by VSP Media

BARBERVILLE, FL-  As the national dirt racing scene awakens from winter hibernation, the UMP DIRTcar National rankings have a very familiar look to them from a Florida standpoint.  That is because several local racers from Volusia Speedway Park, and from across the state of Florida, have firmly placed themselves in prominent positions and are far ahead of the competition across the nation.

Of course the racing season begins quite early in Florida as the climate allows the racers here to “jump the start” on racers to the north.  Florida drivers are turning laps and racking up points while northern racers are busy prepping for their seasons and watching the snow melt off of the clay at their local tracks.  So with the advantage of a quick start the Florida contingent can set the pace and take control early and make the competition play catch up, which is exactly what many of them have done.

In the UMP DIRTcar Factory Stock National rankings (known as Thunder Stock at VSP) there are seven local racers currently dominating the top eight positions.  Scott Mooers tops the list with 282 points, followed in second place nationally by his VSP nemesis, Randy Strehle, with 225 points.  Donnie Nobles has 200 points to rank third, while Courtney Eubanks, Richard Calmes Jr, Wally Douglass, and Luke Sadler, all are ranked as well.

There are four late model racers from the area in the national top ten of the UMP DIRTcar Late Model rankings, with none other than David Clegg leading the locals in third place with 275 points.  That puts Clegg just in front of Shane Williams with 263, and Dillon Wood with 254.  Also in the top ten is Joe Kump, occupying the ninth spot nationally by sporting 238 points.

Shawn Kosier may be dominating the 4 Cylinder Challengers at Volusia Speedway Park, but the UMP DIRTcar national rankings show R.J. Glaser in front of Kosier in the fourth spot with 262 points.  Shawn Kosier is ranked sixth nationally with 234 points, followed closely in seventh place by Casey Feaster with 225.  Nick Kerr holds the ninth spot in the national rankings.

Volusia Speedway Park regulars hold most of the top ten positions in the UMP DIRTcar Sportsman National rankings, with the top four all racing at VSP.  Aaron Barsness shares the national lead with Shaun Daugherty as both have 336 points, and they are followed by Matt McGillvary with 284 and Drew Smith with 266.  The Sheads also have firm spots in the top ten nationally as Paul has the sixth spot and Steve occupies the eighth position.

The UMP DIRTcar Stock Car (Street Stock at VSP) National rankings are practically all Florida racers, with the exception of one insurgent from outside of the Sunshine State that sneaked into the eighth place.  Trevor Gamble is in control, holding the top spot nationally with 302 points.  Tim Hughes and Jody Wells round out the top three, while Phillip Brown, Mike Eubanks, Mark Maresca, and Patrick Williams, hold down the rest of the top seven.  Mick Kulak is in the ninth spot followed by Bubba Christian in tenth place nationally.

The one UMP Division where the Florida racers have not taken a solid stand is the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds.  Just one Florida driver holds a top ten spot, that being Jeff Mathews in the third spot with 477 points.  Then again, Modified racers have lost a number of scheduled races to the weather early this season in Florida, and have yet to take a green flag at Florida’s Ocala Speedway due to wet conditions.  The loss of opportunities to race translates into a lack of points accumulated, and contributes to far fewer racers showing up in the national points standings.

As racing begins at tracks farther toward the north it will become far harder for the Florida racers to hold onto the spotlight in the UMP DIRTcar National Rankings.  More tracks are beginning their seasons weekly as the milder weather heads northward, and more names and numbers are beginning to creep up and into the rankings.  Volusia Speedway Park applauds all of the Florida racers for the exceptional showing thus far, and wishes them the best in maintaining superiority throughout the 2010 racing season.