Series | Karnac Racing News

Brad Neat Takes First Career Win at East Bay on Friday Night

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)

By Scott|2011-02-12T11:01:09-05:00February 12th, 2011|East Bay Raceway Park, Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events|Comments Off

Steve Kinser Dominates World of Outlaws Opener at Volusia Speedway Park

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 40^th 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].

By Scott|2011-02-12T10:41:42-05:00February 12th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Fear The Reaper: Gustin Flashes to Night 4 DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Victory

From Kellen Burns, DIRTcar Public Relations

Barberville, FL – Feb. 11, 2011 – Ryan Gustin made the most memorable pass of the 40^th 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

By Scott|2011-02-12T11:26:44-05:00February 12th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Florida’s “Smallest” Traveling Series celebrates 80th Race, Maintains Loyal Following

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

By Scott|2011-02-12T10:00:04-05:00February 12th, 2011|DeSoto Speedway, Featured, Series|Comments Off

ENCORE PERFORMANCE: Bowyer, Swindell win for second consecutive night

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 10, 2011 – For the second consecutive night at the 40^th 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 17^th 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).

By Scott|2011-02-11T12:36:18-05:00February 11th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Bowyer, Swindell Power to Volusia Victories Wednesday Night

PHOTO: Clint Bowyer held off Ken Schrader Wednesday for his first DIRTcar UMP Modified victory at Volusia Speedway Park.

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 9, 2011 – Racing legend Sammy Swindell powered to victory Wednesday night in the Sprint Car opener at the 40^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park.

Swindell weaved to the front and worked past Kraig Kinser to grab the lead on Lap 7 of the 30-lap main event. Then the three-time World of Outlaws champion held off teammate Craig Dollansky to the checkered flag. Rising star David Gravel was third followed by Daryn Pittman and Greg Wilson.

NASCAR superstar Clint Bowyer started on the outside pole of the DIRTcar UMP Modified feature event that followed the Sprint Car race and held off Ken Schrader for the first victory of his career at Volusia Speedway Park. Schrader tried to close the gap on a green-white-checkered finish but had to settle for second with Joey Kramer third followed by Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Dillon with Jason Miller rounding out the top five.

For more information, go to http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com or follow the event on Twitter @DIRTcarNats.

DIRTcar UMP Modified 20-lap A-main finish (Starting position in parenthesis): 1. Clint Bowyer (2); 2. Ken Schrader (5); 3. Joey Kramer (4); 4. Austin Dillon (12); 5. Jason Miller (10); 6. Bobby Kitchen (1); 7. Kenny Wallace (6); 8. Richie Tosh (9); 9. Dave Hess Jr (23); 10. Nate Carruth (7); 11. Michael Long (15); 12. Corey Conley (20); 13. David McWilliams (13); 14. Duane Dale (11); 15. Jamie Lomax (3); 16. Ty Dillon (26); 17. Devin Gilpin (18); 18. Todd Neiheiser (8); 19. Chris Puskas (28); 20. Dale Mathison (17); 21. Jon Henry (21); 22. Rob Penney (14); 23. Ryan Gustin (16); 24. Kevin Davis (22); 25. Bob Gierke (24); 26. Scotty Orr (19); 27. Andy Strait (25); 28. Gary Cook Jr (27).

All Star Sprint Car Series Statistical Report, Volusia Speedway Park, Feb. 9, 2011

A-main (30 laps) – Starting Position [#]: 1) 1-Sammy Swindell[9] 2) 7-Craig Dollansky[17] 3) 89G-David Gravel[4] 4) 27-Daryn Pittman[7] [5) W20-Greg Wilson[6] 6) 1Z-Stevie Smith[5] [7) 14-Jason Meyers[10] 8) 83X-Tim Shaffer[13] [9) 51-Fred Rahmer[11] [ 10) 2-Dale Blaney[3] 11) 15-Donny Schatz[15] 12) 30C-Lance Dewease[21] 13) 9-Joey Saldana[19] 14) 14Z-Jessica Zemken[8] 15) 11-Steve Kinser[24] 16) 17-Tyler Walker[20] 17) 22-Brian Ellenberger[22] 18) 2B-Ben Gregg[23] 19) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[14] 20) 7S-Jason Sides[16] 21) 6-Kraig Kinser[2] [22) 63-Chad Kemenah[12] 23) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[1] 24) 83-Paul McMahan[18]

Qualifying (Best time of two laps): 1) 1Z-Stevie Smith 13.525 2) 51-Fred Rahmer 13.607 3) 63-Chad Kemenah 13.609 4) 6-Kraig Kinser 13.639 5) 83X-Tim Shaffer 13.677 6) 89G-David Gravel 13.727 7) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr. 13.746 8) 4-Danny Smith 13.772 9) W20-Greg Wilson 13.777 10) 2-Dale Blaney 13.777 11) 27-Daryn Pittman 13.859 12) 14Z-Jessica Zemken 13.868 13) 1-Sammy Swindell 13.885 14) 14-Jason Meyers 13.932 15) 5W-Lucas Wolfe 13.940 16) 15-Donny Schatz 13.940 17) 7S-Jason Sides 13.964 18) 24-Terrt McCarl 14.005 19) 7-Craig Dollansky 14.011 20) 83-Paul McMahan 14.017 21) 9-Joey Saldana 14.020 22) 17-Tyler Walker 14.021 23) 30C-Lance Dewease 14.034 24) 22-Brian Ellenberger 14.042 25) 2B-Ben Gregg 14.107 26) 11-Steve Kinser 14.127 27) O4-Cap Henry 14.137 28) 1J-Bronson Maeschen 14.148 29) 91-Cody Darrah 14.191 30) 25-Aaron Ott 14.237 31) 55-Chad Layton 14.279 32) 39-Greg Hodnett 14.313 33) 49-Brad Sweet 14.329 34) 33-Danny Lasoski 14.356 35) 7M-Mark Smith 14.492 36) 80-Spud Gustin 14.514 37) 3-Pete Miller 15.033 38) P51-Jeff Carlson 15.328 39) 6N-Brad Wickam 15.404

Heat 1 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature): 1) 7S-Jason Sides[2] 2) 1-Sammy Swindell[3] 3) 9-Joey Saldana[1] 4) 1Z-Stevie Smith[6] 5) W20-Greg Wilson[4] 6) 83X-Tim Shaffer[5] 7) 91-Cody Darrah[8] 8) 2B-Ben Gregg[7] 9) 3-Pete Miller[10] 10) 49-Brad Sweet[9]

Heat 2 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature): 1) 17-Tyler Walker[1] 2) 2-Dale Blaney[4] 3) 14-Jason Meyers[3] 4) 11-Steve Kinser[7] 5) 89G-David Gravel[5] 6) 24-Terrt McCarl[2] 7) 51-Fred Rahmer[6] 8) 25-Aaron Ott[8] 9) 33-Danny Lasoski[9] 10) P51-Jeff Carlson[10]

Heat 3 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature): 1) 7-Craig Dollansky[2] 2) 30C-Lance Dewease[1] 3) 27-Daryn Pittman[4] 4) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[5] 5) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[3] 6) 7M-Mark Smith[9] 7) 55-Chad Layton[8] 8) 63-Chad Kemenah[6] 9) O4-Cap Henry[7] 10) 6N-Brad Wickam[10]

Heat 4 (8 Laps, top 5 finishers transferred to A-feature): 1) 83-Paul McMahan[2] 2) 22-Brian Ellenberger[1] 3) 14Z-Jessica Zemken[4] 4) 6-Kraig Kinser[6] 5) 15-Donny Schatz[3] 6) 4-Danny Smith[5] 7) 39-Greg Hodnett[8] 8) 1J-Bronson Maeschen[7] 9) 80-Spud Gustin[9]

Dash (6 laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature): 1) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[1] 2) 6-Kraig Kinser[2] 3) 2-Dale Blaney[6] 4) 89G-David Gravel[3] 5) 1Z-Stevie Smith[5] 6) W20-Greg Wilson[4]

B-main (12 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to A-feature): 1) 51-Fred Rahmer[1] [] 2) 63-Chad Kemenah[2] [] 3) 83X-Tim Shaffer[3] [] 4) 2B-Ben Gregg[6] [] 5) 25-Aaron Ott[10] 6) 4-Danny Smith[4] 7) O4-Cap Henry[7] 8) 55-Chad Layton[11] [9) 33-Danny Lasoski[14] 10) 91-Cody Darrah[9] 11) 7M-Mark Smith[15] 12) 1J-Bronson Maeschen[8] 13) 39-Greg Hodnett[12] 14) 49-Brad Sweet[13] 15) 3-Pete Miller[17] 16) 6N-Brad Wickam[19] 17) 80-Spud Gustin[16] 18) 24-Terry McCarl[5]

By Scott|2011-02-10T08:37:56-05:00February 10th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Bloomquist Takes Opening Race of the 35th DART Winternationals Presented by Magnaflow at East Bay

TAMPA, FL (February 8, 2011) – Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN charged from his fourth starting position to take the lead from Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN on lap nine. Bloomquist went on to win the opening night of the 35th Annual DART Winternationals Presented by Magnaflow Exhaust on Tuesday Night at East Bay Raceway Park. For Bloomquist it was his fifth career win at the one-third mile oval and the 502nd of his Hall of Fame racing career in the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series sanctioned event.

Bloomquist led Owens and Austin Hubbard of Seaford, DE to the finish line to earn $5,000 for his win. David Breazeale of Four Corners, MS was fourth followed by 11th starting, Eddie Carrier Jr. of Salt Rock, WV.

Winning at a track that he has always considered a thorn in his side up until last year when he captured two main event wins, Bloomquist continued his winning ways at the “Clay by the Bay” this year. “When your car is not handling, this place is tough enough, we practiced with the Ford the other night and tonight we decided to give the Chevy a run and it paid off tonight, Jimmy (Owens) looked like he was pushing a few times and one time there he got up there in the loose stuff, and we were by him,” said the 47-year-old driver. “I have to thank all my sponsors Bob and Barb Miller, Miller Brothers Construction, Hawkeye Trucking, without them I don’t know where I’d be, Base Race Fuels has come on board this year and have been a real asset to our race team, we’re ready to defend our title again.”

Owens took the lead at the start of the 30-lap main event with Breazeale and Bloomquist putting up a challenge early on. The fast-paced race was slowed on lap 5 for a multi-car wreck on the frontstretch. When the race resumed Bloomquist, who restarted third got around Breazeale to take second on lap eight and a circuit later when Owens slipped slightly Bloomquist made the move around him to take over the lead.

Bloomquist then showed the way over the final 21 laps, never being seriously challenged, despite five caution flags. Owens tried to stay with Bloomquist the best he could on the restarts, but he was having a tough time holding off Breazeale, who was making his best ever run at East Bay.

Owens had to settle for second in the Reece Monument Company, Bloomquist Race Cars Ford Fusion as the 18-year-old Hubbard got around Breazeale late for third. For Hubbard in the Dale Beitler Enterprises, Reliable Painting, Rocket Chassis it too was his best career finish at the track. Breazeale in the Henderson Motorsports, Moyer Victory Circle mount was fourth followed by Carrier, who came from the inside of row six to take fifth in the Grover Motorsports Rocket Chassis Ford.

Completing the top ten were Mike Marlar of Winfield, TN, Steve Francis of Ashland, KY, Eric Jacobsen of Seacliffe Beach, CA, Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN and Tim Dohm of Cross Lanes, WV.

In preliminary action Brad Neat of Dunnville, KY was the Red Buck Cigars fast qualifier among the 64 entrants. Neat was the final qualifier of the night when he clicked off his fast lap. Heat races winners were Jimmy Owens, David Breazeale, Austin Hubbard, Ray Cook, and Steve Francis. The B-Mains were taken by Tim Dohm and Tim McCreadie. Jared Hawkins was victorious in the Magnaflow Exhaust Strawberry Dash.

The racing action continues for the 35th Annual DART Winternationals Presented by Magnaflow Exhaust products at East Bay Raceway Park on Wednesday Night, February 9th with a $5,000 to win main event head lining the night.

Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series
Race Summary

Tuesday Night, February 8th, 2011

35th Annual DART Winternationals Presented by Magnaflow

East Bay Raceway Park – Tampa, FL

Red Buck Cigars Fast Time: Jimmy Owens / 15.167 seconds (Group A)

Brad Neat / 15.134 seconds (Overall and Group B)

Wiles Driveshafts First Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Jimmy Owens, Mike Marlar, Dennis Erb Jr., Tim Dohm, Chad Stapleton, Tyler Reddick, Brent Robinson, Brandon Thirlby, Doug Blashe, Eric Wells, Daniel Stone

Wiles Driveshafts Second Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): DAVID Breazeale, Jason Feger, Don O’Neal, Jared Landers, Rick Eckert, Frank Heckenast Jr., John Blankenship, Duane Harbaugh, Skylar Marlar, Chad Hollenbeck, Leon Henderson-DNS

Sweet Manufacturing Third Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Austin Hubbard, Eddie Carrier Jr., Eric Jacobsen, Dale McDowell, Bub McCool, Ricky Weiss, Jason McBride, Russ Adams, Chad Valone, Danny Mitchell-DNS

HAWK Brakes Fourth Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Ray Cook, Brad neat, Billy Moyer Jr., Josh Richards, Chris Wall, Justin Rattliff, Keith Nosbisch, Wayne Chinn, Michael Chilton, Robert Geiger

Wiles Driveshafts Fifth Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Transfer): Scott Bloomquist, Earl Pearson Jr., Wendell Wallace, Tim McCreadie, Dillan White, Greg Fore, Christian Augspurger, Bobby Pierce, James O’Hara, John Gardner, Terry Casey

Sweet Manufacturing Sixth Heat (10 Laps- Top 3 Transfer): Steve Francis, DJ Wells, Dan Schlieper, Tim Isenberg, Jared Hawkins, David Scott, Donnie Moran, Mark Andersen, Bob Gardner, Travis Varnadore

JRi Shocks First B-Main (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Tim Dohm, Dale McDowell, Jared Landers, Rick Eckert, Brent Robinson, Frank Heckenast Jr., Bub McCool, Tyler Reddick, Doug Blashe, Skylar Marlar, Jason McBride, Chad Hollenbeck, Russ Adams, Brandon Thirlby, John Blankenship, Ricky Weiss, Chad Stapleton, Duane Harbaugh, Chad Valone-DNS, Eric Wells-DNS, Danny Mitchell-DNS, Daniel Stone-DNS, Leon Henderson-DNS

Wrisco Aluminum Second B-Main (12 Laps- Top 3 Advance): Tim McCreadie, Josh Richards, Tim Isenberg, Justin Rattliff, Jared Hawkins, Dillan White, Greg Fore, Donnie Moran, Wayne Chinn, Keith Nosbisch, Bobby Pierce, Christian Augspurger, Mark Andersen, Michael Chilton, Joe Denby, Chris Wall, David Scott, John Gardner, James O’Hara-DNS, Bob Gardner-DNS, Travis Varnadore-DNS, Robert Geiger-DNS, Terry Casey-DNS

Magnaflow Performance Exhaust Strawberry Dash (Winner Advances): Jared Hawkins, Donnie Moran, Bobby Pierce, Mark Andersen, Michael Chilton, Russ Adams, John Gardner, Joe Denby

By Scott|2011-02-09T12:16:21-05:00February 9th, 2011|East Bay Raceway Park, Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events|Comments Off

AUSTIN POWER: Dillon surges to DIRTcar Nationals By UNOH opening night victory at Volusia Speedway Park

From Kellen Burns
DIRTcar Public Relations

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 8, 2011 — Austin Dillon powered to a DIRTcar UMP Modified victory on Tuesday night in the opener to the 40th Annual DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park.

Austin’s brother, Ty, started on the pole for the 20-lap main event but fell out with three laps to go after making contact with Clint Bowyer and finished 15th. Both Ty and Austin also won heat races.

Austin Dillon, of Welcome, N.C., and the grandson of storied NASCAR car owner Richard Childress, dove past his brother in Turn 1 at the big half-mile dirt oval on the third circuit and powered to victory to kick off the 12-night event. “It seems like I always finish second in points here,” said Dillon. “I’m just trying to move up one more spot.”

Corey Conley, of Wellsburg, W.Va., who started 21st surged all the way to a second-place finish, one spot better than NASCAR star Bowyer, of Emporia, Kan., who started 17th and methodically worked his way toward the front. Peyton Taylor of Desha, Ark., finished 4 th while Joey Jensen of Forest Lake, Minn., rounded out the top five.

In addition to the Dillon brothers and Bowyer, other NASCAR drivers that made the A-main Tuesday night included Kenny Wallace, who finished sixth, and Ken Schrader, who was caught in a caution on Lap 3 and finished 26th.

There were 73 DIRTcar UMP Modifieds signed in to race in addition to several World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series stars, who used the night for a practice session to gear up for the next five nights of Sprint Car racing at Volusia in conjunction with the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds.

For more information, go to http://www.DIRTcarNationals.com or follow the event on Twitter @DIRTcarNats.

A-Main – 20 Laps: 1. Austin Dillon, 2. Corey Conley, 3. Clint Bowyer, 4. Peyton Taylor, 5. Joey Jensen, 6. Kenny Wallace, 7. Bob Broking, 8. Duane Dale, 9. Jason Beaulieu, 10. Kyle Bronson, 11. Dave Hess Jr, 12. Todd Sherman, 13. Larry Burkins, 14. Michael Long, 15. Ty Dillon, 16. Scotty Orr, 17. Kody Weisner, 18. Richie Tosh, 19. Brandon Smith, 20. Randle Sweeney, 21. Dale Mathison, 22. Stormy Scott, 23. Devin Gilpin , 24. Mike Spatola, 25. Bobby Kitchen, 26. Ken Schrader, 27. Todd Neiheiser

Qualifying Group 1: 1. Ty Dillon, 2. Garrett Stewart, 3. Dave Hess Jr, 4. Stormy Scott, 5. Jamie Lomax, 6. Jason Davis, 7. Trista Stevenson, 8. Randle Sweeney, 9. David McWilliams, 10. Todd Sherman, 11. Tony Anderson, 12. Bill Keeler, 13. Gavin Landers

Qualifying Group 2: 1. Corey Dripps, 2. Justin Coulter, 3. Mike Spatola, 4. Dale Mathison, 5. Peyton Taylor, 6. Gary Cook Jr, 7. Rob Penney, 8. Jeremy Kerzman, 9. Chad Olsen, 10. Johnny Broking, 11. Roger Moser, 12. Dave Jamison, 13. Brandon Smith

Qualifying Group 3: 1. Ken Schrader, 2. Austin Dillon, 3. Kenny Wallace, 4. Terry Hull, 5. Mark Grosvenor, 6. Bob Broking, 7. Larry Burkins, 8. Kent Corbin, 9. Bob Fort, 10. Dale Murray, 11. Eric Elmer, 12. Riley Emmel

Qualifying Group 4: 1. Kyle Bornson, 2. Jamie Carter, 3. Nate Carruth, 4. Joey Jensen, 5. Devin Gilpin , 6. Todd Neiheiser, 7. Joey Kramer, 8. Dave Wietholder, 9. Bryce Jewel, 10. Justin Matson, 11. Kelby Simmons, 12. Jeff Thomas, 13. Stan Beadles

Qualifying Group 5: 1. Ryan Gustin, 2. Clint Bowyer, 3. Michael Long, 4. Bobby Kitchen, 5. Jason Beaulieu, 6. Ryan Gifford, 7. Jason Miller, 8. Kevin Davis, 9. Bob Gierke, 10. Gary Brooks, 11. Justin Elmer, 12. Lawrence Oconnor

Qualifying Group 6: 1. Corey Conley, 2. Scotty Orr, 3. Richie Tosch, 4. Kody Weisner, 5. Duane Dale, 6. Andy Strait, 7. Evan Taylor, 8. Dave Baldwin, 9. Terry Hansen, 10. Chris Puskas, 11. David Orr, 12. Joe Carr, 13. James Smith, Heat 1, 1. Ty Dillon, 2. Dave Hess Jr, 3. Randle Sweeney, 4. Stormy Scott, 5. Jamie Lomax, 6. Jason Davis, 7. Todd Sherman, 8. Garrett Stewart, 9. David McWilliams, 10. Trista Stevenson, 11. Tony Anderson, 12. Bill Keeler, 13. Gavin Landers

Heat 1: 1. Ty Dillon, 2. Dave Hess Jr, 3. Randle Sweeney, 4. Stormy Scott, 5. Jamie Lomax, 6. Jason Davis, 7. Todd Sherman, 8. Garrett Stewart, 9. David McWilliams, 10. Trista Stevenson, 11. Tony Anderson, 12. Bill Keeler, 13. Gavin Landers

Heat 2: 1. Dale Mathison, 2. Mike Spatola, 3. Peyton Taylor, 4. Corey Dripps, 5. Brandon Smith, 6. Johnny Broking, 7. Chad Olsen, 8. Roger Moser, 9. Dave Jamison, 10. Gary Cook Jr, 11. Justin Coulter, 12. Jeremy Kerzman, 13. Rob Penney

Heat 3: 1. Austin Dillon, 2. Kenny Wallace, 3. Ken Schrader, 4. Larry Burkins, 5. Bob Broking, 6. Terry Hull, 7. Dale Murray, 8. Riley Emmel, 9. Kent Corbin, 10. Eric Elmer, 11. Bob Fort, 12. Mark Grosvenor, DNS. Jim Shipman

Heat 4: 1. Joey Jensen, 2. Kyle Bornson, 3. Todd Neiheiser, 4. Devin Gilpin , 5. Dave Wietholder, 6. Jamie Carter, 7. Kelby Simmons, 8. Justin Matson, 9. Jeff Thomas, 10. Stan Beadles, 11. Bryce Jewel, DNS. Nate Carruth, DNS. Joey Kramer

Heat 5: 1. Michael Long, 2. Bobby Kitchen, 3. Clint Bowyer, 4. Ryan Gustin, 5. Jason Beaulieu, 6. Ryan Gifford, 7. Bob Gierke, 8. Kevin Davis, 9. Jason MIller, 10. Justin Elmer, 11. Lawrence Oconnor, 12. Gary Brooks

Heat 6: 1. Kody Weisner, 2. Richie Tosh, 3. Scotty Orr, 4. Corey Conley, 5. Chris Puskas, 6. Duane Dale, 7. Evan Taylor, 8. Andy Strait, 9. Terry Hansen, 10. Dave Baldwin, 11. James Smith, 12. Joe Carr, 13. David Orr

B-Main 1: 1. Stormy Scott, 2. Todd Sherman, 3. Brandon Smith, 4. David McWilliams, 5. Johnny Broking, 6. Jason Davis, 7. Chad Olsen, 8. Trista Stevenson, 9. Bill Keeler, 10. Tony Anderson, 11. Gavin Landers, 12. Jamie Lomax, 13. Gary Cook Jr, 14. Dave Jamison, 15. Garrett Stewart, 16. Justin Coulter, DNS. Corey Dripps, DNS. Roger Moser, DNS. Jeremy Kerzman, DNS. Rob Penney

B-Main 2: 1. Devin Gilpin , 2. Bob Broking, 3. Larry Burkins, 4. Jamie Carter, 5. Joey Kramer, 6. Mark Grosvenor, 7. Terry Hull, 8. Jeff Thomas, 9. Riley Emmel, 10. Eric Elmer, 11. Stan Beadles, 12. Kelby Simmons, 13. Dave Wietholder, 14. Bryce Jewel, 15. Justin Matson, DNS. Dale Murray, DNS. Kent Corbin, DNS. Bob Fort, DNS. Nate Carruth, DNS. Jim Shipman

B-Main 3: 1. Corey Conley, 2. Duane Dale, 3. Jason Beaulieu, 4. Ryan Gifford, 5. Jason MIller, 6. Andy Strait, 7. Bob Gierke, 8. Chris Puskas, 9. James Smith, 10. Kevin Davis, 11. Terry Hansen, 12. Lawrence Oconnor, 13. David Orr, 14. Joe Carr, DNS. Ryan Gustin, DNS. Evan Taylor, DNS. Justin Elmer, DNS. Dave Baldwin, DNS. Gary Brooks
F

By Scott|2011-02-09T12:08:32-05:00February 9th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Weather Forces First Night Of Lucas Oil Dirt Model Postponed

Tampa, Fl – February 7, 2011 – East Bay Raceway Park Officials have been forced to cancel tonight’s event due to severe weather conditions moving into the area. East Bay Officials will make a announcement on Thursday when this show will be made up.

The Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series will resume tomorrow with Hot Laps at 5:00 pm followed by qualifying and races to begin approximately 7:00 pm. Tomorrow’s A-Main will be for 30 Laps $5,000 to win. The Lucas Late Dirt Late Models series will be here until Saturday night with the A-main to be 75 Laps with $12,000 to win.

By Scott|2011-02-08T11:36:04-05:00February 8th, 2011|East Bay Raceway Park, Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events|Comments Off

Kinser & Schatz Set for DIRTcar Nationals

Tony Stewart Racing teammates are defending World of Outlaws winners at Volusia

CONCORD, N.C. — Feb. 5, 2011 — Tony Stewart. Steve Kinser. Donny Schatz. A year ago at the DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio those three superstars came together to form a World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series powerhouse. (Ken Simon photo)

Stewart put together a team with 24 series championships combined. Fans were somewhat awestruck by the pairing fierce competitors Schatz and Kinser under Stewart’s ownership. Many figured the championship battle would come down to the two TSR stars.

It was tough to argue, too, when they showed off their domination beginning with the initial green flag at Volusia Speedway Park. Schatz captured opening night and Kinser followed up with a victory one night later. Of course, the season played out and while Schatz and Kinser were in the title hunt all year, Kasey Kahne Racing’s Joey Saldana and Jason Meyers didn’t back down, with Meyers becoming the first Californian to win a World of Outlaws championship.

Now, a year later entering the 40^th Annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH beginning Tuesday, Feb. 8, the expectations remain sky high for the TSR team. Schatz surged down the stretch last fall but came up just short as Meyers dominated the World Finals at Charlotte. Another successful off-season of racing in Australia will give Schatz the momentum he counts on for a fast start. As for Kinser, last year marked the first time since 2005 he was back atop the championship hunt during the heat of the season. Entering this year’s opener at Volusia, there’s little doubt everybody will be wondering if Schatz can win a fifth title or if Kinser can capture his 21^st crown.

“It wasn’t a bad first season at Tony Stewart Racing,” said Kinser, of Bloomington, Ind., and one of the original Outlaws in 1978. “We were right in the hunt all year. We won some races, but just had a few bumps in the road and that’s what ended up costing us the title.”

After four consecutive World of Outlaws championships, the competition finally caught up to Schatz last year. However he knows the ground he made up down the stretch combined with his focused effort in Australia during the winter gives him a bit of an edge this week at Volusia Speedway Park, which is just a short drive from Daytona Beach, Fla.

“Last year we didn’t adhere to the changes like we needed too and that put us behind a little bit,” said Schatz, of Fargo, N.D. “We learned a lot at the end of last year and used Australia as a stepping stone and really figured out the things we needed to get back on top.”

A noticeable difference in the Schatz’s #15 ride this year will be a completely new look as STP has become his team’s primary sponsor.

“We’re really excited to be a part of the promotion of STP and hopefully can be as successful for them as we have been for Armor All.”

Despite having 2010 seasons that many drivers would be proud of, Schatz and Kinser expect to win races and championships. That’s clearly their goal in 2011.

“The bottom line is that we were good for a majority of the season,” Kinser said. “If we get back to that level again this year and can eliminate a few of those rough nights, I feel like we’ll be right there all year long.”

Schatz echoed his teammate’s confidence.

“You go out one day at a time and win as much as you can,” Schtaz said. “That’s where this team deserves to be and where I expect to have them.”

Tickets to see Kinser and Schatz take on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series in the 40^th DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park are available online at www.WorldofOutlaws.com/tickets or by calling 386-985-4402. The racing action at Volusia kicks off on Tuesday (Feb. 8) with the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars waving the green flag on the season Friday (Feb. 11), Saturday (Feb. 12) and Sunday (Feb. 13).

By Scott|2011-02-07T18:32:10-05:00February 7th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

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