41) 9. Justin Haley (99H) 10. Tyler Evans (17T) 11. Jeff Solinger (7×7) 12. Lee Hobbs (22J)

Qualifying Group 2: 1. Nick Hoffman (2) 2. Zeke McKenzie (24z) 3. Hunt Gossum (99) 4. Ken Schrader (9) 5. Michael Long (18L) 6. Gary Bentley (A1) 7. Jason Brookover (28B) 8. Paul Niznik (42) 9. Todd Souza (13) 10. Frank Paladino (27) 11. Matthew Johnson (96) 12. Craig Shaw (4s)

Qualifying Group 3: 1. David Stremme (35) 2. Jason Beaulieu (90) 3. Larry Burkins (54) 4. Justin Allgaier (7) 5. Jason Intoppa (18i) 6. Dave Jamison (D4)7. Jessie Hoskins (71) 8. Jesse Rupe (11R) 9. Ryan Beckett (58) 10. Jeff Thomas (07) 11. Jesse Strange (85E) 12. Steve Stevenson (3)

Qualifying Group 4: 1. Allen Weisser (61) 2. Ricky Arms (4) 3. A.j. Fike (10) 4. Austin Holcombe (8A) 5. Dustin Thayer (10T) 6. Ryan Fowler (6F) 7. Will Norris (71n) 8. Joey Miller (15) 9. Dave Baldwin (6B) 10. Timmy Near (71x) 11. Brendan Rassell (01) 12. Sean Monaghan (21)

Qualifying Group 5: 1. Brian Ruhlman (49) 2. Josh Rice (11) 3. Ryan Cripe (23) 4. Kenny Wallace (36) 5. Ray Bollinger (77) 6. Gene Nicholas (11N) 7. Michael McGee (11m) 8. Jason Garver (27G) 9. Will Long (45) 10. Dugan Thye (11T) 11. Rick Weitekamp (89w)

Qualifying Group 6: 1. Kc Burdette (44KC) 2. Will Krup (K9) 3. Troy Johnson (2J) 4. Mike McKinney (96m) 5. Rick Conoyer (14C) 6. Matt Crafton (88) 7. Todd Neiheiser (72) 8. Tony Anderson (22T) 9. Jamie Carter (15c) 10. Blake Spalding (1) 11. Larry Mott (06Z)

–DIRTcar PR

Hoffman Passes Night One Winner Stremme; Takes Night Two of the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals

Two-Time Defending DIRTcar UMP Modifieds DIRTcar Nationals Champion Scores Career Win #12

BARBERVILLE, FL — Feb. 7, 2018 — The second of seven nights of DIRTcar UMP Modified racing, part of the 47^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals, was at Volusia Speedway Park (FL) on Wednesday, February 7^th. A total of 71 teams, up four from opening night, from across North America, were on the property and continued their quest for the coveted Big Gator which will be handed out on Monday, February 12^th.

After the first two nights of highly regarded competition, the battle for the coveted title will go down to the very last laps in a few days if the first two races were any indication. Two-time defending DIRTcar Nationals Champion, Nick Hoffman passed night one winner, David Stremme seven laps in and the driver who calls Mooresville, NC home, pulled away to his 12^th career DIRTcar Nationals Feature victory.

“Second place sucks, we were talking about it last night and today. We finished second in the last two races (at North Florida Speedway) before coming here. We finished second last night. So, we made some changes and they paid off for us tonight.” The 25-year-old driver originally from Belleville, IL remarked in victory lane. “The track conditions were definitely in our favor tonight. The track is much different when the Sprint Cars race on it. Hats off to the track for giving us a nice surface to race on. Hopefully we can come back tomorrow and do this again.” He added.

Michael Long and Jamie Carter brought the massive 28-car field to the green flag and it was Long grabbing the early advantage. His lead was short-lived however as Stremme motored by on the outside from his third starting spot to take over the lead. He brought Hoffman with him and the battle was on for the top spot. On lap seven Hoffman drove around the outside of Stremme to take over the top spot and his No. 2 Elite Chassis machine started to pull away from Stremme and the rest of the pack.

Hoffman would maintain the lead the rest of the way and gave himself some breathing room by getting through traffic at a rapid rate. This left the traffic in Stremme’s way and all the while. Hoffman kept putting plenty of real estate between himself and the rest of the field en route to his 12^th career DIRTcar Nationals win, the most all-time at Volusia Speedway Park

Stremme settled for second ahead of Kyle Strickler who finished third for the second straight night as Long slipped back to fourth ahead of Tyler Nicely who finished off the top five. Taylor Cook, in his first appearance of the DIRTcar Nationals, finished sixth after starting in 18^th as Garrett Stewart, Ricky Arms, Will Krup from 20^th and Allen Weisser would complete the top 10.

The third night of DIRTcar UMP Modifieds racing will see the third $1,000 to win show of the week on Thursday, February 8^th. Also, for the second time this week, the Arctic Car All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars will be in action for their final night of competition before the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars race for three nights in a row starting on Friday, February 9^th.

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

Feature (20 laps): 1. Nick Hoffman (2); 2. David Stremme (35); 3.  Kyle Strickler (8); 4.  Michael Long (18L); 5. Tyler Nicely (25); 6.  Taylor Cook (21c); 7.  Garrett Stewart (67); 8.  Ricky Arms (4);9. Will Krup (K9);10. Allen Weisser (61); 11. Kc Burdette (44KC); 12. Jason Beaulieu (90); 13. Brian Ruhlman (49); 14. Hunt Gossum (99); 15. Josh Rice (11); 16. Jamie Carter (15c); 17. Shon Flanary (98); 18. Tyler Evans (17T); 19. Zeke McKenzie (24z); 20. Chase Collins (2×4); 21. Larry Burkins (54); 22. Matt Crafton (88); 23. Todd Neiheiser (72); 24. Ryan Fowler (6); 25. Austin Holcombe (8A); 26. Troy Johnson (2J); 27. A.j. Fike (10); 28. Mike McKinney (96m)

Last Chance Showdown 1:  1. Zeke McKenzie (24z) 2. Todd Neiheiser (72) 3. Shon Flanary (98) 4. Ryan Ayers (6A) 5. Kenny Wallace (36) 6. Justin Haley (99H) 7. Timmy Near (71x) 8.  Paul Niznik (42) 9. Frank Paladino (27) 10. Gary Bentley (A1) 11. Dave Jamison (D4) 12. Brendan Rassell (01) 13. Sean Monaghan (21) 14. Craig Shaw (4s) 15. Larry Mott (06Z) 16. Ryan Beckett (58) 17. Todd Souza (13)

Last Chance Showdown 2: 1. Will Krup (K9) 2. Ryan Fowler (6) 3. Matt Crafton (88) 4. Troy Johnson (2J) 5. Jessie Hoskins (71) 6. John Baker (22J) 7. Blake Spalding (1) 8. Will Norris (71n) 9. Jeff Thomas (07) 10. Dugan Thye (11T) 11. Dave Baldwin (6B) 12. Jesse Rupe (11R) 13. Dustin Thayer (10T) 14. Jason Brookover (28B) 15. Ray Ciccarelli (83) 16. Joey Miller (15)

Last Chance Showdown 3:  1. Mike McKinney (96m) 2. Hunt Gossum (99) 3. A.J. Fike (10) 4. Ken Schrader (9) 5. Ryan Cripe (23) 6. Rick Conoyer (14C) 7. Brad Goff (41) 8. Michael McGee (11m) 9. Ray Bollinger (77) 10. Tony Anderson (22T) 11. Gene Nicholas (11N) 12. Jason Garver (27G) 13. Rick Weitekamp (89w) 14. Will Long (45) 15. Jeff Solinger (7×7) 16. Jesse Strange (85E)

Heat 1: 1. Kyle Strickler (8) 2. Tyler Nicely (25) 3. Brian Ruhlman (49) 4. Zeke McKenzie (24z) 5. Shon Flanary (98) 6. Ryan Ayers (6A) 7. Kenny Wallace (36) 8. Paul Niznik (42) 9. Dave Jamison (D4) 10.  Timmy Near (71x) 11. Craig Shaw (4s) 12. Ryan Beckett (58)

Heat 2:  1. David Stremme (35) 2. Ricky Arms (4)3. Chase Collins (2×4) 4. Justin Haley (99H) 5. Todd Neiheiser (72) 6. Frank Paladino (27) 7. Gary Bentley (A1) 8. Brendan Rassell (01) 9. Sean Monaghan (21) 10. Larry Mott (06Z) 11. Todd Souza (13)

Heat 3:  1. Michael Long (18L) 2. Allen Weisser (61) 3. Austin Holcombe (8A) 4. Jessie Hoskins (71)5. Ryan Fowler (6) 6. Will Krup (K9) 7. Will Norris (71n) 8. Dustin Thayer (10T) 9. John Baker (22J) 10. Dugan Thye (11T) 11. Ray Ciccarelli (83)

Heat 4:  1. Garrett Stewart (67) 2. Larry Burkins (54) 3. Jason Beaulieu (90) 4. Troy Johnson (2J) 5. Jesse Rupe (11R) 6. Jeff Thomas (07) 7. Blake Spalding (1) 8. Matt Crafton (88) 9. Jason Brookover (28B) 10.  Dave Baldwin (6B) 11. Joey Miller (15)

Heat 5: 1. Jamie Carter (15c) 2. Josh Rice (11) 3. Tyler Evans (17T) 4. Hunt Gossum (99) 5. A.j. Fike (10) 6. Brad Goff (41) 7. Rick Conoyer (14C) 8. Ray Bollinger (77) 9. Michael McGee (11m) 10. Rick Weitekamp (89w) 11. Will Long (45)

Heat 6:  1. Nick Hoffman (2) 2. Kc Burdette (44KC) 3. Taylor Cook (21c) 4. Mike McKinney (96m) 5. Ken Schrader (9) 6. Ryan Cripe (23) 7. Tony Anderson (22T) 8. Gene Nicholas (11N) 9. Jeff Solinger (7×7) 10. Jason Garver (27G) 11. Jesse Strange (85E)

Qualifying Group 1: 98-Shon Flanary; 2. 8- Kyle Strickler; 3. 49 – Brian Ruhlman; 4. Zeke McKenzie; 5. 25- Tyler Nicely; 6. 6A – Ryan Ayers; 7. 36 – Kenny Wallace; 8. 42 – Paul Niznik; 9. 4s – Craig Shaw; 10. D4 – David Jamison; 11. 71x – Timmy Near; 12. 58 – Ryan Beckett.

Qualifying Group 2: 1 – 35 – David Stremme; 2. 2×4 -Chase Collins; 3. 4 – Ricky Arms; 4. 99H – Justin Haley; 5. 72 – Todd Neiheiser; 6. A1-Gary Bentley; 7. 01-Brendan Rassell; 8. 27-Frank Paladino; 9. 21 – Sean Monaghan; 10. 06Z- Larry Mott;11. 13-Todd Souza

Qualifying Group 3:  1. 61 – Allen Weisser; 2. K9 -Will Krup; 3. 8A – Austin Holcombe; 4. 18L -Michael Long; 5. 6- Ryan Fowler; 6. 71n – Will Norris; 7. 71 -Jessie Hoskins; 8. 10T -Dustin Thayer; 9. 11T -Dugan Thye; 10. 22J – John Baker; 11. 83 – Ray Ciccarelli.

Qualifying Group 4:  1. 2J-Troy Johnson; 2. 28B-Jason Brookover;  3. 90 -Jason Beaulieu; 4. 67 -Garrett Stewart 5. 11R-Jesse Rupe; 6. 15-Joey Miller; 7. 07 -Jeff Thomas; 8. 6B- Dave Baldwin; 9.1- Blake Spalding; 10. 54 – Larry Burkins; 11. 88-Matt Crafton.

Qualifying Group 5: 1. 11 – Josh Rice; 2. 45 -Will Long; 3. 15c- Jamie Carter; 4. 41 – Brad Goff; 5. 99- Hunt Gossum; 6. 77 – Ray Bollinger; 7. 17T – Tyler Evans; 8.14c – Rick Conoyer; 9. 10 – A.j. Fike; 10. 11m – Michael McGee; 11. 89w – Rick Weitekamp.

Qualifying Group 6:  1. 2 – Nick Hoffman; 2. 21c – Taylor Cook; 3. 23 -Ryan Cripe; 4. 44KC – Kc Burdette; 5. 96m -Mike McKinney; 6. 9 – Ken Schrader; 7. 22T – Tony Anderson; 8. 11N – Gene Nicholas; 9. 27G – Jason Garver; 10. 85E – Jesse Strange; 11. 7×7 – Jeff Solinger