Volusia Speedway Park | Karnac Racing News

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

Clanton Anxious To Start Season Strong In 40th Annual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH At Volusia Speedway Park

From Kevin Kovac, World of Outlaws Late Model Series PR Director

World of Outlaws Late Model Series Star Was Still Recovering From Serious Thumb Infection During Last Year’s DIRTCar Nationals

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 10, 2011 – When Shane Clanton arrives at Volusia Speedway Park on Monday (Feb. 14) for the start of the dirt Late Model portion of the DIRTcar Nationals by University of Northwestern Ohio, he’ll be thinking only about chasing checkered flags and the World of Outlaws Late Model Series championship.

Compared to his mindset heading into the 2010 edition of the mid-winter racing extravaganza, it’s a welcomed relief.

“Last year it was kind of scary for me about this time,” Clanton said last week while preparing for six straight nights of Florida full-fender action that features the season-opening WoO LMS events on Feb. 17 and 19. “I was in the hospital and I didn’t even know if I’d be able to get to Volusia.”

Clanton, 35, of Fayetteville, Ga., made it to the half-mile oval last year, but without his familiar RSD Enterprises No. 25. Unable to race competitively while still recovering from the major health issue that put him in an Atlanta-area hospital bed for eight days, he made the trip merely to start the week’s pair of WoO LMS A-Mains in teammate Tony Knowles’s car using emergency provisional spots, allowing him to salvage last-place points each night.

The lead-up to last year’s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH was simply horrifying for Clanton, whose focus on the Sunshine State meet ceased abruptly after he suffered a minor cut on his left thumb while working in his shop on Jan. 26, 2010. His finger swelled at an alarming pace the next day so he visited a hospital emergency room; he was immediately admitted for treatment of what was diagnosed as a serious strep infection that had poisoned his blood and was literally eating away at the flesh of his thumb. Doctors told Clanton that if he hadn’t sought medical attention the night of Jan. 27 – the eve of his son Ryan’s seventh birthday – he likely “would’ve been dead in another 10 hours.”

When Clanton signed in for last year’s WoO LMS lidlifter at Volusia, he still had a PICC line in his left arm (so he could receive IV bags of powerful antibiotics every eight hours to combat the strep bacteria in his bloodstream) and gauze wrapped around his mangled left thumb (he had already undergone several surgeries to help eliminate the infection). His only appearance on the racetrack during the DIRTcar Nationals was for the pace laps of the tour’s 50-lap A-Mains; he pulled off as the races began and was credited with finishes of 29^th and 30^th, sending him home tied for 29^th in the points standings.

Saddled with a 112-point deficit in the points race after just two events, Clanton’s championship hopes were effectively dashed before the season had barely begun. He opted to remain a WoO LMS regular, however, after doctors deemed his bloodstream clear of the strep bacteria (he had time to recover with the tour off following Volusia until mid-March) and he put together a respectable campaign, winning three times (including the Firecracker 100 at Pennsylvania’s Lernerville Speedway) and finishing sixth in the points standings.

“We considered not running the series last year after I got hurt because we fell so far behind, but I’m glad we did it,” said Clanton, whose left thumb was left disfigured by the ravages of the infection. “We had a pretty good season and we learned a lot of stuff during the year that should put us further ahead than we would’ve been right now with this new car.”

Yes, Clanton is diving into 2011 with brand-new equipment. He’s made a dramatic change in his racing program, parking the Rocket Chassis machines he’s run since becoming a WoO LMS regular in 2005 in favor of a collaborative chassis-building deal with fellow Georgian Marshall Green, a former Dirt Track World Championship winner who is retired as a driver.

Green, who owns a machine shop and assists his in-laws in the operation of Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Ga., suggested last summer that he and Clanton should work together on a car and Clanton was intrigued. Clanton has enjoyed plenty of success with his Ronnie Dobbins-owned Rocket cars, including a triumph in the 2008 World 100 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, but his increasingly deep conversations with Green convinced him that a partnership might just be for the best.

“I’ve known Marshall for a while, but about a year-and-a-half ago we crossed paths when I went to Dixie a couple times and we started talking more,” said Clanton, who built his own cars when he ran Limited Late Models early in his career and also briefly drove GRT chassis before connecting with Rocket. “About halfway through last year he said, ‘Why don’t we build a race car?’

“The main thing is, I’ve never been able to do to my Rocket car what all of the so-called Rocket people are doing. I’ve always done something a little bit different, basically because of my driving style. Me and Marshall talked about that, and we saw that his setup book versus my setup book look real similar as far as things we’ve done for different track conditions, so things kind of evolved from there. We got to talking about how we do different things than most people in the country, so we figured, Why not get together and build a car ourselves?”

The construction of their first dirt Late Model – dubbed a Capital Race Cars Chassis – began in Green’s shop last July. Progress was slow but steady before picking up after Clanton’s racing schedule ended in November, and Clanton will head to Volusia with two of the cars in his team’s trailer.

“It’s been an ongoing process because with me racing I couldn’t go up there (to Green’s shop at Dixie Speedway) all the time,” said Clanton. “I’ve been involved every step of the way – everything from the first piece of tubing ordered to where it is today.

“You’re always out to better yourself, and that’s what I think I can do with this deal. We feel like we’ll be able to better ourselves by being able to change things on the jig. If we want to move something a half-inch or so, we got a jig right here now to do it versus having to cut a Rocket apart and change something here or change something there that we want to try.

“I’m real excited to get started,” concluded Clanton, who noted that while he’s on the road this year Green will be in the shop building more cars, bumpers and other necessary pieces. “I can’t wait for the first race at Volusia. We’ve worked hard to be in the position we are, so hopefully everything works out and we’ll contend for a (WoO LMS) championship.”

Clanton is optimistic about getting off to a strong start at Volusia, a track that has provided him an ample share of frustration over the years. He’ll have three nights of DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned Late Model action (30-lap A-Mains paying $7,000 to win on Feb. 14, 15 and 16) to use as tune-ups for the 50-lap, $10,000-to-win WoO LMS events on Thurs., Feb. 17, and Sat., Feb. 19, as well as a 40-lap, $10,000-to-win DIRTcar UMP show on Fri., Feb. 18.

“I’ve always liked Volusia,” said Clanton, whose career-best WoO LMS points finish is second, in 2006. “It’s one of my favorite tracks we go to all year, and I’ve been real fast there. It just seems like something always bites me. I’ve been top-five, top-three, and something happens.

“Hopefully this year we turn the page, have a little bit of luck on our side and we can win one of the Outlaw nights to start the year off in the right direction.”

In DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH competition at Volusia since 2005, Clanton has a top WoO LMS finish of third, in the first half of the ’05 doubleheader. He also owns solid finishes of fifth (second 2005 event), sixth (2009 finale) and seventh (2007 finale and 2009 opener). What’s more, in 2008 he was a serious contender in both WoO LMS A-Mains but headed home with nothing to show for his efforts – he finished 21^st in the opening event after breaking a left-rear axle while leading on lap 30, then placed 24^th in the finale because a broken left-rear wheel knocked him out after he had advanced from the 10^th starting spot to fourth.

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is a 12-night short-track blockbuster just a half-hour drive from Daytona Beach that kicked off on Feb. 8 and runs through Feb. 19. Joining the Late Models on the meet’s remaining schedule are the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series (Feb. 11-13); the O’Reilly All-Star Sprint Car Series (Feb. 10); the Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds (Feb. 16-19); and the UMP Modifieds (Feb. 10-15).

Pit gates open at 1 p.m., grandstand gates are unlocked at 5 p.m. and racing is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. each day of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, which boasts a ‘Free Pit Pass With Every Ticket’ offer that allows fans to sign into the pits for an up-close-and-personal view of the race teams each night.

Additional information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is available by logging on to www.DIRTcarNationals.com or calling 386-985-4402.

For more information on the WoO LMS, visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

By Scott|2011-02-11T12:57:10-05:00February 11th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|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

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

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

Sponsor & Participant: University of Northwestern Ohio Plays Big Role In 40th DIRTcar Nationals At Volusia Speedway Park

UNOH’s UMP Modified Team Includes NASCAR’s Kenny Wallace, David Reutimann & Dillon Brothers, Students From Buckeye State School

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 5, 2011 – The University of Northwestern Ohio is more than just the presenting sponsor of the 40^th DIRTcar Nationals that runs from Feb. 8-19 at Volusia Speedway Park.

The Lima, Ohio-based institution is also a major participant in the mid-winter motorsports extravaganza held about a half-hour outside Daytona Beach.

Sponsorship of the DIRTcar Nationals goes hand-in-hand with competition for the university, which will have its distinctive UNOH logo on the bodywork of eight DIRTcar UMP Modifieds during the open-wheel division’s portion of the racing meet (Feb. 8-15). Highlighting the UNOH drivers’ roster will be nationally-known NASCAR racers Kenny Wallace and David Reutimann as well as up-and-coming brothers Austin and Ty Dillon, the grandsons of longtime team owner Richard Childress.

A private, not-for-profit school that offers the world’s only High Performance/Motorsports degree program, UNOH uses the DIRTcar Nationals to cap a unique extra-curricular activity that provides its budding mechanical minds true real-world training. Four years ago the university enhanced the motorsports program’s curriculum by launching a fully-sponsored, in-house UMP Modified team – basically, an after-school pursuit in which a select group of students builds and maintains UMP Modifieds and races them in the weekly events at nearby Limaland Motorsports Park, which is owned and operated by UNOH. The trip to Florida for the DIRTcar Nationals serves as the culmination of the 2010-2011 racing season for the UNOH motorsports team, which is housed in a shop on the university’s 189-acre campus.

UNOH’s UMP Modified team includes 36 students, all of whom receive scholarships in the same manner as basketball and football student-athletes at other schools. High Performance/Motorsports program students are selected for various positions on the team through annual try-outs; all the team members are transported to Volusia each February to end their year-long stints with a busy week of activity servicing the UMP Modifieds.

“The dirt-track program has been a phenomenal success for us,” said UNOH Vice President of Development Steve Farmer, who will accompany the school’s students to the Sunshine State. “A grassroots program like this gives us a great platform to recruit students and show them what the University of Northwestern Ohio has to offer.

“When (UNOH President) Dr. (Jeffrey A.) Jarvis started this motorsports program and began offering scholarships, a lot of people looked at it like, ‘Wow, is this gonna work?’ Well, we had 186 kids try out for 36 positions on this year’s team. It’s exciting to see the student body so interested in this.

“From a national standpoint, this program has given our school credibility that’s second to none,” he added. “It’s great for the university, it’s great for the students – and hopefully it’s fun for the fans to see a bunch of students working on and racing cars. We’re hoping the program keeps growing for years to come.”

UNOH’s army of wrench-twisters at Volusia will include Chris Puskas of Somerset, N.J., Andrew Strait of Traverse City, Mich., and Kody Weisner of Muskegon, Mich. – a trio that will not only work on the University-built UMP Modifieds, but drive them as well. Two more cars from the UNOH shop will be in Volusia’s pit area – one that’s scheduled to be driven on selected nights by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standout David Reutimann, and a fifth machine that will serve as a team backup but might see some action with former Limaland Motorsports Park champion Terry Hull of Columbia City, Ind., behind the wheel. Reutimann – the son of DIRTcar Big-Block Modified legend Buzzie Reutimann and himself a regular on the upstate New York DIRTcar 358-Modified circuit for a brief period in the ‘90s – hopes to make at least a couple starts at Volusia in between his commitments with Michael Waltrip Racing at Daytona International Speedway.

Four additional UMP Modifieds will carry sponsorship from UNOH, led by the No. 36 that will be driven throughout the DIRTcar Nationals by popular NASCAR Nationwide Series regular and SPEED television commentator Kenny Wallace. A 2007 UMP Modified feature winner at Volusia, Wallace will sport backing from UNOH in all his dirt-track appearances this season and three of his Nationwide Series starts with RAB Motorsports, including the Nationwide event on Feb. 19 at Daytona.

The budding-star Dillon brothers – 20-year-old Austin, who drives the RCR No. 3 on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and 18-year-old Ty, who will chase the ARCA Racing Series title this season after breaking into Victory Lane on the venerable stock-car tour last year – will also sport UNOH sponsorship on their Team Dillon UMP Modifieds for the duration of the DIRTcar Nationals. Austin Dillon fell just 11 points short of the 2010 DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH championship in the UMP Modified class, finishing second to Dave Hess Jr. of Waterford, Pa.

Rounding out the UNOH assault on Volusia will be former Limaland champ Todd Sherman of Churubusco, Ind., who will enter his own No. 65 in the week’s action.

Accenting UNOH’s activity at Volusia, the school will have a healthy presence at Daytona International Speedway. UNOH will sponsor Wallace’s Nationwide Series effort (four UNOH High Performance Motorsports students will work alongside Wallace’s crew for the event) and the RCR Chevy that Ty Dillon will drive in the ARCA Slick Mist 200 on Feb. 12. In addition, 32 UNOH High Performance Motorsports student “interns” will be in the Daytona pit area assisting ARCA teams as part of a work arrangement with the series.

The UMP Modified action during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH features $1,000-to-win A-Mains on Feb. Feb. 8, 9, 10 and 11; a pair of $700-to-win preliminary events on Feb. 12 and 13 leading into the headline ‘Gator’ championship race paying $5,000 to win on Feb. 14; and a multiple-features-only finale on Feb. 15.

Throughout the DIRTcar Nationals, UNOH representatives will be available in the track’s midway area to promote the school’s Motorsports programs – a proven marketing tool for UNOH.

“The University draws students from all 50 states and 16 foreign countries, and in the last few years we have had an influx of students interested in our High Performance/Motorsports Programs from the state of Florida,” said UNOH President Dr. Jeffrey A. Jarvis. “By building and racing vehicles in Florida that will be driven and crewed by UNOH High Performance Motorsports students, the University hopes to continue to encourage both interested prospective students and local Florida high school instructors to check out everything that UNOH has to offer them.”

Founded in 1920, the University of Northwestern Ohio is comprised of the College of Business, College of Technologies and College of Distance Learning. UNOH offers over 60 programs in High Performance, Alternate Fuels, Diesel, Automotive, HVAC, Agricultural, Business, Marketing, Medical, Legal, Travel, IT Computer and Sport Marketing and Management with Associate degrees, Baccalaureate degrees and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration.

For more detailed information about the University of Northwestern Ohio, visit www.unoh.edu.

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is a 12-night short-track blockbuster that also includes the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series (Feb. 11-13); the World of Outlaws Late Model Series (Feb. 17 and 19); the O’Reilly All-Star Sprint Car Series (Feb. 9-10); DIRTcar UMP Late Models (Feb. 14, 15, 16 and 18); and the Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds (Feb. 16-19).

For more information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH – including special pricing on advance-sale tickets and details of the ‘Free Pit Pass With Every Ticket’ offer that allows fans to get up-close-and-personal with the race teams every night of the DCN – visit www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call 704-795-7223 or 386-985-4402.

By Scott|2011-02-07T18:20:38-05:00February 7th, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Did You Know? File: 40th DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH Feb. 8-19 At Volusia Speedway Park

Contact: Kevin Kovac
DIRTcar Public Relations
704-254-7929 / kkovac@dirtcar.com

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 3, 2011 – To set the stage for the 40^th DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park, consider these interesting ‘Did You Know?’ items about the mid-winter racing extravaganza that features the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series (Feb. 11-13), the World of Outlaws Late Model Series (Feb. 17 and 19), the O’Reilly All-Star Sprint Car Series (Feb. 9-10), DIRTcar UMP Late Models (Feb. 14, 15, 16 and 18), the Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds (Feb. 16-19) and UMP Modifieds (Feb. 8-15).

* It is estimated that the thousands of fans and competitors who invade the half-mile oval located 30 minutes outside Daytona Beach will have an economic impact of over $6 million on Volusia County and surrounding areas during the 12-day motorsports meet.

* Over a half-million dollars in purses is earmarked for distribution to race teams over the course of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, including nearly $115,000 in first-place payoffs alone.

* According to weather.com, the average daily high temperature for Barberberville, Fla., in mid-February is 71 degrees.

* More than 240 drivers from over 25 states, several Canadian provinces and Australia are expected to participate in the racing activities.

* With two divisions competing each night, fans will see in the neighborhood of 500 laps of qualifying and feature race action per show. Over 12 nights of racing, it’s possible that the Volusia surface will showcase some 5,000-6,000 total circuits of action.

* Three dozen eagle-shaped trophies have been ordered for presentation to winners and champions during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH.

* On any given night of the DCN by UNOH, perhaps 500 or more people are camping on the expansive VSP grounds. That includes those in the more than 100 track-permitted campers and RVs situated in a designated area of the speedway’s parking lot and dozens of race teams who sleep in the haulers in the pit area.

* Upwards of 50 people are on staff each night of the DCN by UNOH, including race operations and technical officials, ticket sellers, gate workers and concession personnel. Most put in more than 10 hours of work per day.

* No one puts in more hard labor during the DCN by UNOH than the track-prep crew, which is led by Chad Alchier and Larry Fink. Alchier, who works fulltime at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pa., and Fink, the son of veteran central New York promoter Harvey Fink, oversee a team that typically spends as many as 10 hours a day massaging and watering the Volusia clay, including an hour or two digging up the surface under the lights immediately after each evening’s action is complete.

* Over the course of the DCN by UNOH, Volusia Speedway Park officials estimate that the concession stands will go through at least 3,000 quarter-pound burgers, 2,000 hot dogs, 500 pounds of French fries, 500 cases of Coca-Cola soda products, 200 cases of Budweiser beer, 500 pots of coffee, 40 gallons of ketchup, 30 gallons of mustard, 4,000 packets of mayonnaise and 2,000 packets of relish. In addition, more than 50,000 napkins will be used by patrons.

* Three 30-yard-long dumpsters and two smaller dumpsters will be on-site to handle all the garbage produced during the 12 days of racing. The dumpsters will be emptied by a local disposal firm at least five times.

* The speedway’s electric bill for the month of February is roughly three to four times higher than a normal month – not surprising, of course, since keeping the lights burning for 12 straight nights of competition represents more than three months’ worth of racing programs compacted into a short span. As one VSP official says, “Clay Electric (the track’s power provider) loves us in February.”

* The track’s own food concessions are accented by a number of outside food preparers that set up stands offering a variety of edible items in the midway area behind the grandstand and in the pit area. The food vendors come from far-and-wide; for instance, the popular ‘Steak on a Stick’ trailer comes all the way from central Pennsylvania.

* T-shirt and collectible vendors from across the country – as far away as the Midwest and Northeast – converge on Volusia to sell their wares to fans throughout the DCN by UNOH.

* The overflow pit area for the week surrounds the ‘Gator Pond,’ which is located down the hill behind the track’s backstretch. And yes, there’s a three-foot-long gator that has been calling the pond home.

* Every grandstand ticket purchased for the DCN by UNOH also includes a FREE pit pass, allowing fans the opportunity to sign in and visit the competition area to see the drivers and cars close up.

* NASCAR personalities regularly drop by Volusia Speedway Park to take in DCN by UNOH action after their commitments at Daytona International Speedway are complete. Just some who have been seen in the pit area in recent years include Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, David Reutimann, Bobby Labonte, Dave Blaney, Richard Childress, Ray Evernham and Bobby Dillner.

* Austin and Ty Dillon – the grandsons of famed NASCAR team owner Richard Childress – will both compete in the UMP Modified events during the DCN by UNOH. Austin, a 20-year-old who finished second in last year’s DCN by UNOH UMP Modified points standings, will also be behind the wheel of an Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Camping World Series Truck at Daytona during Speedweeks, while Ty, who turns 19 later this month, is slated for ARCA Racing Series competition at the big track.

* NASCAR Nationwide Series regular and popular SPEED television commentator Kenny Wallace will spend his evenings from Feb. 8-15 racing his UMP Modified at Volusia. He captured a UMP Modified feature on the Volusia half-mile in 2007 – and he also won a NASCAR Nationwide Series (then Busch Series) event on March 24, 1991, when the track was paved.

* The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series has been part of the DCN by UNOH since 2005 – but before that, the tour had been absent from Volusia since 1981.

* The World of Outlaws Late Model Series has been a featured full-fender attraction during the DCN by UNOH every year since 2004, the season that the World Racing Group re-launched the tour at Volusia after it had been idle for 15 years.

* Pit gates open at 1 p.m., grandstand gates are unlocked at 5 p.m. and racing is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. each day of the DCN by UNOH.

*****

For more information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH – including special pricing on advance-sale tickets and a full schedule of events – visit www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call 704-795-7223 or 386-985-4402.

By Scott|2011-02-03T20:08:02-05:00February 3rd, 2011|Featured, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Reigning Mr. DIRTcar Modified Champ Matt Sheppard Leads Big-Block Contingent Into 40th DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH

Contact: Kevin Kovac
DIRTcar Public Relations
704-254-7929 / kkovac@dirtcar.com

Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park Hosts Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified Action Feb. 16-19

BARBERVILLE, FL – Feb. 1, 2011 – Two feature wins during last year’s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH proved to be a harbinger of great things to come in 2010 for Matt Sheppard.

The 28-year-old DIRTcar Big-Block Modified sensation from Waterloo, N.Y., is hoping to follow the same template in 2011 when he once again heads south to kick off his campaign with four consecutive nights of non-point Super DIRTcar Series action (Feb. 16-19) as part of the 40^th annual mid-winter racing extravaganza at Volusia Speedway Park.

“I feel great about how we started out last year at Volusia and then carried that momentum into the season back at home,” said Sheppard, who posted a circuit-leading total of 19 DIRTcar-sanctioned feature wins in 2010 en route to capturing his first career overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Modified championship. “We’ll try to do the same thing this year. It’s a new season and anything can happen, but we’re just gonna keep doing what we’ve been doing and see if we can keep it going.”

Sheppard will have four chances to reach Victory Lane at the half-mile Volusia oval during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. The DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds are scheduled to run 30-lap, $2,000-to-win features on Wed., Feb. 16, Thurs., Feb. 17, and Fri., Feb. 18, before closing the meet with a 50-lap finale paying $5,000 to win on Sat., Feb. 19.

Last year’s Big-Block Modified competition at Volusia saw Sheppard win twice in three starts (one race was rained out), highlighted by his triumph in the extra-distance series closer. He finished sixth in the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH opener and then scored back-to-back triumphs, propelling him to the event points title for the first time.

Sheppard registered his first-ever victories at Volusia last year, breaking through after coming close to a checkered flag several times in 2009. He set the stage for his ’10 success the previous year with finishes of second, third and fourth as well as a heartbreaking near-win in the week’s Big-Block opener.

“We were really good down there at Volusia (in 2009),” said Sheppard, who has started 18 DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH features during his eight-year Big-Block Modified career. “I think we were fast enough to win every night, but we drew a lot of bad starting positions and some stuff happened when we were actually in good position. I remember that first night I was trying to pass Pat Ward for the lead with a few laps to go, but we bumped together and I got a flat right-rear (relegating him to a 16^th-place finish).

“Last year we went back with the exact same deal (as 2009) and things worked out a little bit better for us.”

Sheppard plans to battle in this year’s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH behind the wheel of the Jeff Brownell Sr.-owned Xtreme Lubricants Bicknell car he debuted in last November’s Lowes Food World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte. It’s virtually a twin to the machine he drove last year at Volusia, a sweeping, D-shaped track that he likens – in a manner of speaking – to his Sunday-night home, Cayuga County Raceway in Weedsport, N.Y.

“Shape-wise, Volusia’s about the same as Weesdsport, but it’s just like four times the size,” quipped Sheppard, who won the 2010 points championship at Cayuga County. “It’s like Weedsport, where you turn into one, you pick up the gas and then you’re on it a long time down the backstretch all the way until you’re down into turn three. The only thing is, at Volusia you’re going a lot faster.

“Volusia is super-fast,” continued the driver known as ‘Super Matt,’ who owns 73 career DIRTcar Big-Block feature wins, including 18 in Super DIRTcar Series events. “It’s more high-speed than most of the tracks we run at up here (in the Northeast), so we have to run a different setup there because of it. It’s a lot of fun to race there because it’s a big, wide track and you can run all over it, but you still gotta have a good car, a good motor and a good setup.”

A fulltime professional DIRTcar Big-Block Modified driver since graduating in 2006 from New York’s Rochester Institute of Technology with a degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology, Sheppard relishes the opportunity to begin his season in the Sunshine State. The 2011 edition of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH marks the 27th trip to Florida for Northeastern Modified teams since 1978 and it will be DIRTcar’s 20th visit to Volusia since staging its inaugural event in 1982.

“It’s nice to get away from New York in the winter,” said Sheppard, whose hometown has received more than two feet of snow so far this winter. “It can get cold in Florida at night, but it’s still not snowing like back home. We’re able to go somewhere warmer, relax a little bit and get back on the racetrack to get the new year started.”

Adding more anticipation to his nearly 1,200-mile trek to Volusia, the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH will mark the first time Sheppard takes to the track wearing the coveted Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Modified crown. It’s an honor he doesn’t take lightly.

“(Mr. DIRTcar) is really surreal,” Sheppard said last November after accepting his $50,000 championship prize at the DIRTcar Northeast awards banquet. “Just the history behind it. To be listed in the same category as guys like Alan (Johnson) and Danny (Johnson), Jack Johnson, Will Cagle, Brett Hearn and Billy Decker…there’s no way to put that into words. Probably still hasn’t sunk in, probably take a while before it will.”

The 2011 DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH officially kicks off DIRTcar Northeast’s 36th consecutive season of Big-Block Modified competition. It will be the 14^th straight year that the Big-Block Modifieds will be in action at Volusia during the week leading up to the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway, which sits less than a half-hour drive from the Volusia oval.

A star-studded field of DIRTcar Big-Block Modified drivers will join Sheppard, including seven-time DCN by UNOH champion Brett Hearn of Sussex, N.J., who owns a record 19 career wins in Florida, and Stewart Friesen of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont., the defending champion of the SEF Small Engine Fuels 200 at the Syracuse Mile and the winner of last year’s opening-night event at Volusia.

The tentative DIRTcar Big-Block Modified entry list boasts nearly 40 names, including former DCN by UNOH champions Danny Johnson of Phelps, N.Y., Alan Johnson of Middlesex, N.Y., Billy Pauch of Frenchtown, N.J., and Jimmy Horton of Neshanic Station, N.J. Other standouts on the preliminary roster include Bobby Varin of Sharon Springs, N.Y., Rick Laubach of Hellertown, Pa., Richie Pratt Jr. of Woodbury Heights, N.J., Matt DeLorenzo of Cropseyville, N.Y., Willy Decker of Vernon, N.Y., Rex King of Bristolville, Ohio, and H.J. Bunting of Milford, Del.

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is a 12-night DIRTcar Racing spectacular that also includes dates for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series (Feb. 11-13) and World of Outlaws Late Model Series (Feb. 17 and 19); the DIRTcar UMP Late Models (Feb. 14, 15, 16 and 18); UMP Modifieds (Feb. 8-15); and the O’Reilly All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars (Feb. 9 and 10).

A four-night Big-Block Modified ticket package is being offered to fans for $125, while single-day tickets are always available on race day. In addition, the event’s unique ‘Free Pit Pass With Every Ticket’ offer allows all fans meeting the minimum age requirement to visit the pit area for an up-close perspective on the competition.

For more information on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, including special pricing on advance-sale tickets, visit www.DIRTcarNationals.com or call 704-795-7223 or 386-985-4402.

Additional info on the Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is available by logging on to www.superdirtcarseries.com.

DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH ‘Tentative’ Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified Entry List:

0-Richie Pratt Jr./Woodbury Heights, NJ

01-Brett Ballard/Pennsville, NJ

1-Darwin Greene/Susquehanna, PA

1F-Stewart Friesen/Niagara-on-the-Lake, ONT

1P-Billy Pauch/Frenchtown, NJ

1x-Willy Decker/Vernon, NY

3d-Matt DeLorenzo/Cropseyville, NY

6-John Stangle/Neshanic Station, NJ

07-Tim Kerr/Picton, ONT

7-Rick Laubach/Hellertown, PA

8r-Rob Bellinger/Dexter, NY

9s-Matt Sheppard/Waterloo, NY

10-Tim Currier/Auburn, NY

10-Bobby Varin/Sharon Springs, NY

10v-Danny Varin/Sharon Springs, NY

11-Danny Hieber/Pendel, PA

14-Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station, NJ

19-Chris Higgins/Syracuse, NY

20H-Brett Hearn/Sussex, NJ

21k-Randy Chrysler/Lewiston, NY

t21-Roger Chrysler/Lewiston, NY

22c-Mario Clair/St-Edmond, QUE

23-Billy VanInwegen/Sparrowbush, NY

27J-Danny Johnson/Phelps, NY

33-Ray Swinehart/Bechtelsville, PA

42-Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel, PA

48too-Dave Rauscher/Waterloo, NY

56-Vince Vitale/Phoenix, NY

65- Rex King/Bristolville, OH

66-Dexter Stacey/Kahnawake, QUE

66w-Alan Johnson/Middlesex, NY

66w-Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake, QUE

79-Jeremy Markle/Port Jervis, NY

85-Dan Vauter/Forest City, PA

85j-H.J. Bunting III/Milford, DE

97-Michel Chicoine/Ste-Cecile de Milton, QUE

165-Rex King Jr./Bristolville, OH

711-Mike Iles/Medford, NJ

By Scott|2011-02-02T12:13:14-05:00February 2nd, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Series, Upcoming Events, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

Drivers From Across Country Will Invade Volusia Speedway Park For World of Outlaws & DIRTcar UMP Events Feb. 14-19

Contact: Kevin Kovac
DIRTcar Public Relations
704-254-7929 / kkovac@dirtcar.com

What To Watch For: Late Models At The 40th DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH

Drivers From Across Country Will Invade Volusia Speedway Park For World of Outlaws & DIRTcar UMP Events Feb. 14-19

BARBERVILLE, FL – Jan. 30, 2011 – With the calendar moving toward the dirt Late Model portion of the 40^th DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH at Volusia Speedway Park – a full-fender extravaganza featuring World of Outlaws Late Model Series events on Feb. 17 and 19 as well as DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned programs on Feb. 14, 15, 16 and 18 – here’s a primer on drivers to watch during the week…

* All eyes at the blazing-fast half-mile oval located 20 miles outside Daytona Beach will be focused on two-time defending WoO LMS champion Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., who will bid to extend his unprecedented streak of season-opening victories on the national tour in the 50-lap A-Main scheduled for Thurs., Feb. 17. The 22-year-old sensation has captured the World of Outlaws lidlifter at Volusia in each of the last four years.

What’s more, if Richards can make it five straight opening-night wins, he would become the winningest driver on the WoO LMS since the World Racing Group restarted the tour in 2004. With 28 career series triumphs entering the 2011 season, he’s tied atop the win list with Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky.

* The 43-year-old Francis, who in 2004 won the historic first WoO LMS event of the WRG era at Volusia, will roll into the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH in unfamiliar fashion. With a Barry Wright Race Car being his machine of choice this year (he began running the Cowpens, S.C.-based brand late in 2010), he’s beginning a season without a Rocket Chassis under him for the first time in more than a decade. He owns three career WoO LMS victories at Volusia, having also registered checkered flags in 2006 and 2009.

* Darrell Lanigan of Union, Ky., fell just four points shy of Richards in the final 2010 WoO LMS points standings. One of the places he could have picked up those critical points? Volusia Speedway Park, where he struggled through arguably his worst back-to-back outings of the season.

Lanigan, 40, was never a factor in last year’s pair of WoO LMS A-Mains, settling for finishes of 11^th and 12^th. He had to fall back on a points provisional spot to start the second feature – one of just two provisionals he used in 44 events during the 2010 campaign.

Of course, Lanigan has enjoyed success at Volusia in recent DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. He won the opening-night DIRTcar UMP feature last year and captured the $10,000-to-win UMP finale in 2007.

* Volusia has been very good to Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y., who finished third in last year’s WoO LMS points standings in his first season as a tour regular since winning the title in 2006. It’s where he won his first-ever dirt Late Model feature (UMP show in 2004), captured his first-ever WoO LMS A-Main (in 2005) and clinched his only World of Outlaws championship. He also won two UMP-sanctioned features in 2005 and reached Victory Lane in DIRTcar big-block Modified competition there in 2002.

McCreadie, who in last year’s DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH WoO LMS finale made a memorable charge from the 28^th starting spot to a third-place finish after gaining entry to the A-Main thanks to a provisional spot, heads into 2011 battle with some new faces supporting his Sweeteners Plus racing effort. His crew now features 25-year-old Barry Knapp, who traveled the WoO LMS with Tim Fuller in 2009 before spending last season working for New York big-block Modified driver Ryan Phelps, and former Russell King crewman Craig (‘Snowman’) McCrimmon, whose brother, Matt, is a mechanic for McCreadie’s teammate Vic Coffey. Al Stevens, who has served as McCreadie’s crew chief for several seasons, remains with the Sweeteners Plus team but is expected to spend more time working in the shop than traveling in 2011.

* Caledonia, N.Y.’s Vic Coffey will be in action at Volusia and is considering a fulltime assault on the WoO LMS for the first time since he won the Rookie of the Year award in 2008. He plans to run the tour’s early-season events and then decide whether he will continue down the road.

* Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., and Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, Ill., will lead the DIRTcar UMP brigade into the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. Feger is the reigning DIRTcar Summer Nationals champion and the circuit’s 2009 national champion, while Erb has won three Summer Nationals and two national titles in the last four years.

Neither driver, however, owns a prolific track record at Volusia. Feger made his first career winter racing trip to Florida last year and scored a top finish of 13^th (in the UMP opener) at the half-mile oval; Erb has been a DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH stalwart for a decade but his best finish over the past six years is a fifth (in 2008 and 2010 UMP races).

* Another driver from the heart of DIRTcar UMP country, two-time Summer Nationals champion Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., will likely be chasing a DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH triumph for the third time in the last five years. A Volusia UMP feature winner last year and in 2007 and a WoO LMS victor in 2004, the nationally-known star has switched to Victory Circle by Moyer chassis in 2011 and is hopeful that his equipment will be ready for Volusia action.

* Other Midwestern talents from the DIRTcar UMP circuit with plans to enter the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH include Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Ill., who finished third in the 2010 national points standings; rising teenage star Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill.; Dillan White of Crofton, Ky.; Jason McBride of Carbondale, Ill.; Frank Heckenast Jr. of Orland Park, Ill.; 2009 American Late Model Series champ Jon Henry of Ada, Ohio; and 62-year-old veteran Mike Hammerle of St. Charles, Mo., who will likely set up camp in his usual DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH spot along the pit-area access road leading down to the ‘Gator Pond’ area behind Volusia’s backstretch.

* Rick Eckert of York, Pa. – one of just two drivers who has started all 281 WoO LMS A-Mains contested since 2004 – knows how to get around the D-shaped Volusia layout. He’s won seven features since 1999 – more than any other racer over that span. But Eckert hasn’t won at the track since 2006 and has never captured a WoO LMS event; his triumphs came in UMP, UDTRA/Hav-A-Tampa and unsanctioned races.

* One year ago Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., arrived at the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH without his familiar No. 25 – and with a PICC line in his left arm so he could receive IV bags filled with powerful antibiotics every eight hours in order to rid his bloodstream of the strep bacteria that had spread from a serious infection in his thumb. Still recovering from the late-January medical scare that had sent him to a hospital for a week, all he could do at the 2010 Volusia meet was use emergency provisionals to start each of the WoO LMS A-Mains in teammate Tony Knowles’s car for points-chasing purposes.

Clanton left Volusia last year already over 100 points behind in the WoO LMS standings, effectively ending his championship hopes. He hopes to turn that around this season; he’s healthy and ready to chase glory in the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH with a brand-new Capital Race Cars chassis that he’s built with retired racer Marshall Green.

* WoO LMS regular Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., won five DIRTcar big-block Modified features at Volusia from 2001-2007, but the tour’s 2007 Rookie of the Year has enjoyed nowhere near that type of success in dirt Late Model competition. A full-fender entrant in every DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH since 2006, he’s managed just one top-10 finish in WoO LMS action (eighth in the first 2009 A-Main) and a personal-best finish of sixth in UMP events (2008).

* Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., who won the $10,000 UMP finale of the 2008 DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH, will begin his WoO LMS mentorship of fellow Georgia racer Brian Reese during this year’s meet. The 45-year-old driver known as ‘Cat Daddy’ has been commissioned by Reese’s family-owned team to provide the young upstart technical assistance and driving tips throughout the 2011 season, during which Reese plans to chase the WoO LMS Rookie of the Year award.

Reese is one of at least three drivers expected to apply for WoO LMS Rookie of the Year status at Volusia, joining John Lobb of Frewsburg, N.Y., who earned a WoO LMS fast-time award last year at Merrittville Speedway in Thorold, Ont., and Ron Davies of Warren, Pa. Davies, whose daughter Michelle is engaged to Shane Clanton, is a veteran driver who has decided to take a stab at a national tour for the first time after focusing primarily on the western Pennsylvania circuit throughout his career.

* Coming off the first winless season of his WoO LMS career in 2010, Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., is hopeful that he can get his program back on a winning track at a speedway that’s treated him well over the years. Frank, who turned 49 on Jan. 20, owns five wins at Volusia since 1999, tied for third-best on the victory list over that period. He last won in 2006, however, and hasn’t triumphed in a WoO LMS A-Main.

* Austin Hubbard of Seaford, Del., and Russell King of Bristolville, Ohio – the WoO LMS Rookies of the Year in 2010 and 2009, respectively – hope to end their past frustration at Volusia. Both drivers have competed in the last two DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH; Hubbard has qualified for four of the nine events he’s entered (top finish: 10^th in last year’s WoO LMS finale), and King has started two of the 10 races he’s attempted (he finished 24^th in each of last year’s WoO LMS A-Mains).

* After having her Rocket Chassis mount gone over by Clint Smith in the Outlaw veteran’s Peach State shop during the off-season, Jill George of Cedar Falls, Iowa, plans to return to the WoO LMS road in 2011 after becoming the first female driver to pursue the tour’s Rookie of the Year award last season. She heads to Volusia after participating in a mid-January ARCA stock car test at Daytona International Speedway behind the wheel of an Andy Hillenburg Racing stock car.

* Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark. – who, at 54, enjoyed a spectacular 2010 season that included victories in the DIRTcar UMP-sanctioned Dream and World 100 at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway – has the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH on his early-season schedule. He’s won five times at Volusia since 1999, including WoO LMS A-Mains in 2005 and 2008.

Moyer’s son, budding racer Billy Moyer Jr., plans to accompany his legendary father to Volusia to make his DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH competitive debut. The 23-year-old graduated from Arkansas State University in December.

* Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, Tenn., is scheduled to return to the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH after sitting out last year’s action while serving a suspension from World Racing Group events for a tire infraction during the 2009 World Finals. His last February victory at Volusia came in a 2004 WoO LMS event, but he also won the track’s ‘Gator 100’ in October 2005.

* Jimmy Owens of Newport, Tenn., who closed the 2010 WoO LMS campaign with a victory in the Lowes Foods World Finals at The Dirt Track at Charlotte, is in search of his first-ever win at Volusia. He’s finished as high as second.

* Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., is planning to enter the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH for the first time since 2007. His lone career win at Volusia came in a 2000 event sanctioned by the American Late Model Series.

* Wisconsin veteran Pat Doar is accompanying Mars to Volusia. He also has one career win at the Barberville facility – a UMP-sanctioned event back in 1996.

* Jacksonville’s Earl Pearson Jr. is the only driver from Florida to win a DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH event over the past decade. His resume shows four victories, the last coming in the 2009 DIRTcar UMP opener.

* Don O’Neal of Martinsville, Ind., ranks second on the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH win list since 1999, with six triumphs. All his victories came between 2002-2004.

* Other former DIRTcar Nationals feature winners expected in this year’s field include Brady Smith of Solon Springs, Wis. (WoO LMS 2010), Dan Schlieper of Sullivan, Wis. (UMP 2009), Dale McDowell of Chickamauga, Ga. (UDTRA/Hav-A-Tampa 1999) and Wendell Wallace of Batesville, Ark. (UDTRA/Hav-A-Tampa 1999).

* Chris Madden of Gray Court, S.C., will be searching for his initial DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH triumph, but he pocketed $20,000 for winning the 2006 WoO LMS ‘Gator 100’ at Volusia.

* Jonathan Davenport of Blairsville, Ga., who won his first-ever WoO LMS A-Main in the first half of last November’s Lowes Foods World Finals, is slated to make his DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH debut at Volusia in the Barry Wright house car.

* Among other drivers expected to compete in the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH include 2010 United Late Model Series champion Rick ‘Boom’ Briggs of Bear Lake, Pa.; Bub McCool of Vicksburg, Miss., one of the country’s busiest dirt Late Model racers last season; Dan Stone of Thompson, Pa., a former WoO LMS winner in Pennsylvania who became a father for the first time in November with the birth of his daughter Addison; 2009 DIRTcar Nationals UMP Modified champion Jared Landers of Batesville, Ark., who will be a dirt Late Model regular for the first time this season in cars owned by NASCAR star Clint Bowyer; 2010 WISSOTA Late Model national champion Ricky Weiss of St. Francis Xavier, Manitoba; Brent Robinson of Smithfield, Va., who followed the WoO LMS in 2009 and for half the 2010 season; teenager Tyler Reddick of Corning, Calif., who during the 2009 DIRTcar Nationals became the youngest driver in WoO LMS history to qualify for an A-Main; Larry Wight of Phoenix, N.Y., a teenager from the DIRTcar big-block Modified ranks whose father John also owns Tim Fuller’s Gypsum Express dirt Late Models; Brad Neat of Dunnville, Ky.; and Will Vaught of Crane, Mo.

*****

The dirt Late Model portion of the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH kicks off with DIRTcar UMP programs topped by 30-lap, $7,000-to-win features on Feb. 14, 15 and 16. The season-opening WoO LMS events on Thurs., Feb. 17, and Sat., Feb. 19, boast 50-lap headliners paying $10,000 to win, and the DIRTcar UMP finale on Fri., Feb. 18, will run over the 40-lap distance and offer a $10,000 first-place prize.

All six nights of full-fender competition will be capped by a ‘Bulrush Dash,’ a 12-lap, 15-car race reserved for the top-five non-transfers from each evening’s B-Mains who have not yet qualified for an A-Main during the DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH. A $300 prize and trophy will go the winner of each dash.

The DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH is a 12-night short-track blockbuster that also includes the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series (Feb. 11-13); the O’Reilly All-Star Sprint Car Series (Feb. 9-10); the Super DIRTcar Series for big-block Modifieds (Feb. 16-19); and the UMP Modifieds (Feb. 8-15).

Additional info on the WoO LMS is available by logging on to www.worldofoutlaws.com.

By Scott|2011-02-05T01:29:20-05:00January 31st, 2011|Featured, Front Page News, Series, Volusia Speedway Park|Comments Off

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