2009DirtCar.htm

 

‘Super' Late Model Debut: Newcomer Jon Henry Wins 2009 ALMS Title & UMP DIRTcar Rookie of the Year Award

Rising Buckeye State Star Looking For New Ride To Continue Emergence In 2010

MARYVILLE, IL – Dec. 16, 2009 – For a young newcomer to the Super Late Model ranks, a debut season can't be much better than 2009 was for Jon Henry.

A 23-year-old from Ada, Ohio, who gained attention in recent years with his exploits in the UMP DIRTcar Modified division, Henry got an golden opportunity to move into the headline Super Late Model ranks in '09 with the well-respected Halcomb Racing team. He responded with a historic campaign, becoming the first driver to win the UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned American Late Model Series championship and Rookie of the Year crown in the same season while also emerging as the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model Rookie of the Year.

“The season we had exceeded all my expectations,” said Henry, who will be among the featured honorees during the upcoming UMP DIRTcar Racing ‘Night of Champions' Awards Banquet on Jan. 9 in Springfield, Ill. “Being my first year in a Late Model, we thought maybe getting a top-five (points finish) with ALMS and winning the Rookie of the Year with ALMS and UMP would be great. It's unbelievable that we ended up winning the championship and both rookie awards.”

Of course, Henry nearly saw his season's storybook result evaporate before his eyes when his car's driveshaft snapped midway through the 2009 ALMS finale on Oct. 10 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. But fortunately his body of work over the entire campaign was good enough to withstand a DNF/22nd-place finish in the 40-lap UMP DIRTcar Nationals event that doubled as an ALMS points show.

“It was a little nerve-racking, but we held on,” Henry said of his title-clinching evening at the famed half-mile oval near his home. “We struggled in qualifying and had to take a provisional, but we were up to about 13th and looking real good until the driveshaft broke. Then we had to sit up in the grandstand (outside turns three and four) and watch the rest of the race hoping we wouldn't see the championship slip through our fingers.”

Atop the standings by 33 points over two-time ALMS champion Brian Ruhlman of Clarklake, Mich., entering the Eldora weekend, Henry had some cushion to play with. But he knew that his early retirement provided Ruhlman an opportunity to steal the championship with a third-place finish, so it was full-on worry time.

Alas, Ruhlman could only manage a sixth-place finish. That gave Henry the title by 12 points – and immediately raised his profile as an up-and-coming driver to watch in dirt Late Model circles.

“It's a great feeling when you race against guys like Brian Ruhlman, on a series that gets great car counts, and get the job done to win the championship,” said Henry. “Getting (car owners) Shane and Jennifer Halcomb their first ALMS championship is a pretty big deal too, and making history as the first rookie to win the championship just makes the accomplishment even cooler.

“This could definitely be a huge stepping stone. I'm proud to win an ALMS championship and I want to keep going and someday make it to the next level, whether that is on asphalt or in a dirt Late Model.”

It was the Halcombs – a race-loving husband-and-wife pairing from the Buckeye State who came close to ALMS championship glory in the past with former driver Aaron Scott of Newark, Ohio – who gave Henry the big break he craved to enter the dirt Late Model ranks. When the Halcombs split with driver Tyler Boggs midway through the 2008 season, Henry, who was in the midst of a break-out 16-win UMP DIRTcar Modified campaign with family-owned equipment, expressed interest in the top-notch ride and the Halcombs decided to give the youngster a shot.

Henry didn't disappointed his new bosses. He won a feature at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park in just his second career dirt Late Model start late in '08, and this year he came back focused on full-fender competition and demonstrated talent well beyond his years.

A personable racer known as the ‘Steel Driver,' Henry was at or near the top of the ALMS points standings for virtually the entire 18-race schedule. He won four features (two at Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Ohio, and one each at Ohio's Fremont Speedway and Winston Speedway in Rothbury, Mich.) and recorded 10 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes.

Henry's most memorable moment of '09 – and the race that saved his title aspirations – came in the ALMS event on Aug. 1 at Oakshade. After terminal motor trouble sidelined his Halcomb Racing Rocket car during hot laps, Henry landed a ride in local racer Bryan Koebbe's machine in hopes of maintaining his points lead. He did just that – by going out and winning the evening's feature.

In all, Henry won eight UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned Super Late Model features in 2009, including four in a row at Oakshade late in the summer. He also finished second in the UMP DIRTcar East Region points standings and eighth in the national rankings.

Henry's success in 2009 was worth nearly $10,000 in points-fund cash, including $5,500 for the ALMS title and Rookie of the Year award. He also receives a new Rayburn chassis as part of his ALMS championship prize, and his UMP DIRTcar Awards Banquet booty will include $2,000 for second in the East Region and $1,000 for the circuit's Rookie of the Year honors.

Henry can't wait to grow his reputation in 2010, but he won't continue his progression in the Halcombs' familiar No. 1 machines. He announced on Monday that he had made the tough decision to part ways with the Halcombs, making himself a free agent in hopes of landing a ride that will allow him to travel to more major dirt Late Model events.

“We learned a ton (in 2009),” said Henry, who currently makes his living working with Kirk Wilson at Wide Open Graphics and helping out on his family's 2,000-acre corn, bean and wheat farm. “I'm very thankful to Shane and Jennifer Halcomb for giving me an opportunity, but I have made a decision to go a different direction in 2010 to try and further my racing career.”

In a statement Henry posted on his website, he wrote: “I understand the challenges that I am now faced with and have given it a lot of thought. As of right now, the possibilities are endless for 2010 as nothing has been planned yet. My goal for (2010) is to first try and secure a Late Model ride that will allow me to race bigger Late Model races and then possibly do some ARCA testing.”

*****

Tickets are on sale for the 26th annual UMP DIRTcar Racing ‘Night of Champions' Awards Banquet on Jan. 9 at the Crowne Plaza Springfield in Springfield, Ill. Tickets are $35 each or $65 per couple and must be reserved by Jan. 4.

For more information on the awards banquet, call the UMP DIRTcar office at 618-450-2072 during regular business hours.

Additional info on UMP DIRTcar Racing can be obtained by visiting www.dirtcar.com.

Mars Holds Off Glaser For Late Model Glory, Junghans Tops UMP DIRTcar Modified A-Main On Final Night Of Silver State DIRTcar Championships

LAS VEGAS, NV – Nov. 21, 2009 – Jimmy Mars lived up to his pre-race favorite status with a victory in Saturday night's 50-lap Silver State DIRTcar Championships finale at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

But the superstar driver from Menomonie, Wis., had to survive a late-race challenge from Trevor Glaser of Tangent, Ore., in order to complete a weekend sweep of the ‘topless' DIRTcar Late Model program.

Glaser, a 31-year-old who spent most of the 2009 season on the sidelines due to an arm injury, ran down Mars in the closing stages and actually slipped ahead to lead lap 48. But the Pacific Coast standout had his momentum dulled by a lapped car that blocked his path rounding turns one and two, allowing Mars, 37, to regain command and hold on for the $5,000 victory.

“It's awesome,” Mars said of backing up his Friday-night preliminary-feature score with a thrilling down-to-the-wire triumph in his Deppe Enterprises MB Customs machine. “I always love racing out there at Vegas. Hopefully we can drink old Harrah's (the casino on the nearby Las Vegas Strip) out of beer tonight – that way we'll know we did a good job of celebrating.”

Glaser settled for second place, just 0.701 of a second behind Mars at the checkered flag. Eddie Kirchoff of Gillette, Wyo., marched forward from the ninth starting spot to finish third, followed by polesitter A.J. Kirkpatrick of Castroville, Calif., who led laps 1-7 before ceding the top spot to Mars, and 2009 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series champion Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, Calif.

Mars, who entered the weekend as the country's hottest dirt Late Model driver (three $50,000 victories in 2009) and with four wins in six starts to his credit at LVMS over the 2007-2008 seasons, appeared headed to a runaway victory when he built a near-straightaway edge on the field midway through the A-Main. But Glaser refused to let the event's highest-profile entrant leave Sin City without a fight.

Glaser, who started seventh but nearly fell out of the top 10 early in the race, overtook Kirkpatrick for second following a lap-33 restart and then slowly inched toward Mars. The Oregonian pulled up to Mars's rear bumper exiting turn four on lap 45 and led lap 48, but he couldn't pull off the upset.

Mars counted his lucky stars after securing his sixth career win at the half-mile LVMS oval.

“I saw Trevor (surge ahead on lap 48),” said Mars, who started second. “Luckily enough there was a lapped car that was kind of his pick (in turns one and two) and I was able to get back in front of him.”

Glaser, who ironically used a carburetor that he borrowed from Mars, could only mourn his fate after coming so close to slaying one of dirt Late Model division's titans.

“I was killing him coming out of (turn) four, but he'd cut up in front,” said Glaser, who found a fast line higher up the track after he went “searching” for traction. “I finally got up far enough alongside him off the corner to get by him (on lap 48) – and the next lap a car came up and blocked me off. I got help from traffic, and then I got hurt by it.”

A runner-up finish to Mars was disappointing but still honorable for Glaser.

“If Jimmy wasn't here I would've won,” said Glaser, “but if Jimmy wasn't here I wouldn't have learned anything either. When you get to chase him for 50 laps, you learn something.

“To go door to door with Jimmy Mars – he said he was a little bit worried, so if I worried him a little bit, that's a plus for us.”

Mars hailed Glaser's performance after the two drivers exchanged a handshake in Victory Lane.

“He's a good driver,” said Mars. “These guys on the West Coast are doing a good job. They keep picking the pace up all the time.

“It was obviously close, so the fans got a show. It's not like we came out here and blew everybody away by any means. These guys do a good job.”

Three caution flags slowed the event, but none were for serious incidents. Andy Obertello of Hollister, Calif., spun in turn four on lap 131; John Duty of Portland, Ore., twirled into the turn-one wall on lap 18; and Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis., stopped in turn four on lap 33.

Rounding out the top 10 was 17th-starter Zack Forster of Bakersfield, Calif.; Rob Mayea of Bend, Ore.; Brad Pounds of Bakersfield, Calif.; 2009 O'Reilly MARS DIRTcar Late Model Series champion Terry Phillips of Springfield, Mo., who drove a car owned by Missouri's Steve Rushin; and Kellen Chadwick of Oakley, Calif.

Forty-one dirt Late Models were signed in for Saturday night's action.

Heat winners Kirkpatrick, 2009 Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour champion Jeremy Shank of Salem, Calif., Dean Moore of Grand Junction, Colo., and Pounds. Kirkpatrick also won the 6-lap pole dash for the top-four finishers in Friday's A-Main and Saturday's heat winners, while Obertello captured the C-Main and Forster topped the 20-lap B-Main.

Grant Junghans of Manhattan, Kans., emerged triumphant in the companion 30-lap UMP DIRTcar Modified Silver State DIRTcar Championship A-Main.

The first-ever weekend of UMP DIRTcar Modified racing at LVMS ended with a command performance by Junghans, whose father fields the dirt Late Models driven by veteran John Anderson of Omaha, Neb.

Junghans, who celebrated his 21st birthday on Nov. 17, chased polesitter Brad Pounds, who pulled double-duty all weekend, until grabbing the lead on lap 15. The Midwesterner slipped inside Pounds entering turn one and was ahead for good by the backstretch.

After the race's lone caution flag came out on lap 23, Junghans drove away from the pack to beat fourth-starter Stormy Scott of Las Cruces, N.M., by a comfortable margin of 2.170 seconds.

Scott, who turns 20 next month, fell short in his bid to sweep the weekend's pair of UMP DIRTcar Modified features. He dominated Friday night's 20-lapper, but his hopes of overtaking Junghans were effectively dashed when he clipped an inside tractor tire late in the distance and damaged the left-front corner of his car.

Mike Marlar, a dirt Late Model regular from Winfield, Tenn., drove a Bakersfield, Calif.-based car to a third-place finish. Mike Villanueva of Atwater, Calif., placed fourth and Royal Jones of Las Cruces, N.M., took fifth.

UMP DIRTcar Modified heat winners were Pounds and Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, Calif., and Pounds captured the dash to earn the pole position starting spot for the A-Main.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

Late Model Preliminary A-Main Finish (50 laps):

1. Jimmy Mars
2. Trevor Glaser
3. Eddie Kirchoff
4. A.J. Kirkpatrick
5. Bobby Hogge IV
6. Zack Forster
7. Rob Mayea
8. Brad Pounds
9. Terry Phillips
10. Kellen Chadwick
11. Chris Shannon
12. Lonnie Parker Jr.
13. Jeremy Thornton
14. John Malcolm
15. John Lowrey
16. Scott Lewis
17. Paul Guglielmoni
18. Andy Obertello
19. Pat Doar
20. Mike Kirby
21. John Duty
22. Jeremy Shank
23. Dean Moore
24. Robert Sanders

UMP DIRTcar Modified Preliminary A-Main Finish (30 laps):

1. Grant Junghans
2. Stormy Scott
3. Mike Marlar
4. Mike Villanueva
5. Eddie Kirchoff
6. Royal Jones
7. Brad Pounds
8. Alex Stanford
9. Kellen Chadwick
10. John DeBenedetti
11. Jim Bonetti
12. Mark Allison
13. Jeff Thomas
14. Ron Bartels
15. Chester Kniss
16. Ricky Childress Jr.
17. Joe Carr
18. Bobby Hogge III
19. Bobby Hogge IV

Late Model Group 1 Qualifying Times:

1. 32B-Clay Daly/Bakersfield, CA 18.973
2. 10N-Robert Sanders/Bakersfield, CA 19.586
3. 00-Eddie Kirchoff/Gillette, WY 19.751
4. 11-Pat Doar/New Richmond, WI 19.769
5. 12K-A.J. Fitzpatrick/Castroville, CA 19.806
6. 29-Andy Obertello/Hollister, CA 20.083
7. 5-John Duty/Portland, OR 20.120
8. 96T-R.C. Whitwell/Tucson, AZ 20.273
9. 51c-Randy Neal/Lincoln City, OR 20.874

Heat 1 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Kirkpatrick, Kirchoff, Duty, Sanders, Daly, Obertello, Whitwell, Doar, Neal

Late Model Group 2 Qualifying Times:

1. 30-Jeremy Shank/Salem, OR 19.682
2. 83-Kellen Chadwick/Oakley, CA 20.163
3. 14JR-Terry Phillips/Springfield, MO 20.274
4. 91T-Tony Toste/Arroyo Grande, CA 20.327
5. 98-Alex Stanford/Chowchilla, CA 20.572
6. 8P-Lonnie Parker Jr./Phoenix, AZ 20.585
7. 27-Nick Bartels/El Segundo, CA 20.841
8. 9-Doug Thompson/Sacramento, CA 21.439
9. 61-J.T. Botts/Broomfield, CO 21.943

Heat 2 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Shank, Chadwick, Phillips, Parker, N. Bartels, Stanford, Thompson, Botts, Toste

Late Model Group 3 Qualifying Times:

1. 14M-Dean Moore/Grand Junction, CO 19.878
2. 7-Billy Griffin/Buena Park, CA 20.180
3. 37-Rob Mayea/Bend, OR 20.418
4. 2J-Zack Forster/Bakersfield, CA 20.574
5. 23-Brad Williams/Arizona City, AZ 20.589
6. 91P-Jason Papich/Nipomo, AZ 20.699
7. 48-Jeremy Thornton/Tucson, AZ 20.832
8. 26-Mark Carrell/Redmond, OR 21.510
9. 1-Paul Stone/Merced, CA N/T

Heat 3 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Moore, Mayea, Thornton, Forster, Griffin, Williams Carrell, Papich (DNS) Stone

Late Model Group 4 Qualifying Times:

1. 8-John Lowrey/Bakersfield, CA 20.172
2. 15B-Brad Pounds/Bakersfield, CA 20.246
3. 5K-Mike Kirby/Torrano, CA 20.439
4. H20-Jess Anderson/Gillette, WY 20.669
5. 99-Scott Lewis/Henderson, CO 20.762
6. 3-Johnny Malcolm/Corona, CA 21.065
7. 4R-Anthony Restad/Santa Rosa, CA 21.098
8. 22G-Paul Guglielmoni/Vacaville, CA 21.596
9. 136-Lisa Stroup/Redmond, OR 22.217
10. 58-Jim Giardina/Riverside, CA 22.312

Heat 4 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Pounds, Kirby, Lowrey, Scott Lewis, Malcolm, Anderson, Guglielmoni, Restad, Stroup, Giardina

Late Model C-Main Finish (12 laps – Top 6 Transfer): Obertello, Stanford, Guglielmoni, Doar, Williams, Whitwell, Anderson, Carrell, Stone, Papich, Restad, Neal, Giardina, Stroup, Botts

Late Model B-Main Finish (20 laps – Top 8 Transfer): Forster, Sanders, Doar, Parker, Lewis, Obertello, Guglielmoni, Malcolm, Whitwell, Daly, Griffin, Williams, Anderson, Carrell, Stanford, N. Bartels

Late Model Dash Finish (6 laps): Kirkpatrick, Mars, Shannon, Pounds, Moore, Hogge, Glaser, Shank

Fast In Vegas: Mars & Stormy Scott Capture Friday's Preliminary Features To Open Silver State DIRTcar Championships

LAS VEGAS, NV – Nov. 20, 2009 – Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. (Late Models) and Stormy Scott of Las Cruces, N.M. (UMP DIRTcar Modifieds) were fastest on the opening night of the inaugural Silver State DIRTcar Championships, capturing Friday's 20-lap preliminary A-Mains at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Mars, 37, continued to shine when he visits the half-mile oval outside Sin City, winning for the fifth time in seven starts since 2007. He blasted out of the fourth starting to pass Dean Moore of Grand Junction, Colo., for the lead on lap one and never looked back in the first-ever ‘topless' dirt Late Model event at LVMS.

Driving his own Deppe Enterprises MB Customs car for the first time at LVMS, Mars maintained an advantage of about a half-straightaway over his nearest pursuer for much of the caution-free event. He pocketed $1,000 for his 18th overall victory of a spectacular 2009 season during which the ‘Ice Man' became the first dirt Late Model driver in history to win three $50,000 crown-jewel races in a single campaign.

“It's been an awesome year and we're just trying to finish it up by having some fun out here in Vegas,” said Mars, who scored his previous victories at LVMS driving Jess Anderson's Wyoming-based car. “We tried some different things and had a pretty good car, but I wasn't as good in (turns) three and four and I should be. We gotta do a little scratching for tomorrow night.”

Mars crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of runner-up Chris Shannon of Merced, Calif., who slipped by Trevor Glaser of Tangent, Ore., on the final circuit. Glaser, who recently returned to action from a serious early-season arm injury, controlled second from lap four until being surprised by the 2008 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series champion rounding turns three and four for the last time.

Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, Calif., finished fourth, earning the final automatic transfer spot into Saturday night's 50-lap Silver State DIRTcar Championships feature. The top-four finishers in Friday's A-Main will join Saturday night's four heat winners in a dash to determine the first eight starting spots in the $5,000-to-win headliner.

Brad Pounds of Bakersfield, Calif., advanced from the eighth starting spot to complete the top five.

Rounding out the top 10 was Pat Doar of New Richmond, Wis., who started 14th; John Duty of Portland, Ore.; Eddie Kirchoff of Gillette, Wyo.; 2009 Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour champion Jeremy Shank of Salem, Ore.; and Andy Obertello of Hollister, Calif.

A solid field of 45 dirt Late Models were signed in for the rare full-fender show at LVMS. Drivers on hand hailed from seven different states, with California (23 entrants) claiming the most representatives.

Scott, meanwhile, dominated the companion UMP DIRTcar Modified feature, leading the 20-lapper from flag-to-flag. He started from the outside pole and outgunned front-row mate Mike Marlar of Winfield, Tenn., to assume command on the opening circuit.

An up-and-coming young driver who turns 20 next month, Scott pulled away to defeat Marlar by a full straightaway margin in a race than ran non-stop from start-to-finish. He also won a heat race to sweep the evening's UMP DIRTcar Modified action.

Marlar, a dirt Late Model regular who traveled to Vegas to drive a Bakersfield, Calif.-based UMP DIRTcar Modified, appeared to be in trouble when he spun in his heat race. But he rallied to win the preliminary and came back strong in the feature.

Grant Junghans of Manhattan, Kans., finished third, followed by Alex Stanford of Chowchilla, Calif., and 17th-starting Kirchoff, one of three dirt Late Model drivers to pull double-duty during the Silver State DIRTcar Championships.

The Silver State DIRTcar Championships concludes on Saturday night (Nov. 21) with headline events for the Late Models and UMP DIRTcar Modifieds (30 laps/$2,000 to win).

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

Late Model Preliminary A-Main Finish (20 laps):

1. Jimmy Mars
2. Chris Shannon
3. Trevor Glaser
4. Bobby Hogge IV
5. Brad Pounds
6. Pat Doar
7. John Duty
8. Eddie Kirchoff
9. Jeremy Shank
10. Andy Obertello
11. Dean Moore
12. Zack Forster
13. Jason Papich
14. Clay Daly
15. Mike Kirby
16. Rob Mayea
17. Nick Bartels
18. Lonnie Parker Jr.
19. Mark Carrell
20. Terry Phillips

UMP DIRTcar Modified Preliminary A-Main Finish (20 laps):

1. Stormy Scott
2. Mike Marlar
3. Grant Junghans
4. Alex Stanford
5. Eddie Kirchoff
6. Brad Pounds
7. Royal Jones
8. Bobby Hogge IV
9. Joe Carr
10. Bobby Hogge III
11. Jeff Thomas
12. Mike Villanueva
13. Mark Allison
14. Ron Shinkle
15. John DeBenedetti
16. Harry Anderson
17. Chester Kniss
DNS – Kellen Chadwick

Late Model Group 1 Qualifying Times:

1. 32s-Chris Shannon/Merced, CA 18.281
2. 14M-Dean Moore/Grand Junction, CO 18.622
3. 8P-Lonnie Parker Jr./Phoenix, AZ 18.947
4. 32B-Clay Daly/Bakersfield, CA 18.950
5. 3-Johnny Malcolm/Corona, CA 18.954
6. 99-Scott Lewis/Henderson, CO 19.087
7. 8-John Lowrey/Bakersfield, CA 19.353
8. 1-Paul Stone/Merced, CA 19.486
9. 12K-A.J. Kirkpatrick/Castroville, CA 19.538
10. 12B-Ron Bartels/El Segundo, CA 20.889
11. 99T-Eric Turner/Springfield, MO N/T

Heat 1 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Moore, Shannon, Daly, Parker, Malcolm, Lowrey, Lewis, Fitzpatrick, Stone, R. Bartels (DNS) Turner

Late Model Group 2 Qualifying Times:

1. 2T-Trevor Glaser/Tangent, OR 18.721
2. 5K-Mike Kirby/Torrano, CA 18.758
3. 7-Billy Griffin/Buena Park, CA 18.905
4. 27-Nick Bartels/El Segundo, CA 18.968
5. 00-Eddie Kirchoff/Gillette, WY 19.186
6. 30-Jeremy Shank/Salem, OR 19.289
7. 83-Kellen Chadwick/Oakley, CA 19.300
8. 96T-R.C. Whitwell/Tucson, AZ 19.358
9. 48-Jeremy Thornton/Tucson, AZ 19.370
10. 10N-Robert Sanders/Bakersfield, CA 20.033
11. 5-John Duty/Portland, OR 20.395

Heat 2 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Glaser, Kirby, N. Bartels, Griffin, Thornton, Duty, Chadwick, Kirchoff, Shank, Sanders, Whitwell

Late Model Group 3 Qualifying Times:

1. 2-Bobby Hogge IV/Salinas, CA 18.623
2. 37-Rob Mayea/Bend, OR 19.563
3. 14JR-Terry Phillips/Springfield, MO 19.569
4. 29-Andy Obertello/Hollister, CA 20.148
5. 3V-Casey Vitale/Lebanon, OR 20.383
6. 91P-Jason Papich/Nipomo, CA 20.499
7. 22G-Paul Guglielmoni/Vacaville, CA 20.539
8. 58-Jim Giardina/Riverside, CA 21.384
9. 61-J.T. Botts/Broomfield, CO 21.404
10. 136-Lisa Stroup/Redmond, OR 21.461
11. 9-Doug Thompson/Sacramento, CA 21.900

Heat 3 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Hogge, Obertello, Phillips, Mayea, Papich, Vitale, Guglielmoni, Stroup, Thompson, Giiardina, Botts

Late Model Group 4 Qualifying Times:

1. 15B-Brad Pounds/Bakersfield, CA 18.784
2. 28M-Jimmy Mars/Menomonie, WI 18.896
3. 2J-Zack Forster/Bakersfield, CA 19.139
4. H20-Jess Anderson/Gillette, WY 19.621
5. 11-Pat Doar/New Richmond, WI 19.468
6. 4R-Anthony Restad/Santa Rosa, CA 20.026
7. 51c-Randy Neal/Lincoln City, OR 20.362
8. 26-Mark Carrell/Redmond, OR 20.565
9. 39-Steve Lewis/Denver, CO 20.652
10. 23-Brad Williams/Arizona City, AZ 20.780
11. 91T-Tony Toste/Arroyo Grande, CA 21.056
12. 98-Alex Stanford/Chowchilla, CA N/T

Heat 4 Finish (10 laps – Top 3 Transfer): Mars, Pounds, Forster, Doar, Carrell, Restad, Lewis, Williams, Anderson, Neal, Toste (DNS) Stanford

Late Model B-Main No. 1 Finish (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Parker, Duty, Kirchoff, Shank, Thornton, Malcolm, Griffin, Whitwell, Scott Lewis, Fitzpatrick, Lowrey, Sanders, Stone, R. Bartels (DNS) Chadwick, Turner

Late Model B-Main No. 2 Finish (10 laps – Top 4 Transfer): Doar, Mayea, Papich, Carrell, Williams, Toste, Vitale, Anderson, Steve Lewis, Neal, Stroup, Restad, Guglielmoni, Botts, Giardina (DNS) Thompson, Stanford
 

Kenny Wallace First to Submit 2010 DIRTcar Membership Application

The NASCAR racer, SPEED personality geared up for 39th Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH

Concord, NC – Nov. 18, 2009 – The 2009 season is barely in the record books and already competitors are turning their focus to 2010, with plenty of excitement building for the 39^th Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH in February.

One racer who will be ready to roll on Feb. 2 at Volusia Speedway Park is NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace, who on Wednesday afternoon was first person to submit his 2010 DIRTcar Member application – in person, no less – to the World Racing Group office in Concord, N.C.

“Volusia is right around the corner and my team is building a new DIRTcar UMP Modified right now,” Wallace said. “I'm excited to get my card, but I do have an advantage since I only live two miles from the office.”

The 39^th Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH turns Volusia Speedway Park into Florida's raciest nightspot from Feb. 2-13, featuring World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, World of Outlaws Late Models, Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds, UMP Modifieds, UMP Late Models and All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Cars. Special ticket packages, including a FREE fan pit pass, are available by calling 386-985-4402.

For information and a complete schedule of events for the 39^th Florida DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH visit http://www.dirtcarnationals.com. To become a DIRTcar Member, visit http://www.dirtcarmembers.com.

Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour Champ Jeremy Shank Looks For Final '09 Flourish At Las Vegas Motor Speedway

LAS VEGAS, NV – Nov. 17, 2009 – Jeremy Shank has already declared the 2009 season to be his best ever.

But make no mistake – the reigning Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour champion would love to cap his career year with a high-profile victory during the inaugural Silver State DIRTcar Championships this weekend (Nov. 20-21) at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Shank, 30, is making the nearly 1,000-mile haul from his home in Salem, Ore., to the half-mile oval outside Sin City in search of a signature triumph he can display alongside his pair of '09 titles: the Northwest I-5 Tour and at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. He will battle for a $5,000 top prize in the 50-lap A-Main on Sat., Nov. 21, against a field that includes standouts from DIRTcar Racing's Northwest I-5, Western Allstars, Southwest Dirt Racing Association (SWDRA) series as well as national star Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis.

UMP DIRTcar Modifieds will also contest a 30-lap, $2,000-to-win feature on Saturday night as part of the Silver State DIRTcar Championships, which begin on Fri., Nov. 20, with full preliminary programs for both DIRTcar-sanctioned divisions.

“A win at Vegas would be a great way to end the season,” said Shank, whose only previous appearance at the track resulted in a pair of DNFs during a February 2008 Western Allstars doubleheader. “I think we have a good shot there. We're not used to running a big, big track like Vegas, but I like running smooth, slick (surfaces) and that's what you usually see there.”

Whatever Shank's outcome at LVMS, he'll head into the winter with a satisfied grin on his face. A dirt Late Model racer for exactly half his life – he made his debut behind the wheel as a 15-year-old – Shank pulled off a championship double this season that's worthy of special attention.

“Winning both championships was just crazy,” said Shank, who grew up attending races at the one-third-mile Willamette oval that boasts arguably the strongest weekly dirt Late Model program in the region. “The competition at Willamette is really tough, and it's a thrill to win the I-5 series in the first year under DIRTcar.”

Shank actually clinched the two crowns in the span of one memorable September week. After Willamette's finale on Sept. 19 saw him close out a remarkably steady season in which he won three features and finished outside the top 10 just once in 21 starts, he traveled to the two-day, season-ending Northwest I-5 weekend at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford on Sept. 25-26 and came out on top by just a single point over John Duty of Portland, Ore.

No dirt Late Model series in the country could claim a closer, more dramatic finish in 2009 than the Northwest I-5 Dirt Late Model Tour, which wasn't decided until the final lap. Shank entered the deciding weekend trailing Duty by two points but fell five points back after an 11th-place finish in the first feature, so he needed to beat Duty by at least two spots in the 40-lap finale to steal the title – and that's just what he did.

Shank ran second from start-to-finish in the last race while Duty made a gallant charge forward from the 16th starting spot to place fourth, leaving Shank with his razor-thin one-point advantage at the checkered flag. It marked the first time Shank had been atop the points standings since he lost the lead to Duty following a 16th-place finish on July 3 at Southern Oregon, the fourth of 10 events that comprised the '09 schedule.

“The (close) points made the last weekend a little more stressful, but it helped that I didn't go in there leading,” said Shank, who scored one win (on May 23 at Willamette) and seven top-five finishes en route to the Northwest I-5 crown. “Then (in the finale), I was ahead of him the whole race. I started on the pole and he started pretty far back, and when the race went green for a long time I could see him ahead of me (on the same straightaway) so I didn't even think about (the points) much.

“I didn't have a clue where (Duty) was running. After the race I didn't know if I'd won (the title) or not until they told me he finished fourth.”

Shank immediately put the Northwest I-5 title high on his career resume. He hopes the series continues to grow so he can chase more championships.

“This is definitely something we need out here,” said Shank, whose only previous tour championship was the 2004 Pacific Xtreme DirtCar Series. “DIRTcar came in this year and helped build the series by getting some new tracks involved. I think if the tour can get bigger next year with a little more points fund, there's a lot of cars around here to support it.”

Adding more significance to Shank's accomplishments in '09 was the fact that he did it with one self-owned car (a 2008 Schwartz chassis), one 421 cubic-inch engine and a bunch of family members surrounding him.

For Shank, racing is a family affair. He competes each week in Willamette's dirt Late Model division alongside his father-in-law, Russ Sell (third-place in the '09 Willamette points and champion of the track's SuperSport/Limited Late Model class), and brothers-in-law Brady and Cody Sell – and by day Shank works with his in-laws at Left Coast Motorsports, a parts business they launched in 2008. Shank even used an engine borrowed from Cody in the Northwest I-5 Tour season finale.

Shank will have Cody's powerplant bolted inside his No. 50 once again this weekend at Vegas, but he'll make the trip without his in-laws. Brady's wife is due to deliver a baby this weekend, so the Selles will stay home.

Nevertheless, Shank will see many familiar faces in the LVMS pit area. A strong contingent of Oregon drivers is expected to enter the Silver State DIRTcar Championships, including Duty, three-time Northwest I-5 Tour champ Trevor Glaser of Tangent, 2008 series titlist Rob Mayea of Bend, Mark Carrell of Redmond, Randy Neal of Lincoln City and Casey Vitale of Lebanon.

Shank will also be joined at Vegas by his Minford, Ohio-based car builder Audie Swartz, who is flying out to provide Shank some technical assistance.

The Silver State DIRTcar Championships, which also include support-division events for the INEX Legends cars and LVMS Bombers, carries a two-day ‘Super Saver' general-admission ticket for the price of $29. Two-day passes are $24 for Seniors/Military and $9 for Juniors (ages 6-12), with kids 5-and-under admitted free.

Single-day general admission tickets are available for $19 (adults), $15 (Seniors/Military) and $5 (Juniors).

Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.lvms.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444.

Racing is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Fri., Nov. 20, and 6 p.m. on Sat., Nov. 21.

For competitor entry-form information, visit www.DIRTcar.com or www.westernallstars.com.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

Final 2009 Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour Points Standings:

1. Jeremy Shank 1458
2. John Duty 1457
3. Mike Miller 1323
4. Rob Mayea 1319
5. Billy Workman 1170
6. Mark Carrell 1027
7. Jim Whisler 1015
8. Steve Moore 961
9. Joey Tannern 914
10. Jimmy Schram 881
11. Rob Campos 863
12. Matt Micheli 799
13. Ryan Gerig 762
14. Rick Wyatt 751
15. Nick Bartels 712

Hogge Heads To Las Vegas Motor Speedway Nov. 20-21 Wearing 2009 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Crown

LAS VEGAS, NV – Nov. 16, 2009 – Bobby Hogge IV finished the job he started last year to emerge as the 2009 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series champion.

Now the star driver from Salinas, Calif., will bring his crown to The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in search of one more winning weekend to take into the off-season.

Hogge, 32, is set to pull double-duty in the inaugural Silver State DIRTcar Championships this weekend (Nov. 20-21), entering both the DIRTcar Late Model and Modified action at the state-of-the-art half-mile oval outside Sin City. A 50-lap, $5,000-to-win ‘Topless' Late Model A-Main and a 30-lap Modified feature offering a $2,000 first-place prize headline the two-day spectacular, which begins with full preliminary programs for each division on Friday night (Nov. 20).

“I've been going to Vegas at least once a year since the first year they ran a special Modified show (in 1998),” said Hogge, who tuned up for the Silver State weekend by traveling to LVMS one week early and finishing seventh in Saturday night's ‘Duel in the Desert' Modified event. “We haven't gotten a win, though. We've had some chances and then something stupid happens, so hopefully (this weekend) we'll have some good luck.”

Hogge is riding high heading into this weekend's action, which will feature a Late Model field that includes standouts from DIRTcar Racing's Western Allstars, Northwest I-5 and Southwest Dirt Racing Association (SWDRA) series as well as national star Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis. Just three weeks removed from clinching his first-ever Western Allstars title to cap a spectacular season that saw him win seven of the tour's 12 events, Hogge has plenty of confidence in his ability and equipment.

For the Late Model competition, Hogge has prepared his newest car and most powerful engine. On the Modified side, he'll run the same machine owned by California GRT dealer Joe Glade that he's steered to several big wins this season.

Hogge is especially excited about putting his Late Model combination to the test on the big LVMS stage. He has a four-bar Victory Circle car equipped with a ProPower engine he purchased in 2004 from fellow Californian Eric Jacobsen.

“We got our last three wins on the (Western Allstars) tour with the new four-bar car so I'm feeling pretty good about it,” said Hogge, who has done the majority of his dirt Late Model racing with a swing-arm mount since making his full-fendered division debut in 2004. “We ran the swing-arm car last year at Vegas and it was good (he finished third in a February 2008 event behind nationally-known drivers Tim McCreadie and Scott James), but I don't know how we could get it any better. There's a little more we can do with the four-bar car at a track like Vegas.”

Hogge has certainly been red-hot since breaking out the four-bar car for the Western Allstars stretch run. His victories on Oct. 3 at Antioch (Calif.) Speedway, Oct. 17 Chowchilla (Calif.) Speedway and Oct. 31 at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., allowed him to cap his championship season with a historic flourish – a tour record-setting five consecutive triumphs.

“It felt good to peel off some wins to end the season,” said Hogge, who defeated defending Western Allstars champion Chris Shannon of Merced, Calif., by an 88-point margin (1,889-1,801) in the final standings. “You like to finish strong and that's what we were able to do.”

Contrast that with 2008. Hogge led the Western Allstars points standings by 94 markers with two races remaining, but he skipped the next-to-last series event to run a special DIRTcar Modified event at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford, Ore., and lost the title to Shannon by 60 points.

“I still feel kind of bad about last year,” said Hogge, who was on the verge of adding a Western Allstars championship to his back-to-back titles (2005-2006) with the defunct Western Dirt Late Model Tour. “At the time it was the right thing for us to do – and it worked out for us because we won 10-grand for winning the Modified race. But I also like to follow things through and we didn't with that points deal.”

The personable Hogge, who works for State Farm Insurance, went all the way with the West Coast's premier dirt Late Model tour in 2009. He put together a virtually spotless campaign, finishing outside the top five just once (a seventh-place run) along a schedule that visited seven tracks in the Golden State.

And Hogge did it in family-owned and -prepared equipment, giving him a special sense of accomplishment.

“It shows the quality of work we do as a team,” said Hogge, whose primary help comes from his father and grandparents. “Winning a championship takes commitment and a lot of hard work, so it's always going to show the work ethic of a good team. I'm proud of what we've been able to do this year.”

Hogge likes to say his operation “makes good use of what we have,” and there's no truer comment he could utter. Consider his motor program – he has three dirt Late Model engines in his arsenal, but each is far from a brand-new piece. In addition to the Pro Power engine he purchased used and has since had rebuilt by S&S Automotive near his home, he also won races this season with a 360 cubic-inch steel-block SB-2 powerplant built by North Carolina's Hendren Racing Engines and a 1998-vintage Gaerte 410 motor that he purchased from a Sprint Car team in late-2008 and converted to dirt Late Model specifications. Showing his resourcefulness, Hogge literally pulled the Gaerte engine out of a Sprint Car, took the injectors off (and sold them) and put on his own intake.

With his dirt Late Model operation among the strongest on the West Coast, Hogge is well-positioned to carry his success well into the future. He's looking forward to the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series being a big part of his career for many years to come.

“Anytime you can win a championship with a nationally known sanctioning body like DIRTcar (Racing), it puts your name with a pretty elite group of people,” said Hogge, who leads the four-year-old Western Allstars tour's career win list with 17 victories. “We're still new to the whole DIRTcar program, but hopefully we can keep growing to be a bigger part of it. Late Model racing on the West Coast needs stability; DIRTcar came in (to run the Western Allstars) halfway through 2008 and this year we got a full season in under them and gained a little momentum, so I hope we can keep moving forward.

“I feel the show is there. We put on a great show wherever we go, and I think if some sponsors come on board to get the points-fund going the series will get bigger and better and more fans out here will see how exciting Late Model racing can be.”

Hogge will pocket $4,000 in 2009 post-season cash from DIRTcar Racing, including $3,000 from nearly $10,000 in posted Western Allstars awards. He also will pick up $1,000 for finishing second to Nick Bartels of El Segundo, Calif., in the new-for-‘09 UMP DIRTcar Racing Pacific Region points standings, which combined drivers' finishes in Western Allstars and Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour events.

“We're proud to call Bobby Hogge IV the 2009 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series champion,” said DIRTcar Racing Western Region director Chris Morgan. “He will be a great representative for the series as we work to create more opportunities for the West Coast's DIRTcar Late Model teams, including big special events like this weekend's Silver State DIRTcar Championships at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.”

The Silver State DIRTcar Championships, which also include support-division events for the INEX Legends cars and LVMS Bombers, carries a two-day ‘Super Saver' general-admission ticket for the price of $29. Two-day passes are $24 for Seniors/Military and $9 for Juniors (ages 6-12), with kids 5-and-under admitted free.

Single-day general admission tickets are available for $19 (adults), $15 (Seniors/Military) and $5 (Juniors).

Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.lvms.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444.

Racing is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on both Fri., Nov. 20, and Sat., Nov. 21.

For competitor entry-form information, visit www.DIRTcar.com or www.westernallstars.com.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

Final 2009 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Points Standings:

1. Bobby Hogge IV 1889
2. Chris Shannon 1801
3. Rob Sanders 1681
4. Nick Bartels 1675
5. Matt Micheli 1535
6. Ron Bartels 1302
7. Mike Johnson 1282
8. Andy Obertello 1266
9. Ken Micheli 1260
10. Johnny Malcolm 1195
11. Jeff Decker 1152
12. Clay Daly 1091
13. Richard Papenhausen 1069
14. John Lowery 928
15. Bill Bartels 762
 

Hogge Ready To Clinch First Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Title In 2009 Season Finale Saturday (Oct. 31) At Kings Speedway

HANFORD, CA – Oct. 29, 2009 – Bobby Hogge IV is just one green flag away from clinching his coveted first career Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series championship.

By simply starting the tour's season-ending event on Saturday night (Oct. 31) at Kings Speedway, the standout driver from Salinas, Calif., will add a Western Allstars crown to his ever-growing trophy case.

With a commanding 83-point lead over defending champ Chris Shannon of Merced, Calif., the 32-year-old Hogge is so close to the championship that he can taste it. But he won't let loose with his emotions until the points battle is officially decided in his favor.

“Winning the title will mean a lot,” said Hogge, who campaigns family-owned equipment on the West Coast's premier dirt Late Model series. “You work so hard all year to finish every feature when you're points racing, so when you can come out on top it shows you've put forth the effort to start something and finish it.

“Hopefully we can sew it up with a win. That would be the perfect way to top of the season.”

Hogge enters Saturday's 14th annual ‘Western Dirt Nationals' program – a four-division special that has an early-bird starting time of approximately 3 p.m. for qualifying – on a major roll. He's captured the last four Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series features – at four different tracks – to tie the tour's consecutive-win record set in 2007 by Mike Johnson of Lompoc, Calif., who will not be in action on Saturday due to an Achilles tendon injury he suffered last month while playing football.

Overall Hogge has won six of the 11 Western Allstars events contested in 2009. A victory in Saturday's 30-lap, $2,000-to-win A-Main would go alongside his score in the WAS season opener on March 28 at the three-eighths-mile Kings Speedway and push his alltime tour-leading win total to 17.

After finishing second in the 2008 Western Allstars points standings, Hogge is ready to seal the deal this year.

“Last year we were leading the points but made a decision to skip one race (late in the season) and run a big Modified show in Oregon,” said Hogge. “It worked out for us because we won the race, but I felt bad about giving up on a chance to win the Western Allstars title. This year we made the commitment to go for the championship and we're close to meeting our goal.”

Hogge will face tough competition on Saturday from many of the same drivers he defeated to win the tour's '09 lidlifter, the Gary Jacob Memorial, seven months ago at Kings Speedway.

Shannon, who marched forward from the 17th starting spot to finish third in that event, has a solid hold on second place in the points standings and will be out to grab some glory in the season finale. Rob Sanders of Bakersfield, Calif., and Nick Bartels of El Segundo, Calif., will battle for third place in the final points standings (they're separated by only 12 points), while Matt Micheli of Live Oak, Calif., appears to have a fifth-place points finish in hand.

The 21-year-old Bartels will be shooting for more than a career-high third-place finish in the Western Allstars points standings at Kings. The event will serve as the final points race in the new-for-'09 UMP DIRTcar Racing Pacific Region points standings, which combine drivers' finishes in Western Allstars and Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour events, and Bartels is the points leader.

Officials have extended the UMP DIRTcar Pacific Region points race beyond the official close of the national UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model points season to give Left Coast drivers additional competitive opportunities. The UMP DIRTcar Southwest Region points standings (highlighted by the DIRTcar-sanctioned SWDRA Super Late Model series) also stretch a bit longer than the national UMP DIRTcar points season, ending with the SWDRA finale on Nov. 6-7 at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz.

The Pacific and Southwest Region drivers already have their points frozen in the national UMP DIRTcar national Super Late Model standings, which closed the second weekend in October.

Saturday's Western Dirt Nationals, which also includes racing for the West Coast Sprinters, Modifieds and Stock Cars, is one of the best bargains of 2009 for Golden State race fans. Admission to Kings Speedway is just $10, with children 12-and-under admitted free.

Making the Halloween program even more fan-friendly, kids will have a chance to wear their costumes and trick-or-treat with the drivers on the homestretch during a break in the action.

For more information on Kings Speedway, visit www.kingsspeedway.net or call 559-587-1111.

Many Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series drivers will make one more competitive start this season after Saturday's action: the inaugural Silver State DIRTcar Championships on Nov. 20-21 at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The two-day show at the world-class facility in the desert features a $5,000-to-win A-Main for the DIRTcar Late Models and a $2,000-to-win feature for the UMP DIRTcar Modifieds.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Points Standings (after 11 of 12 events):

1. Bobby Hogge IV 1727 (-0)
2, Chris Shannon 1644 (-83)
3. Rob Sanders 1542 (-185)
4. Nick Bartels 1530 (-197)
5. Matt Micheli 1405 (-322)
6. Mike Johnson 1282 (-445)
7. Ron Bartels 1182 (-545)
8. Ken Micheli 1144 (-583)
9. Andy Obertello 1130 (-597)
10. Johnny Malcolm 1067 (-660)
 

Inaugural ‘Silver State DIRTcar Championships' Will Feature Super Late Models & Modifieds On Nov. 20-21 At Las Vegas Motor Speedway

LAS VEGAS, NV – Oct. 16, 2009 – A groundbreaking 2009 season for the DIRTcar Racing Western Region will close with a flourish on Nov. 20-21 at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

DIRTcar Super Late Model and Modified stars from up-and-down the West Coast and locales beyond will converge on the state-of-the-art half-mile oval outside Sin City for the inaugural ‘Silver State DIRTcar Championships,' a two-day extravaganza of speed with a unique twist.

The weekend's featured attraction will be ‘topless' racing for the DIRTcar Super Late Model division, highlighted by the 50-lap, $5,000-to-win Silver State DIRTcar Championship on Sat., Nov. 21. It will mark the first time in the history of LVMS that Super Late Models will compete without fiberglass roofs, allowing fans a clear view of the drivers wrestling their 800-horsepower machines.

“Las Vegas Motor Speedway is pleased to welcome the DIRTcar Late Models and Modifieds for the Silver State DIRTcar Championships,” said LVMS vice president of racing operations Chris Blair, who manages The Dirt Track. “We're especially excited about the first-ever ‘topless' Late Model race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Late Models have produced some excellent shows here over the years – with four- and five-wide racing – and taking off the roofs is going to step up the level of excitement even more.

“We're looking forward to working with DIRTcar Racing and Chris Morgan (DIRTcar Racing Western Region director) to make the Silver State DIRTcar Championships a great season-ending event for The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.”

Morgan is thrilled to have LVMS serve as the site of a grand finale for racers in the DIRTcar Racing Western Region, which saw significant growth during the 2009 campaign. Super Late Model series under the DIRTcar banner this season included the Western Allstars, Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour and Southwest Dirt Racing Association (SWDRA), and both Super Late Model and Modified competitors had a shot at national and regional recognition as part of the UMP DIRTcar Racing divisional programs.

“We appreciate the opportunity to work with Las Vegas Motor Speedway to offer the West Coast's fans and race teams a major event to cap the 2009 season,” said DIRTcar Racing's Morgan. “The Silver State DIRTcar Championships represent a huge opportunity for our Western Region Late Model and Modified racers to perform at one of the country's top dirt tracks and begin a new end-of-the-year tradition for DIRTcar Racing.

“We're excited about building signature events for the West Coast's fans and racers, and there's no doubt that a weekend at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway has the potential to grow into a can't-miss show on the DIRTcar Racing calendar.”

Two full nights of racing will comprise the Silver State DIRTcar Championships, beginning on Fri., Nov. 20, with complete preliminary programs for the DIRTcar Late Models and Modifieds. The top-four finishers in both of Friday night's feature events ($1,000-to-win for Late Models, $400-to-win for Modifieds) will transfer directly to Saturday night's dashes, which will determine starting spots in the Championship A-Mains.

Action on Sat., Nov. 21, will include a slate of qualifying events leading up to the 50-lap Silver State DIRTcar Championship for the Super Late Models, which pays $500 to start, and the 40-lap, $2,500-to-win UMP DIRTcar Modified Western Shootout.

Super Late Model drivers representing all three of DIRTcar Racing's western touring series plus some well-known national dirt Late Model names are expected to battle it out on the LVMS dirt in the Silver State DIRTcar Championships. In addition, a strong contingent of open-wheel Modified racers will invade to contest the division's first-ever UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned event at LVMS.

Several drivers will likely pull double-duty and enter both the Super Late Model and Modified events, including Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series points leader Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, Calif. The 32-year-old standout has been entering dirt Late Model and Modified specials at LVMS for a decade and is anxious to end his successful season with a trip to the well-known facility.

“It's definitely a racetrack that can hold an event like no other,” said Hogge, who is looking for his first career victory at LVMS. “I'm looking forward to going there and having a chance to race with guys from the Northwest and Southwest (DIRTcar tours) and some guys from out east as well. It's going to be a fun weekend.”

The weekend of racing, which also includes support-division events for the INEX Legends cars and LVMS Bombers, carries a two-day ‘Super Saver' general-admission ticket for the price of $29. Two-day passes are $24 for Seniors/Military and $9 for Juniors (ages 6-12), with kids 5-and-under admitted free.

Single-day general admission tickets are available for $19 (adults), $15 (Seniors/Military) and $5 (Juniors).

Tickets can be purchased on-line at www.lvms.com or by calling 1-800-644-4444.

Racing is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. each evening.

For competitor entry-form information, visit www.dirtcar.com or www.westernallstars.com.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.
 

2010 World Finals Grows Bigger: Super DIRTcar Series Big-Blocks racing with World of Outlaws Sprint Cars, Late Models with titles at stake

Duty & Shank Battle For DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour Title In Southern Oregon Speedway's Season-Ending ‘Battle at the Border'

MEDFORD, OR – Sept. 24, 2009 – The 2009 DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour championship will be on the line this weekend at Southern Oregon Speedway.

An exciting inaugural season under the DIRTcar Racing banner for the Northwest's premier dirt Late Model series is headed for a dramatic finish. John Duty of Portland, Ore., leads the points standings by just two points over Jeremy Shank of Salem, Ore., entering the one-third-mile oval's ‘Battle at the Border,' which features full points shows on both Friday and Saturday night (Sept. 25-26).

A 30-lap A-Main will headline the Friday program and a 40-lap feature is scheduled to close out the DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour campaign with a flourish on Saturday. Both events will pay $1,500 to win.

“There's no better way to cap off a very successful first season for the DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour than with a down-to-the-wire championship battle at a fine facility like Southern Oregon Speedway,” said Chris Morgan, the director of the World Racing Group's DIRTcar Racing Western Region. “We've heard a lot of positive feedback on the 2009 season from tracks, race teams and fans and a thrilling finish is going to provide even more momentum heading into 2010.”

With eight races at five different tracks in Oregon and Washington completed (two other scheduled events at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., were lost to rain over Labor Day weekend), Duty heads into this weekend's action with a precarious points edge over Shank. Third-place Mike Miller of Springfield, Ore., is 88 points out of the lead, so it appears that Duty and Shank will race head-to-head for the crown.

Duty, 43, is winless on this season's Northwest I-5 Tour but has finished second twice – to Shank on May 13 at Willamette, and on July 3 in the first series visit of the year to Southern Oregon. He grabbed the points lead after Southern Oregon's summer event from Shank, who broke a radius rod in his heat and finished 16th in the A-Main following his involvement in two tangles, and hasn't relinquished it since.

A series championship would be a grand end to a 2009 season that started in rough fashion for Duty. He fractured the humerus bone and suffered nerve damage in his right arm on April 12 when he slipped and fell off a borrowed trailer from which his team was unloading equipment. Duty was sidelined from racing for a month before returning despite still feeling numbness and weakness in his right hand and fingers.

The 30-year-old Shank, meanwhile, is gunning for a championship double in 2009. One week after securing his first career Late Model track title at Willamette, Shank will go for the gold on the Northwest I-5 Tour. He leads all drivers with six top-five finishes on this year's series – including his spring win at Willamette and three runner-up placings – but has had to fight back from consecutive disappointing outings during the Fourth of July holiday swing (16th at SOS, 18th at Willamette after breaking a right-front lower control arm during pre-feature track packing and then entering the race several laps down).

Southern Oregon's ‘Battle at the Border' weekend promises to be a wide-open affair, as evidenced by a very competitive 2009 Northwest I-5 Tour season that has seen just one driver, Jimmy Whisler of Lincoln City, Ore., score two victories. Other victors include Shank, Casey Vitale of Albany, Ore., Brett McCutcheon of Sweet Home, Ore., Rob Mayea of Bend, Ore., Steve Moore of Scio, Ore., and Greg Walters of Brownsville, Ore.

This weekend's field is also expected to DIRTcar Western Allstars Late Model Series standout Nick Bartels of El Segundo, Calif., a rising 21-year-old star who is making the trip north in hopes of maintaining his lead in the UMP DIRTcar Racing Pacific Region points standings. The new-for-‘09 regional points race combines drivers' finishes in Western Allstars and Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour events.

Southern Oregon Speedway's gates are scheduled to open at 4 p.m. and racing is set to begin at 6 p.m. on both Friday (Sept. 25) and Saturday (Sept. 26).

An open event for the 4-Cylinder division is also part of the weekend's action. Qualifying heats will be run on Friday, with a Trophy Dash and the feature part of the Saturday card.

Friday's general admission is $10, with kids (7-12) and seniors (60-and-older) charged $8. Saturday's tickets are $15 and $12 (kids and seniors). Children 6-and-under are admitted free both evenings, and pit passes are $35 each night or $50 for a weekend pass.

“We're getting lots of calls from spectators and drivers interested in the weekend,” said Richard Barney, who operates Southern Oregon Speedway with Ric Donnelly under the banner of B&D Racing, LLC. “We're very excited to close out the 2009 season with a big weekend of DIRTcar Late Model racing.”

Barney said fans are also invited to visit Lava Lanes, which is five miles from the speedway on Crater Lake Highway in Medford, for a special pre-race gathering on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Breakfast will be served and several drivers will be on hand with their cars to meet fans.

For more information, visit www.sospeedway.com or call 541-245-2755.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

2009 DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour Points Standings:

1. John Duty 1173
2. Jeremy Shank 1171
3. Mike Miller 1085
4. Rob Mayea 1020
5. Billy Workman 976
6. Mark Carrell 753
7. Rob Campos 741
8. Jim Whisler 713
9. Steve Moore 674
10. Ryan Gerig 652

Rolling Wheels DIRTcar World Series Weekend In Spotlight Friday and Saturday September 25 and 26

ELBRIDGE, NY — Sept. 24, 2009 — The 23rd Annual DIRTcar World Series Weekend, Sept. 25-26, at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park brings together the best drivers and fans for a fun-filled, action-packed special event capped off with the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds “World Series 100” on Saturday, Sept. 26. The 358 Modifieds will take center stage Friday, Sept. 25, with “Xtreme Lubricants 75”

Saturday will be a dynamic DIRTcar tripleheader with Big-Block Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stockers taking to the Elbridge oval. The pit gates open Saturday at 1 p.m. with practice and the front gates at 3pm. Time trials for all three classes launch at 4 p.m. with racing scheduled to start at 5 p.m. The 30-lap main events for the Sportsman and Pro Stock will precede the famous ‘World Series 100' for the Super DIRTcar Series.

Friday will see the DIRTcar Street Stocks joining the 358-Modifieds. Friday's schedule shows pit gates opening at 4 p.m. with grandstands at 5 p.m., practice at 6 p.m. and Integra Shocks Time Trials for 358-Modifieds at 6:30 p.m. Heat race qualifiers will immediately follow for the DIRTcar Street Stocks with DIRTcar 358 Modifieds capping off the evening with the Xtreme Lubricants 75.

Camping on the grounds at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park is allowed for a minimal daily fee of $10 which does not include water or electrical hook-up.

The ‘World Series 100' will not only boast a $6,000 winner's share and offer valuable points toward the overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship, two drivers will automatically lock up the 7th and 8th-place starting positions in the Rite Aid 200 Championship scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 11 of Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.

Rolling Wheels closes out its 40th Anniversary Season during Super DIRT Week '09 with two more big events on Oct. 9-10. A 358-Modified/Sportsman Mr. DIRTcar Series Championship doubleheader headlines the Friday night card before Twin 25s take center stage Saturday, featuring the return of the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series plus "Win and You're In" for Big-Block Modifieds (Mod Winner earns 45th starting spot in the SDW Rite Aid 200 on Oct. 11.).

Ticket prices for the two-day affair are:

Two-day combo passes:

Adult GA $37

Senior Citizen $33

Student $11

Friday, September 25

Adult GA (15-64 yrs) $20

Senior Citizen (65 yrs + over) $18

Student (10-14 yrs) $5

Children 9 years and under Free

Saturday, September 26

Adult GA $22

Senior Citizen $20

Student $8

Children Free..

Pit passes:

Two Day:

Member $45

Non-Member $65

Daily:

Member $25

Non-Member $35

For more information regarding Rolling Wheels, contact DIRTcar Northeast Region PR Coordinator at 315-834-6606, call RWR at 315-689-7809 on raceday, or visit www.rollingwheelsraceway.com on the Web. Rolling Wheels Raceway Park is located west of the village of Elbridge on Route 5, just five minutes east of Auburn and only 10 minutes from Exit 40 of the New York State Thruway.

World Racing Group Tours & Divisions Set To Dominate The Northwest’s Racing Scene Over Labor Day Weekend

Action Kicks Off Thursday (Sept. 4) With DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour Date At Washington’s Skagit Speedway

CONCORD, NC – Sept. 3, 2009 – The World Racing Group’s high-profile tours and divisions are set to dominate the Northwest’s dirt-track racing scene over the Labor Day weekend.

An array of entities that operate under the WRG banner – from the region’s marquee Super Late Model series to the famed World of Outlaws Sprint Cars to the DIRTcar Modifieds – will bring thrilling action to the Northwest’s fans throughout the traditional end-of-summer holiday period.

All the excitement kicks off on Thursday night (Sept. 3) at Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Wash., where the DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour will provide a rare dose of full-bore Super Late Model competition to a track well-known as a Sprint Car haven.

“This is going to be a powerhouse stretch of racing in the Northwest for the World Racing Group and DIRTcar Racing,” said Chris Morgan, the director of WRG’s DIRTcar Racing Western Region. “It’s exciting for WRG and DIRTcar Racing to be a part of so many big events at some of the region’s top racetracks.

“We’re working hard with the promoters in the Northwest to create a buzz for dirt-track racing in the region and this huge holiday weekend is a major milestone in that respect.”

Thursday night’s mid-week Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour date at Skagit is a great way to get the excitement level turned up. A three-tenths-mile oval promoted by former Sprint Car racer Steve Beitler, Skagit is playing host to a Super Late Model show as a high-profile lead-in to its two-day World of Outlaws Late Model Series program on Friday (Sept. 4) and Saturday (Sept. 5).

“Going back to Skagit Speedway with the DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour is a big deal for us,” said Morgan. “Steve Beitler runs one of the country’s best racetracks and it’s an honor for our growing Late Model series to be invited to run there – especially as part of a giant weekend of racing that features the World of Outlaws Sprint Cars.”

The DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour will also headline the ‘Labor Day Classic’ on Saturday night (Sept. 5) and Sunday night (Sept. 6) at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., a historic one-third-mile oval that is widely recognized as the region’s hotbed of Super Late Model racing. Complete programs will be contested each night, giving promoter Bill Arnold’s track a critical role in determining the 2009 series champion.

John Duty of Portland, Ore., carries the Northwest I-5 Tour points lead into the Skagit/Willamette swing, but he holds a precarious 17-point edge (1,034-1,017) over Jeremy Shank of Salem, Ore. Just two races – on Sept. 25-26 at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford – will remain on the series schedule after Labor Day weekend.

Meanwhile, Nick Bartels, 21, of El Segundo, Calif., is expected to enter the Willamette events in hopes of defending his lead in the UMP DIRTcar Racing Pacific Region points standings, which combine drivers’ finishes in Northwest I-5 Tour and DIRTcar Western Allstars Late Model Series events.

DIRTcar Super Late Model action will also take place on Tues., Sept. 8, at Cottage Grove (Ore.) Speedway. The full-fender racing will share the evening’s ample spotlight with the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, which continues its West Coast swing at the quarter-mile oval.

The open-wheel DIRTcar UMP Modified division also has a prominent place on the Labor Day weekend schedule. The 14th annual Lon Skinner Memorial ‘King of Dirt’ event – one of DIRTcar Modified racing’s richest and most prestigious events – will run on Saturday and Sunday nights (Sept. 5-6) at Southern Oregon Speedway carrying a DIRTcar UMP Modified sanction for the first time.

A $5,000 top prize will be on the line in Sunday night’s Lon Skinner Memorial finale at the three-eighths-mile UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned oval promoted by B&D Racing, LLC’s Richard Barney and Ric Donnelly. Qualifying races will be staged on Saturday with the main events on Sunday.

For more information on this weekend’s events, visit the track websites at www.skagitspeedway.com; www.trophymotorsports.com/willamettespeedway.htm; www.cottagegrovespeedway.com; and www.sospeedway.com.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

Rising Star Nick Bartels Seeks Breakthrough Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Win Saturday (Aug. 15) At Bakersfield Speedway

BAKERSFIELD, CA – Aug. 13, 2009 – Nick Bartels is young, fast and ready to break into Victory Lane on the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series.

The 21-year-old, third-generation talent from El Segundo, Calif., would certainly love to realize that milestone moment this Saturday night (Aug. 15) when the West Coast’s high-profile full-fender tour makes its lone appearance of 2009 at Bakersfield Speedway.

Racing at the one-third-mile oval where he launched his dirt-track career in 2005 behind the wheel of a Hobby Stock, Bartels could cement his rising-star status with a triumph in a 30-lap A-Main that offers an increased $2,500 top prize thanks to sponsorship from Cow-Boy Bail Bonds.

“It would be cool to get my first (Western Allstars) win at the track I started racing at,” said Bartels, whose home outside Los Angeles is roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Bakersfield. “I love racing at Bakersfield because it probably has more exciting racing than anywhere, and I definitely feel like I have the speed (to win) if I can just put 30 consistent laps together.

“But the problem is, it’s one of the most unfriendly tracks for me. I always seem to have some sort of bad luck there, so I’m looking forward to finishing the race more than anything.”

The grandson of 69-year-old Bill Bartels and son of 50-year-old Ron Bartels – both familiar faces in Western Allstars competition – Nick has already visited Bakersfield twice this season for unsanctioned events and was involved in a tangle each night. His misfortune there is a frustrating blight on his otherwise fine 2009 campaign, which includes two top-five and seven top-10 finishes in the eight Western Allstars A-Mains contested to date. He’s finished as high as second (on May 9 at California’s Santa Maria Speedway) and no worse than 11th in a series race, putting him fourth in the points standings behind leader Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, Calif., and former Western Allstars champions Chris Shannon of Merced, Calif., and Mike Johnson of Lompoc, Calif.

In addition, Bartels leads the new-for-‘09 UMP DIRTcar Racing Pacific Region points standings, which combine drivers’ finishes in Western Allstars and Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour events. Bartels made a haul of nearly 20 hours north to enter three Northwest I-5 shows in Oregon surrounding the Independence Day holiday, giving him extra UMP DIRTcar-sanctioned starts that have helped push him to the top of the regional points race.

“I know that realistically, with my skill level right now, it’s going to be tough for me to beat Hogge, Shannon and Johnson (in the Western Allstars points battle) because they’re great drivers and they’re so consistent,” said Bartels, who is in his fourth season of dirt Late Model racing. “At the beginning of the season my goal was to be in the top five in the points, so if I could end up fourth behind them I’ll be real happy.”

The UMP DIRTcar Racing Pacific Region title, meanwhile, is well within Bartels’s grasp.

“I want to win that regional deal – that’s why we ran more races (in Oregon),” said Bartels, whose best Northeast I-5 Tour finish was a sixth on July 4 at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore. “Hopefully we can win it for something else to put on my resume.”

Attracting attention is important for Bartels, who has big dreams of making a living in the dirt Late Model world. He’s currently a student – earlier this year he graduated from El Camino Community College in Torrance, Calif., and in the fall will begin taking business classes at California State University, Dominguez Hills – but hopes to concentrate fully on racing after finishing his studies in 2011.

“College is my backup plan right now,” said Bartels, who is using DIRTcar Racing Western Region Super Late Model action as a springboard to national prominence. “I want to take a shot at racing fulltime while I’m young. Hopefully I can make some contacts so after I’m done with school I can make a move back East (closer to the heart of such dirt Late Model circuits as the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and UMP DIRTcar) and see if I can make it.”

Bartels has already turned some heads during his short dirt Late Model career, authoring many impressive runs while learning the ins-and-outs of the division driving battle-tested equipment previously campaigned by his father and grandfather. He races out of the expansive racing stable owned by his grandfather, who operates a huge Harley-Davidson dealership in Marina del Rey, Calif., but hasn’t simply been gifted shiny new cars. In fact, when Nick, who has become known as ‘Kid Harley,’ debuts a 2009 Victory Circle dirt Late Model next month, it will mark the first time in his career that he’s driven a brand-new machine.

“I’ve always run hand-me-downs from my dad and grandpa,” said Bartels, whose primary car this season is a 2006 Rayburn chassis. “I feel like I’ve been getting faster and closer (to a win) running my older car, so I feel like I’ll be better still when I get in the new car.

“I’m real excited to run the new car. I’ve spent all my money getting enough parts to put it together and it’s almost a ‘roller’ now.”

Bartels does feel fortunate to have access to a vast reservoir of racing knowledge possessed by his grandfather and father, as well as his grandfather’s fulltime mechanic, Chris Laney, and former wingless Sprint Car champion Mike Kirby of Torrance, Calif., Laney’s brother-in-law who is now a dirt Late Model driver racing out of Bill Bartels’s shop.

“My dad and my grandpa have taught me everything I know – from working on the cars to driving the right way so you make friends, not enemies, on the track,” said Bartels, whose personal dirt Late Model win list includes four victories at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway and a DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned triumph in the 2008 Southwestern Dirt Racing Association (SWDRA) series opener at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz. “And it’s great to have Chris (Laney) around to help me when I have questions and to have a guy like Mike Kirby – who has so much racing experience – with his stuff at our shop.”

Of course, with more experience comes higher expectations for Bartels.

“Last year I was happy to get a top 10 in a Western Allstars race, but this year I’m going out there expecting to go for a top five,” said Bartels, who led the spring WAS event at Santa Maria until a late-race scrape with a lapped car that damaged his car’s rear spoiler and a charging Hogge kept him from reaching Victory Lane. “The biggest difference this year is that I can jump out there and be confident from the start of the night and I’m getting better at passing cars.”

Bartels will try to overtake all the dirt Late Models in front of him on Saturday night (Aug. 15) at Bakersfield Speedway, which has hosted more Western Allstars events than any other track during the tour’s existence (2006-present).

“We’re excited to make some more history with the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series at Bakersfield Speedway,” said DIRTcar Racing Western Region director Chris Morgan. “Bakersfield has played an important role in the growth of the Western Allstars and Saturday night’s special event will continue to bring the tour to the forefront of Super Late Model racing on the West Coast.”

Saturday’s program has been dubbed ‘Dick Shepherd Night,’ with speedway officials planning special activities to celebrate the career of Bakersfield’s own racing legend. Shepherd will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs.

Bakersfield’s gates will open at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, with racing scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. General admission is $15 and $5 for kids 6-12, with children 5-and-under admitted free of charge.

For more information visit www.bakersfieldspeedway.com or call 661-393-3373.

Bakersfield’s Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series event is part of a big weekend for DIRTcar Late Model racing on the West Coast. The Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour will return to action on Fri., Aug. 14, at Sunset Speedway Park in Banks, Ore., and on Sat., Aug. 15, the DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned SWDRA tour visits Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

2009 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Points Standings (as of July 18):

1. Bobby Hogge IV 1241
2. Chris Shannon 1185
3. Mike Johnson 1152
4. Nick Bartels 1130
5. Rob Sanders 1128
6. Ron Bartels 1070
7. Matt Michelli 1013
8. Andy Obertello 840
9. Ken Michelli 828
10. Johnny Malcolm 795

2009 UMP DIRTcar Racing Super Late Model Pacific Region Points Standings - as of Aug. 10 (rank/driver/points/races counted):

1. Nick Bartels 595 11
2. Chris Shannon 519 8
3. Bobby Hogge IV 497 8
4. Mike Johnson 485 8
5. Rob Sanders 439 8
6. Matt Michelli 433 10
7. Rob Mayea 400 8
8. Ron Bartels 394 8
9. Clay Daly 377 8
10. Andy Obertello 325 6
 

Lonnie Parker Jr. Looking To Double His Pleasure As ’09 Southwest DIRTcar Super Late Model Action Begins Stretch Run

CONCORD, NC – Aug. 4, 2009 – Lonnie Parker Jr. has a chance to double his pleasure this season.

Not only is the 33-year-old driver from El Mirage, Ariz., entering the homestretch of the 2009 Southwest Dirt Racing Association (SWDRA) Super Late Model Series schedule sitting in the driver’s seat for a sixth consecutive championship, he’s eyeing a first-ever UMP DIRTcar Racing Southwest Region title as well.

With the SWDRA tour sanctioned this year by DIRTcar Racing, all the series events also offer points toward UMP DIRTcar Racing’s new-for-‘09 Southwest Region (Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas) and national programs. The intriguing twist has added some extra incentive for Arizona full-fender drivers like Parker.

“It’s cool to have something else to race for,” said Parker, who is hoping to grab the lion’s share of the SWDRA points fund as well as the champion’s portion of the $3,100 UMP DIRTcar Southwest Region points payout. “Winning another championship can give you something else to use for marketing and finding sponsors – and it definitely looks good (as another accomplishment) on your hero cards.”

Through nine of 15 scheduled SWDRA events, Parker leads the tour’s points standings by 66 points (622-556) over Brad Williams of Tucson, Ariz. Parker holds a 173-point advantage (691-518) over Williams in the UMP DIRTcar Southwest Region standings, which are determined using a different system that includes bonus points for car count.

The alltime winningest driver in SWDRA competition with 58 victories, Parker has enjoyed a typically solid campaign with his family-owned team. The second-generation racer has four wins, three seconds and a fourth-place finish; his only finish outside the top five was a 15th on March 14 at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Ariz., after he suffered a flat tire and was involved in a tangle.

But Parker heads into the Dairy Queen of Arizona-sponsored tour’s 2009 stretch run, which begins on Sat., Aug. 15, at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz., looking for his first win in over three months. He got off to a red-hot start with four wins in the season’s first five events – including triumphs on March 7, April 4 and May 9 at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., and a memorable score on April 12 in the last dirt Late Model feature ever run at the famed Manzanita oval – but has come up empty in his last four outings.

“We had everything going our way early in the season, but we’ve been just a little off since then,” said Parker, who also earned a feature win off the SWDRA tour on May 2 at the now-closed Hollywood Hills Speedway in San Felipe, N.M. “I can’t complain because I haven’t finished worse than fourth except in the race we got in a crash, but I’m hoping that we can get back on track and finish the season strong with some wins.”

Parker, who won nine times in 12 SWDRA points races last season, has been upstaged by three up-and-coming drivers from the Grand Canyon State in the tour’s four most recent events. Williams swept a two-night Memorial Day Weekend program on May 23-24 at Canyon Speedway Park, and then R.C. Whitwell of Tucson, Ariz., registered his first-ever SWDRA win on June 6 at USA Raceway and Brad Whitfield of Casa Grande, Ariz., captured his first career tour checkered flag on July 18 at Prescott Valley (Ariz.) Raceway.

Williams, 35, pulled off arguably the most dramatic move of the SWDRA season, passing Parker in lapped traffic on the final lap to win the May 23 A-Main at Canyon. He led Parker across the finish line once again the following evening, pushing his SWDRA career win total to three in just a 24-hour span.

Whitwell, a talented 24-year-old who has excelled in the Southwest’s DIRTcar Modified ranks for several seasons, made it clear that he had arrived as a dirt Late Model contender as well when he dominated the June 6 event at USA Raceway. He was never seriously challenged in rolling to an emotional triumph in front of his hometown crowd.

Whitfield’s milestone victory on July 18 at Prescott Valley provided more new blood on the SWDRA win list. A veteran racer who just recently moved into the dirt Late Model division, the tour rookie, who is fifth in the SWDRA and UMP DIRTcar Southwest Region points standings, held off Parker to become the second consecutive first-time winner.

This season’s other SWDRA victor was Anthony Madrid, a 33-year-old from Phoenix who added a checkered flag on March 14 to his 120-plus career wins in various divisions at Manzanita. Madrid, who ranks third in the SWDRA and UMP DIRTcar Southwest Region points standings, made a powerful charge forward from the 10th starting spot to record his second career SWDRA win – both coming at Manzy – driving a Jeff Manka-owned machine.

The emergence of Modified standouts like Whitwell and Madrid as drivers to reckon with in Super Late Model events is one of the prominent storylines of the Southwest’s Late Model scene this season. Parker certainly has taken notice of the racers’ arrivals.

“The new guys who have moved up from the Modifieds are good drivers,” said Parker. “I think they’re helping make the (dirt Late Model) division out here more competitive. I know it makes me try harder.

“I think a lot of people who run Modifieds have started realizing that they can run a Late Model for pretty close to what a Modified costs. If they keep moving up, they’re going to help Late Model racing grow (in the Southwest). It’s all about having plenty of cars (at events).”

SWDRA race director Carl Nemeth, meanwhile, is very pleased with a 2009 season that has produced plenty of momentum thanks to great cooperation among the area’s track promoters, new faces in Victory Lane and a building relationship with DIRTcar Racing.

“The season got off to a little disappointing start with the closing of Manzy (the famed Manzanita Speedway),” said Nemeth, whose tour was scheduled to run five races at the track. “But we had Canyon Speedway Park step up and schedule five events and USA Raceway added two more shows. The two tracks helped us put together a real strong schedule for the racers and fans.

“The season has gone along extremely well,” he continued. “Dairy Queen of Arizona has given us some great support as our title sponsor, and there’s been a lot of stiff competition challenging Lonnie Parker Jr. this year. The new winners have been especially exciting because that helps create excitement and draw more fans to the tracks.”

Nemeth also feels SWDRA’s affiliation with DIRTcar Racing is bringing increased attention and exposure to the Southwest’s dirt Late Model racers.

“Having an opportunity to win a (UMP DIRTcar) regional championship is another avenue for them to get noticed,” said Nemeth. “It helps them get their name in the papers, get more people following them – and with that, more ammunition to help them get sponsors.”

Chris Morgan, who directs DIRTcar Racing’s Western Region operations, sees the Southwest’s dirt Late Model circuit as a key component of the sanctioning body’s continued expansion in the western states.

“Working with the SWDRA is another element in DIRTcar Racing’s goal of bringing dirt Late Model racing to the forefront of the dirt-track racing scene on the West Coast,” said Morgan. “We’re moving ahead with incorporating the Southwest’s dirt Late Model circuit with other DIRTcar Racing properties like the Western Allstars and Northwest I-5 Tour to form a solid block of UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model series running under the same rules and formats.

“The growth potential of dirt Late Model racing in the western states is limitless and the SWDRA is a big part of DIRTcar Racing’s plans for developing bigger events for the racers and fans.”

The SWDRA tour has a half-dozen events remaining this season, beginning with the Aug. 15 show at Canyon Speedway Park. Canyon comes back with a two-day Labor Day Weekend program on Sept. 5-6, and then the series visits Prescott Valley on Sept. 19 and USA Raceway for season-ending events on Oct. 3 and Oct. 31.

“We’re excited about the future,” said Nemeth. “We still have plenty of racing left this year, but we’re already looking at some sponsorship programs for 2010 and we’ve been hearing from racers who are looking to put together Late Models to come race with us.

“We’re getting some strong interest from both the racers and sponsors and that’s a good sign.”

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

SWDRA Super Late Model Series Points Standings (as of July 18):

1. Lonnie Parker Jr. 622
2. Brad Williams 556
3. Anthony Madrid 504
4. Jeremy Thornton 441
5. Brad Whitfield 440
6. Jamie Throckmorton 407
7. Joey Moriarty 396
8. Keith Noyes 358
9. Randy Carder 350
10. R.C. Whitwell 337

UMP DIRTcar Racing Southwest Region Points Standings (as of July 27):

1. Lonnie Parker Jr. 691
2. Brad Williams 518
3. Anthony Madrid 498
4. Jeremy Thornton 440
5. Brad Whitfield 431
6. Jamie Throckmorton 401
7. R.C. Whitwell 396
8. Joey Moriarty 390
9. Keith Noyes 350
10. Terry Belcher Jr. 301
 

Streaking Mike Johnson Leads Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series To Santa Maria Speedway This Saturday Night (July 18)

CONCORD, NC – July 16, 2009 – Mike Johnson knows the fast way around Santa Maria Speedway and he's riding a hot streak.

That could prove to be a dangerous combination for Johnson's rivals this Saturday night (July 18) when the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series makes its second visit of the 2009 season to the one-third-mile oval in Southern California.

Johnson, 39, of Lompoc, Calif., enters Saturday's action at his longtime hometrack with two consecutive Western Allstars victories under his belt. He won on June 20 at Antioch (Calif.) Speedway and July 11 at Chowchilla (Calif.) Speedway.

“I'm looking forward to Saturday night,” said Johnson, who captured back-to-back dirt Late Model track titles at the speedway in 2005 and 2006. “I always enjoy going to Santa Maria. It's only 40 minutes from my house and I started my career there.

“We're on a pretty good roll right now and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Johnson will also seek to erase memories of his first Western Allstars start of the season at Santa Maria, a quiet 12th-place finish on May 9. He started 10th and was never a factor in the 30-lap A-Main.

“We tried something different and obviously it didn't work,” said Johnson, who makes his living as an automotive driving instructor at Lompoc High School. “We're gonna go back to a pretty basic setup this time and see if we can do a little better.”

There haven't been many bad nights this year for Johnson, who sits second in the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series points standings through seven events. He trails Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, Calif., by 43 points (1,079-1,036) in pursuit of his second career tour title.

“I want to win the championship bad,” pronounced Johnson, who captured the points crown in 2007 but didn't compete for the title last season. “I'd like to be the first driver to win two championships, but beating Bobby Hogge is going to be a tough thing. He's just so strong and consistent.”

Johnson did get one up on Hogge in the last Western Allstars event, scoring a dramatic victory over the 32-year-old points leader at Chowchilla. Johnson was in the process of overtaking Hogge's ailing car for second when leader Chris Shannon of Merced, Calif., broke the fifth-member bracket on his machine and slapped the outside wall with three laps remaining, sending the defending Western Allstars champion to the infield and Johnson to his 10th career win on the West Coast's premier dirt Late Model tour.

“I had just gotten by Nick (Bartels of El Segundo, Calif.) for third when another yellow came out,” said Johnson, who ranks second on the alltime Western Allstars win list behind Hogge (12 wins). “I would've been happy finishing third with my car in one piece, but after we went green I saw Bobby's car was getting tight because it had something broke.

“I was able to get under (Hogge) when he pushed, and then I saw Shannon get in the wall, and I was like, ‘O.K., I'll take this.'”

Johnson is making his championship bid driving for Zach Forster Racing, a three-driver operation based in Bakersfield, Calif. His teammates include team owner Zach Forster, who enters selected events, and Johnny Malcolm of Corona, Calif., who also handles preparation of the Forster Racing equipment as the team's fulltime mechanic.

“I have to thank Zach Forster for giving me a chance to race this year,” said Johnson, a 22-year racing veteran who campaigns a Victory Circle chassis with a Jay Dickens-built engine under the hood. “I didn't have anything going until I talked with Zach at the end of last year. He's given me some great equipment to go racing.”

Saturday night's Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series program at Santa Maria Speedway will be topped by a 30-lap A-Main paying $2,000 to win. Toyota-Scion of Santa Maria is the event's presenting sponsor.

Spectator gates will open at 3 p.m., with qualifying at 5 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m. Admission prices will be $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and military, $5 for children 6-12 and free for kids 5-and-under free.

For more information on Santa Maria Speedway, visit www.santamariaspeedway.com.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

2009 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Points Standings (after 7 events):

1. Bobby Hogge IV 1,079
2. Mike Johnson 1,036
3. Chris Shannon 1,028
4. Nick Bartels 991
5. Rob Sanders 977
6. Ron Bartels 950
7. Matt Michelli 887
8. Johnny Malcolm 795
9. Richard Papenhausen 793
10. Jeff Decker 717

DIRTcar Racing's Western All-Stars & Northwest I-5 Late Model Tours Riding Momentum After Recent Successful Weekends

CONCORD, NC – July 10, 2009 – DIRTcar Late Model racing along the Pacific Coast is riding a wave of momentum into the heat of the summer.

With a successful holiday-weekend tripleheader for the Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour coming two weeks after the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series entertained back-to-back robust California crowds at Silver Dollar Speedway and Antioch Speedway, there's plenty of good vibes flowing through the full-fender world of DIRTcar Racing's Western Region.

The Western Allstars doubleheader, on June 19 at John Padjen's Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif., and June 20 at the John Sores-promoted Antioch (Calif.) Speedway, provided some hot evening dirt Late Model action for many fans in the area for the annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at nearby Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. Oregon's fans, meanwhile, had three chances to see the Northwest I-5 Tour over the Independence Weekend, with series events contested on July 3 at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford; July 4 at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon; and July 5 at Cottage Grove Speedway.

“We're very excited after the last two weekends of racing for the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series and Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour,” said DIRTcar Racing Western Region Director Chris Morgan, who oversees the operation of both series. “We were able to create two great weekends of DIRTcar Late Model racing for our racers and fans along the West Coast, and we're looking to build on this momentum to continue the growth and success of these two great Late Model programs under the DIRTcar Racing banner.”

Two of the biggest names in Western Allstars history – defending series champion Chris Shannon of Merced, Calif., and 2007 titlist Mike Johnson of Lompoc, Calif. – were the stars of the tour's mid-June weekend.

Shannon emerged victorious at Silver Dollar, sweeping the program (fast time, heat win, dash win, flag-to-flag run in 30-lap feature) to continue his surge on the series. The 42-year-old standout, who won the 2008 Western Allstars points crown despite going without a victory, scored his first career win on the tour in the previous race, on June 6 at Marysville (Calif.) Raceway Park.

Shannon, who also set a new track record and finished third in the feature at Antioch, went on his hot streak after pulling his three-year-old Victory Lane car out of mothballs before the Marysville event.

“We weren't getting our new car setup right, so we decided to go back and try the first car that Victory Circle ever built me,” said Shannon, who sits second in the Western Allstars points standings through six events, trailing Bobby Hogge IV of Salinas, Calif., by 36 points. “It was sitting in mini-storage for three years, but it's as good as ever. It's a swing-arm-type car and it just seems to compliment my driving style and the type of tracks we've been running.”

Shannon plans to continue using the older car, which has brought him the highest high of his relatively young dirt Late Model career.

“It's very rewarding to finally win (a feature) with the biggest group in the sport on the West Coast,” said Shannon, who credits his surge to help from Victory Circle, engine builder Bill Schlieper (Shannon switched to Schlieper's Pro Power motors in February) and his devoted crew and sponsors. “It also felt great to run so well at tracks that are known for Sprint Car racing. We were all able to put on some great races that show what the Late Models can do.”

Johnson, meanwhile, returned to the Western Allstars spotlight at Antioch on June 20, thrilling the track's packed house with his ninth career Western Allstars triumph. He ranks second on the tour's alltime win list behind Hogge's 12 victories, and it was his first series win since July 19, 2008, at Santa Maria (Calif.) Speedway.

On the Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour side of the ledger, three drivers with interesting stories reached Victory Lane during the busy holiday weekend of action. The details:

* Jimmy Whisler of Otis, Ore., captured the ‘Firecracker 50' on July 3 at Southern Oregon Speedway, which drew a field of 29 dirt Late Models for its traditional Fourth of July special. It was the biggest Late Model triumph ever for Whisler, who runs a limited schedule of Late Model events in the Pacific Northwest.

* Defending Northwest I-5 Tour champion Rob Mayea of Bend, Ore., broke through for his first win of the season on July 4 over a 31-car field at the storied Willamette Speedway. His 10th career series victory came in the middle of a rollercoaster weekend for the talented racer. He had to rally from two trips to the rear of the field to finish third on July 3 at Southern Oregon, and at Cottage Grove he suffered mechanical problems and finished 18th on a night that saw him suffer burns and shrapnel wounds on his arm when a line connected to a nitrogen bottle exploded as he was refilling a shock in the pit area for young California driver Clay Daly.

* Steve Moore of Scio, Ore., ended a six-year victory drought on the Northwest I-5 Tour with a win in the weekend finale on July 5 at Cottage Grove. He arrived at the track after making an overnight haul from Sunset Speedway Park in Banks, Ore., where he had competed in a crate Late Model event.

John Duty of Portland, Ore., ended the Northwest I-5 tripleheader as the points leader. Though he's winless on the '09 tour, his finishes of second at Southern Oregon, third at Willamette and fourth at Cottage Grove continued his consistent season.

The Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series returns to action this Saturday night (July 11) at Kenny Shepherd's Chowchilla (Calif.) Speedway. Kellen Chadwick of Oakley, Calif., registered an emotional victory in the first Western Allstars event of the season at Chowchilla, on April 18.

The Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour is idle until visiting Sunset Speedway Park in Banks, Ore., for a stand-alone event on Aug. 14.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

2009 Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Points Standings (after 6 events):

1. Bobby Hogge IV 922
2. Chris Shannon 886
3. Mike Johnson 874
4. Nick Bartels 852
5. Rob Sanders 847
6. Ron Bartels 830
7. Johnny Malcolm 795
8. Matt Michelli 769
9. Richard Papenhausen 671
10. Jeff Decker 601

2009 Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour Points Standings (after 6 events):

1. John Duty 906
2. Jeremy Shank 869
3. Mike Miller 825
4. Rob Mayea 733
5. Billy Workman Jr. 699
6. Ryan Gerig 652
7. Brett McCutcheon 623
8. Rob Campos 611
9. Rick Wyatt 584
10. Jimmy Whisler 551

Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour Returns With Holiday Weekend Tripleheader At Southern Oregon, Willamette & Cottage Grove

CONCORD, NC – July 1, 2009 – Another holiday weekend means another big tripleheader for the Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour.

Silent since its magnificent 2009 debut over the Memorial Day holiday, the series roars back into action this weekend with an Independence Day celebration of speed. Three consecutive nights of racing in Oregon are scheduled, beginning Friday (July 3) at Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford and continuing on Saturday (July 4) at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon and Sunday (July 5) at Cottage Grove Speedway.

Each track is hosting the Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour as part of special holiday-weekend programs, adding more momentum to a series that already has plenty of good vibes flowing around it. The tour opened on May 22 at Cottage Grove with a 39-car field, then drew 47 and 44 cars on back-to-back nights (May 23-24) at Willamette.

“There's a lot of talk on the West Coast about the Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour after the opening weekend of the season in (late) May had such great car counts and exciting racing,” said Chris Morgan, the director of DIRTcar Racing's operations in the western states. “We're off to a very positive start and we're expecting to continue the momentum with more great turnouts for this weekend's three races in Oregon.”

The Beaver State swing kicks off on Fri., July 3, with the ‘Firecracker 50' at Southern Oregon Speedway. The one-third-mile track's annual extra-distance, holiday-weekend event will feature dirt Late Models for the first time this season after highlighting DIRTcar Modifieds or Pro-Stocks in the past.

“The ‘Firecracker 50' has traditionally been our biggest event of the season and we're really delighted that the Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour is part of it this year,” said Richard Barney, who in 2009 is operating Southern Oregon Speedway with Ric Donnelly under the banner of B&D Racing. “We're expecting the largest Late Model car count in the 13-year history of Southern Oregon Speedway, so we're definitely excited to bring a show of this magnitude to the valley.”

The Friday-night card at Southern Oregon – a cornerstone track for UMP DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned Modified racing in the Northwest – will also include a spectacular fireworks display set to patriotic music.

On the Fourth of July, the series moves just over 200 miles north to Willamette Speedway for a scheduled 40-lap event. Well-known as the Northwest's weekly hotbed of dirt Late Model racing under the direction of veteran promoter Bill Arnold, Willamette's first Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour event of '09 drew the largest field of any dirt Late Model event held this season on the West Coast and could even top that turnout on Saturday night.

“It's no secret that this is Late Model country,” said Arnold. “We have a real talented bunch of drivers that race here every week and we're expecting some teams from California to come up and make the field even stronger.”

The busy weekend concludes on Sunday evening (July 5) with the second Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour event of the season at Cottage Grove, which last month became a DIRTcar Racing member track when it announced a weekly sanctioning for its Modified division.

A quarter-mile oval located about 60 miles south of Willamette, Cottage Grove's 30-lap series A-Main on Sunday night will close out a huge three-day weekend of racing at the track promoted by former Sprint Car driver Brian Crockett. The 360 Sprint Car division headlines the Friday and Saturday shows before the Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour takes center stage on Sunday night.

Jeremy Shank of Salem, Ore., sits at the top of the series points standings entering the weekend after sandwiching a victory on May 23 at Willamette with a pair of runner-up finishes. He holds a 32-point advantage (476-444) over John Duty of Portland, Ore., who finished second to Shank at Willamette.

Positions 3-10 in the standings entering the weekend are Mike Miller of Springfield, Ore. (422 points), Rick Wyatt of Salem, Ore. (403), Ryan Gerig of Lebanon, Ore. (400), Justin Dittman of Turner, Ore. (366), May 24 Willamette winner Brett McCutcheon of Sweet Home, Ore. (359), Mark Carrell of Redmond, Ore. (330), Paul Culp of Springfield, Ore. (325) and Russ Sell of Brownsville, Ore. (323).

Several California-based drivers who compete in Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series events are also expected to haul north to challenge the Northwest I-5 Tour stars, including Matt and Ken Michelli of Live Oak, Calif., Nick Bartels of El Segundo, Calif., and Clay Daly of Watsonville, Calif.

For more information on this weekend's three host tracks, visit www.sospeedway.com, www.trophymotorsports.com/willamettespeedway.htm or www.cottagegrovespeedway.com.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

DIRTcar Racing's Northwest Presence Grows With Addition Of Cottage Grove Speedway As Member Track

COTTAGE GROVE, OR – June 10, 2009 – DIRTcar Racing continued its expansion in the Northwest this week, signing the well-known, blazing-fast Cottage Grove Speedway as a member track.

And the quarter-mile Oregon oval will roar into the DIRTcar Racing fold this Saturday night (June 13) by hosting the DIRTcar Modified Nationals, a 40-lap, $2,000-to-win special event for the division that will carry the organization's weekly sanction.

“We're excited about continuing the growth of DIRTcar Racing in the Northwest,” said DIRTcar Racing Western Region director Chris Morgan. “Coming on the heels of the successful debut of the Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour at Cottage Grove and Willamette Speedway (in Lebanon, Ore.) over the Memorial Day Weekend, the addition of Cottage Grove to our weekly program gives DIRTcar Racing plenty of momentum heading into the summer months.”

Cottage Grove joins Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford, Ore., and Northern California's Siskiyou Motor Speedway as DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned tracks in the Northwest. DIRTcar Modified racers at the three ovals compete for regional and national points under the UMP DIRTcar Racing program, which last year boasted a DIRTcar Modified points fund that exceeded $175,000.

“Bringing Cottage Grove Speedway under the DIRTcar Racing banner gives us a solid base of DIRTcar Modified racing in the Northwest,” said Morgan. “We'll now have the opportunity to put together bigger DIRTcar Modified programs in the region and the drivers will have more chances to earn points and national recognition.

“We've also received considerable interest from other tracks in the Northwest concerning our DIRTcar programs, so we're very excited about the future of DIRTcar Racing in the region.”

Brian Crockett, a 52-year-old former Sprint Car driver in his first season promoting Cottage Grove Speedway, sees his track's affiliation with DIRTcar Racing as a huge positive step for his DIRTcar Modified competitors.

“The biggest reason we decided to sign with DIRTcar Racing is to benefit the racers themselves,” said Crockett. “Our feeling is that if the racers benefit, down the road the track will benefit as well.

“I'm hoping (DIRTcar Racing's presence) continues to build out here. I'd like to see all the tracks on the West Coast join up so everyone is racing under the same rules and points structures. That would be great for the sport.”

Cottage Grove Speedway, which operates regularly on Saturday nights, actually ran its first events under the DIRTcar Racing banner on May 22 when it presented the opener of the 2009 Northwest I-5 DIRTcar Late Model Tour schedule. The full-fender series is scheduled to return to Cottage Grove for another show on July 5.

For more information on Cottage Grove Speedway and this Saturday night's DIRTcar Modified Nationals, visit www.cottagegrovespeedway.com.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series News & Notes: After Break, Tour Continues Super Season Saturday (June 6) At Marysville Raceway Park

CONCORD, NC – June 4, 2009 –

HEADED NORTH: With its racers rested and ready to get back on the championship trail, the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series will roar back into action this Saturday night (June 6) with a trip to Northern California's Marysville Raceway Park.

Idle since a May 9 date at Santa Maria (Calif.) Speedway, the West Coast's premier dirt Late Model tour is set to invade a quarter-mile oval where open-wheel Sprint Car racing is the weekly attraction.

Anticipation is high and still building for the Marysville's rare full-fender event. Saturday's 30-lap feature marks the second straight year that the Western Allstars Series is paying a visit to Marysville. A.J. Kirkpatrick of Castroville, Calif., was victorious in the facility's only previous WAS show, run on April 26, 2008.

The Western Allstars teams won't find the same Marysville Raceway Park that they challenged last year, however. After the '08 event produced concern that the track was a bit too short and narrow for the fast dirt Late Models, promoters Paul and Kathy Hawes oversaw an off-season project to lengthen and widen the venerable oval, which is located 40 miles north of Sacramento.

While WAS points leader Bobby Hogge IV will have a three-and-a-half-hour haul north from his home in Salinas, Calif., there's a strong contingent of local dirt Late Model racers who are anxious to race in their backyards. That group includes Matt and Ken Michelli of Live Oak, Calif, who rank 10th and 14th, respectively, in the current Western Allstars points standings; Ryan McDaniel and Leroy Perry, both of Marysville, Calif.; and Yuba City, Calif.'s Jerry Bartlett and John Johnson.

Pit gates for Saturday's ‘Top Gun Challenge' are scheduled to open at 3 p.m. The spectator gates will be unlocked at 5 p.m., with hot laps set to begin at 6 p.m.

For more information, visit www.marysvilleracewaypark.com or call 530-743-1327.

TOP GUY: Considering the momentum he built up in the season's first three events, Bobby Hogge IV is certainly chomping at the bit to get back into Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series action.

The 32-year-old Hogge is two-for-three on the WAS tour in 2009, winning the season-opening Gary Jacob Memorial on March 28 at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif., and the May 9 event at Santa Maria Speedway. A fourth-place finish on April 18 at Chowchilla (Calif.) Speedway is the only blemish on his ledger.

“We've definitely started our season off well,” said Hogge, who holds a 43-point lead (475-432) in the points standings over Jeff Decker of Morgan Hill, Calif. “You're gonna have those bad nights – that's racing – but so far everything is going our way.”

Hogge's triumph in the '09 lidlifter was especially memorable. It was his last win in front of his grandmother, who passed away one week later.

“That will always be a special race for me,” said Hogge, whose 12 career Western Allstars wins leads the tour's alltime victory list (2006-2009). “My grandmother got to attend that race and see me win.”

Hogge, whose engine-of-choice for much of '09 has been a steel-block 360 powerplant with SB2 heads built by North Carolina's Steve Hendren, is looking forward to the remainder of the 2009 campaign. After missing a race and finishing second in the '08 points standings, he's looking for his first career title in the tour's fourth season of competition.

“Our intention is to run the whole (Western Allstars) schedule and go after the championship,” said Hogge, who drives family-owned equipment. “I like the schedule this year. I like going to different places and that's what we're doing this year.”

STRAIGHT-LINE INVADER: Hogge's fast start, solid fields of cars (an average of 27 per race) and packed grandstands have been the big stories so far this season on the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series, but don't forget the headlines that were made when the tour was invaded by a national motorsports star on May 9 at Santa Maria Speedway.

NHRA Funny Car points leader Ron Capps made a special appearance at Santa Maria – not to sign autographs, but to climb behind the wheel of a dirt Late Model fielded by Zach Forster of Bakersfield, Calif. With the car's body (provided by Victory Circle Chassis) carrying the same NAPA Auto Parts logos and colors as his 330-mph, 7,000-horsepower Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger Funny Car, Capps qualified through a heat race and drove to a respectable 14th-place finish in the 30-lap feature.

“It was a challenge,” bottom-lined Capps, whose previous dirt Late Model racing experience was limited to his three annual runs in the ‘Prelude to the Dream' event at Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio (he finished a personal-best fourth in the inaugural 2006 race). “I was just trying to get lap time and get comfortable in the car. I felt great that I was able to qualify right into the A-Main and not get in anybody's way.”

Capps, 43, has long had an interest in dirt-track racing, so he jumped at the opportunity to race with the Western Allstars on an off-weekend from his NHRA activity. He knows he has a long way to go before he can battle it out at the front of the pack with the tour's top talents, but if his name-recognition can bring some attention to a dirt-track race – well, that's good enough for him.

“I've always loved dirt racing,” said Capps, who grew up in northern California and now resides in Carlsbad. “As a kid I went to Santa Maria almost every weekend. My Dad even worked on a Sprint Car.

“I know Chris Kearns (Santa Maria's promoter) and we always talked about me coming to one of his races. We finally worked something out and hopefully it helped him out. Anytime there's a track like Santa Maria that's been there in the community forever, I want to see it keep going. If I can help get the TV stations and newspapers talking about it, I'm happy.”

Capps, whose plan to make a fourth attempt at Eldora's ‘Prelude to the Dream' event was postponed by rain on Wed., June 3 (it's rescheduled for Sept. 9), would like to find openings in his schedule to enter more Western Allstars shows later this year. He said additional starts will not only develop his dirt-racing talents, but also actually help his skills on the dragstrip.

“I truly believe the dirt racing helps me (in the Funny Car),” said Capps. “When a (dragster) loses traction early in a run, it becomes a ‘pedal-fest.' That's basically like driving a dirt car – you're driving by the seat of your pants.

“The thing is, in a drag race, you have to hold on for only a few seconds. In a dirt race, you're driving by the seat of your pants for 30 laps, or 15 minutes, or however long the race is. You gotta be on your game every lap.”

GREAT START: The tour's breakout star this season just might be Jeff Decker, a resident of Morgan Hill, Calif., who enters this Saturday night's action ranked second in the points standings.

A native of Shippensburg, Pa., Decker has been competing in the dirt Late Model division since 2003. He owns three consecutive Late Model track titles (2006-2008) at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif., and a 2007 championship at Antioch (Calif.) Speedway, but he's never won a Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series A-Main.

That looks like it might change this year. Decker finished second in the first two events of 2009, at Kings Speedway and Chowchilla Speedway. Motor maladies on May 9 at Santa Maria left him with a disappointing 17th-place finish, but he's ready to get back on track at Marysville Raceway Park.

LOOKING FOR HIS RHYTHM: Defending Western Allstars champion Chris Shannon of Merced, Calif., is hoping Saturday's program at Marysville helps him shake out of some early-season doldrums.

Shannon started the season off in fine fashion, charging from the 17th starting spot to finish third at Kings Speedway. But his ensuing starts produced progressively worse finishes – seventh on April 18 in his hometown Chowchilla Speedway's event, and 20th on May 9 at Santa Maria. He's currently fifth in the points standings, 67 points behind Hogge.

NEXT UP: After this weekend's stop at Marysville Raceway Park, the Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series will have a week off before heading to Wine Country for a big doubleheader at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, Calif. (June 19) and Antioch Speedway (June 20) built around the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. The road course is located 150 miles from Silver Dollar and just over 50 miles from Antioch.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

Western Allstars DIRTcar Late Model Series Points Standings (after 3 events):

1. Bobby Hogge IV 475
2. Jeff Decker 432
3. Nick Bartels 429
4. Rob Sanders 427
5. Chris Shannon 408
6. Ron Bartels 406
7. Johnny Malcolm 404
8. Mike Johnson 404
9. Andy Obertello 399
10. Matt Michelli 392
11. Bill Bartels 385
12. John Lowery 336
13. Billy Griffin 296
14. Ken Michelli 295
15. Tom Malcolm 248

DIRTcar Download: Mid-May Shows the Way to Excellent DIRTcar Action

CONCORD, NC – May 22, 2009 -

DIRTcar Download is your source for everything in DIRTcar Racing. Throughout the season, you'll find weekly news, notes and track and driver spotlights from across DIRTcar Racing's regions.

POINTS BULLETIN: EFFECTIVE May 6, 2009 - The following change to the 2009 DIRTcar Membership Application is effective as of the date listed above:

DIRTcar Racing Membership Deadline – The date for required membership in order to be awarded points has been changed to June 16, 2009. After June 16, drivers who are not members will not be awarded points. Participants are encouraged to join for member benefits at any time throughout the 2009 season. Any questions should be directed to Anna Walker at 704-707-0211.

DIRTcar NorthEast:

American Traditions Motorsports Weekend: Can-Am Motorsports Park in Lafargeville, N.Y., will celebrate Memorial Day weekend in style this year with two days of weekend racing planned. Friday's program (May 22) will feature a 30-lap feature for the DIRTcar big-block Modifieds, the 358-Modified John Black Memorial $500 Dash for Cash and a $750-to-win feature for the Sportsman-Modifieds.

Saturday's program (May 23) wraps up the weekend with racing for big-blocks, 358-Modifieds and Sportsman-Modifieds ($1,000 to win special).

Fans can expect action to start at 7:15 p.m. on Friday and 7 p.m. on Saturday. Everyone can enjoy both nights of racing for $12 a night.

For more information visit www.canammotorsports.com.

Get Fit: Has it ever benefited you to be a member of a gym? It will this weekend at Lebanon Valley Speedway as they present ‘Fitness Club Night' at the high-banked, half-mile oval in West Lebanon, N.Y.

A special promotion from Sayer's Auto Wrecking & Chatham Printing will bring fans ‘Fitness Club Night,' at which fans can show their Membership Card to a fitness center and get in free to the races! Lebanon Valley Speedway will have double features for both the DIRTcar big-block Modifieds and Pro Stocks on the night.

Fan-friendly admission prices are as follows: General Admission for kids 11-and-under is $2, General Admission for adults is $10, Reserved Seating is $11 for the tower, and tower roof seating is $16. Gates open at 5 p.m., with racing starting at 6 p.m.

For more information on the night's events, visit www.lebanonvalley.com.

UMP DIRTcar:

Outlaws Come to Town: The Tri-State Challenge featuring the World of Outlaws Late Model Series rolls into UMP DIRTcar Late Model country this Memorial Day Weekend.

Some of UMP DIRTcar's best Super Late Model drivers – including two-time defending national champion Dennis Erb Jr. and rising star Jason Feger – are set to duke it out with the best from the World of Outlaws Late Model Series during the three-race Midwest swing, which showcases events in Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin.

U.S. 36 Raceway in Osborn, Mo., starts the ‘Tour de Midwest' on Fri., May 22, followed by 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, on Sat., May 23, and Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis., on Sun., May 24. SLS Promotions has posted a $10,000 bonus for a driver who can win two of the three events that make up the Tri-State Late Model Challenge, which will be contested using the UMP DIRTcar Hoosier tire rule.

Not only will the UMP DIRTcar Late Model drivers have to battle the Outlaws during the weekend, but the field each night will also include NASCAR veteran Kenny Schrader, who's known for racing anything, anytime, anywhere.

For those needing reserved tickets visit www.slspromotions.com, and for more information on the three-track tour visit www.worldofoutlaws.com.

DIRTcar Western Region:

Start Me Up: The DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour kicks off for the 2009 season this season with a tripleheader weekend.

Cottage Grove (Ore.) Speedway will host the series on Friday and Saturday (May 22-23), with Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., closing the weekend with an event on Sunday night (May 24).

The new DIRTcar-sanctioned series offers the Northwest's Super Late Model drivers the opportunity to compete for national and regional UMP DIRTcar Racing points and points-fund cash under common rules provided by the DIRTcar Racing organization.

The tour currently shows 12 dates, including Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Wash., Sunset Speedway Park in Banks, Ore., and Southern Oregon Speedway in Medford, Ore.

Primo Parker: Arizona's Lonnie Parker Jr. is quite used to winning, which is easy to understand when you look at his 50-plus career wins on the DIRTcar-sanctioned Southwest Dirt Racing Association Super Late Model tour (SWDRA) and five series titles.

What's more impressive about Parker is the dominance he's displayed recently when taking to the track.

Consider” Parker has captured four of the first five events of the 2009 SWDRA schedule, only being interrupted by local Modified stalwart Anthony Madrid, who won the final Late Model race ever run at his hometrack, Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix. It's an impressive start, but Parker did the same thing in 2008, capturing the first six of seven SWDRA events en route to a championship and nine overall wins.

Can Parker match his 2008 success? Find out when the tour picks back up this weekend at Canyon Speedway Park in Phoenix, with a doubleheader scheduled for May 23 and 24. Both races will pay $1,000 to win.

Gates open at 5 p.m. each night and racing action picks up at 7 p.m. for the KDG Memorial.

For more information visit www.canyonspeedwaypark.com.

UMP Western Modifieds at USA Raceway Park: UMP DIRTcar Western Modified drivers are starting to show their prominence within the overall UMP DIRTcar national points landscape.

This week the racers will have another chance to gather points when the division races at USA Raceway Park in Tucson, Ariz., this weekend on May 23 and 24.

USA Raceway Park has a full slate of racing action to support the DIRTcar Western Modifieds, with racing action set for 7 p.m. both evenings.

For more information visit www.usadirttrack.com.

Ask Anna:

Each week DIRTcar Racing Membership Coordinator Anna Walker will answer a question submitted by a member. If you have a question that you would like Anna to answer, e-mail the question to her at [email protected].

Question: Once I sign up online or mail my membership application in, how long does it take to receive my membership packet?

A: When your application arrives in the office, it normally takes me three days to process your information and mail out each packet. Depending on where you live, you should receive your membership packet within two weeks of mailing it to me.

Want to be featured in the DIRTcar Download? Email [email protected] with your story.

For all the latest DIRTcar Racing news and information, visit DIRTcar.com. If you're a member or would like to become a member, visit DIRTcarMembers.com.

DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Series Swings Into Action Memorial Day Weekend At Cottage Grove, Willamette

Cottage Grove, Ore. — May 21, 2009 — The DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Series launches its inaugural 2009 campaign with a huge weekend of racing in Oregon beginning Friday night at Cottage Grove Speedway followed by the two-day Memorial Classic at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore.
 

“We're excited to kick off the Northwest tour, bringing the benefits of DIRTcar Racing to the area,” said DIRTcar West Region Director Chris Morgan. “We expect to have a solid field of Dirt Late Models this weekend and throughout the year as we continue to work on new opportunities with promoters and track operators.”

The stout field of racers will include two-time champion Rob Mayea, of Bend, Ore., and John Duty of Portland, Ore., who already has a win this season at Willamette Speedway.

“It's real positive for our area that we can have a sanctioned series up in our neck of the woods,” said Duty, who picked up a victory May 9 at Willamette after coming off an arm injury. “It's a good series, but with DIRTcar's involvement there's some merit behind it and some name recognition so we can get some more tracks. I'm really thrilled to see this come our way. I think we'll have good car counts all three days this weekend.

“I think it's a great deal and I think it'll turn into something bigger and better as the years go by. We needed DIRTcar to expand it.”

Mayea is geared up to begin a shot at his third DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Series championship Friday night at Cottage Grove.

“I think having DIRTcar involved is a big bonus,” Mayea said. “It makes us feel like we're part of the country as far as Dirt Late Model tour racing goes now that we're affiliated with something that's as professional as DIRTcar. ... I've been lucky enough to win the championship a few times and finish second a few times. It's neat to go traveling a little bit. We're excited to get out and travel around a little bit. The series is very doable.”

One driver who definitely wishes he was able to race this weekend is three-time series champion Trevor Glaser of Tangent, Ore. A broken arm in the first race of the year at Willamette will keep him from racing until August, but with his success behind the wheel other competitors seek his advice. As a long-time competitor in the region, Glaser has a unique view on DIRTcar's involvement with the Northwest I-5 Late Model Series as well as weekly racing in the Pacific Northwest.

“I think it's really good,” Glaser said. “It's been a long time coming to get organized and get a bigger picture racing-feel out here. Our racetracks are pretty spread out, at least up in Oregon. They've been working on it for 10 years, but getting a deal like this where we can get everybody working together has been a long time coming. It's set up well. I'm pretty optimistic that it'll keep getting bigger and bigger.”

“Dirt Late Model racing has always been strong at Willamette Speedway. Six or seven years ago, that was the only place that had a weekly late model show, but we had 50 cars. In the last 10 years, the race tracks have started racing a lot more Dirt Late Models in Oregon so it's getting a lot bigger. The epicenter is still Willamette Speedway, but it's getting bigger and there's more competition. I think DIRTcar is coming in at the perfect time.”

Certainly it's the perfect weekend to kick off the new DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Series. The action will no doubt be fierce Friday at Cottage Grove Speedway as well as Saturday and Sunday at Willamette Speedway.

Friday at Cottage Grove, the gates open at 4 p.m. with qualifying at 5:30 p.m. and racing at 6:45 p.m. Check out www.cottagegrovespeedway.com for more information. On Saturday and Sunday for the Memorial Classic at Willamette Speedway, the spectator gates open at 2 p.m. with racing at 6 p.m. Go to www.trophymotorsports.com for more information.

UMP DIRTcar Racing Pacific & Southwest Regions Offer West Coast's Super Late Model Teams More Opportunities For Cash, Recognition

CONCORD, NC – May 20, 2009 – DIRTcar Racing Western Region Super Late Model stars will have a shot at more cash and national attention this season thanks to a new twist with the UMP DIRTcar Racing points program.

The West Coast's DIRTcar Super Late Model action will feature Pacific and Southwest regions for the 2009 campaign, giving a greater number of drivers an opportunity to share in the UMP DIRTcar points fund.

“Creating two UMP DIRTcar regions within the DIRTcar Racing Western Region opens more avenues for our Super Late Model racers to earn money and recognition with UMP and DIRTcar,” said DIRTcar Western Region director Chris Morgan. “We're working hard to bring more attention to Late Model racing on the West Coast and this provides teams an opportunity for a UMP DIRTcar check in addition to their series payouts.”

A total of $6,200 in UMP DIRTcar points-fund cash will be on the line for the top 10 finishers in the Pacific Region. Drivers can earn Pacific Region points by competing on the DIRTcar Western Allstars Late Model Series, the DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour and in other DIRTcar-sanctioned events in California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada.

With DIRTcar's Western Allstars and Northwest I-5 tours running no conflicting dates this season, the UMP DIRTcar points program raises another incentive to bring the best drivers from both series together in talent-filled shows for the West Coast's Super Late Model fans.

The Southwest Region, meanwhile, has a posted points fund of $3,100 for the top 10 finishers in the standings. Points can be earned on the DIRTcar-sanctioned Southwestern Dirt Racing Association (SWDRA) Super Late Model tour and in all other DIRTcar-affiliated events in Arizona, New Mexico and West Texas.

DIRTcar Western Region drivers will also earn points toward the UMP DIRTcar national points championship, which is determined using a driver's best 40 finishes/points nights. Last year's UMP DIRTcar national points fund paid out $79,875 to the top 100 drivers in the final standings.

In order to be eligible to collect UMP DIRTcar points-fund money, a driver must hold a valid DIRTcar Racing membership.

Both West Coast regions have DIRTcar Racing-sanctioned action coming up over Memorial Day Weekend. The DIRTcar Northwest I-5 Late Model Tour kicks off its 2009 season with events on May 22-23 at Cottage Grove (Ore.) Speedway and May 24 at Willamette Speedway in Lebanon, Ore., and the SWDRA series continues with a two-day program on May 23-24 at Canyon Raceway in Peoria, Ariz.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.

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NHRA Funny Car Star Ron Capps Ready To Challenge DIRTcar Western Allstars Late Model Series Saturday Night (May 9) At Santa Maria Speedway

SANTA MARIA, CA – May 6, 2009 – The DIRTcar Western Allstars Late Model Series and NHRA Funny Car drag racing are two completely different motorsports disciplines, but straight-line star Ron Capps will do his best to blur the distinctions between them this weekend.

Capps, the current points leader in the powerful Funny Car division of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, plans to challenge the Western Allstars' standouts this Saturday night (May 9) when the tour pays a visit to Santa Maria Speedway.

A resident of Carlsbad, Calif., Capps will take advantage of an open weekend on his drag-racing schedule to make his first-ever start on the DIRTcar Western Allstars Late Model Series. He will drive a dirt Late Model fielded by Zack Forster of Bakersfield, Calif., and compete as a teammate to 2007 WAS champion Mike Johnson of Lompoc, Calif.

Capps's dirt Late Model will carry the same NAPA Auto Parts logos and colors as the 330-mph, 7,000-horsepower Don Schumacher Racing Dodge Charger that he campaigns on the NHRA Funny Car trail. Victory Circle Chassis in Bakersfield, Calif., provided a new body to Forster Racing so Capps's machine could be customized with his familiar sponsor and colors for Saturday night's program.

“We're thrilled to have Ron Capps joining us for a night of DIRTcar Western Allstars Late Model Series action at Santa Maria Speedway,” said DIRTcar Racing Western Region Director Chris Morgan, who oversees the operation of the Western Allstars. “He's a nationally-known Funny Car racer but he loves to go dirt-track racing whenever he can, so a Western Allstars show in his homestate gives him a perfect opportunity to fill his dirt-track desires.

“Special thanks goes out to Chris Kearns of Santa Maria Speedway as well as NAPA Auto Parts, Forster Racing and Victory Circle Chassis for helping make Ron's appearance a reality. This type of special event adds excitement to the DIRTcar Western Allstars Late Model Series and builds more momentum for the tour.”

While the 43-year-old Capps has limited dirt-track experience, he's made a number of starts on clay ovals in each of the last six years. His dirt debut came in 2003 behind the wheel of an open-wheel Midget in the famed indoor Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Okla., and he returned to the Chili Bowl the following year. As for dirt Late Model racing, since 2005 Capps has competed annually in the Prelude to the Dream event – a huge early-summer charity race comprised of nationally-recognized drivers running dirt Late Models at NASCAR star Tony Stewart's Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio – and owns a top finish of fourth (2006).

Capps, who graduated from Santa Clara (Calif.) University (three-and-a-half hours north of Santa Maria Speedway) with a Bachelor of Science degree in software engineering, plans to once again enter next month's Prelude to the Dream at Eldora. He also hopes to make additional Western Allstars appearances in 2009.

Santa Maria Speedway returns to the Western Allstars tour on Sat., May 9, after hosting the series for the first time in 2008. Mike Johnson was victorious in last year's event.

Additional info on all of the series, sanctioning and member tracks of DIRTcar Racing is available at www.DIRTcar.com.