Mars Lands In DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Victory Lane For First Time Since 2000 In Wednesday’s UMP Late Model A-Main

From Kevin Kovac
DIRTcar Public Relations


BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 16, 2011 – Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., gained a dose of redemption with a powerful drive to victory in Wednesday night’s caution-free 30-lap DIRTcar UMP Late Model A-Main during the 40th annual DIRTcar Nationals by Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park.

Erasing memories of his heartbreaking last-lap loss 24 hours earlier to Martinsville, Ind.’s Don O’Neal, Mars grabbed the lead from reigning DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., on lap 16 and never looked back en route to his first win since 2000 at the half-mile oval.

“Last night we gave one up on the restart (with three laps remaining), so I was sure hoping we wouldn’t have another one (late in the race),” said Mars, who reached Victory Lane during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH for the first time since 2000. “But the car was just stuck like suction cups out there. I’m telling you, this thing was unbelievable.”

Feger, 32, settled for a career-best DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH finish of second after surging off the outside pole starting spot to lead laps 1-15 in his Bob Pierce-built machine. He flashed under the checkered flag 7.659 seconds – over a full straightaway – behind Mars’s Deppe Enterprises MB Customs car.

Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., registered his best finish of the week, taking third after his bid to steal the runner-up spot from Feger fell just 0.072 of a second short at the finish line. Two-time defending World of Outlaws Late Model Series champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., emerged from a multi-car position battle to place fourth for the second straight evening and 10th-starter Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., finished fifth.

Mars, who turns 39 on Feb. 28, raved about the smooth Volusia racing surface, which produced a frenetic, non-stop feature that was completed in 9 minutes, 26.941 seconds.

“The track is beautiful,” said Mars, who is competing in the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH for the first time since 2007. “It’s a lot racier than what it used to be. There’s a lot of good track prep put into it.”

Feger was unable to stay with Mars, but he understood his shortcoming and was seen wearing a broad smile in the pit area following the race.

“We were set up to run the top,” said Feger, the 2009 DIRTcar UMP Late Model national champion. “We went with soft tires. I didn’t even realize those guys like Mars put on harder right-rear tires. I think if we would’ve had on the same combination as Mars I might’ve had a better chance to hold on.

“I know we would’ve been better toward the end of the race. The track definitely went away, but my tire went away too. We tore up the tire pretty good. I could feel it going away.

“I would’ve loved to get a win, but it’s pretty satisfying to have a run like this,” he added. “The best of the best are here, and this is by far our best run here. We struggled last year and Monday and Tuesday this week, so we’re definitely making progress with our program here.”

Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., ran in the top five for much of the distance but was shuffled back to sixth in the final rundown. Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis., advanced from the 13th starting spot to place seventh, while Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., was eighth, WoO LMS Rookie of the Year candidate Ron Davies of Warren, Pa., finished ninth and Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., rounded out the top 10.

Seventy-four cars entered Wednesday night’s program.

In the group qualifying sessions that set the starting lineups for the evening’s six heat races, O’Neal established a new track record with a sizzling lap of 15.813 seconds. He surpassed the standard of 15.932 seconds held by Richards since Feb. 10, 2009.

Other group fast-timers were Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn. (16.737 seconds), Davies (16.460), Owens (16.428), Davenport (16.077) and Richards (16.089).

Heat winners were Marlar, Feger, Mars, Francis, Bloomquist and Richards. The B-Mains were captured by Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark., and Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark.

Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., was victorious in the 12-lap ‘Bulrush Dash’ that closed the night. Back behind the wheel of his Rocket car after parking his new Capital Race Cars mount for the night, the WoO LMS regular earned $300 for topping the short sprint reserved for drivers who haven’t qualified for a DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH A-Main.

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH continues on Thursday night (Feb. 17) with a doubleheader featuring the season-opening World of Outlaws Late Model Series event. A 50-lap tour A-Main paying $10,000 to win will top the card, which also boasts a 30-lap Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified headliner.

Gates open at 5 p.m. and race time is 7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

For more information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, log on to www.DIRTcarNationals.com.

DIRTcar UMP Late Model 30-Lap A-Main Finish (Finish Pos./Start Pos./Driver):

1. (3) Jimmy Mars

2. (2) Jason Feger

3. (6) Scott Bloomquist

4. (4) Josh Richards

5. (10) Jonathan Davenport

6. (5) Steve Francis

7. (13) Dan Schlieper

8. (9) Jimmy Owens

9. (8) Ron Davies

10. (15) Earl Pearson Jr.

11. (24) Tim McCreadie

12. (12) Dennis Erb Jr.

13. (11) Don O’Neal

14. (17) Will Vaught

15. (22) John Blankenship

16. (21) Billy Moyer

17. (18) Rick Eckert

18. (16) Casey Roberts

19. (19) Clint Smith

20. (23) Austin Hubbard

21. (20) Jack Sullivan

22. (25) Dillan White

23. (7) Larry Wight

24. (1) Mike Marlar

25. (14) Dale McDowell

Heat No. 1 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Mike Marlar, 2. Larry Wight, 3. Dan Schlieper, 4. John Blankenship, 5. Tommy Kerr, 6. Jon Henry, 7. Vic Coffey, 8. Billy Moyer Jr., 9. Pat Doar, 10. Brian Reese, 11. Brad Neat, 12. Chuck Julien, 13. Brent Robinson

Heat No. 2 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Jason Feger, 2. Ron Davies, 3. Dale McDowell, 4. Clint Smith, 5. Eric Jacobsen, 6. Justin Ratliff, 7. Freddie Carpenter, 8. Dan Stone, 9. Wendell Wallace, 10. Tyler Bruening, 11. Brandon Sheppard, 12. John Lobb, 13. Tyler Ivey

Heat No. 3 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Jimmy Mars, 2. Jimmy Owens, 3. Earl Pearson Jr., 4. Jack Sullivan, 5. Frankie Heckenast Jr., 6. Dillan White, 7. Jason McBride, 8. Brandon Thirlby, 9. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, 10. Eddie Carrier Jr., 11. Mason Zeigler, 12. Tim Fuller

Heat No. 4 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Steve Francis, 2. Jonathan Davenport, 3. Casey Roberts, 4. Austin Hubbard, 5. Brady Smith, 6. Ricky Weiss, 7. Jared Landers, 8. Danny Mitchell, 9. Lee DeVasier, 10. Chad Hollenbeck, 11. Joel Callahan, 12. Chris Madden

Heat No. 5 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Scott Bloomquist, 2. Don O’Neal, 3. Will Vaught, 4. Billy Moyer, 5. Tim McCreadie, 6. Eric Wells, 7. Jeff Beyers, 8. Chub Frank, 9. Shane Clanton, 10. John Garvin Jr., 11. Mike Hammerle, 12. Lee Thomason

Heat No. 6 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Josh Richards, 2. Dennis Erb Jr., 3. Rick Eckert, 4. Kent Robinson, 5. Russell King, 6. John Mason, 7. Ryan Unzicker, 8. Roger Brickler, 9. Ken Schrader, 10. John Henderson, 11. Jill George, 12. Billy Ogle Jr.

B-Main No. 1 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Clint Smith, 2. John Blankenship, 3. Justin Ratliff, 4. Tommy Kerr, 5. Dan Stone, 6. Eric Jacobsen, 7. Jon Henry, 8. Pat Doar, 9. Vic Coffey, 10. Billy Moyer Jr., 11. Tyler Bruening, 12. Brandon Sheppard, 13. Wendell Wallace, 14. Tyler Ivey, 15. Brian Reese, 16. Chuck Julien, 17. Freddie Carpenter, 18. John Lobb, 19. Brent Robinson (DNS) Brad Neat

B-Main No. 2 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Jack Sullivan, 2. Austin Hubbard, 3. Brady Smith, 4. Frankie Heckenast Jr., 5. Jared Landers, 6. Dillan White, 7. Brandon Thirlby, 8. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, 9. Jason McBride, 10. Joel Callahan, 11. Chad Hollenbeck, 12. Mason Zeigler, 13. Ricky Weiss, 14. Tim Fuller, 15. Danny Mitchell (DNS) Lee DeVasier, Eddie Carrier Jr., Chris Madden

B-Main No. 3 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Billy Moyer, 2. Tim McCreadie, 3. Kent Robinson, 4. Shane Clanton, 5. John Mason, 6. Ryan Unzicker, 7. Eric Wells, 8. Jeff Beyers, 9. Ken Schrader, 10. Chub Frank, 11. Roger Brickler, 12. John Garvin Jr., 13. John Henderson, 14. Jill George, 15. Mike Hammerle, 16. Lee Thomason (DNS) Russell King, Billy Ogle Jr.

‘Bulrush Dash’ Finish (12 laps): 1. Shane Clanton, 2. Roger Brickler, 3. Brandon Thirlby, 4. Jeff Beyers, 5. Jon Henry, 6. Eric Wells, 7. Brandon Sheppard (DNS) Justin Ratliff, Jared Landers, Eric Jacobsen, Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, Billy Moyer Jr., Jason McBride, Ken Schrader, Joel Callahan


By |2011-02-17T11:22:20-05:00February 17th, 2011|Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off on Mars Lands In DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Victory Lane For First Time Since 2000 In Wednesday’s UMP Late Model A-Main

Clint Bowyer Clinches Overall UMP Modified DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH championship

From Kellen Burns
DIRTcar Public Relations

Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Ken Schrader Claim DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Triple 25 victories

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Feb. 15, 2011 – Clint Bowyer capped off a huge night for DIRTcar UMP Modifieds at the 40th DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio on Tuesday at Volusia Speedway Park by capturing the overall championship following Triple 25 features.

With a buzz surrounding them since last week thanks to local media attention, Ty Dillon and Austin Dillon closed out the DIRTcar UMP Modified portion of the DIRTcar Nationals Volusia the best possible way possible as they each won a feature in addition to Ken Schrader.

Austin Dillon claimed the first hotly contested feature by holding off Bowyer and Peyton Taylor for the win.  Dillon’s blistering pace allowed him to stretch his lead to nearly half a track before caution flags negated his work.

“I really feel like we had the team to beat this week,” said Dillon, of Welcome, N.C.  “Things just got away from us earlier in the week after we blew an engine.”

Bowyer clinched the overall DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH championship on the strength of three wins over the eight nights that DIRTcar UMP Modifieds raced.  Bowyer rattled off a third-place finish in the opener and followed that with two consecutive victories, missed a night due to obligations at Daytona International Speedway, finished second in ‘The Gator Championship’ before running second to Dillon in the final night of racing.

“I appreciate everyone coming out here to Volusia and supporting dirt racing,” said Bowyer, who will be one of 42 drivers to run the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Ken Schrader led all 25 laps in dominating the second DIRTcar UMP Modified Triple 25 feature.  Schrader, a former DIRTcar Nationals UMP Modified Champion, wound up second behind Bowyer in the overall DIRTcar Nationals standings.

Fellow Missourian, Kenny Wallace charged to a second-place finish ahead of Bobby Kitchen, Bobby Regot and Dave Wietholder.

Finally, it was Ty Dillon’s turn to equal his brother’s performance from earlier in the night. Dillon, who on Monday night won ‘The Gator Championship’ at Volusia, grabbed the lead on Lap 4 when he motored past Richie Tosh. Dillon avoided a mid-race close call when he clipped a slowing car exiting the track in front of him, causing damage to the nose of his University of Northwestern Ohio Modified. Ty then hold off a furious onslaught from Michael Long before pulling away from the field with five circuits remaining to capture his second DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH win.

DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio Statistical Report; Volusia Speedway Park; Feb. 15, 2011

Triple 25 #1 (25-Laps): 1. Austin Dillon, 2. Clint Bowyer, 3. Peyton Taylor, 4. Mike Spatola, 5. Chris Puskas, 6. Ryan  Gifford, 7. Todd Sherman, 8. Dave Baldwin, 9. Carl McKinney, 10. Jeff Thomas, 11. Dave Jamison, 12. Dale Murray, 13. Mark Grosvenor, 14. Johnny Broking, 15. Jeremy Kerzman.

Triple 25 #2 (25-Laps): 1. Ken Schrader, 2.  Kenny Wallace, 3. Bobby Kitchen, 4. Bobby Regot, 5. Dave Wietholder, 6. Jason MIller, 7. Tony Anderson, 8. Larry Burkins, 9. Andy Strait, 10. Kevin  Davis, 11. Evan Taylor, 12. Jason Beaulieu, 13. Brett Korves, 14. Kip Hughes, 15. Weasel Rhodes.

Triple 25 #1 (25-Laps): 1. Ty Dillon, 2. Michael Long, 3. Bob Broking, 4. David McWilliams, 5. Brandon Smith, 6. Terry Hull, 7. Bob Gierke, 8. James Smith, 9. Jamie Carter, 10. Keith Smith, 11. Richie Tosh, 12. Gavin  Landers, 13. Lawrence Oconnor, 14. Gary Brooks, DNS. Kody Weisner, DNS. Terry Hansen.

By |2011-02-16T11:09:00-05:00February 16th, 2011|Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off on Clint Bowyer Clinches Overall UMP Modified DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH championship

O’Neal Overtakes Mars On Final Lap For First DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Victory In Seven Years

Richards Leads World of Outlaws Regulars With Fourth-Place Finish After Starting 14th

By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 15, 2011 – Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., turned back the clock with a vintage performance at Volusia Speedway Park.

Flashing the form that made him a perennial star of the DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio from 2002-2004, O’Neal passed Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., on the final circuit to win Tuesday night’s 30-lap DIRTcar UMP Late Model A-Main.

The $7,000 triumph was the eighth of O’Neal’s career in DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH action – tops among all drivers since 1998. But it was his first win at the sweeping half-mile oval since the 2004 edition of the mid-winter racing classic.

“I don’t know if I can ever recapture that again,” O’Neal said of the Volusia magic that carried him to two wins in 2002, three in 2003 and two in 2004. “That was just one of them deals where you can do nothing wrong. But we have won two already this year (in Florida after also capturing Sunday night’s UMP-sanctioned event at Ocala Speedway), so maybe we can get another one this week and leave here feeling like we did back then.”

O’Neal, 46, returned to Volusia’s spotlight in dramatic fashion. He appeared headed to a third-place finish until a lap-27 caution flag – for the stopped car driven by John Blankenship of Williamson, W.Va. – allowed him to vault past Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., and Mars with a memorable outside charge behind the wheel of Larry Moring’s MasterSbilt machine.

Mars, who started second and led laps 1-29, fell to O’Neal’s top-side assault rounding turns three and four for the last time. O’Neal surged ahead off the fourth corner to beat Mars by 0.381 of a second.

Smith, who won the World of Outlaws Late Model Series event that closed last year’s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, moved forward from the sixth starting spot to place third. Two-time defending WoO LMS champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who started 14th, picked up two spots following the race’s final restart to finish fourth and opening-night DIRTcar UMP winner Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., settled for a quiet fifth-place finish after starting 10th.

O’Neal, who started fifth, climbed up to second by lap 12 before ceding the position to Smith nine circuits later. He was resigned to finishing third until the race’s second and final caution flag was needed on lap 27.

After immediately shooting to the outside of turns one and two on the restart to overtake Smith for second, O’Neal drew close to Mars. Mars slid up to repel O’Neal’s initial challenge off turn two on lap 28, but O’Neal made the outside work the next lap.

“That yellow flag sort of gave me a new life,” said O’Neal, who did not enter the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH for the last two years. “I had never been on that top there (of turns one and two) the whole race, but I thought, ‘Man, I got nothing to lose running third here,’ so I hauled her off in there and that top was pretty good down there in one and two.”

Mars, who turns 39 on Feb. 28, fell short of reaching Victory Lane at Volusia for the first time since the 2000 DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH.

“A late-race caution kind of sucks, but it is what it is,” said Mars, who is competing in the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH this season after a three-year absence. “Don did a helluva job out there. I came off the corner and I heard him out there, so I did all I could do to get to the top but it just wasn’t there. I just had to let him go.”

Polesitter Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., slipped backward throughout the distance and finished sixth. Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga., placed seventh, followed by 17th-starter Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis., Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., who started third and was fifth for the lap-27 restart, and Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn.

With group qualifying utilized to set the starting lineups for the evening’s six heat races, Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., turned the overall fastest lap at 16.117 seconds. But his night ended there because terminal engine problems forced him to scratch from his pole starting spot in the sixth heat.

Other group fast-timers were Davenport (17.916), O’Neal (17.470), Owens (17.240), Mars (16.798) and Brady Smith (16.562).

Heat winners were Davenport, O’Neal, Owens, Mars, Brady Smith and Kent Robinson of Bloomington, Ind. The B-Mains were captured by 15-year-old Tyler Reddick of Corning, Calif., defending DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., and Jack Sullivan of Greenbrier, Ark.

Brent Robinson of Smithfield, Va., closed Tuesday night’s card with a victory in the 12-lap ‘Bulrush Dash.’ He earned $300 for topping the short sprint reserved for drivers who haven’t qualified for a DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH A-Main.

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH continues on Wednesday night (Feb. 16) with a doubleheader featuring 30-lap features for the UMP Late Models and the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds, which begin a four consecutive nights of action at Volusia.

Gates open at 5 p.m. and race time is 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

For more information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, log on to www.DIRTcarNationals.com.

DIRTcar UMP Late Model 30-Lap A-Main Finish (Finish Pos./Start Pos./Driver):

1. (5) Don O’Neal
2. (2) Jimmy Mars
3. (6) Brady Smith
4. (14) Josh Richards
5. (10) Billy Moyer
6. (1) Jimmy Owens
7. (8) Dale McDowell
8. (17) Dan Schlieper
9. (3) Jonathan Davenport
10. (11) Scott Bloomquist
11. (19) Tyler Reddick
12. (7) Pat Doar
13. (4) Kent Robinson
14. (21) Jack Sullivan
15. (12) John Mason
16. (20) Jason Feger
17. (25) Dennis Erb Jr.
18. (22) Tommy Kerr
19. (15) John Blankenship
20. (23) Earl Pearson Jr.
21. (9) Chub Frank
22. (16) Tim McCreadie
23. (18) Casey Roberts
24. (13) Rick Eckert
25. (24) Tim Fuller

Heat No. 1 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Jonathan Davenport, 2. Pat Doar, 3. Rick Eckert, 4. Ron Davies, 5. Tommy Kerr, 6. Shane Clanton, 7. Eddie Carrier Jr., 8. Steve Francis, 9. Stacy Boles, 10. Jason McBride, 11. Jerry Perine (DNS) Russell King, Billy Ogle Jr.

Heat No. 2 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Don O’Neal, 2. Dale McDowell, 3. Josh Richards, 4. Brad Neat, 5. Tyler Reddick, 6. Jon Henry, 7. Dennis Erb Jr., 8. Aaron Ridley, 9. Brent Robinson, 10. Tyler Bruening, 11. Chuck Julien, 12. Freddie Carpenter (DNS) Wendell Wallace

Heat No. 3 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Jimmy Owens, 2. Chub Frank, 3. John Blankenship, 4. Earl Pearson Jr., 5. Eric Jacobsen, 6. Lee DeVasier, 7. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, 8. Jeff Beyers, 9. Chad Hollenbeck, 10. Donald Beyers, 11. Mike Hammerle, 12. Vic Coffey

Heat No. 4 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Jimmy Mars, 2. Billy Moyer, 3. Tim McCreadie, 4. Jason Feger, 5. Tyler Ivey, 6. Dan Stone, 7. Brandon Thirlby, 8. John Garvin Jr., 9. Billy Moyer Jr., 10. Frankie Heckenast Jr., 11. Brian Reese, 12. Dillan White

Heat No. 5 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Brady Smith, 2. Scott Bloomquist, 3. Dan Schlieper, 4. Jack Sullivan, 5. Will Vaught, 6. Tim Fuller, 7. Larry Wight, 8. Clint Smith, 9. Roger Brickler, 10. John Lobb, 11. Danny Mitchell, 12. Jared Landers

Heat No. 6 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Kent Robinson, 2. John Mason, 3. Casey Roberts, 4. Ryan Unzicker, 5. Joel Callahan, 6. Mason Zeigler, 7. Ricky Weiss, 8. Jill George, 9. Lee Thomason, 10. Brandon Sheppard (DNS) Chris Madden, Austin Hubbard

B-Main No. 1 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Tyler Reddick, 2. Tommy Kerr, 3. Steve Francis, 4. Brent Robinson, 5. Aaron Ridley, 6. Stacy Boles, 7. Jason McBride, 8. Freddie Carpenter, 9. Tyler Bruening, 10. Jerry Perine, 11. Shane Clanton, 12. Eddie Carrier Jr., 13. Ron Davies, 14. Dennis Erb Jr., 15. Jon Henry, 16. Russell King, 17. Wendell Wallace (DNS) Brad Neat, Chuck Julien, Billy Ogle Jr.

B-Main No. 2 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Jason Feger, 2. Earl Pearson Jr., 3. Dan Stone, 4. Tyler Ivey, 5. Brandon Thirlby, 6. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, 7. Eric Jacobsen, 8. Lee DeVasier, 9. John Garvin, 10. Dillan White, 11. Chad Hollenbeck, 12. Donald Beyers, 13. Brian Reese, 14. Mike Hammerle, 15. Jeff Beyers, 16. Billy Moyer Jr., 17. Frankie Heckenast Jr. (DNS) Vic Coffey

B-Main No. 3 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Jack Sullivan, 2. Tim Fuller, 3. Will Vaught, 4. Larry Wight, 5. Brandon Sheppard, 6. Roger Brickler, 7. Ricky Weiss, 8. Mason Zeigler, 9. Joel Callahan, 10. Jared Landers, 11. Clint Smith, 12. Lee Thomason, 13. Ryan Unzicker, 14. Jill George, 15. John Lobb, 16. Danny Mitchell (DNS) Chris Madden, Austin Hubbard

‘Bulrush Dash’ Finish (12 laps): 1. Brent Robinson, 2. Brandon Sheppard, 3. Tyler Ivey, 4. Ricky Weiss, 5. Roger Brickler, 6. Larry Wight, 7. Brandon Thirlby, 8. Jason McBride, 9. Stacy Boles, 10. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, 11. Mason Zeigler, 12. Freddie Carpenter (DNS) Aaron Ridley, Eric Jacobsen, Lee DeVasier

By |2011-02-16T10:48:58-05:00February 16th, 2011|Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off on O’Neal Overtakes Mars On Final Lap For First DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Victory In Seven Years

Moyer Kicks Off DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Late Model Action With UMP-Sanctioned Victory

From Kevin Kovac
DIRTcar Public Relations

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 14, 2011 – Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., kicked off the Late Model portion of the 40th annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH in triumphant fashion, capturing Monday night’s 30-lap DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned A-Main.


The 53-year-old full-fender legend steered his Victory Circle by Moyer machine forward from the fifth starting spot to grab the lead from polesitter Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., on lap 13. He never looked back en route to a $7,000 payday, pulling away from the field after a lap-23 caution period to defeat Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, Fla., by 1.978 seconds.

It marked the second time in the last four years that Moyer emerged victorious in the opener of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. He also topped the DIRTcar UMP lidlifter in 2008 on his way to dominating that year’s action with three wins in five starts, including the week-ending World of Outlaws Late Model Series event.

“They got a good racy racetrack, big and wide,” Moyer said of the half-mile Volusia oval, where he’s won six times since 1998. “We like coming here for sure.”

Pearson, who won the UMP opener of the 2007 DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, started from the outside pole and led laps 1-4 before briefly falling to third place. He regained second from Madden on lap 16 and closed within striking distance of Moyer before the race’s lone caution flag – on lap 23 for a flat left-rear tire on West Virginia driver Eddie Carrier Jr.’s car – extinguished his bid.

Madden, who led laps 5-12, lost touch with the leaders late in the distance and settled for a third-place finish. Vic Coffey of Caledonia, N.Y., advanced from the eighth starting spot to place fourth and 11th-starter Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., finished fifth after nipping Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., by .039 of a second with a last-lap move.

Coming off a spectacular 2010 campaign that saw him sweep the prestigious UMP-sanctioned Dream and World 100 events at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, Moyer showed no signs of slowing down in ’11 with a masterful performance against a star-studded field of 71 cars. He calmly ran down Pearson and Madden – both former feature winners at Volusia – to seize control of the race.

“It was like ice out there, so slick,” said Moyer. “I was just trying to take care of the car, the tires, everything on there, and was waiting for them (Pearson and Madden) to make a little bobble. They got to moving around on the racetrack a little bit and I had my old hot rod where it could stay on the bottom pretty good, and it worked out for us.”

Fuller finished sixth after starting third and running in the top five for the entire distance. Teenager Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., slipped from the fourth starting spot to a seventh-place finish, while two-time defending WoO LMS champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., placed eighth, Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis., charged from the 20th starting spot to take ninth and Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., rounded out the top 10.

Group qualifying was utilized to set the starting lineups for six heat races in the first of four DIRTcar UMP Late Model programs during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH.

Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., registered the fastest overall qualifying lap at 16.477 seconds, but he ran into trouble in his heat race and didn’t transfer to the A-Main. Other group fast-timers were Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark. (16.824), Frankie Heckenast Jr. of Orland Park, Ill. (16.596), Hubbard (17.080), O’Neal (16.772) and Madden (17.075).

Heat winners were Fuller, Moyer, Pearson, Hubbard, O’Neal and Madden. The B-Mains were captured by Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., Brady Smith and Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark., and Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., earned $300 for winning the 12-lap ‘Bulrush Dash’ for non-qualifiers.

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH continues on Tuesday night (Feb. 15) with another UMP Late Model program topped by a 30-lap A-Main. The UMP Modifieds will also compete in triple 25-lap features to close out the division’s week-long meet.

Race time is 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

For more information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, log on to www.DIRTcarNationals.com.

DIRTcar UMP Late Model 30-Lap A-Main Finish (Finish Pos./Start Pos./Driver):

1. (5) Billy Moyer

2. (2) Earl Pearson Jr.

3. (1) Chris Madden

4. (8) Vic Coffey

5. (11) Jimmy Mars

6. (3) Tim Fuller

7. (4) Austin Hubbard

8. (7) Josh Richards

9. (20) Brady Smith

10. (6) Don O’Neal

11. (15) Steve Francis

12. (13) Tim McCreadie

13. (17) Rick Eckert

14. (12) Billy Ogle Jr.

15. (9) Frankie Heckenast Jr.

16. (19) Clint Smith

17. (25) Ryan Unzicker

18. (10) Tyler Bruening

19. (22) Will Vaught

20. (23) Jason Feger

21. (14) Dan Stone

22. (24) Casey Roberts

23. (16) John Blankenship

24. (18) Eddie Carrier Jr.

25. (21) Wendell Wallace

Heat No. 1 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Tim Fuller, 2. Josh Richards, 3. Tim McCreadie, 4. Clint Smith, 5. Dillan White, 6. Will Vaught, 7. Ricky Weiss, 8. Mike Marlar, 9. Jonathan Davenport, 10. Russell King, 11. Larry Wight, 12. Ron Davies

Heat No. 2 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Billy Moyer, 2. Vic Coffey, 3. Dan Stone, 4. Jared Landers, 5. John Garvin, 6. Shane Clanton, 7. Eric Wells, 8. Brandon Thirlby, 9. Danny Mitchell, 10. Billy Moyer Jr., 11. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, 12. Roger Brickler

Heat No. 3 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Earl Pearson Jr., 2. Frankie Heckenast Jr., 3. Rick Eckert, 4. Jason Feger, 5. Chub Frank, 6. John Mason, 7. Lee Devasier, 8. Brandon Sheppard, 9. Ryan Unzicker, 10. Jack Sullivan, 11. Stacy Boles, 12. Tommy Kerr

Heat No. 4 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Austin Hubbard, 2. Tyler Bruening, 3. Eddie Carrier Jr., 4. Brady Smith, 5. Dale McDowell, 6. Mason Zeigler, 7. Dennis Erb Jr., 8. Jon Henry, 9. Joel Callahan, 10. Tyler Ivey, 11. Jill George, 12. Brian Reese, 13. Donald Beyers

Heat No. 5 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Don O’Neal, 2. Jimmy Mars, 3. Steve Francis, 4. Casey Roberts, 5. Eric Jacobsen, 6. Tyler Reddick, 7. Kent Robinson, 8. Chad Hollenbeck, 9. Jason McBride, 10. Mike Hammerle

Heat No. 6 (8 laps – Top 3 Transfer): 1. Chris Madden, 2. Billy Ogle, 3. John Blankenship, 4. Wendell Wallace, 5. John Lobb, 6. Wayne Chinn, 7. Pat Doar, 8. Jeff Beyers, 9. Freddie Carpenter, 10. Aaron Ridley, 11. Jerry Perine

B-Main No. 1 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Clint Smith, 2. Will Vaught, 3. Jared Landers, 4. Russell King, 5. Shane Clanton, 6. Eric Wells, 7. Billy Moyer Jr., 8. John Garvin, 9. Dillan White, 10. Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs, 11. Larry Wight, 12. Ricky Weiss, 13. Brandon Thirlby, 14. Danny Mitchell (DNS) Mike Marlar, Jonathan Davenport, Ron Davies, Roger Brickler

B-Main No. 2 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Brady Smith, 2. Jason Feger, 3. Chub Frank, 4. Dennis Erb Jr., 5. John Mason, 6. Lee DeVasier, 7. Brandon Sheppard, 8. Jack Sullivan, 9. Stacy Boles, 10. Jon Henry, 11. Joe Callahan, 12. Ryan Unzicker, 13. Tommy Kerr, 14. Mason Zeigler, 15. Tyler Ivey, 16. Jill George, 17. Donald Beyers, 18. Brian Reese, 19. Dale McDowell

B-Main No. 3 (10 laps – Top 2 Transfer): 1. Wendell Wallace, 2. Casey Roberts, 3. Wayne Chinn, 4. Tyler Reddick, 5. Kent Robinson, 6. Jeff Beyers, 7. Eric Jacobsen, 8. Pat Doar, 9. Aaron Ridley, 10. Jason McBride, 11. Freddie Carpenter, 12. Mike Hammerle, 13. Chad Hollenbeck, 14. Jerry Perine, 15. John Lobb (DNS) Chuck Julien

‘Bulrush Dash’ Finish (12 laps): 1. Chub Frank, 2. Dennis Erb Jr., 3. Kent Robinson, 4. Russell King, 5. Jeff Beyers, 6. Wayne Chinn, 7. Eric Wells, 8. Lee DeVasier, 9. Brandon Sheppard, 10. John Mason (DNS) Jared Landers, Tyler Reddick, Shane Clanton, Billy Moyer Jr., Eric Jacobsen


By |2011-02-15T12:13:06-05:00February 15th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off on Moyer Kicks Off DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Late Model Action With UMP-Sanctioned Victory

Ty Dillon Drives to Victory in The Gator Championship

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Feb. 14, 2011 – Ty Dillon dominated The Gator Championship for DIRTcar UMP Modifieds on Monday night during the 40th DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park.

Dillon, whose brother Austin won the opener at the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH last week, took the green flag on the pole and led each lap on the bottom as Ryan Gustin kept taking shots at him on the top of the half-mile dirt oval. The two darted through traffic, splitting cars as they charged to the checkered flag in the 30-lap feature event.

Coming off the final corner, Dillon swept to victory while Clint Bowyer, a three-time winner over the past week at the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, surged by Gustin to take second-place.

“This is really cool,” said Dillon, of Welcome, N.C. “I’ve been coming down here for a long time and I’ve watched my brother win a lot of races here as well as Clint Bowyer. To finally get my first win here, and have it on The Gator Championship night with an awesome trophy, just to be with these guys and have UNOH on the car, these students work so hard it’s just cool to see.”

Dillon, who on Saturday was the polesitter for the ARCA event at Daytona International Speedway, returned to the dirt determined to win.

“It was real slick and the lapped traffic was really tough,” Dillon said. “It was almost déjà vu to me. Last year I was leading with two to go and got passed in lapped traffic. I knew this year I wasn’t going to let that happen again. Gustin rolled me on the outside, once I saw that I tried to take his line. I blocked that off and was still able to pass come cars.”

In the night’s second feature event, hall-of-famer Billy Moyer earned his sixth Dirt Late Model victory at Volusia since 1998 when he jumped to the lead on Lap 13 past Chris Madden and then held off Earl Pearson Jr. to the finish.

Tuesday night marks the finale for the DIRTcar UMP Modified portion of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. The Dirt Late Models will continue through Saturday night and will be joined Wednesday by the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds.

For more information on DIRTcar Racing, visit http://www.DIRTcar.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 University of Northwestern Ohio; Volusia Speedway Park; Feb. 13, 2011

DIRTcar UMP Late Model 30-Lap A-Main Finish (Finish Pos./Start Pos./Driver) – 1. Billy Moyer (5); 2. Earl Pearson Jr. (2); 3. Chris Madden (1); 4. Vic Coffey (8); 5. Jimmy Mars (11); 6. Tim Fuller (3); 7. Austin Hubbard (4); 8. Josh Richards (7); 9. Brady Smith (20); 10. Don O’Neal (6); 11. Steve Francis (15); 12. Tim McCreadie (13); 13. Rick Eckert (17); 14. Billy Ogle Jr. (12); 15. Frankie Heckenast Jr. (9); 16. Clint Smith (19); 17. Ryan Unzicker (25); 18. Tyler Bruening (10); 19. Will Vaught (22); 20. Jason Feger (23); 21. Dan Stone (14); 22. Casey Roberts (24); 23. John Blankenship (16); 24. Eddie Carrier Jr. (18); 25. Wendell Wallace (21).

By |2011-02-15T05:32:13-05:00February 15th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off on Ty Dillon Drives to Victory in The Gator Championship

Jason Sides captures World of Outlaws finale at DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Feb. 13, 2011 – Jason Sides surged to the lead with five laps to go on Sunday night in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series finale at the DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park and held off Tony Stewart Racing’s Steve Kinser to the checkered flag for his first victory of the season.

Kinser had won the previous two nights at Volusia in his Bass Pro Shops ride. Pennsylvania legend Fred Rahmer was third with Kasey Kahne Racing’s Cody Darrah fourth in the Great Clips Maxim and defending World of Outlaws champion Jason Meyers in fifth in the Elite Racing DDNI machine. Craig Dollansky, who led 27 laps on Saturday night before going out with a mechanical problem, led the first 24 laps on Sunday night in the Big Game Treestands car before fading to an 11th-place finish.

Kasey Kahne Racing’s Joey Saldana wound up as the overall five-night Sprint Car Week champion.

“To get a feature win this early in the season means a lot,” said Sides, of Bartlett, Tenn., who drives the Wetherington Tractor Services Maxim. “That will give you momentum for the rest of the year. My family was here and they’ve never been at a race that I’ve won. This makes the ninth Outlaw race I’ve won. It’s pretty special to have them here. It’s one of those deals where they don’t get to come to a lot of races. My wife, Farrah, works and my little girl, Skylar, is in school. To get a win with them and my mom and dad here, it makes it that much sweeter.”

In the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, Clint Bowyer won the final qualifying feature for the Gator Championship, which will run on Monday night at Volusia. It was Bowyer’s third DIRTcar UMP Modfied victory at the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH.

Beginning Monday, DIRTcar Super Late Models invade the half-mile Volusia oval.

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 University of Northwestern Ohio Statistical Report, Volusia Speedway Park, Feb. 13, 2011

World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-main (30 laps) – Starting Position [#] – 1) 7S-Jason Sides[4] [$10,000]; 2) 11-Steve Kinser[1] [$5,500]; 3) 51-Fred Rahmer[10] [$3,200]; 4) 91-Cody Darrah[6] [$2,800]; 5) 14-Jason Meyers[7] [$2,500]; 6) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[12] [$2,300]; 7) 33-Danny Lasoski[8] [$2,200]; 8) 9-Joey Saldana[5] [$2,100]; 9) 83X-Tim Shaffer[18] [$2,050]; 10) 63-Chad Kemenah[13] [$2,000]; 11) 7-Craig Dollansky[2] [$1,500]; 12) 49-Brad Sweet[14] [$1,200]; 13) 27-Daryn Pittman[15] [$1,100]; 14) 17-Tyler Walker[9] [$1,050]; 15) 30C-Lance Dewease[19] [$1,000]; 16) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[25] [$100]; 17) 15-Donny Schatz[20] [$800]; 18) 2-Dale Blaney[21] [$800]; 19) 1-Sammy Swindell[23] [$800]; 20) 6-Kraig Kinser[26] [$0]; 21) 1Z-Stevie Smith[3] [$800]; 22) 24-Terry McCarl[24] [$800]; 23) 2B-Ben Gregg[27] [$0]; 24) 1J-Bronson Maeschen[22] [$800]; 25) 83-Paul McMahan[17] [$800]; 26) 6R-Bill Rose[16] [$800]; 27) 22-Brian Ellenberger[11] [$800]. Lap Leaders: Craig Dollansky 1-24, Jason Sides 25-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: Tim Shaffer

By |2011-02-14T12:08:33-05:00February 14th, 2011|Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off on Jason Sides captures World of Outlaws finale at DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH

Bowyer powers to third DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH victory, takes aim at Monday’s ‘The Gator Championship’

DIRTcar Racing PR

BARBERVILLE, Fla. – Feb. 13, 2011 – Clint Bowyer continued dominating the 40th DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio on Sunday night at Volusia Speedway Park by powering past Kenny Wallace early and hanging on to win the final qualifying feature for Monday’s DIRTcar UMP Modified The Gator Championship.

Richard Childress Racing’s Ty Dillon surged to second with Jared Landers, the two-time and defending winner of The Gator Championship, in third.
The victory was Bowyer’s third in a row at Volusia Speedway Park.

“The track was perfect tonight,” said Bowyer, who will attempt to become the first driver in history to win both The Gator Championship and Daytona 500 in the span of week. “It was fun to slip and slide around out there!”

Bowyer battled Wallace throughout the first five laps before stretching his lead to a full straightaway as Dillon and Landers waged a fierce battle for second behind him.

“Jared has really helped us out a lot,” explained Bowyer, one of 12 drivers to compete in last year’s NASCAR Chase to the Cup. “This is his race car, I’m just happy and excited to be here racing in front of everyone.”

Bowyer was strong as usual throughout the entire program. He was quickest of his qualifying group, he won the third heat race, and finally he claimed the checkered flag in the A-Main.

Over the final two nights of DIRTcar UMP Modified competition that winds up Tuesday at Volusia, Bowyer will have a chance to equal Landers’ record of winning not only the ‘The Gator Championship’ but also five DIRTcar UMP Modified programs at the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH.

DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio; DIRTcar UMP Modifieds; Volusia Speedway Park; Feb. 13, 2011

A-Main (20-Laps) – 1.Clint Bowyer, 2. Ty Dillon, 3. Jared Landers, 4.  Kenny Wallace, 5. Peyton Taylor, 6. Ken Schrader, 7. Jason MIller, 8. Stormy Scott, 9. Gary Cook Jr, 10. Chris Puskas, 11. Jeff Matthews, 12. Terry Hull, 13. Evan Taylor, 14. Kelby Simmons, 15. Jim Shereck, 16. Todd Sherman, 17. Andy Strait, 18. Lawrence Oconnor, 19. Kevin  Davis, 20. Keith Smith, 21. Jeremy Kerzman, 22. Kody Weisner, 23. Jason Beaulieu, 24. Riley Emmel

Qualifying Group 1 – 1. Ken Schrader, 2. Ty Dillon, 3.  Kenny Wallace, 4. Gary Cook Jr, 5. Jim Shereck, 6. Larry Burkins, 7. Jason Davis, 8. Keith Smith, 9. Kris Richards

Qualifying Group 2 – 1. Jared Landers, 2. Jamie Carter, 3. Jeff Matthews, 4. Chris Puskas, 5. Stormy Scott, 6. Riley Emmel, 7. Jeremy Kerzman, 8. Jamie Smith, 9. Gary Brooks

Qualifying Group 3 – 1. Clint Bowyer, 2. Andy Strait, 3. Jason Beaulieu, 4. Jason MIller, 5. Kody Weisner, 6. Dale Murray, 7. Lawrence Oconnor, 8. Jim Shipman

Qualifying Group 4 – 1. Peyton Taylor, 2. Evan Taylor, 3. Todd Sherman, 4. Kelby Simmons, 5. Kevin  Davis, 6. Terry Hull, 7. Tony Anderson, 8. Jim Thorp

Heat 1 – 1.  Kenny Wallace, 2. Ty Dillon, 3. Ken Schrader, 4. Gary Cook Jr, 5. Jim Shereck, 6. Larry Burkins, 7. Keith Smith, 8. Jason Davis, DNS. Kris Richards

Heat 2 – 1. Jared Landers, 2. Jeff Matthews, 3. Chris Puskas, 4. Stormy Scott, 5. Jeremy Kerzman, 6. Riley Emmel, 7. Gary Brooks, 8. Jamie Carter, 9. James Smith

Heat 3 – 1. Clint Bowyer, 2. Jason MIller, 3. Andy Strait, 4. Kody Weisner, 5. Jason Beaulieu, 6. Dale Murray, 7. Jim Shipman, DQ. Lawrence Oconnor

Heat 4 – 1. Peyton Taylor, 2. Kelby Simmons, 3. Terry Hull, 4. Todd Sherman, 5. Evan Taylor, 6. Kevin  Davis, 7. Tony Anderson, 8. Jim Thorp

B-Main 1 – 1. Jim Shereck, 2. Riley Emmel, 3. Jeremy Kerzman, 4. Keith Smith, 5. Jason Davis, 6. Gary Brooks, 7. Larry Burkins, 8. Kris Richards, DNS. Jamie Carter, DNS. Jamie Smith,

B-Main 2 – 1. Evan Taylor, 2. Kevin  Davis, 3. Jason Beaulieu, 4. Lawrence Oconnor, 5. Tony Anderson, 6. Jim Shipman, 7. Dale Murray, DNS. Jim Thorp

By |2011-02-14T12:11:15-05:00February 14th, 2011|Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off on Bowyer powers to third DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH victory, takes aim at Monday’s ‘The Gator Championship’

Gater Bait! Richie Tosh Wins First Qualifying Feature for ‘The Gator Championship’

From Kellen Burns
DIRTcar Public Relations

Barberville, Fla. – Feb. 12, 2011 – Richie Tosh is the latest DIRTcar UMP Modified star from Batesville, Ark., to find his way to victory lane during the DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio when he dominated Saturday night’s qualifying feature for “The Gator Championship” at Volusia Speedway Park.

Tosh is trying to match what fellow Batesville driver Jared Landers achieved the past two years, a victory in DIRTcar UMP Modified Racing’s most prestigious annual Speed Weeks event, which takes the green flag Monday night.

“We struggled a little bit earlier, but I’ve never driver a car quite like this,” Tosh said.

Tosh led every lap in the A-Main in his Larry Shaw race car, which earned him an extra $100 from the chassis manufacturer based out of his hometown. Tosh was the third driver to win in a Larry Shaw-built machine throughout the first five nights of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH.

“We worked though it with my guys over there in the pits,” Tosh said. “We didn’t give up on it and here’s the result.”

Ryan Gustin, of Marshalltown, Iowa, charged from his fifth starting spot to finish second. Bobby Kitchen, of Columbus, Ohio, earned his second consecutive top-five finish in third with Carl McKinney, of Mars, Pa., and Nick Hoffman, of Mooresville, N.C., rounding out the top five.

DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio; DIRTcar UMP Modifieds; Volusia Speedway Park; Feb. 12, 2011

A-Main (20-Laps) 1. Richie Tosh, 2. Ryan Gustin, 3. Bobby Kitchen, 4. Carl McKinney, 5. Nick Hoffman, 6. Dale Mathison, 7. Dave Hess Jr, 8. Chad Kinder, 9. Austin Dillon, 10. Kyle Bronson, 11. David McWilliams, 12. Scotty Orr, 13. Dave Wietholder, 14. Bob Broking, 15. Nate Carruth, 16. Dave Baldwin, 17. Kip Hughes, 18. Randle Sweeney, 19. Michael Long, 20. Garrett Stewart, 21. Corey Conley, 22. Jamie Lomax, 23. Duane Dale, 24. Brett Korves

Qualifying Group 1: 1. Ryan Gustin, 2. Chad Kinder, 3. Randle Sweeney, 4. Richie Tosh, 5. Dave Baldwin, 6. Kyle Bronson, 7. Jamie Lomax, 8. Brandon Smith, 9. Devin Gilpin , 10. Gavin  Landers, 11. Jeff Thomas

Qualifying Group 2: 1. Austin Dillon, 2. Mike Spatola, 3. Bobby Kitchen, 4. Garrett Stewart, 5. Ryan  Gifford, 6. Duane Dale, 7. Scotty Orr, 8. Bryce Jewel, 9. Trista Stevenson, 10. Justin Matson, 11. Justin Elmer

Qualifying Group 3: 1. Corey Conley, 2. Nick Hoffman, 3. Dale Mathison, 4. Dave Wietholder, 5. Bob Broking, 6. David McWilliams, 7. Nate Carruth, 8. Mike Wilson, 9. Justin Coulter, 10. Bob Gierke, 11. Dave Jamison

Qualifying Group 4: 1. Dave Hess Jr, 2. Michael Long, 3. Carl McKinney, 4. Kip Hughes, 5. Mark Grosvenor, 6. Bobby Regot, 7. Kent Corbin, 8. Weasel Rhodes, 9. John Boyd, 10. Brett Korves, 11. Terry Hansen

Heat 1: 1. Richie Tosh, 2. Ryan Gustin, 3. Chad Kinder, 4. Kyle Bronson, 5. Jamie Lomax, 6. Devin Gilpin , 7. Dave Baldwin, 8. Gavin  Landers, 9. Brandon Smith, 10. Randle Sweeney, 11. Jeff Thomas

Heat 2: 1. Bobby Kitchen, 2. Austin Dillon, 3. Garrett Stewart, 4. Scotty Orr, 5. Duane Dale, 6. Mike Spatola, 7. Bryce Jewel, 8. Justin Matson, 9. Ryan  Gifford, 10. Trista Stevenson, 11. Justin Elmer

Heat 3: 1. Dale Mathison, 2. Nick Hoffman, 3. Dave Wietholder, 4. Corey Conley, 5. Bob Broking, 6. David McWilliams, 7. Justin Coulter, 8. Mike Wilson, 9. Nate Carruth, 10. Dave Jamison, 11. Bob Gierke

Heat 4: 1. Carl McKinney, 2. Michael Long, 3. Dave Hess Jr, 4. Kip Hughes, 5. Brett Korves, 6. Terry Hansen, 7. John Boyd, 8. Kent Corbin, 9. Bobby Regot, 10. Mark Grosvenor, 11. Weasel Rhodes

B-Main 1: 1. Jamie Lomax, 2. Dave Baldwin, 3. Duane Dale, 4. Randle Sweeney, 5. Devin Gilpin , 6. Mike Spatola, 7. Bryce Jewel, 8. Brandon Smith, 9. Gavin  Landers, 10. Justin Matson, 11. Jeff Thomas, DNS. Ryan  Gifford, DNS. Trista Stevenson, DNS. Justin Elmer

B-Main 2: 1. David McWilliams, 2. Nate Carruth, 3. Bob Broking, 4. Brett Korves, 5. Justin Coulter, 6. Kent Corbin, 7. Bobby Regot, 8. Bob Gierke, 9. Mark Grosvenor, 10. Dave Jamison, 11. Terry Hansen, DNS. John Boyd, DNS. Mike Wilson, DNS. Weasel Rhodes

By |2011-02-13T13:33:26-05:00February 13th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off on Gater Bait! Richie Tosh Wins First Qualifying Feature for ‘The Gator Championship’

Steve Kinser Wins Second Consecutive World of Outlaws Event at Volusia

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 12, 2011 – Steve Kinser was in the right place on Saturday night in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series feature event at Volusia Speedway Park when leader Craig Dollansky had mechanical problems and the second-place car of Cody Darrah had its right rear tire go down with three laps to go.

On the outside of a double-file restart in his Bass Pro Shops Maxim, Steve Kinser lined up alongside his son, Kraig Kinser. Steve shot down the front stretch and into the lead in the first corner and drove away the checkered flag for the second night in a row at the 40th DIRTcar Nationals By University of Northwestern Ohio and the 563rd time in his storied career.

Kinser’s teammate at Tony Stewart Racing, Donny Schatz, surged from 17th to second in his STP car with Kasey Kahne Racing’s Joey Saldana finishing third in the CARQUEST machine. Jason Sides was fourth with Kraig Kinser rounding up the Top Five as his motor was going sour on the final three-lap sprint to the finish.

“We just sort of lucked into it,” Kinser said. “I drug the wing back and it was standing up so much I could hardly drive the car. Then one guy had a flat tire and the other one looked like he had a motor problem. I had a lot of luck going my way. I wasn’t near as fast as I was when I won Friday night. That last yellow let me get it all back. I had a clearer race track and that helped me out too.”

Dollansky led the first 27 laps before Kinser finished off the final three circuits in the 30-lap feature event.

In the DIRTcar UMP Modifieds, Saturday was the first of two Gator Championship qualifying events. Richie Tosh of Batesville, Ark., led each lap with Friday night’s winner Ryan Gustin chasing him to the checkered flag to finish second. Bobby Kitchen, Carl McKinney and Nick Hoffman rounded out the top five.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series concludes the Sprint Car Week at the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH on Sunday night. Beginning Monday, DIRTcar Super Late Models invade the half-mile Volusia oval.

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 University of Northwestern Ohio at Volusia Speedway Park Statistical Report (Feb. 12, 2011)

World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series A-main (30 laps) – Starting Position [#] – 1) 11-Steve Kinser[3] [$10,000]; 2) 15-Donny Schatz[17] [$5,500]; 3) 9-Joey Saldana[12] [$3,200]; 4) 7S-Jason Sides[5] [$2,800]; 5) 6-Kraig Kinser[1] [$2,500]; 6) 83X-Tim Shaffer[4] [$2,300]; 7) 30C-Lance Dewease[14] [$2,200]; 8) 33-Danny Lasoski[11] [$2,100]; 9) 17-Tyler Walker[19] [$2,050]; 10) 4-Danny Smith[21] [$2,000]; 11) 83-Paul McMahan[6] [$1,500]; 12) 49-Brad Sweet[20] [$1,200]; 13) 24-Terry McCarl[22] [$1,100]; 14) 2-Dale Blaney[18] [$1,050]; 15) 14-Jason Meyers[25] [$200]; 16) 5W-Lucas Wolfe[26] [$100]; 17) 91-Cody Darrah[13] [$800]; 18) 51-Fred Rahmer[23] [$800]; 19) 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[10] [$800]; 20) 27-Daryn Pittman[8] [$800]; 21) 63-Chad Kemenah[9] [$800]; 22) 1-Sammy Swindell[24] [$800]; 23) 1J-Bronson Maeschen[16] [$800]; 24) 1Z-Stevie Smith[15] [$800]; 25) 2B-Ben Gregg[27] [$0] 26) 14Z-Jessica Zemken[7] [$800]; 27) 7-Craig Dollansky[2] [$800]. Lap Leaders: Craig Dollansky 1-27, Steve Kinser 28-30. KSE Hard Charger Award: Donny Schatz.

DIRTcar UMP Modifieds A-Main (20-Laps) – 1. Richie Tosh, 2. Ryan Gustin, 3. Bobby Kitchen, 4. Carl McKinney, 5. Nick Hoffman, 6. Dale Mathison, 7. Dave Hess Jr, 8. Chad Kinder, 9. Austin Dillon, 10. Kyle Bronson, 11. David McWilliams, 12. Scotty Orr, 13. Dave Wietholder, 14. Bob Broking, 15. Nate Carruth, 16. Dave Baldwin, 17. Kip Hughes, 18. Randle Sweeney, 19. Michael Long, 20. Garrett Stewart, 21. Corey Conley, 22. Jamie Lomax, 23. Duane Dale, 24. Brett Korves.

By |2011-02-13T13:12:34-05:00February 13th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off on Steve Kinser Wins Second Consecutive World of Outlaws Event at Volusia

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 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].

By |2011-02-12T10:41:42-05:00February 12th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Race Results, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off on Steve Kinser Dominates World of Outlaws Opener at Volusia Speedway Park